Hi!

So, chapter 10. I'm adding some more drama. It's not easy being in love..

- Stine

Chapter 10 – Treat me like you did the night before

After that morning, I didn't talk to Paul. Weeks went by. I avoided him on the way to school and on the way home from school.

Everyone wondered why we didn't talk anymore, but only Kath and John knew what had happened.

I spent a lot of time with John. He took me out to dance, to parties with his friends, and to long, quiet walks in the park. I loved every minute we spent together.

Even though I now had John to talk to, I missed being with Paul. I missed our friendship, and how we'd always laugh at the same things. I met him once on the way home from school. He was walking behind me, and tried catching up with me. He yelled at me to stop, said he was sorry, wanted to be friends again. I wouldn't talk to him. I couldn't. I ran as fast as I could home.

I naturally stopped attending The Quarrymen's rehearsals. They mostly rehearsed at Paul's house, and the thought of me going there seemed almost ridiculous to me.

One afternoon I called John, and asked if he wanted to go to the movies.

"Sorry luv. I can't. I'm just heading over to Paul's house for a bit of rehearsing with the band." He said.

"What about afterwards?" I asked, hopefully. "We could go for a walk?"

"I'm very tired." He said. "Let's take it some other time."

"Oh. Ok. Take care of yourself." I said, as I hung up, a bit disappointed.

I went up to my room, and sat down at my desk, wondering what to do. I had already done all my homework. Perhaps I could read a bit? The thought of it didn't sound too tempting. That's when Frances appeared in the doorway.

"Hello there little sister." She greeted me. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." I said. "Absolutely nothing."

"Let me show you something!" she said enthusiastically, and disappeared for a moment.

She came back with a little bottle of pink nail polish. "I bought it yesterday. Isn't it just lovely?" she said. "Do you want to try it?"

"Sure." I said, and to my surprise she sat down at my bed and started to apply the nail polish on my nails.

Was she out of her mind? Frances and I had never been those kinds of sisters who helped each other with clothes, makeup and hair. We only fought about it.

"So." She said after a while. "Have you and Paul had a fight? He never comes over any more."

I couldn't help it but smile a bit. So that was why she suddenly acted so sisterly. I bet mum had sent her.

"No." I lied. "He's just very busy these days."

She nodded, but the look on her face told me that she didn't quite believe me.

"Busy with the band I presume?" she said. "But still, he has time to go out with you. You're with Paul all the times you go out, right?"

"Sometimes I'm with him, and sometimes I'm with Kath." I answered vaguely.

Frances didn't ask me anything else, she just finished my nails.

"Be careful to let it dry properly." She warned, as she got up from my bed.

She looked out of my bedroom window, which had an excellent view over to the McCartney's house. "Hey, isn't that John?" she asked. "Who is that girl he's with?"

"What?" I asked, rising from the bed, nearly knocking over the open bottle of nail polish.

"John. You know. That cute guy from Paul's band." She said.

I hurried over to the window, just in time to catch a glimpse of John walking into Paul's garden with his guitar case in one hand, and the hand of a pretty blond girl in the other.

I immediately recognized her as Cynthia, the girl John had danced with at the party.

"I didn't know he was seeing someone." Frances said disappointed.

"Me neither." I said, as I sat down on the bed again. "Look Frances, I'm not feeling too good. I bet it's the nail polish. I'm just going to lie down for a while, ok?" I said. It wasn't a lie. I felt terrible.

"Ok." She said. "The nail polish looks good on you, by the way."

I forced myself to smile as she left my room, and closed the door behind her.

My head was a complete chaos. There had to be a logical explanation for John taking Cynthia to the rehearsal. There had to be an explanation for him holding her hand like that. It couldn't be what it looked like.

I sat in front of the window without moving for nearly two hours. When they finally came out of the house, John was holding Cynthia's hand again. I noticed she was wearing high heeled shoes. She was struggling to walk properly in them.

John leant down and kissed her. I couldn't breathe. It felt like someone had just punched me hard in the stomach. I saw them walking away together. I sat motionless for a long while. Then I knew what I had to do.

I got up and hurried downstairs. I put on a jacket and a scarf, and went out into the cold night. At John's house I knocked hard on the door. No one answered. I knocked harder. I wouldn't give up like that. Finally, John opened. He was only wearing his boxers.

"Jenny?" he asked surprised. "Hi. I just got back from Paul's. I didn't feel good at all, so I went home to get some sleep. I think I've got a cold coming up."

"Don't lie to me."

"Jenny, what are you talking about?"

"Don't fucking lie to me John. I know what you're up to."

"What are you talking about? I..." he was interrupted by a voice from inside the house. A girl's voice. "John, get back up here!"

I looked at him. "You have visitors." I said.

"It's not what it looks like." He said. I noticed a trace of panic in his voice.

I pushed past him into the hallway. Cynthia had appeared on the top of the stairs in her underwear. She looked confused from John to me.

"I believe it's time for me to go." I said, and turned away. I wouldn't let him see me cry.

John followed me and grabbed me by my shoulders, forcing me to face him.

"I'm sorry Jenny." He said. "I didn't want you to find out about it this way."

"Get your hands off me John. I never want to see you again!" I screamed, and started running.

Outside, it had started to snow heavily. I ran until I was out of breath, and sat down on a park bench, panting. Tears streamed down my face, making it hard to see anything. I didn't have the slightest idea where I was, but I didn't care. It felt as if my heart had been ripped out and cut into a million pieces.

Ouch. Love hurts…

And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, that's what they do. Stay tuned for the next chapter.