Natalie is like the pink elephant in the room, never to be mentioned in Jared's presence. And vice versa. It's been two years since their breakup but some part of me still wants to mess with my childhood best friend's head. "Want to know what she said?" "No." He flips another page. Then another. Without reading the content. My smile grows. "Yes." I clear my throat and feign concentration as I read her words – words that were simply asking how I'm doing and how she misses me. "She's wondering when Jared's finally going to pull his head out of his ass and whisk her off on his white horse like he used to do when they were kids." Jared's head snaps up, mouth agape. When he realizes I'm joking, his eyes blaze and he growls. "Fvck you, man. Eat shit." I laugh loudly as I sling my gym bag across my shoulder. "What should I reply to her?" Jared rises to his full six feet frame – we're roughly around the same height – and closes his course pack, shoving it under the crook of his armpit as he gathers his leather jacket and other belongings. "That her brother is a grade A asshole and that I should stop attending his practices for moral support because he's a sonofabitch as well–" "Do I say asshole or sonofabitch; I'm confused?" I pause in pretending to thumb my sister a text. "Forget it," Jared snaps. We make our way across the field. It's almost noon and I'm starving. "No offence, but you need a shower, bro." I unscrew my bottle cap and pour some water over my face. If I'm sweating, then it means I'm doing something right. "Sorry, not all of us can be pretty boys who major in psychology. Some of us do sweat and shower." Jared continues to grumble under his breath. He shoves my shoulder a couple of times as we walk towards the dormitories. I know the last shove is because I mentioned my sister. * * * The Lunch Box is rumbling with energy when we enter. I'm freshly showered and changed, tired and craving notoriously cooked fries and hotdogs. Whilst we wait in line for our food, a group of freshmen sorority girls give Jared the googly eyes. He turns around and sends them a wink for food measure. They giggle. He smirks. Obviously he hasn't turned into a saint after breaking up with Natalie. He's a guy after all and he has his needs. I choose to ignore the part where Jared and Nat have ever had a relationship that isn't platonic. It makes me feel better. "You think Tara knows those girls?" Jared checks them out over his shoulder as they walk away. "Probably." The two guys in front of us are taking forever to place their orders. "You're too old for them." Jared gives me a cheeky smile. Obviously the girls were of legal age, but Jared teased on playfully, "Age is just a number." He would know. Nat had only turned seventeen when Jared and her had started pursing a relationship. He was eighteen then. Though Rose was only seventeen when we started dating, too. Looks like me and him were more alike than I thought. "And jail is just a room. They look like jail bait, man. You're better off staying away. If you're so desperate for a lay, ask Tara to hook you up with one of her junior sorority girls. They'd dig you." Jared snorts. "Yeah, right. As if I need Tara's help to get laid. But you know Tara's friend Steph? She's a fine piece of ass. I wouldn't mind if it was her." I nod in agreement. I was with Rose before, but I think I speak for the entire male population of our college when I say that everyone wants to sleep with Stephania Ivanov. She's smokin' hot. By the time we got our food, we found ourselves at a table in the corner of the boisterous place. I survey my surroundings and recognize a group of jocks and cheerleaders from my team. They wave us over. We shake our heads no. "So what was that about?" Jared asks when we finally dig through our food. He's obviously referring to my earlier encounter with Lance. I thought he wasn't paying attention to the fight. Not wanting to rehash the whole story from the start, I opt for the simplest explanation. "I slept with his girlfriend." Jared's eyebrows raise briefly. He pops a couple of fries in his mouth. "That's harsh." "And her best friend." Now he's interested. He straightens in his chair and shoots me an enquiring look. "On separate occasions or..." I tip my soda can to my lips. "Together." A shit-eating grin flashes on his face. "That's rad." We eat our food in mutual silence. Jared continues to skim through his course pack and I scroll through my social media on my phone. A streak of blond hair catches my attention and when I crane my neck, I spot Tara in the lunch line. Just when she finishes buying her food, Jared hollers her over. A slow smile inches across her face and when she moves to the side, revealing the other girl standing timidly beside her. I freeze. "Oh shit," Jared echoes. And he's right on. It feels like my heart slams through my ribs and lands in the pit of my stomach. For a split second, my breath stays trapped in my lungs. I narrow my eyes, trying to convince myself that what I'm seeing is merely an illusion, a figment of my imagination. I'm seeing a ghost. But it isn't. It's not. My hand stays poised in the air, hot dog halfway to my mouth as shock shutters through me. Our gazes connect and she blanches completely. Somewhere in my mind, understanding gnaws through my thoughts. Emotions of distress and betrayal continue to filter through me as we gaze at one another. There's a bitter taste in my mouth as I drop my food back on my plate. Because I know that isn't the ghost of my sister's best friend... my ex best friend. Cheryl Anderson is definitely back in town.