Chapter 7

I didn’t hear from Dustin after that night. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months of self pity. Wondering what I did wrong. How I could possibly fix it until one day it just clicked. Dustin and I were through. Now I know what you are thinking. Obviously, we were through when he wouldn’t return my calls. I guess I was just hoping that he would. Hoping that our friendship meant more to him than whatever had caused him to turn his back on me.

Finally, three months after the store was trashed and my dreams were officially squashed, I decided to leave. The insurance I had for the store barely covered the damages and there was not enough money to start over, so I handed in my keys to the store three weeks later. I really didn’t have any ties left for Cape Shore, unless you counted Jenny. The only one that actually stuck by me. She would check in on me from time to time, but I just shut myself off.

Her visits to my loft became fewer and further between. My trips outside becam