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the two of yous apart. You were practically attached at tha

hip!”

I take a deep inhale, then decide to tell him everything.

Out of all my new friends, Thom feels the most

trustworthy. Plus, he already knows how I felt about it all

before. That part just makes it all the more comforting. “Okay, maybe you’re right. I broke it off,itbeing

whatever we had.”

“Alright, well, did she do somethin’ to ya?” Thom

leans in across the table, taking a sip of his tea.

“No!” I rush to say. “Not at all. Not exactly, at least.” “Look, if you’re not comfortable tellin’ me, I

understand.”

“No, it’s okay. I want to tell you. I just don’t know

how.”

“Do ya want me to pull out ma notebook?” He

chuckles, reaching his hand into his briefcase.

“Maybe, yeah, that would be nice.” I take the

notebook from him and start scribbling on paper while I

organize the thoughts in my mind.

“She made me feel things I didn’t want to feel. Things

that I wasn’t supposed to feel.” I say, pressing the ink

harder into the paper. “She made me feel like there was

something wrong with me, even if it felt like I was doing

everything else right by the church.”

Thom’s eyes widen, then soften. “Are ya sure it was

her that made you feel wrong, or was it your own doin’?” “What do you-”

“Ya know exactly what I mean, Laine.”

I pause, taking in his words. I think back through my

time with Drew, from the moment we met to the dreaded

phone call that ended it all.

Everything was initiated by me. Everything that