She stared at the door, fingernails digging into her palms until the realization hit her that he really wasn’t coming back. She slumped down to her knees, pressed her hands to her face, and wept until she was straining to draw air into her tortured lungs. Full darkness encased the room by the time she groped her way to the small couch and sagged back against the cushions. Her heart struggled to accept that Thad didn’t care enough about her to stay. She knew she needed to go back to her father’s room, but her legs felt like lead. In fact, her entire body felt heavy and mired in misery. She blamed herself for this; and self-blame was the hardest to bear, because one had to take the full brunt of the burden. Bad decisions had cost her dearly. Trying to put all the blame on Heather didn’t ease her own guilt. Suzanne felt like kicking herself for not telling Thad about her phone call. She’d rushed off ready to try and be Ms. Fix-it. She’d allowed herself to be sucked into Heather’s lies and ended up having a lifetime of friendship shattered within a few hours.
