Free One Year (New & Lengthened Edition) by Charlotte Byrd Page B

you should’ve been more specific.” I smile.
    “Okay, fine.” Juliet rolls her eyes. “Do what you want. I just don’t want you to get hurt, right? You know that I’m just looking out for you.”
    “You don’t need to look out for me,” I say. “Dylan’s a nice guy. You know that.”
    “Yes, I know that. I also know that his girlfriend of 2 years, Peyton, had just broken up with him today. On his birthday. So he’s not someone who’s in the best state of mind to start up with at this point.”
    Juliet goes on and on, but I stop listening after she mentions Peyton.
    Peyton. Of course, Peyton.
    I had completely forgotten about Peyton. About the very existence of her.
    “They broke up?” I ask. I can’t believe that they’d broken up.
    But then again, she did tell me that they did have the tendency to break up and make up.
    As if she knows what I’m thinking, Juliet says, “It looks like it might be for good this time.”
    I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if their break up is a good thing. I don’t know if I want them to still be together. Either way it’s complicated.
    “Okay, fine, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” I finally admit. I half expect Juliet to gloat, but she surprises me. Instead of reveling in being right, she just sends me a sympathetic look.
    “On the other hand,” she says, “it was just a kiss right? No big deal.”
    Yeah, maybe not. Except that it is. Dylan is the first person whom I’ve kissed since kissing Tristan exclusively, for two years.
    Well, except for that other guy…

18
    H is name was Darren . I was a senior in high school. Tristan and I had been in a long distance relationship for seven months and Darren was my partner in AP Physics. We had gone to the same school for four years, but I’d only met him that January. In fact, I’d never even seen him before. He swore that he had seen me, but I wasn’t so sure.
    Darren had short dark hair, the color of roasted chestnuts, and disarming blue eyes. Unlike Tristan, he was quiet and somewhat shy. He never made witty comments or jokes in class. He rarely raised his hand, let alone answer questions directly, without being asked.
    He was basically the opposite of everything that I loved about Tristan. And yet, I found myself inexplicably drawn to him. During the first month, I loved how he had made me laugh and appreciated his friendship. Somewhere, in the middle of February, around Valentine’s Day, I started to feel something more.
    The night before our project was due, I stayed late while we put on the finishing touches on the presentation. After going over it one last time, we decided to celebrate with some of his dad’s bourbon. After drinking a full glass of bourbon, our inhibitions were somewhat relaxed. Even now, I don’t know how it happened. But suddenly, he leaned close to me. He brushed a few strands of hair out of my face and kissed me.
    I had been lying to myself about my feelings for Darren for some time. Tristan was gone and I was lonely. And Darren…well, he was around. He was funny. And sarcastic. And cute. But mostly, he was just around. I had no overwhelming desire to be with him and, I hate to admit it, but if Tristan was still around, I wouldn’t have given Darren a second thought. But I hadn’t seen Tristan in person for a long time, and it felt nice to have someone’s arms around me.
    Darren and I made out for close to an hour. It never went further than just kissing. He grabbed my butt once, but I pushed him away. It was just the kissing that I had craved. And with my eyes closed, I was transformed to another time and place where Tristan and I were together and everything between us was fine.
    I heard his mom’s hurried footsteps coming down the stairs before she came in and pulled away from Darren just in time. She only wanted to ask if we were hungry and disappeared back upstairs after hearing that we weren’t, but that was enough to break my trance.
    “I’m sorry. I