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"He who learns must suffer." ~ Aeschylus
Anne Murray's version of End of The World kept playing in Kady's mind. It had been the last song she heard from Farica's playlist before leaving the cafe, and considering the other girl's almost preternatural ability to predict the future with her choice of music...
She shook the thought away. Idle minds are the Devil's favorite playground, Kady reminded herself, and if anything, her life was actually shaping up to be the opposite, with her love for Slade opening a whole new world of the most incredible possibilities.
School was great, work was great, and her sex life was, well, beyond great. And with Slade's constant attention bolstering her confidence to dizzying heights, Kady had learned to handle Eric on her own, and her ex-boyfriend now went out of his way to avoid her. It was just too bad, she thought irritably, his newfound dislike of her hadn't stopped him from creating trouble with Catherine.
AKA the only hurdle left.
The thought had Kady checking her watch nervously, and she saw that it was already half past six. Granted, Catherine's hotel was within walking distance, but punctuality also meant everything to her mother. Showing up late would be the biggest mistake ever—-
Kady had her phone out in the next second, and her fingers practically flew over the screen as she texted Slade.
Kady: Let's just meet at the hotel?
Slade: Are you sure? I know I'm cutting it fine, but I'm just a block away.
Kady: I'm sure. Sorry, just paranoid. See you. Drive safe.
Slade: Missing you already, beautiful.
Color stole her cheeks as she pushed the phone back into her pocket. Outrageous flirt. But she couldn't help smiling, knowing that she wouldn't have him any other way. She loved how his flamboyancy and her reserve balanced each other out between them—-
"It's you."
Kady jerked at the sound of a woman's voice speaking behind her.
"It's you, isn't it? Slade's new girlfriend?"
Her blood went cold as her worst fears were confirmed. It really was her, she thought numbly as she clumsily turned around, and her gaze immediately collided with eyes filled with anger.
And yet...
There didn't seem enough anger in the world to hide the pain in Penny's eyes, and the knowledge made Kady's own heart hurt.
Because she knew.
One day....
One day, she could be the same, too.
Penny had a hard time forming her thoughts. The other girl was neat at best and plain at worst. She couldn't see a single thing that would make the other girl better than her—-
And didn't that tell you something already?
No. No. No.
Penny's gaze narrowed. "You know who I am, don't you?" She saw the other girl hesitate, saw the flash of pain, and she realized—-
This girl knew everything, Penny realized sickly.
Kady's heart lurched painfully at the look of devastation on Penny's face. "Penny—-"
"Shut up!" Penny wanted to lash out, but instead she could feel her voice shaking and her eyes stinging. "Someone like you doesn't deserve him," she whispered bitterly. "I should be the one in your shoes—-"
"If you were," Kady cut in unsteadily, "you'd find out soon enough it's no different from what you used to wear." Every word she spoke was the truth, and every word hurt. It hurt so bad, but even so, she couldn't stop herself from saying them. Because Penny had loved Slade, too, and Kady was the one girl in the world who could imagine just how much it had to have hurt to lose him.
"He doesn't love me either, Penny." She saw Penny's eyes widen, and a painful smile wobbled over Kady's lips. "So you see, we're both the same—-"
"Are we really?" Penny heard herself ask. "Then did you tell him you loved him, too?"
Kady swallowed hard. "That day...I saw you...when you slapped him."
Penny paled.
"Neither of you saw me, and I...I heard everything—-"
Penny's lips started trembling. The thought of this girl - this girl who had the man she loved - the thought of this girl seeing her sink to her knees and hearing her beg, the thought of this girl watching Slade turn his back on her for the second time—-
Kady saw the tears that started running down Penny's face, and her own eyes started stinging. "I'm so sorry—-"
"No, you're not." She couldn't be. Because now it was too late, and Penny, too, had already taken her revenge.
"I know he doesn't believe that you loved him, but I do. I have to. I can't not believe you because it would mean my own love for him isn't real, and that's why...when I r-realized why he left you, I also...I also decided to never tell him—-"
Penny pointed to someone behind Kady's back. "You just did, honey."
No.
She whirled around.
Slade.
NO. OH GOD NO.
Penny watched Slade walk away. Saw the other girl run after him. But none of it turned out to be what she hoped for. It didn't make her love him less or hate the other girl more. It didn't even stop the pain. If anything, she was only hurting more, knowing that she had been so selfishly bent at destroying Slade's chance at happiness...that she had refused to care about who else she hurt in the process.