“I.. I think I should.. leave.. now.” I said, getting up. I felt awkward sitting here on her bed. “Yeah.”she said, sniffling. I walked out of her room, taking one last look at her before I left. Ashley was sitting down next to her bed, leaning against the wall with her head buried in arms, which were on top of her knees. As I began to walk out of her room, I could swear I heard her whisper “I love you.” I sighed. “I love you, Ash.” I replied. The only response I got was another stifled sob. I felt terrible. I loved both Ashley and Carmen, but I was causing them both pain. In Carmen’s case, I was going to be causing her pain sooner or later. Once I got home I flopped down on my bed in exhaustion, staring up at the ceiling. I called Carmen as I had promised, only to tell her I had a lot of stuff on my mind and crap to do so I couldn’t talk. What was I going to do? I decided to try to figure it all out tomorrow since I was dying from lack of sleep.

                The next morning at school, I ran into Ashley first. She looked like she had been crying all night. Her eyes were swollen and red still, and she looked like a mess. She opened her mouth to speak to me, but then I saw Carmen running towards me out of the corner of my eye. I turned around to face her. “SPENCER! How could you!?” she cried, tears streaming down her face. Shit. How’d she find out? I turned around to glare at Ashley with anger in my eyes, but she looked just as clueless as I did. “Carmen, I, I’m sorry. I was going to tell you, I swear, it just happened! Who told you?” “Aiden told me Ashley broke up with him to be with you.” She spat venomously. “Spencer, you said you loved me.” She screamed, hysterical. Aiden. That sorry S.O.B. I should’ve known he’d try to make my life miserable once Ashley ended it with him for good. “Carmen, please. I do love you! It’s just, Ashley was my first, and we have a history.  But I..” I choked on the words. “I love Ashley more. Believe me, Carmen, I do love you, you know it. And I’m so sorry, but Ash and I were made for each other. She… she’s like my soul mate.” I sobbed. “Spencer, you lied and cheated on me. How can I believe you?” I stood there, dumbfounded as I watched, I guess, my now EX-girlfriend storm away from me and quite possibly out my life. Ashley grabbed my hand and pulled me into her. “I knew you’d come to your senses, Spence.” She said, grinning boldly. I pulled away from her. “Leave me alone, Ashley! If you didn’t screw us up on prom night none of this would’ve happened!” I yelled, running away from her and into another hall. “Spencer! No, Spencer, WAIT!” she yelled. But I didn’t turn back. In fact, I was so focused on running away from her that I ran straight into someone. Aiden.