Page 22 of Blinded By Hate

“Oh, come on, you love me,” Brandon says before winking at me. I give him a small smile and look at the word document, thinking about what to start writing. “You look stressed.”

“I am.” I look away from the document and at Brandon. “I still haven't finished the column on Hayden and Jules is getting pissed.”

“Wasn't that assignment supposed to be done at the beginning of the week?”

“Maybe?” I give him a guilty smile. “I just can't think of the right words to write about him.”

Brandon nods his head in understanding. He gets it because he knows the history between Hayden and I. Maybe not the intimate moments but he knows the significant ones.

“Well, the reason why I came up here was to tell you that someone is downstairs asking for you,” Brandon says.

I furrow my eyebrows at him. “Who?”

“Someone with the name Natalia. She asked to come up, but they weren't letting people upstairs, so the receptionist asked for me to come and get you.”

I stand up from my desk. “Alright. Do you know what she wants?”

“She just said that she was an old friend and she needed to talk to you.”

An old friend?

Someone from college?

Especially after the fight with Hayden.

Natalia from college?

Hayden’s sister?

I mean who else could it be?

“Okay. I’ll go now.” I’ll just start writing after lunch. Maybe I just need some food in my stomach. “My lunch starts now anyways.”

I stand up but Brandon stands as well, coming close to me. “Are you sure you’re okay? I need to make sure you aren’t going to fuck yourself up again over this guy. I hated seeing how you got when I first met you.”

I put on a fake smile and nod my head. “Yea. He’s just some guy. It’ll go away and I’ll be okay again. I just need to focus on myself right now.” I hug Brandon before leaving my office. I walk towards the receptionist desk when I get out of the elevator. “Hey, Brandon said that there was someone here to see me? Someone with the name Natalia.”

The receptionist points to the person behind me. “She is sitting right there.”

I turn around and see a familiar blonde haired girl.

Someone who I thought I would never see again.

She lifts her head and a smile spreads on her face.

She stands up and walks towards me. “Jaclyn? Jaclyn King?”

Ten

Jaclyn

Present

I never expected to be faced with someone from my past. College is a time where I would like to forget everything because remembering all the good memories hurts.

The good memories hurt to remember more than the bad ones because I know what I lost. I lost my happiness and the person I used to be. I lost the love I had for so many people and it makes my heart ache.

Just thinking about everyone I left behind and all the memories makes me want to cry again. But I can’t allow myself to cry because I have Junior watching me. I can’t have him know that his mother is broken beyond repair, despite all the therapy and talking.