CONGRATULATIONS!!!

“I cannot believe this!!!” I screamed as I threw my purse at my boyfriend who I had just seen rolling on his bed together with my bestfriend, Layla.

“Vanessa omg, it’s not what you think,” Layla pleaded as she began to put on her clothes.

Bart on the other hand remained on the bed, as if he didn’t care that I had just caught him sleeping with my bestfriend.

“Explain all this to me right now!” I demanded. “How long has this been going on Layla?” I tearfully asked.

“U-ugh, I-I,” Layla stammared.

I rushed to her and grabbed her by her blonde hair. “Stop stammering and tell me when you started sleeping with my boyfriend you bitch!!”

“Enough of this noise!” Bart demanded as he stood up from the bed and put on his robe.

“We’ve been sleeping with each other under your nose for the past three months, all through summer,” He said with a smirk.

I couldn’t even believe my ears. I had told Layla about all the troubles Bart and I had been going through and she kept on advising me.

“You bitch!” I spat out. “So you’ve been sleeping with my boyfriend.”

“I’m sorry Vanessa. Forgive me please,” Layla pleaded as tears poured down from her eyes.

“Stop begging her Layla,” Bart said as he walked towards me and looked me in the eye.

“I don’t love you anymore, I thought you would take the hint all these months, but I guess it took you seeing me in bed with your bestfriend before you could realize.”

I stood there looking defeated, blinking my eyes rapidly trying to stop the tears that were about to pour out of my eyes as I heard Bart talk about how much he basically hated me.

“Did you hear me?” He snapped at me as his question brought me back to the present.

“Hear what Bart?”

“That you should get out of my house,” He said then handed me my purse.

With one last glance, I turned around and stormed out of his house as my tears began to pour like a waterfall.

I couldn’t help wiping the snot coming out of my nose with the sleeve of my cardigan while I ran out of Bart’s family home.

“Vanessa wait hold on, please!” A voice called out from behind me.

I turned around to see it was Layla who had been chasing me.

“Leave me alone, Lay,” I said as I continued to walk fast.

“It’ll be just a minute,” she said.

“Fine, what is it?” I said as I turned to face her.

I watched her hold her chest as she tried to regain her breath.

“How could you do this to me, Lay? I thought we were bestfriends, You were basically my sister,” I cried.

“I didn’t do anything Vanessa. Bart wanted me, I thought you would understand,” She said as her face changed from an apologetic one to a more serious one.

“I should understand that? Bart has been my boyfriend since eleventh grade and you expect me to understand that he was cheating on me with you?” I said with rage filled in my voice.

“He’s mine now, Vanessa. Either you’re happy for us and we all continue our friendship or you leave us alone,” Layla said with a stern face.

“To hell with both of you,” I spat out and turned my back on her then walked away.

That was it, the two people I loved the most had just betrayed me and I had to walk away from them both. I was so hurt, I couldn’t wait to get home to sleep.

As I stood in front of the door of my home, I felt a vibration in my pants which indicated a notification coming from my phone.

I reached to my pocket and picked up my phone and read the message.

“Oh my God!!!” I screamed.

“What is happening darling,” My dad yelled as he ran and opened the front door to see if I was safe.

“Dad see,” I said as I excitedly handed my phone over to him.

“DEAR VANESSA ARCHIBALD,

YOU HAVE JUST GAINED ADMISSION INTO YALE.”

“Honey this is amazing!” Dad said as he threw his arms around me for a hug.

I had been waitlisted for months and this news couldn’t have come at a better time.

“You have to pack right now dear, you know lectures have started, I’ll give Antonio a call right now to let him know about your arrival,” My dad said, excitedly grinning ear to ear as he picked up his phone.

Rosewood, the town I lived in was far away from New York where Yale was so Dad decided that I should move in with his best friend, Antonio who was also a professor at Yale.

Maybe this admission is the start of something new. A new life away from the toxicity of Bart and Layla, A new life away from this small town and maybe a new love life.

* * *

The day had finally come, I had said goodbye to Rosewood, Bart, Layla and every other problem I had. This was my fresh start and I couldn’t wait.

My dad had escorted me to the bus stop where I’d board my taxi to Antonio’s home. It was now time to say goodbye.

“Dad, enough with hugs,” I said as I tried to break free off of my dad’s hug.

“Oh, my baby girl is off to college. Your mum would be so proud of you,” He said as he planted a kiss on my forehead.

“I know she’s watching over me from heaven,” I said with a smile.

My mother died when I was thirteen and ever since then it had just been my father and I.

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, daddy,” I said as a tear drop fell from my eye.

“Now get in and live your best life baby,” My dad said as he opened the door of the taxi he had just hailed.

I got into the taxi and smiled at my dad. “Goodbye daddy.”

With one last glance, I watched my dad shut the door and the taxi drive off.

The ride wasn’t so long and in no time we got to Antonio’s home.

His house was very pretty, it was a modern studio kind of duplex.

I knocked on the door and waited for a response. This new life made me quite anxious.

Living with someone new was something I never thought I would do especially with Antonio. Most especially because I had a little crush on him when I was just a little girl.

Well, that was how many years ago, I’m now a woman and there’s no way I would still be harboring a crush for my father’s bestfriend.

Just then the locks of the door began to turn and the door opened and I couldn’t believe who I just saw.

Antonio stood there looking more different than ever. He looked hotter, fiercer and with more muscles.

I couldn’t help but bite my lip, He aged so well that all my memories of having a crush on him when I was younger came flooding back in.

“Living with him would be so tempting” I thought to myself

“Vanessa so nice to meet you,” He said with smile revealing his fangs.

“U-ugh, Uncle Antonio,” I said with a warm nervous smile.

“Please call me Antonio,” He said as he pulled me in for a hug.

As I processed everything, a woman popped out from inside the apartment.

“You must be Vanessa,” She said with a smile.

“Vanessa, this is my fiancée, Blair,” Antonio said as he pulled her closer for a kiss.

They began to kiss and I could feel my heart shatter into different pieces. Something told me that my stay here might even be more chaotic than my life in Rose wood.