1
Sophie
Out of all the things that can happen in life, the last thing a person wants is to get cheated on, especially the week before Valentine’s Day. Well … that’s my horrible luck. Five years down the drain. That’s five years of my life wasted on an insufferable douchebag. I thought things were perfect. The sex was pretty good and we were having plenty of it. Usually, in a cheating situation, you’d think the other person would pull away since they’re involving themselves with someone else, but with Warren … that wasn’t the case. I rip his phone charger out of the socket and throw it into the box with all his other crap. I want to burn it all, but I’m better than that. I refuse to let that bastard ruin my life.
Taking a deep breath, I sit on the bed and push his box of shit to the floor. It tips over and his things scatter out but I don’t care. I see his favorite bright green Oakley T-shirt and all I want to do is send it back to him in shreds.
“Sophie!” Ellie calls out my name and I can hear the front door slam shut.
“Back here,” I shout back, “just getting rid of turd burger’s shit.” I stand up and walk over to my mirror. I feel stronger now that Warren’s gone. Who would’ve thought it’d take a breakup to open my eyes?
“Oh, dear God,” Ellie laughs as she comes into my room. She tucks her blonde hair behind her ears and looks down at Warren’s things on the floor. “Is it bad I’d really love to wipe my ass on his favorite T-shirt.”
I burst out laughing. That’s not such a bad idea, but … “Only you would think to do something like that.”
Ellie kicks the box out of the way with her designer Gucci boots and shrugs. “He deserves it.” She walks over to me and fluffs my dark brown hair. “Looking good, girl. I love what you did to your hair.”
“Thanks,” I say happily, “got it cut this morning.” I flourish a hand up and down her body. “You’re looking pretty hot yourself. New clothes?”
She poses in her new skinny jeans and a beige Oslo sweater, her blue eyes twinkling. “Hey, I’m single so why not? I can spend all my money on myself.”
“Guess I can start doing that too. I’m just glad I had enough sense to have my own place instead of moving in with Warren.”
Sitting down next to me, she drapes her arm over my shoulders and sighs. “Exactly. Can you imagine the mess you’d be going through right now?” The thought makes me shudder. “You seem to be doing much better,” Ellie notices, “no more tears?”
I scoff. “Definitely, not.”
Ellie’s been my best friend since elementary school. She was going to be a dentist like me, but when she saw how much work it was, she changed her mind and became a dental hygienist so she could just work for me. Now she’s my office manager.
Ellie stands and grabs my hands. “All right, now that it’s Friday, we’re going out. I’m starving. Plus, you could use a few drinks.” She helps me up and winks. “I’ll drive.”
“Well, in that case,” I say, laughing, “I’ll start right now.”
I kick Warren’s box for good measure and it feels good. I like feeling anger over the sadness. Once in the kitchen, I grab the bottle of vodka out of the liquor cabinet and a shot glass. Ellie sits down at the bar and watches me with a smile on her face. “I love it when you get drunk. You’re always so funny when you drink.”
I pour the vodka into my glass and toss it back, loving the way it burns down my throat. I take another shot and I can already feel it working its way through my body. “No dancing on bar counters tonight though,” I tell her. “Those days are long gone.”
It was the night I passed my dental exams. All my friends from dental school were there at the bar to celebrate their own achievements. I had a little too much to drink and ended up dancing for everyone. I might’ve lost my shirt that night too, but I always deny it. Not everyone had a smart phone at the time, so luckily, there was no proof of my strip tease. Today, however, you can’t do anything scandalous without someone getting it on video.
There’s a stack of mail on my counter and Ellie sifts through it as if it’s her house. It doesn’t bother me. We’ve always been more like sisters instead of best friends. My parents even treat her like she’s their daughter and vice versa with me and her parents.
I pour up another shot and before I can lift the glass to my lips, Ellie gasps. “Oh, my God.” She holds up a certain envelope and I can’t help but groan. “You have to go to this,” she says.
In her hands is the invitation to one of the biggest parties of the year. A Couples-Only Valentine’s Day ball, hosted by the governor’s daughter, Summer Roberts. It just so happens that Warren and I ran with her group of friends at Chapel Hill. A lot of us were in dental school together. Warren and I were supposed to go to the ball together.
Reaching for the invitation, I take it and toss it back onto the mail stack. “I can’t go to that party. Warren’s going to be there with his new big-busted dental hygienist.” Guess now I know why he always hired young, beautiful women for his staff. None of them were above thirty-five-years old. Not only am I thankful Warren and I didn’t live together, but I’m even more happy we didn’t open a dental practice together. I really dodged a bullet with that one. As far as break ups go, mine and Warren’s was pretty clean. Not everyone can be that lucky.
Ellie leans over the counter and takes the shot glass out of my hands. “It’s all the more reason for you to go.” I try to grab the shot glass, but she moves it away, grinning slyly.
I glare at her. “And who exactly am I supposed to go with?” It’s one week till the party and I know no one that isn’t friends with Warren.
Ellie’s grin widens. “What would you say if I got you a date? That way, you can show Ole Limp-Wristed Can’t Keep His Dick In His Pants that you’re not sitting here moping around while he plays Hide the Noodle with his homewrecking hygienist.”
I can always count on Ellie to make me laugh. “Who do you have in mind? I know all of your friends.”
Ellie hands me my shot glass back. “Guess who comes into town tomorrow from California?” She says it in a sing-song voice and I already know who she’s talking about.
There’s only one person I know that’s been in California. I suck back the vodka and shake my head. “Not just no, but hell no. I’m not taking your little brother to the Valentine’s Day ball.”
“Why not?” she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s not little anymore, Sophie. He’s twenty-six-years old, only a year younger than you.” She pulls out her phone. “He’s changed since he left town. Let me show you.” It’s been nine years since I’ve seen Tanner Hayes. He left for California and stayed there after college. The last time I saw him he was tall and lanky with glasses and bad acne.
Ellie shows me her phone and there’s a picture of a blond haired, blue-eyed guy that looks nothing like her brother. This guy is hot and well-built with washboard abs and tanned skin, holding a surfboard.
“That is not your brother. Looks nothing like him.” I’m genuinely in disbelief. How can the Tanner I used to know end up looking like that?