Liam acted completely normal the rest of the time we hung out. I assumed he hadn't heard Grant and I's conversation. The rest of the date consisted mainly of Grant joking, Liam making random comments, and me trying to pay attention to them equally. They seemed to get along well. There were no sly comments, or rude gestures. When we left the restaurant, I was relieved.

As Liam walked me to my car, I asked. "What do you think of Grant?"

He shrugged. "He's fine."

"Fine?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah." Liam agreed. "I don't have a problem with him."

I had a little trouble believing Liam. I knew better than to expect them to be best friends though. I wanted to get Vanessa's opinion on what happened. I also wanted to check on her, see how she was doing with the whole Alec thing. I called her. No answer. I figured she must be busy, so I decided I'd try again later. 

I pulled into my driveway. Parked in front of my house was Vanessa's car. I hopped out of the car. Why would Vanessa not answer my call, but show up at my house? Something isn't right. I hurried into the house. I saw the back of Vanessa's head. She was sitting on my couch.

"Hey, Vanessa."

She spoke quietly. "Hey."

Vanessa wasn't acting like herself. I approached with caution. When I got closer, I could see she'd been crying. I ran over and hugged her tightly.

"What's wrong V?"

She shook her head. "It's so bad." She said between sobs.

I gave her time to grieve. I didn't want to keep pestering her with questions when she was clearly distressed. I sat there, feeling her pain with her.

An hour later, she'd managed to stop crying. She sat with her knees to her chest.

She took a shaky breath. "I went to talk to Alec. I missed him, you know?"

"Yeah." I said softly.

She looked at her feet. "I caught him in bed with another girl."

My heart sunk. "What?"

She fake laughed. "Yeah, but that's not even the best part."

I couldn't imagine how it could get worse. "What do you mean?"

"He was with Trisha."

I felt sick. "Grant's girlfriend?"

She nodded. "Yep. I couldn't tell if it was her or Phoebe until she asked who and I was and told me to leave and keep my mouth shut. I threw a book off Alec's dresser at her and ran out before he could say anything."

My annoyance with Trisha peaked. She hurt not one, but two people I love with one blow. I hated seeing Vanessa like this. I didn't even want to think about what this would do to Grant. I also wondered about our friend group, it was bound to be broken after something like this.

"I'm so sorry V! That's awful!" I pulled her back into a hug. She cried into my shoulder.

"I don't even think Grant knows. I couldn't tell him." She said, wiping her face.

As she said this, there was a knock on the door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

Alec stared back at me, looking injured. "I need to talk to Vanessa. I know she's here. I saw her car. Please Zephyrine."

I heard shifting on the couch. "What do you want?" Vanessa was behind me.

Alec looked at her. "I didn't know, Ness I swear. I had no idea she was ever even with Grant."

Vanessa glared. "You think that's the only issue with what I saw?"

"You said you would never date me, I had to move on." Alec looked defeated.

Vanessa stepped towards him. "I really liked you Alec."

Alec shifted. "That's the problem, I love you."

Vanessa and I both gasped. The tension grew.

"That's not fair and you know it." She pointed at Alec. She turned to me. "I think it's best if Grant hears what happened from you."

My eyes grew wide. "Me? Why me?"

"You're the only one who's ever able to comfort him. He's Grant, if anyone else tells him he'll just joke about it and self-destruct later." She said as if it were obvious.

I didn't need any convincing, I wanted to be there for Grant. Whether what she said was true or not, I cared about him too much to let him go through this alone. I knew Vanessa wanted to talk to Alec, get answers she couldn't get if I were there.

I moved my head in agreement. "Okay." I turned to Alec. "You better be careful with your next move."

"Tell Grant I'm really sorry. I honestly had no idea he was with her." He looked down. "I'll talk to him next, apologize in person."

I nodded. Alec's regret was clear on his face. Alec wasn't a bad person. He was bad with making decisions. He never thought of the consequences. Looking at Vanessa, I felt bad for her too. She couldn't help her feelings for Alec. No matter what he did, she loved him unconditionally. He loved her too, even if he didn't quite know how to. He would have chosen Vanessa over Trampy Trisha any day.

I debated with myself whether or not to call Grant and tell him I was coming over. I ended up not calling him. I knew he'd pick up on my tone and disappear. One thing was for certain, Trisha wouldn't be there. I hope you're happy with yourself Trisha.

The drive to the shack was nerve-racking. Dread overwhelmed me. This news would crush Grant. I couldn't prepare myself for what was about to happen.

I pulled into the shack, right next to Grant's red BMW.

It was bittersweet to see Grant sitting on the porch, laughing into his phone.

"No, the wheel actually fell off." He chuckled. I assumed he was talking to one of his racing friends.

I stood back, wanting to let him be happy as long as possible.

He noticed me. "Hey, I'm going to let you go." He hung up. "Hey Rinnie!" He beamed.

"Hi Grant."

He stood up, his face full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"Can we talk inside?"

He nodded. "Sure."

I headed to the couch and patted beside me.

He stayed standing. "What happened?"

I could sense his nervousness. I smiled, trying to reassure him. "Sit."

He hesitated a moment, then sat. His closeness fogged my mind. I forgot what I came here to do for a few minutes. He was staring at me, anticipating.

A million different words raced through my head, but I struggled to form any of them. It felt like I was about to give a speech in front of thousands of people. I knew I had to tell him. I had no choice. He needed to know the truth. I felt a little hypocritical as I thought about it. I wasn't telling him the truth about my feelings for him. Deep down, I thought he knew.

I turned to Grant. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Don't tell me." He looked at me, his eyes intense.

I was trapped in his gaze. "You need to know."

His eyes continued to hold mine. "Are you hurt physically or emotionally?"

"No, I'm fine."

He looked away. "Then I don't need to know."

Why was it that Grant always made me feel happy when I should be sad? It was a superpower only he possessed.

I scooted closer to him. "Yes, you do. It's important."

He sighed. "Rinnie."

"It's about Trisha." I began. He just looked at me. I shook a little as I spoke. "Vanessa found her in bed...with Alec."