The phone keeps on ringing – it must be urgent.

“Hi Carmen.” I purposely don’t say babe.

“Hi,” Carmen says. She sounds a bit lost. “Listen, Bette, we need to talk. We seriously need to talk.”

“You mean like now?”

“If it’s possible. But I of course understand if it’s too late and all…”

I hear a familiar voice in the background and recgonise it.

“Are you with Shane?” I ask her.

“Yeah.” She sounds hesitant. I think about the night Carmen and I became a couple, about the look Shane threw at me. I think about how they always hang out and sit next to each other in homeroom. I also think about what Tina has told me about the two of them and I just know what’s going on.

“You should stay with her,” I say, a lump in my troat. “Can you give her for a second?”

“Sure.” I can hear Carmen doesn’t understand. A few seconds later, Shane is on the phone.

“Hey there,” she says in her usual tone, altough I sense some anxiety.

“Hi,” I say. “Could you do me a favour?”

“If I can help you, I’m glad to.”

Although I want Tina more than anything and I know Shane can make Carmen happy, I have to dry a tear. With a strained voice I say: “Please take good care of Carmen. She’s a wonderful girl who deserves the best, and you are the best for her.”

Shane doesn’t answer, but I hear her asking Carmen if she told me over the phone. A few seconds later, she comes back to the phone.

“I’m so sorry, Bette,” she says. “I never meant to-“

“I know. Don’t worry. I’m not mad at either of you.”

“How did you know?”

“I put one and one together. Look, we’ll talk later, okay? Take care of her, Shaney.”

“I will. Are you sure you’re not mad?” Shane is really confused how I’m staying this calm.

“Yes. I’ll have to go now.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“See you tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Thanks Bette.”

“Later.”

I shut the phone. I just broke up with my girlfriend. Okay, we didn’t really break up, but you could consider it as breaking up. It’s not that I don’t feel anything, but I’m not shattered. Somewhere, I knew all along.