Jen
“What do you mean you're dropping out of college?” I ask him down the phone. We are in our second year in college and he’s telling me he’s dropping out.
“As I told you Jen I’m dropping out as I’m focusing on my riding instead,” I swear the next time I see him, I will punch him in the face. And he’s doing this over the phone! What a fucking coward.
“Greg please explain to me what you are trying to say as none of this makes any sense. We were supposed to go to Boston together. Are we still doing that at least?” Feeling nervous I start to pace around my dorm room. Luckily, I’m in my dorm alone as my roommate is out at a party.
“Jen, I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m going to Boston with you or if I’m going back to Los Angeles. I do know that I am not gaining everything being here in college and I would rather ride than sit in a classroom and listen to a stupid fuck ramble on about something that means nothing to me.”
“Thant’s bullshit Greg and you know it. Has he got into your head?” If he says that bastard manager of his has got to him, I swear I will do so much legal damage when I get my law degree, he wouldn’t know what’s hit him.
“No Jen, he didn’t get to me,” Thank fuck for that I hate that bastard but at least he’s not corrupted him that much. “But his daughter did.”
“Excuse me?” I stand still from the pacing feeling my heart starting to break. I’m praying that he’s not cheated on me again, that once in high school to cause us to break up the first time was enough. If he’s done it again, that’s it no more chances. We will be done for good.
“Andrea got me thinking. She said I am a great rider, but I could be better. She thinks if I solely focus on my riding, I could travel the world and compete anywhere. That is my dream right now Jen. I thought you of all people would understand that.” Understanding someone's dream I understand wholeheartedly, but what Greg is asking of me. I’m sorry but this I don’t understand.
My roommate comes barreling through the apartment drunk off her ass from some frat party she went to. Seeing her in this state I knew what I had to do, “I’m sorry Greg but I have to go, Cora just came home drunk again I have to deal with her,” I calmly tell him trying to not make my voice sound like it’s breaking just like I can feel my heart is right now.
“Fine, Jen go, go deal with a bitch who can’t control her drinking I bet she’s fucking high too,” Greg shouts at me down the phone.
“Don’t talk about her like that Greg, she ...” The phone goes dead. I checked my battery and that’s fine I still have 65% of the charge left and my signal is good. Which means only one thing. That bastard hung up on me.
I leave my phone on the kitchen counter after Greg hung up on me thinking I will deal with him later I have something more important to do right now. Dealing with Cora, making sure she’s okay by making sure she has a glass of water before going to bed, and after she has had her glass that is exactly where I put her. To bed. Before I even stepped away from her when her head hit that pillow, she was out like a light softly snoring away. Stepping out of her room I go into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and into the bathroom to grab some Advil from the cabinet above the sink and I take them back into Cora’s room to leave them beside her bed for her to take and drink when she wakes up.
Walking back into the kitchen to grab myself a bottle of water I hear my phone ping with an incoming text. I have a feeling I know who it’s from. Opening the bottle to have a sip I walk over to my phone to read the text, and I was right with who it was from. Greg.
Greg: Jen, you haven’t chosen me first in the last few months and when I needed you to support me and choose me now, you don’t. I don’t think you understand and believe in my dream when all I have done is follow you and your dream. It's time I put myself first. You were even too fucking scared to get on a motorcross bike so how can I believe that you will support me as I go and follow my dream. I’m breaking up with you so I can go and live my dream.
He’s joking, isn’t he? This is a sick joke if he is. Reading his text over and over again not believing he’s done this. I try calling him, but he must have blocked my number as I am getting an automated message saying that the number I am trying to contact is no longer in use. I can feel my heart breaking as my hand starts to shake uncontrollably and tears well in my eyes. That asshole broke up with me by text message. I didn’t think he would ever hurt me like this again, but he’s proven me wrong.
Deciding to call it a night I switch my phone off and change into my depressing PJs. The ones my family and friends know when I wear these something is wrong, and they rarely ask what. Feeling the tears starting to free fall down my face I climb on into bed and cry into my pillow until I fall asleep. This must be one of the shitiest night's sleep ever. I must have only slept for two hours as I spent most of the night crying. Thinking to myself that I’m not gonna get much more sleep I decide to get a shower and looking at transferring to Harvard Law sooner than I anticipated. Another challenging thing I have to do is tell my friends that Greg broke up with me. But the worst part of telling my friends is that one of my friends is my twin brother. Knowing Chase, he will want to kill Greg for what he did. It’s now time I pull up my big girl pants and live the life I have dreamed of. Alone.
Just as I thought after going through the transfer process, shower and start looking for my own place in Boston, I told Chase what happened over the phone, and his response was not a pleasant one. With all the shouting of threats of wanting to kill him, he did down the phone his girlfriend Savannah took the phone off him and asked me what the hell was going on, so I had no choice but to tell her. I told her everything Greg had said to me over the phone and by text.
“I don’t blame Chase for wanting to kill him Jen I feel murderous right now. Listen I have to go and calm down your brother, take care of yourself and please don’t do anything stupid you’re not just my boyfriend’s twin sister, you’re also my best friend. Don’t take what Greg said to you to heart we know different. Chase and I love you and I’ll call you tomorrow.” Sav then ends the call and I sigh looking around my room on what needs to get done before I head to Boston.
It’s hard to believe how little Sav knows me after all these years. Even Chase doesn’t fully know me and he’s my twin brother, but Greg was right about one thing and one thing only in his breakup text. I am scared. I’m scared of getting on one of his death machines. I’m scared of getting hurt on one of them things, I’m scared of Greg getting hurt on one of them machines. I know I give off this persona that nothing scares me but if I’m being honest with myself Greg is the only one who knows of my fears, and he is the only one who can scare me.
It took five more weeks before my college transfer was accepted. By then I had found my own apartment not far from campus, I had all my stuff delivered to my new place including the new furniture my parents helped me get. Mom flew to Boston last week to get my new place set up and ready for me. I am so thankful she did this for me otherwise I would be unpacking while attending classes, it’s just too much all at once Mom said. So, she offered to fly out the week before to get everything set up for me.
Tonight is my last night with Cora, and we decided to go out to a sports bar to have a couple of farewell drinks. Arriving at the bar just gone 9 pm it is already so busy for a Friday night. We managed to get a table close to the bar and on the screens behind the bar were different sports channels, but one screen in particular caught my eye. Cora came back to our table with our beers in hand just as a pre-heat interview was shown and just my luck the interviewee is none other than Greg (the bastard who broke my heart) Davenport. Not paying much attention to what he was saying and trying to enjoy my night with Cora, she noticed my attention was elsewhere. She turned her head to see what I was looking at and she saw Greg on the TV screen, and she so rightly said pay no attention to the bastard who has only thought of himself and enjoy our last night together.
I’ve been single for five weeks and I have had guys hitting on me left, right, and center but I have always said no because it is too soon after my heart got ripped out of my chest by the one guy, I thought would never hurt me like that again. A group of guys decided to join our little party, and one guy was really pushing his luck with wanting to fuck me like I’ve never been fucked before. His words, not mine. As he draped his arm over my shoulders, I felt uncomfortable, so I shrugged his arm off me repeatedly, but he was not taking no for an answer. In the end, I gave up and just continued with my drink as I saw Greg on the TV again getting ready at the starting gate for his race.
The guy with his arm draped over me took a sip of his beer watching the screens not caring which one he was paying attention to until he said, “Come on Davenport, I’ve got fifty down for you to win the meet.”
Holy fucking shit he knows Greg. Hearing him say that I did the one thing I could do to get away from this night that is now tainted by my ex. I lean over to Cora to tell her I’m calling it a night, she stands from her chair, comes around to give me a hug, and tells me to text her when I get home and that she’s sorry that our last night is now ruined. I promised her I will, and I would wake her in the morning before I head off to Boston. Without any explanation to the guy who was trying his luck, I walked out of the bar alone, grabbed an Uber, and went home. Once back in the safety of my dorm, I get myself ready for bed. I’m freshly showered and in an old concert T-shirt and some shorts, I climb on into bed and text Cora that I’m home and in bed. Before putting my phone down to get a good night's sleep I did the one thing I promised myself I would never do again. I texted Greg knowing that he’s blocked my number but as a just in case I sent him the final text I will ever send him before I block his number.
Jen: Good luck in your race tonight, Greg. I know with all your strength and trust in your bike I know you’ll win.
I hit send, block his number, put my phone on charge, and rest my head on my pillow as I drift off to sleep for the last time as a student at Yale as of tomorrow, I will be a Harvard Law student, and I will kick some ass to get where I need to reach my dream of becoming the family business lawyer and work alongside my twin brother when Dad finally retires from the business.
JenThis is so nerve-wrecking. How does Greg stay so calm? How does he manage this stress? I thought I could handle stress with being a law student, but this is on some other level. The races were unbelievable and heart-clenching. When I thought one rider was in the lead, I was mistaken when they took a jump, a bend, or that hilly section. In Garrett’s last race, I didn’t know whether to breathe or blink; I was so captivated with the excitement that I didn’t want to miss a thing. I don’t know all the rules, so I don’t know if the stunt he pulled was dirty or not. I am just so happy for him with the fact that he is still in the running to win the entire event. I guess that’s a discussion I can have with Greg when we are on our way back to the hotel later.The final race is about to start. I’ll be happy when this night is over with. I have been getting dirty looks from Andrea every time she sees me near Greg, as well as all the other girls have been giving me disapproving looks when the
Jameson quickly wheels me away to our trailer so the boys can finish working on their bikes. “I can’t believe that psycho crazy bitch. How dare she say that we are engaged? I would never do that to Jen. We’re not engaged, are we?” I ask them, as the three of them would know more than I would about my so-called relationship with Andrea.“I don’t know what I can tell you, man, except that I agree with you that she is crazy. As far as we are aware, you never considered marriage with Andrea, as you said once in the past, ‘why marry her when I’m already married to my bike?’” Jameson said behind me as he stops me next to the roller tool chest.“I would say that wouldn’t I,” the three of us laugh as I help them out, passing them the tools they need and advising them on where to put the right amount of grease and oil on the springs on the bike. “But in all seriousness, am I engaged to her?” I plead for one of them, any of them, to tell me the truth.“No, you’re not engaged to Andrea, but abou
Randy came and found me and took me over to the team pit, where a table and a microphone are set up ready for me to make my statement. What I am surprised to see behind the table on a trailer and stand is a bike in disarray. That can’t be my bike, surely. The front of the bike is pointing upwards, and the front wheel is bent in half, and it’s scratched to fuck I don’t want to know the damage to the engine if this is the body damage.I nod my head for him to take me over to have a better look at the bike. Once I was situated in front of my bike, I reach up with my one good hand and place a hand on the bike. Closing my eyes, a memory flashes into my foggy brain, and it is as clear as anything. I remember talking to the guys in my helmet mic as I was approaching the final jump in our practice run when Will’s voice says through the earpiece ““Oh shit, I just remembered where I’ve seen that girl Carmichael is with in his Instagram posts.” I remember feeling pissed off that he brought it up
What I didn’t tell Jen was that when she was in the shower and I was resting, I made arrangements for a minivan to pick us up. I needed to make sure it was big enough so this fucking chair can go in easier than it did in that damn taxi. I hate seeing that look on her face when something so simple proves to be more difficult than it should be. Plus, I need it to be big enough for me to put my leg up on a seat. It was so difficult sitting in that cab for as long as I did. I thought the cast might have broken if I forced it anymore. When we finally got outside after weaving through the busy lobby, Jen tried to hail a cab again until I stopped her.“We don’t need to hail a cab, sweet cheeks.” She turns and looks at me, confused.“What do you mean by that?” Just at that moment in time, the minivan pulls up in front of us, and I point behind her for her to turn around and look for herself. “Greg, what did you do?”“When you were in the shower, making yourself more beautiful tonight, as you
Getting wheeled back into the gallery where Jen left me, I keep looking at all the paintings, waiting for her to return. My eyes kept wandering to the painting I have just secretly purchased for the woman who is taking care of me and whom I still love deeply. When I get a bit longer of a chance, I need to inform her parents what I have done so they are not blindsided by receiving a huge delivery they were not expecting. Not long later, Jen came back into the gallery looking a little calmer and chirpier than before she left.“Hey, sorry about that. I just needed to confirm my starting date at the Boston office and make sure I have everything I needed for the first day. Are you ready to go?”“No worries if you gotta take an important call, such as that, then please take it and not worry about me. Yeah, we'd better start heading back to the hotel. If you’re going to Chicagoland Speedway, you better start getting ready, as we’re expected there in two hours, and it takes at least an hour i
GregFuck me. She is so beautiful when she’s pissed off. She turns and just stares at me, leaving us in a tensed, awkward silence so thick I don’t even think a knife could get through it. I try to make the first move and smooth things over with her because a pissed off Jen can be an intolerable Jen to live with. Trust me, when we visited each other during college breaks, we had the odd argument, and those were not very pretty nights. But the make-up sex people weren’t kidding, it is highly recommended. I just hate myself right now that there is no us, so we cannot have the make-up sex I anticipated. Doubt I’d be very good in bed right now with both an arm and a leg in a cast.“Don’t even go there, Greg. We are not having this conversation here. Why don’t we go to the park that’s not too far from here? It gives you the fresh air you’re probably desperate for, and we can be mature adults and have a calm, civilized conversation. Yes?”“I’d like that idea, yeah. Would you be okay to push m