All the pressure was getting to me. My chest was hurting and my head was getting dizzy, I felt faint. All the while Sarah was complaining that I spend too much at the museum and not enough time with her and Rose. The stress was mounting,

“Bette, are you even listening to me?”

“Huh, yeah,” I stuttered, “I have to go to work.”

I got up as quickly as I could and started grabbing my things. I slam the door to her apartment and sigh.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

****

I had been contemplating it for a while, months. It was always in the back of my mind, but now it’s something I can’t ignore. It had distracted me at work all day, I couldn’t think. I picked up some beer and snacks and headed over to Dana’s house. It was Wednesday, game night. We’d play board games, drink and gossip. It was the fall, so we’d all gather in front of the tv and watch American Horror Story. It was the only time I felt like myself. Sarah didn’t like my friends and well, the feeling was mutual.

“When are you gonna dump that bitch Porter?”

“Alice, that’s not polite,” Helena chastised.

“It’s fine. She is a bitch,” I said and laughed, “I don’t know, I’m just ready to break it off.”

“She’s been blowing your phone up.”

“Well, you’re not letting me answer it.”

“You know the rules baby sis,” Kit said.

Indeed I did. We had our phones piled in the center. Whomever picked theirs up had to take a shot of Helena’s moonshine. I desperately wanted to pick mine up, Lord knows what Sarah was saying and what kind of trouble I’d be in if I ignored her for much longer.

“Alright, you’re allowed to pick it up, but all you’re allowed to say is ‘K’.”

“Shane, you know you never say ‘K’ to an angry woman.”

“Fuck her. ‘K’ only.”

So that’s what I did. After everything she said it was ‘K’. We all had a laugh. I finally felt like I was taking my life back, I was back into control. She was angrier than a nest of bees but I was tired of feeling like shit. In the end, I felt guilty for treating her like this, she deserved an explanation. She deserves to be treated like a human being.

“Guys, I gotta go take care of this.”

“Good luck Bette. Call me after,” Kit said.

Here goes nothing. I’ve got to do this for myself, I am slowly sinking into a deep depression. I don’t even have the same joy over art anymore. This woman is a dementor, she literally is sucking the life out of me. I’ve got to end this once and for all.

To be continued……?