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"Meet me at lunch?" Brad asks as he pulls on his trousers. "I want to introduce you properly to my mates."
"Sure," I smile, letting him lean down and place a kiss on my lips before he pulls on a shirt. "Do you want me to bring you a drink or something?"
"You don't have to."
"Then I won't," I tease him and he rolls his eyes as he shoves on his Doc Martins. "I'll see you at lunch."
"Okay, babe, see you then."
He presses a final kiss to my lips before exiting the dorm afterwards. He was still stressing about his exam even though his weren't for another two weeks.
My exams started on Wednesday next week, which was only six days away, while his started two weeks after mine. Mine stretched until the end of January and I was not looking forward to it at all.
I wrap my bedsheets around my exposed skin and sit up on my bed. Brad had left his white shirt for me to wear after he'd gone and I grab it off of the nightstand and put it on to cover myself up.
I had an hour before I had to leave for lunch since my classes weren't until the afternoon today. I decide to clean myself up quickly before putting on some mom jeans and tucking Brad's shirt in to them. I went braless and it felt so comfortable.
I waste some time by going through Facebook mindlessly, laughing at some videos while rolling my eyes at others. My mum already had a nasty habit of tagging me in embarrassing memories but now she tagged Brad too—she was over the moon when Brad requested to be her friend.
When it's finally time for me to leave, I put on some trainers and put on one of Brad's jackets before making my way out of the dorm and to the canteen so I could get my food.
I grab Brad and I a cold sandwich each as well as some water before paying and going to the bleachers where he hung out during lunch. I usually was in my dorm or the library at lunch since I was studying for class.
It couldn't hurt me to have one day off of studying to hang out with my boyfriend.
I spot Brad and two other boys—Tristan and Connor, I realise—sat at the bleachers. While Tristan and Connor both sat smoking, Brad looked absentmindedly around the place.
As I get closer, I hear Tristan talking, "didn't see you over Christmas, what did you do?"
"Went to London with Margo," he replies with a small smile on his face. He hadn't noticed me yet and I wanted to know what he had to say to his friends without me being there to influence what he said. "Went for a few days."
"You took her to London? Isn't that a bit queer?" Tristan laughs at Brad, taking a drag of his cigarette.
"I—Uh, not really?" Brad shuffles where he's sat.
"I think it is," Tristan shrugs. "You don't do relationships, mate: you fuck 'n' chuck. One lass ain't gonna change that, is she? She's not gonna change you. So what the hell are you doin' takin' her to London for?"
Every part of me was screaming, waiting for Brad to defend me and tell him what he feels and how he doesn't find what Tristan's saying is appropriate.
"Yeah," he chuckles awkwardly, resting his head against the bleacher's metal. "Only took her for a quick fuck, you know? She's been playing hard to get ever since I met her and I finally won her over."
I never felt my heart drop so much.
I step forward in that moment, making myself visible to the three party members. Connor was too high to know what was going on, Tristan had an amused smile on his face while Brad looked surprised.
"Margo—?"
I throw the sandwich down next to him, my throat feeling as though it's being suffocated as I stare down at him with tear-brimmed eyes. I open my mouth to say something but I'm choking on my words as I try. Instead, I spin on my heel and walk away.
"Margo, wait," he stands up and follows me. I don't want him to follow me, though I'm glad he did. It made me feel better about myself.
As I reach the university's empty gymnasium, Brad grabs on my hand and turns me around. I snap my hand from his grasp and step back from him.
"I don't want to hear it, really. I should've known," I say and my stomach twists as tears unwillingly escape my eyes. This wasn't how our relationship was supposed to go.
"Margo, let me explain please," he begs, his own eyes sparkling and threatening to spill tears. He was going to cry when this was his fault? He said what he said.
"I told you, I don't want to hear it," I snap back. "We weren't even together for a two weeks, Brad! I have done things with you that I'd never thought of doing with anyone else before, and then you say that? I feel used, Brad."
"It's not like that," he shakes his head. "Baby, its really not like that. I just said that so they wouldn't make fun of me because they would—they'd make fun of us!"
"So you objectify me?" I scoff. "Have some respect for me and yourself. You used me, just like Thomas did."
A tear escapes his brown eyes, and I have to resist the urge to wipe it away, "no, I didn't mean it. Trust me, okay? I love you so much, so fucking much. Let me explain everything to you. Everything."
I shake my head, my eyes clenched shut.
"Please," he whispers quietly, pleading me but he voice breaks. "Margo, I didn't mean it I promise."
"I can't believe we were together three weeks and I'm saying this," I shake my head in disbelief. "Brad, I can't be with you if you're gonna lie to me. Or if you're telling the truth and you didn't mean it, you shouldn't have said it."
"No—"
"I'm sorry, Brad."
♡
"Hey, you called?" Britt says as she sits down next to me on the bench. I had missed my classes even though it was a stupid idea and instead decided to drink at a park. She notices my fragile state immediately. "You okay?"
"No," I admit. It was the first word I had spoken in the four hours since I last spoken to Brad and my voice sounded so husky. I had endless amount of missed calls and unread messages off of Brad but I had ended up calling Britt asking her to meet me before I threw my phone in the river.
"What happened?"
"Brad and I got together over Christmas then he said to his friends that he was just using me," I choke out, trying to take a swing from my bottle but she grabs it off of me and puts it in the bin.
"You're not drinking your sorrows away over a stupid guy," she shakes her head at me, pulling me close. "I know I've been a shit friend recently but I'm gonna be here for you right now, okay?"
"He's not just some stupid guy," I admit, letting her hold me as though I might break. "I was in love with him, Britt. I was in love with every little thing he did and said and then he had to rip out my heart."
"We're gonna get you cleaned up," she says, rubbing my arms as I start to grow cold without the burning alcohol running down my throat. "And you're gonna stay in my dorm, okay? James won't mind you staying over for the night."
