Read Now She's Gone: A Novel for Free Online Page A

feel a little better.
    I don’t know why it is, but I always pick these men who I become insanely jealous over. After I started seeing Bruce, this chick in a bar came on to him while I was in the bathroom. I don’t even think he knew I saw it. And he just sat there and nodded, looking around for me. Well, she finally got the hint and left. I watched her for the rest of the night. When she went to the bathroom, I followed her and told her if she ever tried that shit again, we’d have some trouble.”
     
    She did that?! I couldn’t believe she would do anything like that! It made me feel kinda good though, like she thought I was worth fighting over. I don’t know. Maybe I was an idiot.
     
    “And of course, Bruce is Mr. Oblivious to everything. He never even knew. And the thing is, I feel terrible (and stupid!) after I do something like that. When I saw the girl again at the same bar, I went up to her and apologized. I told her if she wanted to give him a try she could. Of fucking course, I didn’t mean it and if she had done it, I would have died. But she was cool about it. One day I am going to run into some bitch that isn’t cool and she’ll probably end up kicking my ass. But I’ll give her her money’s worth. I’m a pretty good fighter. I’m very scrappy.
    Anyway. Back at high school…
    I almost kept getting into it with Melinda. She was such a little bitch. (Even more so than me.) She would make these shitty little comments like, ‘Retaining water today?’ and ‘God, look at that zit on your chin!’ and ‘We went by your house the other day… I mean your trailer.’
    Oh, God. I hated her. Could I help it if we had to live in a fucking trailer? Sure, stuff like that shouldn’t matter, but it does. And I loathed being called trailer trash. We weren’t trashy people at all. We were just poor.
    I would almost go at her, but someone would be around to pull me away just in time. Kelsey kept telling me to stay away from her and I did try. But whenever she could, she would have her ass near Wayne. (Couldn’t she take a hint? He doesn’t like you!) I was not going to let her near him and if she tried, I would beat the shit out of her. God I was so stupid!
    It was bound to happen sooner rather than later.
    I always looked forward to lunch because I got to sit with Wayne and then we’d sneak off and make out somewhere secluded. (Broom closets, the band room, whatever was available and it was soooo nice!)
    So, the day came. I went into the cafeteria for lunch and there she was sitting right next to him! (I have to give her credit. She had a lot of nerve and a ton of persistence. But not much sense.) When I walked in, I could tell he was happy to see me because he got this really big smile on his face. Of course, I was furious. He should have told her to leave! But he didn’t! I was as mad at him as I was her.
    I walked over and she didn’t move one inch away from him. I told her to get up and she told me to fuck off. That did it. Next thing I know, I had her pulled her out of her seat by her hair and I am slapping the shit out of her. Wayne pulled me off her and told me to ‘Stop it!’
    And I would have. Only she got behind him and had the audacity to stick her tongue out at me! I went after her and she ran. I chased her out of the cafeteria and everyone was yelling, ‘CAT FIGHT! CAT FIGHT!’ and followed me. I caught her at the door of the gym and I grabbed her, again, by the hair of the head and threw her on the floor.
    But before I could do some real damage, that damn Wayne had me up in his arms and was carrying me—kicking and screaming—away from the crime scene. He took me into the library and forced me into a chair.
    ‘What’s gotten into you?’ he hissed.
    ‘If you want her, you can have her!’ I yelled.
    Everyone in there looked at us. I ignored them and tried not to cry.
    ‘I don’t want her!’ he exclaimed, shaking his head.
    ‘I hate you!’
    ‘What did I do?!’
    ‘You let her