That Girl is Mine - Part Two Read Online Free Page A

Tylenol and a glass of water. Then I take it all upstairs, place the pills and the water beside her, and the ice pack on her ankle.
    “Good thinking,” Josh says, and I can’t help but notice that he’s changed her into an oversized shirt. I can see her dress and her bra discarded on the floor by the bed. I swallow hard, nod my head then mumble something about waiting downstairs, not wanting to face the fact that they’re a couple and Josh just had his hands on her body. Why does that make me feel insanely jealous? I know the score. I know how this is...
    I sit in the dark and flick on the television, flicking channels mindlessly until I catch a scene from World War Z and stop channel surfing. Something about watching the zombie apocalypse is oddly soothing.
    My leg bounces in agitation, and I wonder if Josh is going to stay up there with her, and if he is, what is he doing? Is he holding her? Is he stroking her hair? Did she wake up and he’s…I stop myself there because there’s no point in doing this to myself. I’m already worked up enough as it is after watching him kissing her tonight. It made me feel completely hopeless, and I hated it. That girl that is up there, should be mine. But, she isn’t mine. She’s still his…
    A cold beer gets pressed against my shoulder, and I realize I’ve been staring at the television, raking my hand through my hair while gripping the TV remote with the other. I didn’t even hear Josh come back down.
    “You and Avery are a match made in heaven,” he comments, shocking me to attention as I take a hold of the cold bottle.
    “We…what?” I ask, my heart jumping to my throat in confusion (what the fuck did I just hear?).
    He nods toward the television and takes a seat at the opposite end of the couch, picking up the remote I just released to take hold of the beer. “Avery loves these zombie things too. I don’t get the fascination.”
    I take a mouthful of beer, feeling relieved that’s all he was talking about. I was worried she might have told him…
    “You can change the channel if you want,” I say, taking another sip as I clear my throat.
    He begins to flick through the channels as he drinks his beer thoughtfully, and I sit here, saying absolutely nothing because I’m suddenly feeling very confronted by the fact that I want the woman this man is in love with. What the fuck is wrong with me? What kind of a person am I, really? I thought I was fairly decent. I mean, I’ve always been honest with the girls I see and don't give them unrealistic expectations. I’m generally always there for my friends and normally, I’d never look twice at another man’s girl. But, then there’s Avery, and she seems to make me forget about all the rules.
    “Do you think she’s happy?” he asks suddenly, and I look at him, my mouth open slightly, not sure if I want to have this conversation when I’m thinking about Avery the way I am.
    “What do you mean?” I ask cautiously.
    He stops flicking the channels and hits the mute button before he drops the remote on the couch and scratches at the back of his head. “I don’t know. I just don’t think she’s happy. She hasn’t been able to dance since she broke her ankle, and I’m trying to fill the void as much as I can, but I’m working all the time. And I know you’ve been trying to keep her company, and I really appreciate that you’ve stepped up to help out, instead of leaving her cooped up in this house on her own all day…” He pauses for a moment, obviously thinking. Then he shakes his head. I just don’t think she’s happy here. I shouldn’t have made her move away from everything to be with me. It was selfish. And because of my desire to keep her with me, she hurt herself and can’t do the one thing that really makes her shine. I’d thought that when she got the cast off, things would start to look up. But, I think she thought she’d be able to go straight back to dancing the way she always did. I don’t