High School Sweethearts

Chapter 2: Love Drunk

   {three years prior}

Lacy: You guys keep practicing. The routine is looking better but we still got work to do before the big show. Class dismissed.

Everyone started filing out of the class.

Vanessa: A few of us are going to grab some food you coming? Erick’s gonna be there.

I rolled my eyes at her.

Josephine: I’m going to stay back and keep practicing. I keep messing up the last combo. But I’ll meet you at my dorm later and we can watch a movie?

Vanessa: Yeah totally see you there.

She leaned down to hug me before leaving. I connected my phone to the speakers in the room and played the song we were working on for the show

{Reggaeton Lento (Remix)- CNCO ft. Little Mix}

I walked into the middle of the room looking at myself in the mirror examining each step repeating the routine multiple times cringing at every misstep I took. I twirled twice falling back into a handstand and attempting to land in a left split completely failing time after time. I decided to try the combo one more time and when I failed once again I  threw my head back and screamed in anger.

Josephine: f**k!!!!

When a familiar laugh caught my attention I turned to face the person who the adorable cackle had come from.

Josephine: Shouldn’t you be off somewhere sticking your tongue down Lexi’s throat or did you already find another groupie to defile for the week.

Erick: Is that how little you think of me.

Josephine: No I think worse of you.

He helped me off the floor.

Josephine: How come you’re not at the cafeteria with everyone else?

Erick: Vanessa forgot her jacket. How come you aren’t at the cafeteria with everyone else?

Josephine: I’m working on the routine for the show. I keep messing up.

Erick: I can tell

I slapped him. He laughed at my angry outburst he always said I looked adorable when I was mad.

Erick: I just meant that I saw where you messed up. I think you’re just too much in your head.

I crossed my arms and frowned.

Josephine: Well you can thank yourself for that.

Erick: Really? Would you care to enlighten me?

Josephine: Well we were talking for a while and I thought you really liked me and then you go and hook up with Lexi you could’ve just told me you didn’t like me you didn’t have to lead me on.

Erick: What do you mean I hooked up with Lexi?

Josephine: I heard her talking to her minions about how you went over to her house and you slept together. She said it happened last Friday and you told me you couldn’t hang out with me because you were busy.

Erick: oh my god is that what this is about?

Josephine: Yes, why are you acting like this isn’t a big deal.

Erick: She’s lying she does that all the time acts like she’s sleeping with everyone it’s like her brand or something The only reason I told you I was busy is that I was getting this made

He pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it. It was a ring made of silver and it had the numbers 10.02.15 engraved in it.

Erick: I do like you Jo I really like you. The past few months we’ve spent hanging out have been amazing and I’ve been trying to find the courage to say this since our first date last year and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to ask you this but.

He got down on one knee. My eyes widened

Josephine: Wait are you going to propose?

Erick: What? No why would you think that?

Josephine: I mean you are down on one knee and you’re holding a ring and the speech sounds very proposal like what do you expect me to think?

Erick: Oh I see.

He got up.

Erick: What I was going to ask was if you would like to be my girlfriend officially no more will they won’t they bullshit I want to be able to confidently and proudly say that Josephine Moreno is my girlfriend.

I smiled brightly holding my hands over my face as my eyes started to water.

Erick: So what do you say?

Josephine:  Yes I would really like that.

He slipped the ring onto my middle finger and pulled me into a hug kissing me.

Erick: Come on let’s go through the routine again I’ll help you.

Josephine: You’re not on the team how would you know it?

Erick: Nick’s been practicing for weeks. It's practically burned into my mind now.

Josephine: Ok.

I  restarted the song and started running through the routine, Erick's hands clinging to my waist pulling me to him and firmly holding onto me as we did all the stunts performing the entire number with only a few mistakes.

Josephine: Oh my god I’m getting better thanks for the help

Erick: No problem I’m always here.

I giggled jumping into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck, and kissing him once again.

                          {one month later}

I woke up to the soft sound of Erick lightly strumming the guitar as he sat at the end of the bed. I crawled up behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck placing a kiss on his cheek.

Erick: Good morning

Josephine: Good morning. What are you doing up so early?

Erick: I’m just working on a song for the show. Do you want to hear it?

Josephine: Sure.

He grabbed my hand sitting me on the trunk in front of the bed as he began to play. A smile forming on my lips as I recognized the song.

{Somebody To You- The Vamps ft. Demi Lovato}

I pulled my knees to my chest rocking from side to side quietly singing along to the chorus as Erick strummed the guitar awkwardly singing, he wasn’t all that comfortable with his singing ability yet because it wasn’t something he grew up doing like Vanessa, Nick, and I. he was always more of an actor and dancer he could even play a lot of different instruments but he didn’t really give much thought to the whole singing thing although he had an amazing voice he only really sang around me the upcoming showcase was going to be the first time he would perform granted he didn’t want to do it I had to beg and beg for a month and he only agreed to do it if I sang one of the two songs he was meant to sing with him but it was better than nothing. When the song ended he put the guitar in the stand.

Josephine: Are you really going to sing that at the showcase?

Erick: I thought you liked this song.

Josephine: Oh I love it but you don’t.

Erick: Yeah it’s too corny for me. I was trying to make a point but then I realized that it was way too subtle and it didn’t make any sense but you still like the song so I still sang it but now I’m confused.

Josephine: Hold up I’m confused what are you trying to say?

He took in a deep breath.

Erick: I love you.

Josephine: Oh I love you too.

His eyebrows furrowed.

Josephine: what’s wrong? You still seem confused.

Erick: It’s just no one’s ever said that to me before.

Josephine: So not one of your girlfriends has ever said I love you back?

Erick: No I meant like at all. my family isn’t exactly the most vocal about their love for one another. I mean I know they love me and all but it’s nice to hear it actually being said.

I got up and sat on his lap holding his hand.

Josephine: Well you got me now and I love you is part of my regular vocabulary so you’ll be hearing it a lot.

Erick: I think I’m ok with that.

I wrapped my hands around his neck leaning down to kiss him.

                              {Four months later}

Erick: What do you want from me?!

Josephine: I want the truth, Erick! What the hell was this doing in your drawer huh?

I held the bag of white powder up to his face

Josephine: Cause I damn well know I didn’t put it there and I damn well know this s**t ain’t flour.

He snatched it out of my hand slipping it into his back pocket 

Erick: Why were you looking through my things?

Josephine: I was cleaning up your f*****g mess the one you always leave when you’re here. 

Erick: what’s the big deal anyway? Everyone’s doing it 

Josephine: So? That’s not a f*****g excuse if everyone was stripping naked covering themselves in ketchup jumping off a f*****g cliff onto jagged rocks would you do it too? Besides you know how much f*****g trouble you could get into? Or how much trouble I could get into because you hid that s**t in my dorm? You’re seventeen damn near eighteen you’re basically a f*****g adult its about time you start acting like it.

Erick: Oh please you wouldn’t get into any trouble the worst that would happen is you would get expelled and get sent back to live in America with your rich moms right sounds like f*****g hell.

I stared at him blankly I was angry furious but that didn’t matter at that moment it was what he said about my moms that cut deep it had been about two and a half years since I had last seen my moms and it didn’t really hit me until this point that I didn’t know when I’d see them again they weren’t allowed to come to visit me they said it put my life at risk because someone could follow them here and it could lead Ricky right to me he wanted us dead me most of all I was his right hand and I betrayed him people like him don’t like people who betray them. I put my hands over my mouth as loud sobs escaped along with a stream of tears I fell to my knees screaming I couldn’t take it anymore I couldn’t believe how much wrong s**t I’d done in the short amount of time I'd been on this earth  and how my moms and the crew just stood by me they didn’t deserve this they didn’t deserve to have someone like me in their lives.

Erick: what’s wrong?

He kneeled down next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

Josephine: I-I can’t go back home.

My words were broken as I tried to speak through my tears.

Erick: What do you mean?

I took in a deep breath trying to calm down.

Josephine: I made a drug dealer mad and now he’s looking for me and my friends and he wants to kill us.

Erick: What? How did that happen?

Josephine:  Some time ago my friends and I were being idiots and we robbed a shopping mall. We almost got away with it but my friend Jenny who was driving the car went into labor and the police caught us.

Erick: How old were you?

Josephine: Like thirteen  but that’s beside the point we went to juvie did about a year and they released us on parole but about a month later we started doing the same s**t and one day we were doing what we always do but what we didn’t know was that the store we were robbing turned out to be a secret stash house for one of the most notorious drug dealers in Miami. Ricky Reynosa. He ended up finding out about it and he cut us a deal we could either work for him or he’d give the evidence to the police pin a bunch of crimes he committed on us, get us tried as adults, and basically get us life in prison. So we agreed things went smoothly for a while. He had me as his right hand making all kinds of weapons and s**t, cooking drugs. I was the secret weapon he had my friends being his drug runners. Then he started giving me drugs. It started fairly simple. He would be like “ take this pill, it'll make you feel good.'' Then he started making me smoke things, then he made snort things, and then he started injecting me. When I refused he would roofie me and force it on me and before I knew it I was a drug addict at thirteen he kept that under wraps just me and him told me not to tell anyone said it was our little secret but it wasn’t like no one noticed everyone in my life did but I tried to hide it for as long as I could I wouldn’t let up when my friends found out I always went back to ricky no matter how bad things got or how f****d up the things he made me do were i knew he would always forgive me and he’d have some form of drug I could do to forget how f****d up I was well one day I ended up overdosing on heroin almost died and when the doctors told my moms I was forced to tell them everything they took it to the police and they made us a deal now the things we’d done up to that point were f****d if our case went to trial we’d get tried as adults and die in prison but turns out the florida police are f****d up because they agreed to only make us do a year in Juvie in exchange for information on ricky but when they went to get him he’d already fled. And when our sentences were up and they hadn’t found Ricky they cut us another deal our lives were obviously in danger so we couldn’t just run free in Miami so we could either stay in jail till they found Ricky or go away to a boarding school somewhere far away All my friends decided to stay in juvie they wanted to be home but my moms didn’t want me to be in jail so they sent me here. I’ve been sober for three years and it’s hard. It's so hard when all the rich kids here are doing drugs and the urge to use is eating at me but I can’t relapse I can’t do that to my family again, Erick I can’t.

Erick: I’m so sorry babe I didn’t know why didn’t you tell me?

Josephine: It isn’t exactly the easiest thing to tell people. They tend to run for the hills when they find out you’re an ex-drug cartel member with a drug addiction who has a bounty on their head

Erick: Well I’m not just anyone I’m your boyfriend and I love you there isn’t anything you could do or say to change the way I feel about you Jo I love you you know that. Have you told Nick or Vanessa?

Josephine: I know Erick I love you too and No I haven’t told them They both smoke weed and it actually helps it improves their songwriting.

He stood up and walked over to the sink pouring the white powder down the drain.

Erick: Well I’m done I’m going to support you and help you stay sober I know how hard it is my mom went through the same thing I want you to know I’m here for you anything you need. always. I love you.

Josephine: Thank you. I love you too.

I stood up and buried my face in his chest as tears started to fall once again.

                           {few weeks later}

Josephine: How much longer? It’s been forever!

Erick: we’ve been walking for two minutes, Jo.

Josephine: well that’s two minutes two much

He laughed, tightening the grip he had on my waist while maintaining one of his hands over my eyes so that I couldn’t peek.

Josephine: Where are we anyway?

Erick: It’s a surprise.

Josephine: I don’t like surprises.

Erick: Well you are gonna like this one.

As we walked further and further I started to feel pointy things scratching my legs. They were tall, I could feel the scratches up to my thighs. It was grass tall grass.

Josephine: Did you bring me into nature? Why would you bring me into nature? You know how much I hate bugs!

He threw his head back laughing then he rested his chin on my shoulder pressing the side of his face against mine.

Erick: I think you’ll survive being outside for a few hours you’re inside so much that you’re becoming paler than Nick and he’s the pastiest Dominican I’ve ever met. 

We came to a stop. I could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing; just the sound alone made me shiver.

Erick: Are you ready?

Josephine: I guess. Although if it’s anticlimactic I might kick you in the balls. I can’t guarantee I won’t.

He slowly removed his hand revealing a beautiful picnic set up in the middle of a meadow-like place where there were pillows and an assortment of different types of food sprawled on a big blanket. The grass was tall and thick enough so that it was hidden. The only way you could see it was if you were standing over it. I turned my head to the side and smiled at Erick.

Erick: So what do you think?

Josephine: It’s beautiful babe.

I kissed him. He grabbed my hand leading me to the little setup. Taking off our shoes we sat in the middle of the blanket.  I examined the food selection.

Josephine: Yo those look exactly like momma’s candy waffle stacks.

Erick: They are.

Josephine: How did you know? I never told you about that.

Erick: I might’ve dmed your mom on i********: and asked her what your favorite foods were and spent three days learning how to cook them.

Josephine: You really did that? for me?

Erick: Of course I did, I'd do anything for you.

Josephine: How did you convince mom it was really you?

Erick: it took three hours and ten pictures of us.

I giggles that sounded like something mom would do.

Josephine: I really appreciate this Erick. It's really thoughtful.

Erick: Oh it’s nothing.

I leaned over placing a kiss on his cheek.

Josephine: Well it means a lot.

                               {A Few hours later}

I leaned back resting my head on one of the many pillows that surrounded us folding both hands over my stomach and groaning.

Josephine: I’m so full!

Erick laid down as well turning to face me. The corners of his mouth pulled up into a gentle smile his honey-colored eyes sparkling as the sunlight hit them putting one of his hands over mine he inched towards me resting his head on my shoulder nuzzling into my neck as he tightened his grip around my waist we stayed like this for a while listening to the various sounds of nature eyes closed taking in the sweet scents of the beautiful colorful flowers that surrounded us. Then I felt Erick's hand slowly moving from my waist down to my thigh as he started to place soft kisses along my jawline and down my neck. I shot up running my hands through my hair.

Erick: Is everything ok babe?

Josephine: Yeah I’m just feeling a little suffocated can we go back home?

Erick: Yeah sure.

I put my shoes back on and helped Erick get all the things before heading back to his car and back to my dorm.

                             {Sometime later}

After my little freak out during the picnic, we decided to spend the rest of our “date night” watching a movie and cuddling on the couch. I moved closer wrapping my arms around him pressing my face into his side.

Erick: Are you sure everything is ok?

I pulled back looking up at him finally coming clean about my not so clean thoughts taking a deep breath. I began my confession.

Josephine: I want to have s*x with you.

He furrowed his eyebrows appalled by my words. Ones he’d never heard, coming from me at least most girls say that to him within two seconds of meeting him he’s a real charmer.

Erick: I-I thought you wanted to wait.

Josephine: We’ve been waiting for two years. I don’t want to wait anymore. I think it’s time. U-unless you don’t want to.

Erick: No I do want to. I just want to make sure you want to. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, you know that right?

Josephine: Yes I do and I really want to do this.

I stretched my legs out from under me straddling him wrapping my arms around his neck, crashing my lips onto his passionately kissing him pressing my body closer and closer to him leaving absolutely no space between us. Erick grabbed onto my thighs and carried me to the bed, breaking the kiss to take off his shirt I mirrored his action. He checked in one final time.

Erick: Are you really sure about this?

Josephine: Yes I am.

                         {A Few Weeks Later}

I sat in the corner of the studio clutching my knees to my chest breathing in and out deeply sweating bullets trying my hardest not to barf all over the dance floor. Nick and Vanessa saw this and made their way over kneeling next to me.

Nick: Are you ok Jo?

I let out a shaky breath answering with broken words.

Josephine: I-I’m f-f-fine.

Nick: You don’t look fine.

Vanessa glared at him and slapped him on the back of the head.

Nick: You know what I mean.

He turned back to me 

Nick: Do you need us to take you back to your dorm?

Josephine: N-no I n-n-nee-eed to pract-tice.

Vanessa: Are you sure hun? Mom won’t mind if you miss practice once you’ve been working your ass off for the past month.

Josephine: N-no I-I’m ok. Help me u-up?

Nick: ok.

Nick put his hands around me and lifted me up.

As soon as I was up my head started spinning and I felt something hot making its way up my throat. My hand shot up to my mouth and I took off running. Nick and Vanessa ran after me. I shot through the bathroom door and ran into a stall and began to throw up. Vanessa kneeled behind me and held my hair, tying it into a ponytail and rubbing my back. When we heard Nick yelling after one of the other stalls had been opened.

Nick: Really dude? This is really f****d up. And with lexi of all people you’re lucky I don’t beat your ass here myself.

That’s when I heard his voice and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it broke the bit of heart I had left in me.

Erick: Please bro you can’t tell jo about this.

Nick: I think it’s a little late for that.

Erick: What are you talking about?

I stood up, walking out of the stall, holding back tears as I said his name with a broken voice.

Josephine: Erick?

He walked closer to me holding out his arms and reaching for my hand pleading for me to listen. 

Erick: come on babe please let's just talk about this  

I yanked my hand back with so much force that it almost knocked me over. All I could manage was one word I knew if I spoke anymore I would break down and all the tears that had built up would fall and I refused to let him, or Lexi, see me cry.

Josephine: No.

I shook my head and turned around walking out of the bathroom with my head held high. Erick attempted to follow me but Nick stopped him before he and Vanessa followed me out. 

                        {Sometime Later}

I layed in my bed curled up my legs pressed tightly against my chest it had been about two days since I found out Erick cheated on me, with that skank lexi of all people, Nick and Vanessa had spent the last fourty-eight hours in my dorm with me they took turns leaving to shower and change clothes and they even did a lot of my house work for me like cleaning up, cooking and even re-stocking my pantry, granted it was all junkfood but atleast nick tried, because they understood how much I liked to keep my space clean and that I wouldn’t be able to acomplish that in the slump I was in. While I was extremely thankful for all my friends did for me I knew how tired they were so I sent them both home to rest and not gonna lie I kind of needed the alone time I hadn’t had my big cry yet I mean I had quietly sobbed for a few hours while Vanessa went home and nick was suppose to be watching me but he fell asleep but I hadn’t had that big cry where you scream and kick and let all the tears out let everything out so you feel better. The thing was that I’d been alone for three hours already and I still hadn’t cried. Not even one tear had escaped my eyes. Maybe it was because I didn’t how I felt. Was I sad? Angry? I didn’t know. I decided to get out of bed and I drew myself a bath as I tried as hard as I could to get my mind to stop repeating the scaring memory that had happened two days prior.

                            {Erick’s POV}

I stared at my phone angrily I couldn’t believe what he was asking me to do I loved Jo and he knew that I shouldn’t have said anything I should’ve kept my mouth shut but no I had to go and gush about how perfect my girl was and now he knew where she was I should’ve done something back when she told me about him I mean she told me his full name but she’s so wholesome that she didn’t think anything of it  anyone would have figured it out by now but not Josephine she tries to see that best in every single person she meets even if most of them are assholes. While it’s one of her best qualities it’s also going to be her downfall. Why? Because she decided to see the best in me she thinks I’m this perfect nice guy. When in reality I’m just as bad or maybe even worse than he is beacuse I let her fall in love with me when I knew that eventually I would have to hurt her. I should have left. I should have broken up with her but I didn’t because I’m selfish. I love her more than anything she makes me feel things no one has ever made me feel. I'd go crazy if I didn’t have her. That selfishness got the best of me because I thought I could just end it before it got too serious and it would all be ok but the “talking” turned to dating and a few moths turned into three years but still I told myself it didn’t matter I could protect her I was blinded by love I thought it was just some other highschool realationship but it wasn’t it was way more than that and it took her telling me she wanted to have s*x for me to realize how she really felt about me and how I felt about her she was the love of my life she was the only person I ever wanted to spend the rest of my life with I wanted to marry her have children with her I wanted to make her  happy I wanted to grow old with her I wanted to do right by her. Just the thought of someone laying a finger on her made me see red. Which is why I flipped out when I read his message.

Unknown: Kill her.

Erick: You can't be serious 

Unknown: kill her or I will and everyone you love along with her. She’s a traitor, she deserves to Die!!

I threw the phone across the room screaming in rage. I hadn’t talked to her in two days the whole cheating on her with lexi thing was the last resort I had to get her to leave because I knew that if she didn’t she would die and I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything I could to stop that from happening I had already tried other things. I stopped being as “ lovey dovey” with her, I stopped sleeping over and I even stopped talking to her as often, avoiding her after school and barely talking to her . I had also begun to publicly flirt with other girls most times in front of her. ok I know that this isn’t the best approach I should just tell her right? If I love her as much as I say I do I should tell her the truth instead of hurting her. If it were only that easy but it’s not he’s got our phones tapped her room is bugged and he’s got eyes everywhere this is my last resort if I don’t get her to leave on her own he’ll know something is up and he’ll kill her and my family and I can’t have that she’s the air I breathe she’s the reason I get up every morning because I know no matter how shitty life gets she can always fix it with a hug and a smile. I know she’ll never forgive me for this and she’ll never forgive me for what I must do but I’d rather her hate me for the rest of my miserable life than to spend it mourning her death and plotting revenge on that asshole. So I got up and ran to her dorm hoping praying that she wasn’t still there and that my betrayal was too much for her to handle. she had gone home with her moms forgetting the reason she had to stay in this place away from everything she loved. I walked up to her door, took a deep breath gathering the little courage I had left and knocked on the door.

                          {Josephine’s POV}

I got out of the bathtub wrapping my damp body in a towel using it to dry off before putting on some clothes. I opted for some loose black short shorts and a fitted black sleveless crop top.I took my hair down brushing out the knots before putting it up into a ponytail I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror I felt somewhat better after cleaning myself up but still I couldn’t sort out my feelings I loved Erick I knew that and I hated Lexi definitely knew that but I didn’t know if I wanted to kill them or just cut them out of my life I was confused.

There was a loud knock on my door. I got up and opened it then shut it right back. Wow he really had some nerve coming here after what he did to me. He knocked again.

Josephine: Go away Erick!

Erick: Not until we talk I’ll stay here all night if I have to!

Josephine: suit yourself cause I’m not opening that door!

I pressed my back against the door sliding down hugging my knees when I heard the door knob jiggle and felt the door being pushed open slowly and carefully.

Erick: Jo? Can we please talk?

Josephine: No.

He closed the door and grabbed my hand pulling me up. Feeling his fingertips on my skin sent shivers traveling through my body. I forgot how good it felt when we touched since it hadn’t happened in such a long time. It’d been about three months since we’d actually touched or kissed or been lovey dovey like we used to be. It all started right after we had s*x for the first time. I thought it would make us closer isn’t that what’s supposed to happen? It really just ended up pulling us apart. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it because it felt nice. I had never been touched before at least not in the way Erick touched me but it felt different when we hugged or when we kissed or when we held hands just having any sort of physical contact with him did things to me things I couldn’t quite explain. I’d forgatten just how I felt until he grabbed my arm. At that moment I could see that he felt it because he just kept staring at the exact place where our skin made contact. I pulled my arm away after a while he shook his head as if he was attempting to earase the toughts that were in his mind at the moment.

Josephine: I should’ve never given that key to you.

Erick: Do you even remember why you gave me this key in the first place?

Josephine: I was high?

Erick: You said you wanted me to move in. That it could be the first step to the beautiful future we were going to have. We can still have that.

I laughed

Josephine: You don’t get it do you? I’m a prisoner! You are going off to college to study music and play football. Vanessa she going off to L.A to star in a TV show and Nick he’s off to be a backup dancer for the biggest girl group in the world! And me? I’m stuck here for god knows how long I can’t go anywhere I can bearly be out in public without out worring about a killer gang leader trying to murder me! I don’t have a future! And even if I believed I did why would I spend it with an asshole like you? You cheated on me and how do you expect me to still believe you haven’t done it in the past maybe lexi was telling the truth when she told me about you two all those years ago I chose to believe you I chose to trust you and you betrayed me! I want nothing to do with you ever again! 

I was secreaming at this point and I could feel tears running down my cheeks landing on my chest but they weren’t tears of sadness they were tears of anger. For the first time in the last two days I could identify what I was feeling. I was angry really angry. 

Erick: What happened to “ I’ll always be here”? Huh? You said you would never leave me that you’d be the one consistant thing in my life that I’d always hear I love you before I went to sleep and as soon as I woke up. What happen to it’s me and you against the world? What happened to our summer wedding? To our future kids. To opening our own dance studio together. To growning old together. What happened to all our dreams coming true? What happened to us?

His eyes were watering and his voice was breaking he was hurt really I’d never seen him like this and it hurt me but then again I had run out of f***s to give when I saw him with lexi in that bathroom and he attmited to cheating so I continued to scream cutting deep this time.

Josephine: You cheated on me made me feel like s**t about myself like I wasn’t enough! You made me question everything about myself because you ignored me I tourted myself trying to figure out what about me was so bad that it made you not want me anymore! I cried myself to sleep hoping praying that you’d show up and hold me and tell me that I didn’t have anything to worry about that it was all in my head. And you expect me to forget all of that and start planning our honeymoon. 

Erick: You Are engough for me you’re more than enough for me I love you and you are all I want.

Josephine: I’m going to say this one time and one time only. I don’t love you anymore I don’t want you anymore. I don’t think I ever did. 

Erick: Are you saying that everything that happened between us was all a lie? 

Josephine: That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Erick: You’re lying there’s no way you could’ve faked all that you love me just like I love you.

Josephine: I was lonely and you showed an intrest in me that’s the only reason we ever happened face it Erick the only reason you liked me was because I didn’t fall at your feet like everyone else because I was the only one who saw you as the attention seeking poser you really are I never loved you and I never will no one ever will because you are souless and vile and undeserving of love!

I could see his saddness slowly transforming into anger.

Erick: Come on I know you don’t mean that you’re just angry.

Josephine: What? don’t you like hearing the truth? I’m just being honest.

Erick: Stop!

Josephine: No! You think you can just hurt me tear my heart out and tap dance all over it and get mad when I tell you the truth that you are a nasty evil person who doesn't deserve to be happ-

I was stopped by a stingy feeling on my left cheek. Erick had slapped me he had layed his hands on me the one person who I never expected to cause me physical pain the one person who protected me against everyone else who wanted to cause me pain had hurt me. The slap was so hard it had knocked me to the ground. I couldn’t bear to get up I couldn’t see his face I’d crumble more than I already had. I heard the door open and close and I lost it I started crying uncontrolably I couldn’t believe it. Erick slapped me.