Her engagement ring. It was a pretty little thing. Big... Expensive... Shiny...
Courtney's never hated anything more.
She had half a mind to take it off and throw it far into the ocean. But she couldn't do that to the ring. Besides, it wasn't the ring's fault that she hated it.
It was his.
She watched her fiance, Jake, out of the corner of her eyes as she casually sipped her champagne. He was in the same spot that she left him, near the wall with his group of friends from college. Usually, he wouldn't let her be alone in such a crowded bar, but this was a special occasion. It was their engagement party.
And with her big ring, all guys would know that she was taken.
That's why she hated her engagement ring. He didn't give it to her out of a declaration of love. He did it to keep an extra set of eyes on her.
So why did she say yes? The answer was simple: her parents.
It was her parents who introduced her to him. He was... fine. She didn't really have any complaints about him, and he made her parents happy, which meant her parents would back off on one aspect of her life.
She had planned to break up with him before they graduated. Then, her parents found out. That's when they dropped a bombshell on her: they had not paid for her schooling as promised. Instead, private loans took care of them. If she didn't stay with him, then they would cut her off and have her pay for all of the loans. She knew that would be an impossible task. When considering colleges, she didn't even consider price as a factor.
She figured that maybe after graduation would be enough to satisfy her parents. But then, he proposed.
She knew then that this was all part of her parents' plan. Jake was smart and had high ambitions. He was going to become a lawyer. Both of his parents were lawyers and had their own law firm so he was set for life.
It should've been obvious to Courtney that her parents weren't setting her up on a date because they didn't trust her choice in men. It was because they had already decided on who her husband would be.
She shouldn't be surprised. They had been making choices for her for as long as she could remember. They always told her they only wanted what was best for Courtney. And she believed them.
...Until she meant Duncan.
That was the only time she defied what they said. They told her it would be fine if it was temporary, but she wanted to go all-in. So, they cut her off.
She didn't mind it at the time. However, when he cheated on her, it became abundantly clear to her that she made the wrong decision, and she ran straight back to her parents.
And now, she was engaged to Jake.
She gulped down her champagne quickly. She was about to pick up another glass when she felt his eyes on her. She retracted her hand. Jake didn't like being near her when she smelt like alcohol. She didn't like it when he did either, but her complaints were waved away.
Her relationship with Jake was different than her relationship with Duncan and Scott. There was no explosion of feelings. She didn't feel the need to blush when he would grab her hand.
Their relationship was safe. They got along. They had the same goals.
They still sometimes fought, but it was nothing like her teenage days. She was older now. She mellowed out a little. And she came to a realization.
Her stubborn attitude was the reason why Duncan cheated on her. She needed to be less assertive.
The first time they fought, she broke her own rule. It was when they were deciding where to live together. She wanted a more affordable apartment near campus. He wanted a more expensive condo.
Just when Courtney thought the fight would get ugly, he broke down. It made her freeze. She didn't know what to do. She never had a guy openly show his emotions to her.
He told her dangerous those apartments were. How he couldn't live without her. How he'd never forgive himself if something ever happened to her.
She felt like a jerk for even starting the argument. This was what she did when she was with Duncan.
She didn't trust herself to not lose herself like that again so she decided to swallow her pride. She decided to do what he wanted.
It's how they decided what law school they would attend. It's how they decided where to have their engagement party. It's how they decided who to invite.
It wasn't the easiest choice for Courtney to make, but it still felt better than getting cheated on.
"Courtney," a voice shouted interrupting her from her thoughts.
Courtney turned around to see Ashley run up to hug her. She hugged her back tightly.
Ashley was Courtney's roommate before she moved in with Jake. They used to be really close but started to drift once she started dating Jake. She also was the only one that Jake allowed her to invite.
Ashley pulled away and looked around. "Hey," she said. "Where's your group?"
Courtney flinched. She knew who Ashley was referring to DJ, Geoff, and Bridgette. Aka the Killer Bass Five.
Duncan was still part of that group. He just never went out when Courtney went out. Courtney did the same.
"They couldn't make it," Courtney lied. Ashley gave her a sympathetic smile.
The truth was Jake didn't want to invite them. She didn't question him on why. It was obvious that her friends didn't like Jake. They found him pretentious.
Courtney didn't mind. Some people found her pretentious too.
"Hey," said Jake as he walked over to the two girls.
Courtney tightened her smile. He reeked of beer, and she wasn't looking forward to carrying him into the Uber or into their apartment.
"Hi," Ashley said back. "Congrats on your engagement!"
Jake smiled brightly. "Thanks," he said genuinely. He put his hand on Courtney's waist and pulled her closer to him. "I had to take this one off the market before she found someone new. She used to be such a flirt, you know."
Courtney wanted to roll her eyes. It was a mistake to ever show him Total Drama. She wanted him to experience a big part of her life. All he saw were the guys she flirted with.
"So," said Ashley awkwardly. "Did you guys start planning the wedding?"
Jake shook his head. "Just the best man and the maid of honor. Speaking of which..." He looked over at Courtney. "Courtney wanted you to be her maid of honor."
Ashley's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. I'd always figured it'd be Bridgette."
So did I. Courtney looked over at Jake and opened her mouth to object. Then, she saw a flash of disappointment and anger in Jake's eyes, and her flame disappeared. She almost did it again.
"Yes," Courtney said in agreement. "I wanted you to do it, Ashley."
Ashley gave her a weird look. "I mean... Can I think about it? It's a big responsibility..."
"Of course," Jake said. "Take all the time you need. But just know that next week Courtney is going wedding dress shopping."
This was news to Courtney, but perhaps she should find it sweet that he planned it out for her. Maybe he was trying to take away the stress of planning a wedding.
Ashley nodded. "Listen, I gotta go. I have work early tomorrow morning. But I'll definitely see you next week!" She waved goodbye before walking away.
Courtney looked down at her watch. It was 11 pm. She also had work the next morning. "Honey," she said. "Maybe we should go too. It's getting late."
"Nah," he disagreed. "Not yet. My friends are still here."
"Well, my friend isn't. Maybe I'll just go home. I do have work tomorrow."
"Come on, babe. You know I can't get myself home safely in this state."
Courtney sighed. He had a point.
After Ashley walked out of the bar, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number. She held her phone to her ear.
"Bridgette," she said. "It's Ashley. I went to Courtney's engagement party-" She stopped walking. She didn't know about it. "Look, the point is I think you were right. She's acting... off." She shook her head. "Just come wedding dress shopping with us next week. You'll see."
Bridgette threw her phone at the couch before letting an exasperated sigh.
"Babe," Geoff screamed worryingly. "Careful. We just got you that phone after your last phone went down the sewer!"
She gave an apologetic smile to Geoff. "I know, honey, it's just..." She flopped down on the couch. "Courtney's engaged..."
He blinked at her. "Oh... I thought she was going to break up with him..."
"I know!"
"So what changed?"
She threw her hands up. "I don't know!" She rubbed her eyes. "I don't like him, Geoff. I get a bad vibe from him. Even Dawn said he had a negative aura."
He laughed. "I don't think Dawn is the most reliable-"
She glared at him, and he quickly shut up. Even if her boyfriend was right, Bridgette knew one thing: Courtney changed.
...And not for the better.
Courtney was exhausted. She had to drag Jake into the Uber, drag him back out, drag him up the stairs (the elevator made him feel "sick"), and drag him straight to bed. She sighed. Exhaustion was becoming a common feeling. Still, it beat feeling lonely... or brokenhearted.
She looked over at Jake to make sure he was actually asleep. When his snore confirmed it, Courtney crept over to the closet and took out the box she hid in a dark corner. She lifted the lid. The box only had one item in it: a skull.
She kept it to remind herself of the hurt she felt during that relationship. How she couldn't be the same person she was then. Not if she wanted to avoid the heartbreak.
Her ring suddenly felt heavy. It was like it was judging her for keeping the skull. She sighed. Maybe she should get rid of it. She now had a ring as a reminder. The skull was no longer necessary.
Besides, it wasn't like she still had romantic feelings for him.
Duncan bounced his leg up and down as he took notes during his class. If only his teenage self could see him now.
During his short time in jail, it finally clicked into Duncan what Courtney wanted him to do. She wanted him to make something of himself. Be the best version of himself.
He wasn't going to be a teen forever. If he continued down his current path, he was going to face actual consequences. No thanks.
It started with him getting a full-time job. He needed to pay back his mother for the lawyer somehow.
It turned out there were a lot of people his age at his job. They all attended a community college up the street. Duncan never saw the value in college, but he decided that it couldn't be that bad if his co-workers liked it. He signed up for one night class, and he was hooked.
That was three years ago. Now, he was close to his associate's degree. He hadn't decided if he would go further yet, but either way, for the first time in a while, he felt like he was on an actual path.
Sometimes, he wondered what Courtney would think of him if she could see him now. He would always quickly dismiss that thought. There was no way she would ever think about him.
He always tried to keep his distance from her not for his sake but for hers. She didn't need a constant reminder of the hurt he caused.
He desperately wanted to reach out to her, but he knew better. Whatever relationship they could've had, he burned to the ground.
Besides, she had to be doing better now without him in her life.
His phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and let out a small laugh. He'd been right.
Geoff just texted him that Courtney's engaged.