“… Yeah… well if that’s the case, then I think Carmen has a master key” We laugh again… then our smile fades away when I hear a cell phone ringing.

I look down and, it’s mine. I feel a tear rolling down my face. Nikky doesn’t know what to do, then Alice’s name appears as the caller ID.

… FUCK!

“FUCK!” I scream.

“MOTHERFUCKER!” Nikky hides her face behind her hands while I furiously answer my cell.

“ALICE?! WHAT THE FUCK!”

“Shane did she call you?”

“ALICE DON’T EVER FUCKING CALL ME AGAIN YOU HEAR ME!?”

“But-”

“Christ!” and I hung-up

“Fuck me… I swear to god I hate your friends…”

“Right now I do too”

“I was so happy for a second I think I pissed my self” we laugh nervously.

Then she takes out her wallet and looks at a photograph of her and Carmen. I realized that I don’t have one of us together. I looked at the picture. Pictures don’t lie and… I could see that they were happy

“You know… you deserve to be with Carmen.”

“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses” we laugh again. How are we able to joke with one another so easily? I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, especially in these circumstances.

“Seriously though, you have never hurt her. I’ve hurt her too many times. I did the worst thing I could ever do to a woman… I broke her dream, ripped it apart, and that… that’s unforgivable.”

I hate to admit it. But it’s true. I look down, feeling the tears prepping to come out.

“Shane… don’t… don’t do that okay… just stop.” she looks at me, “I hate to say this… cause you’re my competition… but, you’re a good person. I know why Carmen likes you…I can see it. But you have to stop feeling guilty all the time… either you let the guilt throw you back into the behavior that got you in to trouble in the first place… or… learn from your guilt and do the best you can to move on. I don’t want you to say I deserve her… because right now, it seems like we both do. So don’t tell me that I deserve her. Tell me that you do… Be my competition.”