Secret's Out

Kolby and I sit across from one another, neither of us touching the appetizer we ordered. The soft pretzels with special dipping sauces were supposed to calm our stomachs and our nerves, but instead I feel nauseas just looking at the food. I can tell by the way that she's ripping at her napkin that Kolby feels the same way. 

"She'll be here any minute," I say quietly. Kolby nods. Both of us have been on edge and not very talkative all night. 

Tonight is the night we'll tell Marie that her ex, Liam, cheated on her. Even though it was my idea to tell her what we knew, I have no idea how to do it. Kolby and I arrived at the meeting place early, in order to plan. Instead, we fed off of each other's nervous energy. How do you tell a close friend something that might break their heart/send them into a spiraling depression/make them question everything about their last relationship? It feels a lot like playing God, and I'm not fond of the power trip. 

Kolby, who is facing the door, widens her eyes. I know Marie has just arrived. 

"Act natural," Kolby hisses out of the corner of her mouth. Normally that would be funny, but not now. 

"Hey guys." Marie smiles brightly. She looks good--her hair is shiny, nails are done, and her outfit is spot on. "Am I late?" 

I shake my head and see Kolby doing the same. Neither of us speaks for a moment, so I clear my throat. 

"We ordered these pretzel things if you went some." Okay, okay, so not the best opening line. Even though Kolby is anxious, she rolls her eyes at me. I can practically hear her saying "Really? That's the best you can do?"

"I love your skirt," I say, and it's true. Marie brightens and sits down next to me. 

"Thank you!" She launches into the story of where she got it, and it's all so strange. She's the bubbly one, and I sit there like a bump on a log, unable to speak. Meanwhile, Kolby looks green. It just isn't fair, I think. Here's Marie, and amazing friend and all-around sweetheart, happily going about her day and I have to ruin it. I bet she's just starting to get over Liam. Maybe she's still seeing that guy she met at the club. And now we have to pull her back into some drama that she doesn't deserve. 

I glance up at Kolby while Marie is still talking. At this point I don't even know what Marie is saying, I'm so wound up, and I feel like a terrible friend. 

"Marie," Kolby interrupts, and I know what she's about to do. "Ryan and I kind of planned this dinner for a reason. We haven't seen you in a while and, well, there's a few things we want to talk to you about."

The smile that was still on Marie's face fades slowly as she looks from Kolby to me. "What is it?" she asks in a low voice. For a moment, she looks stricken. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, not at all," I say in what I hope is an assuring voice. Oh God. It really is now or never. And since I was the one who thought all along that Marie should know, I suck in my breath and look at her in the eyes. 

"Marie, a couple months ago I ran into Liam. He was with a woman." Marie's lips tighten a little, but she doesn't say anything. "This was after you broke up. Naturally I was really curious, but I didn't do anything then." I notice as I'm talking that I've grabbed my straw from my water and have bent it completely out of shape. Kolby's napkin is torn to shreds. Neither of us want to do this. 

"Later, I saw him again. With the same girl."

This time Marie speaks up. "So?" She snaps. "I've been seeing other people. So what if he does too?" Through her angry exterior, I can tell she's hurt. 

"Marie, the problem is, he wasn't just seeing her after you two broke up," Kolby says, her voice barely above a whisper. 

At first, Marie looks confused, and then she gets it. Her face drains of all color and she looks stricken. 

So I tell her everything. How I had been talking about their relationship after seeing Liam out with the woman. How he'd overheard me and spilled the beans about his cheating, thinking that I'd already known. What I didn't say is how haunted I was by this information. I knew it would hurt Marie if she found out, but I hadn't anticipated how much keeping the secret would hurt me. 

After everything is out in the open, Marie stares down at the table. She isn't crying, as far as I can tell, but I'm sure she wants to. I grab her hand and hold it quietly.

"I'm so, so sorry, Marie," Kolby says gently. "I wish this didn't have to happen. But Ryan was right. You needed to know."

Marie nods slowly. She hasn't looked at either of us yet. 

"We're here for you no matter what," I say. "If you want to go home and think, that's totally fine. We've got your back. And if you want to talk, we're here too." Kolby nods. 

"We can buy you ice cream, if you want!" Kolby suggests. Marie smiles a tiny bit. 

Then she surprises the both of us by laughing. She leans back in her chair and laughs, and at first I think she's crying. But no--she rests her hands on her belly and giggles and the tears that come from her eyes aren't sobs of sadness or shame.

"Marie?" I ask, stunned. 

Marie wipes a tear away and looks at Kolby. 

"I know this is a lot to take in," Kolby says carefully. She's just as confused as I am. 

Marie shakes her head. "This is just so ridiculous. I don't even know what to do with this information."

"I know," Kolby agrees fiercely. "He's a jerk, a real jerk, and you deserve so much more, and I know right now it absolutely blows but we can toilet paper his apartment or something, let the air out of his tires--"

Marie holds her hand up and says "stop." Kolby quiets down mid-rant. Marie sighs. "I have something to tell you, too."

I raise my eyebrows. This meeting is not at all going as planned. 

Marie looks from Kolby to me and says, "I've been avoiding you lately, and it's time you know the truth. I said I was dating people, and it's true. But not that guy I met at the club."

I remember how shady Marie had acted about her dates. I'd thought something was up, but hadn't pushed her about it. 

"So you're dating some other guy? Or lots of people? Nothing wrong with dating a few guys at once," Kolby says. 

Marie smiles a little. "I know. Actually, I did go on a couple dates with that guy from the bars. But it didn't go anywhere, because I started dating someone else."

Kolby claps her hands a little. I grin. So Marie is back on the market! This is great news. 

"Who is it?" Kolby asks, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Her name is Alyssa," Marie says.