The Cheat

A short story I had to write in English that I thought I'd upload may go somewhere but will probably stay like this.

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I was so excited to be going home that day. After a week away in London I was really missing my friends and family. Most of all, though, I missed my boyfriend, James. The university was great and it was perfect for the course that I wanted to do, but being away from James after being together for almost two years was hard and it was the one thing I didn't like about being in London for university. I had really missed being at home and I was glad that I could come home a day earlier because I had managed to sort out my accommodation and classes early. I was happy to be travelling home but I didn't know that I would regret missing my boyfriend and going to his house instead of going home.

I was travelling home in my red Beetle that I had got from my parents as a present when I passed my test just over a month ago so I didn't need to pay a taxi or coach fare. I had must hit the motorway when I got caught up in rush hour traffic, I had a feeling I wouldn't be moving for a while so I leaned over to look in the glove compartment for a cd to listen to. As I leaned over the handbrake, my long wavy blonde hair fell over my shoulders and into my eyes. Brushing it back behind my ear before I looked into the empty glove compartment. Groaning I mentally slapped myself when I realised I hadn't brought any cd's with me. I decided I would have to settle for trying to tune the radio in to a decent station.

An hour later and the traffic began to move again. I had managed to get kiss 101 on the radio and I was belting out the words "Call My Name" by Cheryl as I turned off the motorway. Deciding I would go straight to James' house before I went home. It was getting late but it was a Friday night so I knew he should still be awake.

Turning right I realised I was already on James' road, slowing the car down to 20mph I pulled up outside of his house. I gripped the handle of the front door pulling it to release the lock before I pushed it open. Stepping out onto the road, I paused smoothing down my black hooded jacket and dark blue skinny jeans before checking that my black converses were laced u properly. I straightened up before walking to his front door. I only had to knock once before the door was opened by his mother. Her long dark hair was loose around her face and her light blue shirt matched her eyes perfectly.

"Hey Mrs Brown," I smiled softly at her.

"Oh, hello Ashlee, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." For some reason she sounded worried.

"Yeah, I finished early, are you ok?" My smile turned into a frown.

"Yes, yes thank you I'm fine. James is upstairs I think." She didn't give me a chance to reply before she had spun on her heel and had started to walk away. That was weird in itself; usually James' mum and I could talk for hours upon hours.

Closing the heavy wooden door behind me I turned to the stairs. I wanted to completely surprise him so I skipped the middle step that I knew creaked. Before too long I was stood outside James' bedroom door. I didn't knock in case he was asleep because I didn't want to wake him. If he was asleep I would just go home and come and see him tomorrow morning.

Opening the door slightly I looked into an almost dark room. It would have been pitch black if it weren't for the slight gap in the window above his bed that was letting in the street light from outside. I could see James led down on his bed, but I could see someone else led down with him as well. His arms were wrapped around them and their face was hidden so I had no idea who it was, but I knew it wasn't just a comforting hug from James to the person. Slamming the door, I raced down the stairs not caring if he heard me. The damage was done. It was too late for anything he had to say. My eyes were stinging but I refused to let the tears fall. When I was almost at my car James came running out the door, he hadn't bothered to put any more clothes on other than the boxers he was wearing, so I assumed the person who ran after him hadn't either.

"Wait Ashlee I can explain" His voice was pleading but right then I don't think I could have cared less about how he felt.

"Explain what? Why I feel like an idiot? Why someone else was in your bed? Or maybe, just maybe James you could explain why you did it because I have no idea why you would do that." I tried to keep my voice calm and level but by the end of it I was shouting and I really didn't think anything could make me feel any worse than I already did.

"I wasn't do anything Ashlee you have to believe she-"

"Oh you weren't doing anything. There was another girl in your bed and you expect me to believe that you weren't doing anything" This time I didn't shout but anyone could hear the sarcasm dripping from my words.

"I promise I didn't do anything, I love you" His voice was still pleading but I knew him and I could hear the guilt that was in his voice at the same time.

"Don't James. Just don't." My voice was still calm and I tried to keep my emotions in check so that he wouldn't know how I felt. The betrayal and hurt that were coursing through my veins and the doubts that were running through my mind.

"Don't what Ashlee. Tell you that I love you because I do."

"Don't make promises you can't keep. You might still love me but obviously not enough or you wouldn't be sleeping around." It hurt enough that I knew it was true but for him to stand and lie to me was worse.

"I'm not sleeping around Ashlee."

"Oh sorry you're not sleeping around just not being faithful to me."

"I'm-" He started to talk again but I didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

"Stop James, stop lying to me." My heart was pounding by now and all I wanted to do was go home, curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep.

"He's not lying to you Ashlee." What. The. Hell. I knew that voice. It was a voice I heard every single day. A voice I had been hearing since the day she could talk.

"Couldn't settle for one twin hey James had to try and have both on the go at once. If you didn't want me you should have just talked to me and we could have broken up."

"But I don't want-" Again I cut him off.

"I'm not finished. And you how could you do that to me. We're supposed to be sister. Heck, we're twins we should be close enough that you wouldn't sleep with my boyfriend. My boyfriend, not yours." I emphasised the 'my' so she got the message. I didn't get it was I that unlovable that my own boyfriend preferred my twin sister over me. What did I do wrong?

"It wasn't you. You didn't do anything Ashlee." I didn't realise I had said the last bit aloud but then it registered who was talking and I felt like I was going to break down. He wouldn't even talk to me himself he had to get her to do it.

I ignored both of them and turned round and got in my car.

"Bye James, I hope you two are happy together." For someone who had just found her boyfriend sleeping with her twin sister I thought I was handling it rather well.

"Ashlee, please don't leave me, where will you go?" It wasn't going to work I had already figured out what I was going to do.

"You should have thought about that. You've made you bed now lay in it. I'm going to go to London I've got somewhere to live so I'm just moving earlier than I had planned. The only reason I cam back was to see you, James. I have no reason to stay now, even my family has betrayed me." The tears had started to fall and much like his mum had earlier I started the engine and drove off. Going home to pack and leave for London as soon as I was done packing. I didn't care at all that it was the last time I would see, Jasmine, my twin. She was dead to me. It sounded harsh but that was how I was feeling.

Maybe in a few months I would feel differently and would talk to her, but for now I was going to start fresh in London. A life in university where I could try and forget about this, but somehow I knew even then that the memory of this and the feeling of not being good enough would always stay with me, no matter what I tried to do to get rid of it.