It’s been two days since the meeting with my parents, which at the time I thought was going great, but turned into a fiasco. I don’t get it. I don’t understand why my mom is being so forgiving toward Lana. Why she wants me to hear her out and possibly forgive her. It’s not like I want her to hate Lana, she doesn’t even have to dislike her—though that’s another thing I don’t understand why she isn’t feeling—but why is she so intent on being kind to her still?

“It’s just been weird, man,” I tell Taylor as we hang out behind the counter at our gym. It gets slow during the midweek, so other than cleaning, we have a lot of free time. “My dad’s telling me to give my mom time. That she’s just being sympathetic. Why the hell is she being sympathetic to a girl who was screwing behind my back?”

“What about Veronica? She say anything about it since?” he asks.

“No,” I answer, staring at the counter. “She seemed fine on the way home that night. At least, as fine as a girl could be, after hearing her boyfriend’s mom go on about how great he and his ex were together.”

“Just eighty-six her, man. Block her number, get your parents to block her number, tell your friends to not talk to her. Shun her, bro. Send a cease and desist letter if you have to.”

“I don’t want to be a dick. I just want her to move on.”

“Micah, she cheated on you.”

“Thanks, I didn’t know that.”

“Seriously, bro.” He laughs. “Cut that bitch out of your life. You’ll be better off.”

I thought about it when I broke it off with her. And even though she’s called me a few times, it hasn’t been like it was the first time. But getting ahold of my mom, and more importantly my mom freely talking to her and giving her a shoulder to cry on, is not helping.

Taking out my phone, I open my contacts and find her name and number. It’d be easy to block her, and maybe I should. As aggravating as everything has become, perhaps it’d be best for both of us. I wouldn’t have to hear from her, and it might finally force her to move on.

“Okay, well,” Taylor speaks up, “you can block her number all you want, but it’s not going to do any good if she stalks you.”

“What are you—” I start to ask, and he looks out of the front windows of the gym. Lana’s standing against her car, peering inside. “You gotta be kidding me.” I look around the gym for my manager. “Where’s Bill?”

“In the back, working on payroll.”

“I’m gonna go handle this.”

“Yeah, go. If he comes up, I’ll tell him you’re taking a break.”

“Thanks.”

There’s no appreciation in my voice. It’s all annoyance. Before going outside, I stand in front of the glass doors. She’s looking inside, and I know she can see me through the window, but she just stares. The other night she was bawling her eyes out. If it had been any other night, at any other time, I might’ve been a little more sympathetic. I wouldn’t have gotten back with her, but I might’ve consoled her a little more. But with Veronica inside, I was furious. My anger’s calmed since then, and she seems more in control, too.

“Lana, you gotta quit this,” I call out, walking to her.

“I know,” she answers, which catches me off guard.

“You know?”

She nods, taking a deep breath. “I know I have to stop. I know you have a new girlfriend. I know this isn’t healthy and I know I need to move on. I know all of that, Micah. But I can’t. I can’t move on. Screwed up doesn’t even begin to describe what I did, but I need you, Micah. I need you now, just as much as I needed you then. You’re my rock.”

“I can’t be your rock. Not anymore.”

“My parents,” she looks down at the ground, wrapping her arms around herself, “they loved you. They still love you. When I told them we broke up, they asked me what I did this time. They knew, Micah. They knew I messed up because you’re perfect.”

“I’m not perfect. No one is.”

“No. You are. Everyone saw it. When we were in school, remember how Emma and Jen would joke around how you were Prince Charming?”

“Lana, don’t do this.”

“You’re my Prince Charming, Micah. And I can’t let that go.”

“It’s already done. You already—” I stop myself because we both know what she did. We both know it’s her fault and I don’t want to keep throwing that in her face. “What’s done is done. It’s better to just accept it and start moving on.”

“But I can’t move on, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. You were supposed to be with me. Me and you, high school sweethearts, just like you always used to say. I’m an idiot. I have no excuse for what I did. But I promise you, Micah. I promise I’ll spend my life trying to get you to forgive me. Because you were supposed to be my life. My home.”

Her tears are falling again, but it’s not like at the house. She’s not sobbing and wailing. She’s standing in front of me, her arms still hugging herself, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

I want to counter everything she just said, but I know it won’t help. She’ll make an excuse, or tell me how she’s going to try and change. She’ll promise to do better, or she’ll keep begging. For every valid reason I give her that I can’t and won’t go back to her, she’ll try to counter it. So I don’t.

I turn around and pull out my phone, waving it at her as I walk back to the gym.

“I’m blocking your number. Don’t call. Don’t text. Just move on with your life.”

Getting inside, I don’t turn around to see if she’s still standing there. I’m walking around the counter when my phone rings. Letting out a growl, my fingers clamp around it.

“Motherf— I just told her not to call.” Gripping it tighter, I see the caller ID and let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. Hey, you.”

“Hey,” Veronica answers.

“You have no idea how relieved I am to hear your voice. I was about to throw my phone through a wall.”

“Yikes,” she says with a chuckle. “What’s wrong?”

Should I tell her? Will she get upset that Lana seems to be officially stalking me? But I don’t want to lie either. “Lana. She just showed up at work.”

“Oh …” I hear the timidity in her voice.

“V, you have nothing to worry about. Seriously. I’m blocking her number right after I finish talking to you. I honestly wish she could just move on.”

“Right. Yeah, okay.”

“So what’s up?”

There’s a pause. I hope everything that’s happened the last few days isn’t starting to scare her or give her second thoughts about us. “Well, see …”

“Everything good?”

“Yeah.” She lets out a nervous laugh. “Are you okay with me spending the night tomorrow night?”

I smile. “I’m okay with you spending the night every night.”

My response seems to put her at ease. “Okay, it’s just … tomorrow’s my birthday.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me before, we could’ve set something up? Had a party or something.”

“I don’t want anything like that. I just kind of want a nice night in, you know?” She laughs. “Listen to me. I’m gonna be nineteen, and I’m already talking about spending a nice night in.”

“Silly girl. Of course, whatever you want. We can watch Netflix, and I’ll get you chocolate covered pretzels.”

She sighs with a giggle. “You know the way to my heart.”

“Need me to pick you up?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m gonna hang out with Cindy earlier in the day, and she’ll drop me off.”

“All right. Sounds good.”

“Um, Micah?”

“Yeah?”

There’s a pause. “Uh … this is so stupid.” Now a nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t bring it up, but I don’t want to show up and you not …” Another nervous laugh. “Do you have … protection?”

I laugh. I know it’s a serious question and from her tone, I can tell she’s nervous and little embarrassed. That’s not why I laugh though. I laugh because the word protection comes out muffled and quiet and I can only imagine she’s in her room, or somewhere no one else can hear her, but she’s still trying to be as quiet as possible.

“It’s not funny,” she scolds me.

“No, but it is cute. And yes, I do.”

“Okay. Good to know. Not that you’ll be needing it since you just laughed at me.”

“Silly girl.”

“Dumb boy.”