After the long cry in the car over Hook, she did not cry anymore for days, until the weekend came.

She would think about him, but then stop herself from feeling any emotion. She busied herself with work, which kept her busy. She was working twelve-hour days every day. The store did not close till eight p.m. and most nights she stayed there till close or later.

The business was doing very well. They were not keeping up with the supply of clothes. Shay sold her designs, as well as they bought from other designers. That was not what people loved. They loved the fact that she was there in the store with them, helping them to put outfits together and being their personal shopper. It is what set her apart from simply going to the mall. Between her, Shay and Jared, they all had a keen eye for fashion.

The runway was their shining star. When the women saw themselves on the runway with the clothes on, it was an instant sell. No one came in just to window shop. Everyone left spending hundreds of dollars.

Every night she came home tired to the bone. She would soak in a hot bubble bath and try and stretch her achy body. Wine helped.

Then she would eat whatever leftovers there were in the house her mother left for her. Then sleep.

That was her life.

No Hook. She missed him like crazy but she knew she had to go on with her life. She was not going to run to Russell, because that was over. She would rather be by herself than go back to someone who would control her like Russell and Matthew did. Hook never did that. Hook knew how to take care of her without controlling her.

"Stop it!" she said while driving home after a long busy day at the store on Saturday. "Stop thinking about that man."

She made it home after a long day at work and immediately changed into a swimsuit so she could swim a few laps before she unwound. It was very quiet and relaxing and she could just think. Her parents were moving away soon. Shay had her own family, she never spent much time with her other than work. There was Jared, but he had his own life. She was going to be all alone. She had not been alone at all in her adult life. There was always someone there for her.

She got out of the pool, set on the edge, and broke down and cried.

What was wrong with her? Why was she so fucked up? She wanted to be fixed. She wanted a life with someone that cared for her as much as she cared for them.

She wiped her tears, stood up, and grabbed her towel.

She headed up to her room and showered and changed, then sat on her bed, going through her social media to respond to a few comments. At least she had "virtual buddies." Not that she could call them friends because they did not know her. They only knew what she let them see, and that was all the good and none of the bad.

She was pretty, tall, thin, and rich. They did not see that she was so fucked up inside.

She closed her laptop and laid in bed and cried some more.

There was a knock on her door.

She jumped up, quickly fixed her face, though her eyes were a bit red. She had not told her parents about the break up with Hook. She did not want to hear what they had to say. They would be gone soon, it didn't matter.

She opened the door and her mother was standing there.

"Angel, you've been working all day. Have you eaten?"

"Yes mom, I ate at work," she lied. As much as she loved to eat, everything made her think of Hook. She'd eaten two protein bars today, that was it.

"Honey what's wrong?" her mother asked, looking her over.

"Nothing," she said, walking away from her and sitting on the bed. "I'm just tired, so I'm going to go to bed."

"Saturday night, all alone, and you're going to bed? Why don't you call Hook over?"

She gulped hard. Why did her mother have to go there?

"He's um, he has the girls."

"You should have invited them over, I haven't seen those little monsters since they came to swim. Sweet little girls, reminds me when you and Shay were that young."

"I don't think we were anything like them. We're closer in age, so...closer. Ravyn can't stand to be alone five minutes with her little sister."

Her mother chuckled sitting beside her. "Huh! That sounds exactly like you and Shay. Only two years difference, but you let her know you were older every chance you got. Would boss her around, take her things, bully her. Child, you could barely stand being around Shay, even for one minute, till you were fifteen and her thirteen, and then you stayed up all night talking boys and clothes."

"Why exactly are we going down memory lane?"

Her mother rubbed her still wet curly fro. "Because I won't be able to see you every day soon. I liked having you here with us."

"It hasn't been that bad. I liked it too."

"Now what are you going to do with this big old house by yourself?"

Her stomach tightened when her mother mentioned the house. The house that she decided to buy for herself. The house she bought and was going to ask Hook to move in with her. Now she would be here all alone.

She gave her parents the market price, cash, and the house was worth a lot. She wasn't worried about the money, and she did not want them to be worried about money either. They could do whatever retired people did, travel, buy fancy cars and clothes. Live life, they deserved it.

"You should have Hook move in with you," her mother said and she inwardly groaned. "And have the girls come out here to stay with you guys. At least in the summer. How is it that a good father like Hook only sees his girls every other weekend? How is that fair? Those girls need their father, and he's being a good man being in their life. If he needs a lawyer to fight for his rights, tell him I have a few names."

Her mother stood up. "If you're going to sit here all moody, I guess I will leave you be."

Angel broke down in tears. She missed Hook and the girls and she wanted them back.

Her mother hugged her. "Baby, tell me what's wrong."

"Hook broke up with me."

"Oh baby," she said rubbing her face. "What happened? You two were so right for each other, different, but that worked for you."

"He..he...thinks I cheated with Russell."

"Did you?"

"I kissed him, mom, that's it."

Her mother stepped back from her. "Angel Leanne Hamilton, you what?"

"He kissed me, I kissed him back. I told Hook it meant nothing...he didn't believe me. He thinks I did more. He thinks I want to be with Russell."

"That man! Why is he even in the picture?"

"He came to the store...mom, I told him to leave me alone and I was done with him. I want Hook, I know that's who I want. He just...doesn't want me."'

"Oh, you young people," she said, rubbing her hair. "So quick to give up and not even trying to fight for something that is worth it."

"He made up his mind mom, he was done. He meant it. And I...I deserve it. I'll just be all alone, I'll be fine."

"Oh, it ain't over. If you love that man dear, you will fight for him, and if he loves you, and let me tell you, he does...then he will fight for you. But if you need to take some time apart to see how much you need each other, I guess that's the lil game you two are playing."

"Mom, it's not a game, I-"

Her mother held up her hand to her and she stopped talking.

"Give him some time. Give yourself time. That's all I have to say." Her mother glared at her as if she was staring through her, reading her like a mind reader. "And come downstairs and get something to eat. You're skin and bones and you haven't had a real meal all day."

She went to eat something, or else her mother would have tortured her all night. Food made her feel some kind of way. She missed Hook's cooking. It's like, it did not taste the same to her anymore. As much as that woman hated her, she wished she could have a plate of his aunt's ribs right now.

Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it. She answered the call.

"Hey J."

"So yo man just texted me."

"Ummmm...my man?"

"Ex-man."

"Hook?" She played around with the spaghetti that was lacking on her plate. "What does he want?"

"Wanted to know if I can come by and pick up your things you left over there."

"Oh."

"Like, he needs to call you. You need to go over there and just have a talk with him, while you're not drunk and he's so upset. We all were fucked up that night. He forgave me for trying to get into his pants."

Angel bust out laughing. She wished she remembered her best friend asking about Hook's dick size. She did not remember much while she was drunk. She did not remember saying Russell's name, but she believed it if Hook said that's what she said. She was for sure not imagining being with the man, so she did not know why her drunk brain would say his name. She could truly say she was over him, his control over her broken.

"I think Shay did you a little better than that. She remembers what she said, and I think she's glad Hook and I broke up, so she will never have to face him again."

"Mmm-hmm, you know they say when you hate somebody that much, you really like them. I think Shay got her panties wet over yo man."

"Ew, just ew!"

"Antyway! Soooo....you want me to go get your stuff?"

"I don't care. If it makes him feel better to get rid of me."

"Babes, if you want him back, just go fight for him."

Did she want him back?

"How about this...I won't get your things when I go over. You go get your stuff and that would be a perfect time for you two to talk."

She thought about it. She did want to plead her case to him, but she had a feeling Hook was not in a listening mood. He was over her, trying to get rid of her things.

"Jared, I don't need those things. Whatever," she said. "Don't go over there."

"Sooo...I can't go hang with him if we just hanging out?"

"What?" She sat up in her chair. "Why would you even do that? He's not your friend. He's my ex-boy friend, and you are my friend."

"Soooo...I just get you in the break up? I have to break up with him too?"

"Bitch look, he...is...not...your...friend! And why would he want to be friends with you when you tried to get in his pants?"

Jared blew out a breath. "Girl, Imma let that shit slide because you're all heartbroken, and you not getting his good dick anymore. But yo man and I bonded. We hung out without your ass."

"When?"

"Angel, bye," Jared said and hung up on her.

Now what the hell was really going on?

A/N: Dont jump on Angel's back on this one. I don't think Jared should be friends with Angel's ex.

When you break up with a person, do you end the relationship with your ex's friends?

I say it depends. How close did I get with the friends? How bad was the break-up? Do I have to discuss the ex with them at all? It might get weird.