The Breakup Artist Read online

  “I guess you’re right about that.”

  I turned around. Looked at this girl who was so easy to talk to. This girl who sent a shiver running down my spine when she got close to me.

  This girl who hadn’t even told me her name. It was time to fix that.

  “You know I never even got your name,” I said.

  It was dark, so it was hard to tell, but I’m pretty sure she blushed.

  “I’m Maddie. What’s your name?”

  I smiled. I couldn’t help it. This girl made me want to smile.

  “I’m Ashley,” I said. “Nice to meet you.”

  Though she couldn’t possibly have any idea just how nice it was to meet her. I felt like there was something that had been missing in my life and I’d never realized it until I saw her.

  I know that’s kind of hack and cliche. I know that’s the kind of thing you’d expect someone to say in a cheesy romance novel or something, but here we were. I kind of felt like I was in a cheesy romance novel when I looked at her.

  A long moment stretch between us. A moment where I felt like something should be happening. Where I felt like I should be saying something, anything, to break the tension. It was electric.

  But I didn’t say anything. Partly because I wasn’t sure what to say, but mostly because I was afraid if I said anything it would maybe acknowledge feelings I wasn’t quite ready to admit to just yet.

  Even if they were slamming into me with all the force of one hell of a strong wave. It was like when you’re in a wave pool and you go to the shallow end and feel the waves lapping at your ankles, and then the farther out you get, the deeper you get, the harder they hit until you feel like you’re going to go under.

  Well I felt like I was in real danger of going under standing there in that small projection booth with a girl who made me sort of feel the way I was supposed to feel with my boyfriend I was trying to escape. That’s how intense this was.

  And so I figured it was time to take a breather. Regroup.

  I pulled out my phone and glanced at it. I realized we’d been up here for like a half hour. I guess the old phrase about time flying when you’re having fun really was true.

  I’d just never had this kind of fun with another girl before.

  “I think I should get going,” I said.

  Was that disappointment I saw in Maddie’s eyes? If it was, it was only there for a moment and then she smiled.

  “Right,” she said, a slight hitch in her voice. “You’ll have to get back to your boyfriend.”

  Man. I really felt like I was reading into things, but it sounded like she was almost pissed off that I was getting back to my boyfriend.

  I barked out an awkward laugh. Why an awkward laugh? I don’t know. I was just awkwardness personified with her in that intense moment.

  Besides, being a teenager is being awkward.

  “I don’t think I’ll be getting back with him, but I do have to get going.”

  I wasn’t sure why I was making these excuses. Why I was suddenly in such a hurry to be away from this girl when she made me feel so good? I just knew that I was suddenly a little terrified.

  “Fine,” she said. “I’ll show you to the back entrance. No worries about running into…”

  “Steve,” I said.

  “Right. Steve. Follow me, and you won’t have to worry about Steve ever again.”

  How right she was, though I had no idea at the time.

  8

  Lunch

  Ashley Timmons says

  Gossip. It’s the lifeblood of any high school.

  Maybe it’s the lifeblood of any place. I really hope that’s not the case, but I guess I’ll find out as I get older.

  The point is talk is cheap, and when you’re talking about high school where most people don’t have a lot in the way of spending money that means gossip is the way you rise or fall. It’s a way to get influence.

  Just look at how popular these posts have gotten. I have more followers hitting up this humble site now than I ever had before when I was just Ashley Timmons.

  Talk might be cheap, but it’s possible to have a juicy bit of gossip that’s worth a lot.

  Gossip is part of what got me in trouble. I know I keep saying that, but there are a lot of things that came together to create a perfect storm that got me in the deep trouble I’m in now.

  It’s easy to shoot your mouth off in a social media world. It’s harder to tell the truth, though. That’s what makes this so difficult, but they say the truth will set you free.

  I wish I could believe that, but I can’t stop now. Not with all of you hanging on for the next update. So here we go. Our next chapter starts in the big open grassy area outside school where everybody hangs out at the end of the day.

  “I just feel so bad for her,” Sandra said.

  “Why do you feel bad for her?” Carrie asked. “The guy was a cheating asshole! Everyone knows it!”

  “He might’ve been a cheating asshole, but he was Thomas! Doesn’t that count for something?” Valerie asked.

  I rolled my eyes. It was ridiculous. Valerie proved there were always going to be girls who were attracted to Thomas no matter what. Hell, I wondered if maybe she was interested in going and having some fun with him.

  Whatever. It was none of my business. Literally.

  My business had begun and ended with the payment I took from an anonymous source to make Kylie and Thomas no longer an item.

  And Thomas, I know you’re still trolling the comments section of these posts. Her name is Valerie Smith. Cute dark-haired girl who’s really into the newspaper and slinging shit. She’s really into drama, and I’m not talking about the club.

  We’re not really friends anymore, but the two of you deserve each other. Have fun.

  “You’re awfully quiet about this,” Valerie said, turning to me.

  “So what if I am?” I asked. “It’s not like it’s any of my business.”

  I avoided the urge to smile. It was there, but I’d long ago learned that I had to be very careful about what I said and who I said it around. And Valerie? Well she was probably one of the people I had to be the most careful about what I said things around.

  I think how things eventually worked out is proof enough of that. Everybody read the front page story she wrote in the school paper when she eventually figured everything out.

  But at that moment, sitting outside the school just after classes let out enjoying the nice weather, I thought Valerie was my friend. I had no inkling she was going to betray me, and still I kept my big mouth shut.

  “Come on Valerie,” Carrie said. “You’re really trying to get miss “love is a lie” to take your side when someone breaks up?”

  “Totally,” Sandra said. “You’re probably happy they broke up.”

  “I’m not happy they broke up. I’m never happy when someone breaks up. Did they probably have it coming considering the way he was cheating on her?” I asked. “Sure.”

  “Exactly!” Carrie said, as though that proved the point she was trying to make. “I told you she was totally going to be happy that they broke up!”

  “When you’re right you’re right,” Valerie said, a secret smile on her face that should’ve tipped me off that something dangerous was going on even then, but I was oblivious.

  Maybe any other day I would’ve picked up on how things were a little off, but I was distracted that day. I kept thinking about that weekend. I kept thinking about the movie with Steve.

  More than anything I kept thinking about that girl Maddie. I didn’t even know what school she went to. Just that she was the pretty girl at the concession stand.

  Which wasn’t a lot to go on, but I knew I could always find her if I went to see a movie. Assuming I wanted to see her again considering the confusing storm of emotions she sent surging through me.

  “So did you do anything fun this weekend?” Valerie asked.

  I jumped. It was like she was reading my mind, and I didn’t care for
her reading my mind considering the sorts of thoughts that were running through said mind.

  “Not really,” I said. “I had a date with Steve, but that’s it.”

  Carrie rolled her eyes. “It’s a miracle you haven’t been complaining.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  Carrie opened her mouth, but before she could get anything out we were interrupted by a slightly chubby gentleman with a scraggly growth of hair on his impressive neck that was probably supposed to be a beard but really looked like a five o’clock shadow even though he’d been growing it for months now.

  I knew because I’d been able to watch the progress every time he stopped by our group on his quixotic quest for love.

  “My lady,” he said, getting down on one knee behind Sandra.

  She immediately got a deer in headlights look. Her eyes went wide. She looked at each of us to confirm she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. The looks she got back from all of us, grimaces mostly, was all the confirmation she needed.

  She sighed and rolled her eyes. Turned to look at our new “friend.”

  “What do you want Darrell?” she asked.

  “I don’t ask much my lady,” he said. “Simply the favor of your company and…”

  Her eyes went even wider when she saw what he held. I put my hand over my mouth because I didn’t want it to be too obvious that I was smiling.

  Darrell was down on one knee with a fedora in one hand, because of course he wore a fedora like that was something stylish past the end of the 1950s, and a dozen roses in the other hand.

  Not anything impressive, mind you. The kind of cheap roses you got down at the supermarket in refrigerated cabinets, but it was still quite the romantic gesture.

  At least it would’ve been quite the romantic gesture were it not for the simple fact that Sandra had zero interest in Darrell, and had made it clear to him on multiple occasions that she had zero interest in him and what he was offering.

  Honestly I’m not sure what the hell you were thinking, Darrell. Let’s talk for a minute buddy. I know you’re reading this to try and get any info you can about Sandra. Fucking creeper.

  I mean let’s be completely honest with ourselves here. What do you possibly think you have that you could offer a girl like Sandra?

  I know I’m always going on about how love is a lie and all that stuff, and I’m sure you’ve gone through life thinking you deserve a girl because you’re a nice guy or something.

  You’re not. You’re a creep. If you want to get the attention of a girl who’s a cheerleader, homecoming queen, and everybody loves her because she’s just so darn nice, then you need to make yourself the kind of person that a girl like that would be interested in.

  It’s not her fault for not being interested in you. It’s your fault for not making yourself the kind of interesting guy she’d want. The fact that she’s too nice to shut you down shouldn’t be mistaken for her being interested in you.

  Okay. Rant over. Promise.

  The point is Darrell was right there down on his knees in front of Sandra with that fedora in one hand, could you get any more typical lonely nerd, and the roses in the other.

  “I wanted to stop by to see if you’d be interested in…”

  Sandra squeezed her eyes shut and that got his attention. His face lit up. That was different from the usual response he got.

  It wasn’t a good response, but then again Darrell was always so socially unaware that he didn’t pick up on that.

  I knew what she was about to do. She was about to say something nice that would let him down easy, but I knew there was no letting him down easy. He was the kind of guy who’d hear a girl say “I don’t like you I’m not interested, and I don’t want to date you” and the only words he’d take away from the whole thing were “I want to date you.”

  Sandra being so nice wasn’t doing her any favors, but that’s the kind of girl she is.

  “Give it a rest,” Valerie said, cutting through the bullshit.

  He looked over at her and scowled. Though he had to know he was inviting this kind of trouble when he decided to creep on Sandra.

  “I didn’t ask you and…”

  “We’re sitting here having a conversation that doesn’t involve you Darrell,” Carrie said.

  “That’s right,” Valerie said. “And that means you need to get lost. She’s not interested in you, never has been, so give up already.”

  Darrell glared, then threw the flowers down and put his hat back on, his round face a mask of red indignant fury.

  “A gentleman doesn’t have to put up with this uncouth behavior,” he said. “Sandra. Ladies.”

  Sandra sighed as he stalked off. She turned and looked at Valerie. “Did you really have to do that?”

  “You weren’t going to, so someone had to,” Valerie said. “Besides. What would Sean do if he knew Darrell was sniffing around again?”

  Sandra let out a laugh that showed just how ridiculous the idea was that her boyfriend would ever be upset about or jealous of a guy like Darrell.

  “Come on,” Sandra said. “I’m never getting together with Darrell, and Sean knows he has nothing to worry about.”

  Carrie and Valerie looked dubious about that, but they wisely kept their mouths shut. Then Sandra grinned.

  “Besides, let’s get back to what’s important. Cheerleading is going to be interesting tonight!”

  “Oh my God yes,” Carrie said. “I still can’t believe they broke up.”

  And we were right back where we began swapping tales of the biggest news of the weekend. I’m not talking about the earth-shattering news that I might maybe sort of be into girls. No, they were back to Kylie and Thomas.

  Gossip. Always with the gossip.

  “You know what I heard,” Carrie said, leaning in as though she was about to let us in on a huge secret.

  Though if it was a secret Carrie knew about then it couldn’t be that big of a secret. Usually she was the last one to know about anything.

  “What did you hear?” Valerie asked.

  Valerie had a look that said she fully expected to hear something she already knew. Her position on the school newspaper meant she was sort of the gossip in chief around here. It was a natural fit for her considering how much she loved spreading the stuff.

  Something that always made me a little nervous, to be honest, but I figured as long as she was spreading that gossip to our group and not about us I didn’t have much to worry about. How wrong I was, but I want to give y’all an idea of how I was thinking at the time before you take to the comments and start yammering on about what an idiot I am.

  “I heard Kylie and Thomas was the work of the breakup artist,” she said.

  “Where did you hear that?” Sandra asked.

  “Come on,” Valerie said. “Isn’t the breakup artist supposed to be a myth or something?”

  “Oh yeah? Well just check out AnonBoards.”

  “What?” I asked, finally chiming in.

  They were talking about something near and dear to my heart, after all.

  “AnonBoard?” Carrie said. “Haven’t you heard of it?”

  The look on my face must’ve told her that I hadn’t heard of whatever the hell it was she was talking about. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “God. You’re all so out of touch.”

  Valerie snorted. After all, I wasn’t the only one who knew just how out of it Carrie was. Usually. That she was in on something I didn’t know about just told me how bad I’d been about keeping up.

  Though in my job I worked in verifiable information. Not gossip.

  Carrie shot Valerie a dirty look for that snort, but that didn’t stop her from going on. No, she looked like she was enjoying having some juicy information for a change.

  “It’s an app where people swap anonymous stories they’ve heard from around the school,” Carrie said.

  “What, like just our school? Who would do something like that for one
school? Seems like a limited audience.”

  “They’ve got boards for a bunch of different schools. You can create one and boom, it’s there, and anyone can log on and say whatever they want. It’s great for gossip.”

  “So the people who create the board run the thing?” I asked.

  “No,” Valerie said. “It’s a free for all. I don’t think they have anyone watching the boards.”

  That sounded like a recipe for disaster. The anonymity of the Internet without someone to stop people from acting like jerks always brought out the worst in people.

  I didn’t like that they were talking about me on there. That couldn’t be good considering how people were already predisposed to dislike someone doing what I did.

  “And this board is talking about the breakup artist?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Carrie said. “Everyone knows the breakup artist is out there ruining people’s happiness.”

  She shot a dirty look towards Valerie. Valerie, for her part, merely sniffed and looked away. But that was a look that said she knew something. She was trying not to let on, but she knew something.

  The fact that Valerie might know something had me even more worried. Carrie repeating gossip was one thing. Valerie tended to be like me, though. She tended to get to the truth behind the gossip.

  The breakup artist was one bit of gossip I didn’t need her getting to the bottom of.

  I sighed and hefted my backpack. “I need to get going girls. I have some homework to do.”

  They all turned. Stared. I know what a lame excuse it was, but I’d already made it so there was nothing for it but to commit.

  “You,” Sandra said.

  “Have homework,” Carrie said.

  “Little Miss Perfect?” Valerie asked.

  “Hey, just because school is easy for me doesn’t mean I don’t have to work at it. Did you ever think part of the reason I always have such good grades is because I study?”

  “Have fun with that,” Sandra said.

  “Yeah, have fun,” Carrie replied.

  “Don’t work too hard,” Valerie said, fixing me with a smile that made me uncomfortable. Mostly because that was the sort of smile she used when she was working on something.