Page 56 of Through the Storm

Seven months ago

I don’t leavemy bed for three days.

My room is depressing at this point. The curtains are shut, and it smells faintly like dry shampoo and the Thai takeout I abandoned sometime yesterday.

My roommate, Geeta, peeks in every few hours like she’s checking to see if I’m still alive. She brings me toast. Then soup. Then she tries to give me a smoothie she insists will fix everything.

I love her.

I really believed Ben would keep me safe. That he would keep my heart safe. Because it was Ben. And he always had.

Until he didn’t.

I stare at my phone like it might apologize.

It doesn’t.

I tell myself I’m done caring, but I’m still checking every ten minutes. This is humiliating.

I almost cave and text him around noon. I even typeWow. Coolexit.

Then I delete it. Then typeDid I do something wrong?I delete that even faster.

Still nothing. NoHey, I shouldn’t have left like that. Just silence so loud it feels personal.

By now the sadness is starting to harden into something sharper.

Anger. Mostly at myself. A little at him. Okay, a lot at him too.

I sit up, wipe my face, and decide I’m not going to be the girl who disappears into her sheets over a man.

Chin up, Montgomery. You’re hotter than this.

It’s time to open the group chat.

Cheer Girlies

Me

fuck it. who’s going out tonight

The replies come fast.

Jess

FINALLY

Lena

Yassssss! What’s the occasion for the sudden Wednesday rebellion?

Me

Men suck

Jess

That they do. Might as well make sure they’re sucking something useful.