Free Going for Gold by Ivy Smoak

another
conversation. I refused for it to end by me slamming the door in his face. I
didn't think he really meant the things he said, but he still said them.
    If he called me right now, I'd answer in a heartbeat. I'd
hear him out. But he wasn't calling. And I couldn't help but think that he was
hanging out with a bunch of sleazy women, catching up on all he had missed out
on in the last two years. I put my elbows down on the sink and my face in my
hands. It really was over. Gabriela had won. Again. I just felt so defeated.
    A knock on the bathroom door made me jump.
    "Hey, are you almost ready?" Kristen asked.
    "Yeah, just a sec." I glanced down once more at my
phone. Chris had cheated on me. I had found out. And now we were done. He
hadn't reached out to try to fix things, because there wasn't anything else to
talk about. Even if I could forgive him, I couldn't trust him. Maybe if this had
been the first time that he hadn't been faithful. But this wasn't the first
time we had a conversation like this. I just never had photographic evidence
before. I was like putty in his handsome hands and he knew it. Screw you,
Chris.
    I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. All the
under-eye concealer in the world couldn't hide the fact that I had been crying,
but I applied a little extra hoping it would help before unlocking the door.
    "Wear this one," Kristen said and tossed me a
sparkly, low-cut dress when I walked out of the bathroom.
    "I want something a little more conservative." I
tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and opened up the closet.
    "It's a date, not an office meeting."
    "It's not a date either. What if Gabriela set Chris up?
Maybe I should call him..."
    "No. Chris is an asshole. Chris has always been an
asshole. And Chris will always be an asshole."
    "Just because you don't like him..."
    "Alina, you're my best friend and I'm trying really hard
to be supportive. I know I've told you this a hundred times, but apparently you
need to hear it one more time. People don't change."
    She was referring to Chris being a player. We had had this
conversation a bunch of times. And I always chose not to believe her. Because
there hadn't been proof. Now that there was, could I really look the other way?
I pulled a dress out of the closet. It was short but didn't have such a
plunging neckline. "How about this one?"
    She smiled and nodded. "Keeping a little to the
imagination. Good choice."
    "Are you sure you don't want to just grab takeout and
watch that movie we skipped out on yesterday?"
    "Bryce seems like a nice, normal, drop dead gorgeous
guy. You need this."
    "I need time." I felt empty and lost. I thought
Chris was my future. I bit my lip. There was no way I was going to start crying
again. Fuck.
    Kirsten gave me a sympathetic smile. "Trust me, tonight
is going to make you feel better."
    I thought about my reaction to Bryce kissing me during
Operation Red Rip. I had wanted to kiss him back. I pulled on the dress I had
picked out. Bryce had cheered me up after that horrible game. He didn't care
that I had snot all over my jersey. He sat with me and made me laugh. And
during Operation Red Rip he had made me forget all about my breakup with Chris.
He made it feel like I could breathe again. I didn't know anything about him,
but I liked the way he made me feel. When I was with him everything seemed like
it was going to be okay.
    "What do you think?" I asked and turned toward
Kristen. She was wearing a dress much more similar to the one she had wanted me
to wear. Apparently she didn't want Ocelot to imagine very much.
    "Perfect. Come on, or we're going to be late." She
linked her arm in mine and pulled me toward the door.

Chapter 12
    Monday
    Bryce
    I couldn't believe it, but I actually had butterflies in my
stomach as we waited for the girls to arrive. It was like I was back in fifth
grade again.
    "Dude, what's that guy's deal?" asked Tim,
signaling with his eyes for us to look behind him.
    Alex and I turned to see what he