I smiled, I bet it stung on the other side of the table. I knew, I’d been there. Before Kent could retreat all the way Jen came by and tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around and was met with the sharp sting of Jen's open palm. My head whipped to the side and my hand covered my cheek. There were collective gasps and “Ooh"s in the immediate area. I turned my face, hand still on my cheek and glared at Jen.

The crackling of glass breaking sounded in the background as Kent moved up between us. He seemed angry. Very angry.

My boyfriend put his arm around my chest, holding me back.

Jen looked at Kent and then pointed a finger at me. "She was groping you!"

Kent looked at me and then looked at Jen. “Let’s go, now.” He grabbed her by her upper arm and pulled her through the crowd.

I still had my hand on my cheek. “Bitch.” I fell back against my new boyfriend and turned, heading to an empty booth with his hand on my hip, not looking back. Good riddance to both of them.

Chapter Twenty

Kent had only tried to contact me a few times after the bar incident. One of them was on Thanksgiving. He hadn't left a voicemail, so I didn’t feel obligated to call him back.

I didn't want to see him or Jen at Christmas so I skipped it and let my mom know I'd be coming in after the party was over.

As I was walking up the driveway I saw Kent standing outside in the cold. His cheeks were rosy with color and so was his nose. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his thick jacket. I froze when I saw him and then turned on my heel, heading back down the sidewalk.

My heart hammered in my chest as I heard him call out my name. I heard his footsteps as he came jogging up behind me. "Elly, wait." His hand wrapped around my arm to stop me. I yanked my arm away and turned around, my voice thick with anger.

"What?!"

“I’m sorry. I blew up because of Jen’s jealousy issues. She got in the way of our friendship.”

"Newsflash: That's what she does! And she'll continue to do it because you're getting married to her. You know, I was glad she slapped me. I deserved it. I did. But I won't give her a reason to do it again. I'm staying the hell away from you." I tried to step around him but his large hand stopped me.

"Elly. I've talked to her about it, a lot. Either she accepts the fact that we are friends or it's over between us. I'm not willing to lose you, Elly. I'm sorry."

I pulled my arm away again. "You've already lost me, Kent! Just accept it like you do everything else."