“It’s okay,” she said. “You should talk to him. He lives two houses from mine—but since the houses are far apart,
I’ll
get out at mine and you can take my car to his so you don’t have to walk in the cold. That way I’ll be home when Amber gets here.”
“Thanks,” I told her. “And thanks for everything else today … bringing me to Genevieve’s and all.”
“No problem.” Shannon laughed. “As long as you don’t mention it to anyone at school.”
“I won’t,” I assured her.
“But as a friend, can I give you some advice?” she asked. I knew she was going to give it anyway, so I nodded for her to continue. “Before you go to Drew’s, you’ve got to do something about your hair and makeup.”
CHAPTER 7
After re-applying my makeup and running Shannon’s CHI straightener through my hair, I pulled in front of Drew’s house, nervous about whatever was about to happen. Even though he was my boyfriend first, now he was
Lizzie’s
. I was betraying her by being over there.
I wiped the thought from my mind. Lizzie was the one who stole Drew from
me
. I had every right to be there.
If life really ended happily ever after
like
Lizzie believed, I would get the guy in the end.
But
life wasn’t a fairy tale, and I had no problem doing what was necessary to get what I wanted, even if it meant playing dirty.
I felt sad for a moment, thinking about the friendship Lizzie and I once had. In elementary
school
we built forts out of blankets and pillows and staked claim to them, talking forever and not allowing our parents inside. In middle school, when we had sleepovers, we would do each other’s makeup and hair,
then
stay up watching reality television and made-for-TV movies. At nighttime in the
summer
we used to walk to the park near my house and watch the stars. Lizzie would tell me what the constellations meant, and we would make wishes. I never believed they would come true, but I wished anyway. In high school, I saw less of her because she was dating Jeremy, but we still stuck by each other. Whenever I needed someone to talk to and ask for advice, Lizzie would be there for me, even if it meant talking on our cell phones late into the night when we had to wake up early the next morning. She was my only true friend.
I had no idea what made her change into a selfish, boyfriend-stealing brat.
I put Shannon’s car into park and picked up my cell phone from my purse.
I’m outside
,
I texted Drew.
Come in
, he wrote back.
My stomach fluttered. I
didn’t
know why I was nervous to see him. We dated for two months, and during that
time
we were around each other a lot.
But
things were different now. Back then I thought he wanted to be with me. Now he would be thinking about Lizzie when we were together. The thought made me feel sick. What did Lizzie have that I
didn’t
? Why did
she
always get the guy?
The nervousness turned to anger at the reminder of everything that had happened in the past few weeks. I had every right to be at Drew’s right now.
The freezing wind assaulted me the moment I stepped out of the car, and I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to stay warm. Next year I would apply to colleges in California,
Arizona,
Texas, and Florida. Then I would be able to wear cute dresses all year long and not have to deal with terrible winters. Lizzie and I started talking about colleges in warm climates over the summer, and even though I no longer wanted to go to the same college as her, a warm place was still the plan.
When I reached the huge wooden front doors of Drew’s house, I was so cold my lips must have been blue. I raised my hand to knock, but the door opened before I had a chance.
I looked up into Drew’s brown, gold-flecked eyes and froze on the spot. He was still tan even though it was almost December, and his hair was styled in his typical “messed up but still super hot” look. He wore dark jeans and a black shirt, and even though he
wasn’t
wearing anything different, something about him seemed changed. I
couldn’t
figure out what it was, but then it came to me. He looked more relaxed than usual. He looked … happy.
Happier than he had ever looked when he was with me.
“Do you plan on coming in, or are you going to stand on my steps and freeze to death?” he asked. He
didn’t
sound glad to see me, but he didn’t sound annoyed either. I had no idea what was going through his mind.
“I’m coming in,” I said, taking a step
inside
.
Even though
I’d
been there a bunch of times, the magnificence of his house never ceased to amaze me. Everything in it was antique, except for the electronics and the modern furniture in Drew’s room. It felt like stepping back in time.
He shut the door behind me, and I knew this was it. I had to come up with something to say to make Drew want me back.
But
why would he want me back when he seemed so happy without me?
The thought made my eyes water, and I swallowed, blinking the tears away.
“So … how have you been?” I asked.
This was not getting off to a good start.
“Great, actually.” He stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and glanced out the window. I could tell he was uncomfortable. “What’s this you were telling me about wanting to ‘forgive’ Lizzie?”
I took a deep breath and tried my best to gain my composure. Acting unsure of
myself
was no way to make Drew see that I was the one he should be with.
“That’s not why I really wanted to come over,” I said, strutting through the entrance hall as if I lived there. The jeans I was wearing made my legs look amazing, and I wanted to show them off. “Can we sit somewhere? Your room, maybe?” I turned to face him and curved my lips upward, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Maybe my natural charm would be enough that I
wouldn’t
even have to use the potion to get him back.
His eyes darkened at the realization of why I had really asked to come over. “I don’t think that’s a good idea …” he trailed.
“Come on.” I pouted. “Won’t you at least hear me out? We were together for two months, and then I turn around to find you dating the girl
I’ve
been best friends with since elementary school. You owe me more of an explanation.”
The scenes I saw while in the back room at Mystic Pathways flashed through my mind—the ones of Drew and me at the dance and then later at an altar—reminding me I was right to be here. The idea of past lives still seemed strange, but I knew what I felt. Drew and I
were meant
to be together. Fixing things between us
shouldn’t
be hard.
“We can go to the family room,” he decided. His tone was firm—there was no changing his mind. I also knew not to push it, since the last thing I wanted was to drive him away from me.
“Sounds great.”
I smiled.
He led the way to the family room, and I followed a step behind him. Memories from earlier in the school year flooded my mind. I remembered the first time he showed me his house, when he seemed so happy watching me admire everything as he took me on the grand tour. I wished everything between us now
was
as lighthearted as it was then. What had happened to change it all?
The answer came to me quickly—Lizzie.
Luckily
Drew’s back was toward me, so he didn’t see me sneer when I thought about her.
In the family room, an armchair and a couch faced a flat-screen television attached to the wall. Under the TV was a marble fireplace. My heart sank when Drew sat in the armchair. Not having much of a choice, I perched on the end of the sofa closest to the chair, crossing my legs in his direction. I read in Cosmo that this was a subtle way to let a guy know you were interested, and employed the technique whenever possible.
“So …” he started, leaning back in the chair and tapping his fingers against the armrest.
I took that as a clue to start. “Were you and Lizzie together before we broke up?” I asked.
“No.” He looked straight at me when he said it, and I could tell he was being truthful. At least that was a relief.
“Okay.” I paused, hoping he would say something to continue the conversation. When he
didn’t
, I asked, “How long were you thinking about wanting to be with her when we were together?”
I cringed after asking. It sounded like we were playing twenty questions or something lame—made even lamer by how I was the one with all the questions, and he
didn’t
care to ask me anything.
Because he
didn’t
care about
me
.
I pushed the thought out of my mind. It hurt too much to think about. He dated me first—he chose me first—which meant he had to care about me.
“I don’t know.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It just happened.
I’m
sorry, Chelsea. I
shouldn’t
have dated you knowing how I felt about Lizzie. It was wrong. If I could go back in time and change it, I would, but I
can’t
. It’s just how it is.” He paused, deep in thought, and continued, “Sometimes it’s impossible to control how you feel about someone. That’s how it is with me and Lizzie.”
His words hit me hard. “Does that mean you wanted to be with Lizzie from the beginning?” I asked. “For the whole time we were together?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It wasn’t fair of me, I know. But
like
I said, I can’t change it now. Someday you’ll find the right person for you, but that person isn’t going to be me.”
I sat back in shock, unsure how to respond. The worst part was that he seemed to mean it. He felt bad about how everything had worked out—but feeling bad
wasn’t
going to cut it.
We were supposed to be together. Why
couldn’t
he see that?
“There’s nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?” I asked sadly.
“No.” He managed a small smile—as if he was glad I was giving up. Yeah, right. If only he knew what was coming next. “It’s hard to explain, but there’s something right about me and Lizzie being together.
It’s
the way things are meant to be. I know it’s difficult for you to hear, but after everything I put you through, you deserve the truth.”
“The
truth being you want
to be with Lizzie and not me.” The words sounded hollow to my ears. “But tell me one thing,” I
started,
even though I had a dreadful feeling I wasn’t going to like his response. “Do you love her?”
“I do,” he said. “Very much.”
I deflated at his answer. “Okay,” I said. “Thanks for telling me, I guess.”
I could have tried harder. I could have done something bold, like flinging myself at him to see if he would push me away or not, but I had more dignity than that.
I also had the vial full of Genevieve’s potion.
And
what I planned on doing with that potion was all I thought about when Drew walked me to the door and said goodnight.
CHAPTER 8
The entire time Shannon, Amber, and I were hanging out at Shannon’s house, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at my purse, thinking about the vial inside. At least they
didn’t
pry too much about what happened when I went to Drew’s house. I think they could tell from the irritated vibe I was giving off that things
didn’t
go well. Anyway, they were happy gossiping about the guys on the soccer team and Amber’s crush on Jeremy. We had pizza delivered while we watched a movie (although we talked through most of the movie) and we made ice cream sundaes afterward. I normally
didn’t
eat junk food, but I made an exception since the past few weeks had been awful.
I knew they were doing this to help me get my mind off the break-up, so I did my best to have a good time.
But
I couldn’t forget about everything that had happened recently. By the time Amber offered to drive me home, I was more than ready to head
out
.