here comes goodbye/ i told you so.

She went running, racing as far away as she could get from her present hoping to find a better one. From Texas to Michigan she didn't want to go but she knew it was the only way it would really be over would be if she left. It had been a good 6 months that she had been "single" if thats what you call it. Jake had just kept calling and then playing her off to be insane like she was following him around like some lost puppy. Insane, yes...following him around no, she was just there whenever he called her to come over and play his game so she could feel happy when she was with him, but then in the process of walking out of his house she felt more alone. It hadn't been like it was before. He littereally only called her over for one thing. He had a new girlfriend that he was with 2 weeks after their FIVE YEARS of being together. She felt sick, like all those years of standing by him taking all the emotional abuse, telling herself it was just a phase he was going through. The phase never got better, she completley blamed herself.

Now it was "over" though, as over as it could be after all that time. She burried herself in everything left the world had to offer her. She had just moved back in with her parents trying to get back on her feet because everything just seemed to be falling apart at once. Nothing, no matter how good it got, fixed what she had felt though. That boy had broken her. She gave him her very soul and got left with nothing it was gone, she was gone, she was dead, trying to seem alive to the world. She had completley become someone else for him. Left with absolutley nothing. Not even a broken heart, you wouldn't know that you were looking at the same girl that had once believed so much in love and everything good. That no matter how bad this girl at one point just didn't care she had pure joy even in her darkest moments. Not anymore, he took that, she didn't know if he had meant to or not. Either way he took that and he to just left it somewhere, that girl was forever lost. She was NEVER going to be the same again.

The very last time she saw Jake she was at a friends, just trying to be ok with life and what it was and was finding happy moments occasionally.

He called her "Hey do you have a sec?"

"No, I told you im done with this seriously please leave me alone." she spoke but her feelings totally contradicted her feelings. "Maybe he still cares. I just hope that he does." So she stayed on the phone to hear what would probably only hurt her that much more.

"Look, I really need to talk to you, you don't have much of a choice just one second ok." He demanded.

"Margaritte, I'll be back inside one second, Im gonna see what he has to say." I told her as I muted the phone, she knew how this game went as well as I did by now, she had seen him come back and then shove me away over and over. She gave me a look that told me to just stop but she knew I wouldn't. Margaritte always excepted me for exactly who I was, every inch of my chaos. I rolled my eyes like I didn't want to hear what he had to say but I could hardly stand it.



"Onc sec, ok." she snapped back at Jake, she didn't want him to think for one second that I really cared what he had to say. As she stepped outside, it was what would have been one of the perfect nights they used have just sit on her roof laying there talking about everything they had been best friends. The very best, they made the world jealous with what they had, all she could do everyday was question what happened, what went wrong, and why why why over and over again. She coud never get it out of her head.

She took a deep breath, a week ago she had probably just destroyed the new relationship that she had started up, not that she was sorry. She couldn't help but go to him in the past when he had called her she was wanting him to so badly be with her that she didn't care how much she "caused" him to cheat on her. Yes, of course she hated the fact that she was now the "other" girl, but if you think about it, doesn't matter if your the one dating someone or not, if there are two girls three, four, however many doesn't matter, if that there is more than one involved, you are the other girl. She just felt she had more right to him than her, after all she had been there and put up with all of his crap, day in and day out, "standing by him." She was there everytime he needed her and always waiting until he came back.

A week ago he had called her yelling at her playin another one of his pathetic little games because she had stopped by like his house like she said he was and his precious little toy (her, the "other girl") had been there, she sat outside and finally decided to talk to him, she knew it would tick him off but she couldn't take it anymore, she knew the power he had given her and she decied to use it. She threatened to tell him she would tell her if she didn't get what she went, well he made her mad enough the day she called so she did it. She messaged his new toy everything that had happened the past few months between then while he was pretending to be mister perfect to her. She even told her that one of the nights she had stayed the night that she had take the "toy's" toothbrush and proceded to scrub Jakes toliet with it. She was sure she had used it. Yes she knew that was wrong but at the moment she just couldn't help herself. The day she had done that and went and told Margaritte, she actually laughed and Jake and the "toy" had been so awful so she didn't really fell too bad. Needless to say after telling "jay leno" everything Jake pretty much hated her, and this was her goal in telling her, it was the only way he would really leave her alone, or so she had thought.

"What is so important Jake? I really thought you wouldn't be calling me anymore." She barked.

"Well I talked to my dad today. I want you to come over here tonight and take a pregnancy test." He ordered her once again.

Oh my God, was it never going to end, or was it just never going to be normal again. She really was starting to get rid of the roller coaster with him. She just wanted him to come hold her and say how sorry he was and love her like he used to. "Jake if I am I will let you know but Im not coming out there, it's late and Im busy!" she said as confidently as she could she really didn't feel like driving all the way out to Crosby.

"Lauren, you really don't have a choice. Im tired of all of this too, that's why I just want it taken care of tonight, Ashlei is going to give me another chance and I just want to know I can completly move on." He stated.

She was irate, how in the hell could she stay with him after all that, apperently she was just pathetic as she was and she suddelnly realized he might have found someone that might put up with more than she. Had that ever happened in the first month of them being together she never would have stayed with him. Also on that same note she would have never dated a guy that had just ended that serious of a relationship. As far as she thought rebound girl "No thank you!"

She smirked, "Ya ok let me just come over there because you say so, " she didn't want to talk to him anymore to hear that he was trying to go and be good for her that's what he was suppose to do for me she thought, screw it, "no actually, im gonna go and enjoy my night and don't call back, I will call you if there is anything you should be concerned about. However you told me if I ever was you didn't want anything to do with me anyways, NO thank you Jake and goodb...



Jake rushed his reply before she could finish and disconect, " My dad is going to call your parents and state his concern with the issue, so if you aren't going to deal with this with me, you will with them." He knew how much she had disapointed her parents with all her dumb mistakes with him and her life, and he really didn't care anymore what they thought of him.



Crap, maybe he's kidding, "You lie, I know you Jake you lie." What if he wasn't?

He knew what she was thinking, "Im not, this is your one chance, let's just finish this Lauren."

If he was telling the truth she just knew that she didn't want to disapoint her parents again, she had already done that enough and just because she wanted him so bad.

"Fine! Seriously, you play any games at all Im leaving, I really can't take this anymore." she meant it. She really wanted to be done with the games and she knew he wasn't going to be with her. He had used her as much as he wanted and now was nothing more he needed to make sure he left it and not it leaving him. Deep down to him that's what she knew this was all about.

She ran in and told Margaritte and told her she would just see her tomorrow, she knew after leaving there that night she was going to be a mess and didn't want anyone to have to deal with it anymore. Driving over there she just kept thinking about how it was suppose to be. Her phone rang another random number, probably Jake again.

"Hello." She answered politley just incase she was wrong, well she was wrong, but it was worse, it was his toy.

"Ya is this Lauren?"

"Yes who is this?"

"Ashlei."

"Oh?"

"I was just calling to say that I don't understand why you have done this?"

"It took two, and let me just say that Im on my way to see him right now, and im ready for another game for him to tell him everything he wants me to hear so he can keep me around in case you don't work, dude we were together forever and you expect it to just end like that, and he called me. Ya im sorry your hurt, because I know it sucks to be cheated on."

Lauren really didn't remember much of what she said because she really didn't care. She was hurt. It wasn't the girls fault, it was all Jake, didn't matter if she was a toy or not, didn't matter how nice or how rude she was, the girl had never promised her anything. Only Jake, and he broke everything. Why she ever believed him she didn't know.

She pulled up to the Whataburger where they would meet and waited he would be there any second, she had driven so fast trying to calm down. Not the best idea but being on the phone with that girl did definitley not help the situation and now she was even more upset.

She saw that black toyota pull up next to her rental, she had finally calmed herself down but she was irate. He walked over to her door and opened it.

"Let's go to Wal-mart."

"Fine but your buying it." She snapped back to his demand.

He walked her over to her "old seat" on the passenger side, she knew it wasn't hers anymore, no matter how bad she wanted it to be. He opened the door and she climbed in as she just kept wondering how all of this was going to go down. She knew this was going to be the last time. Her mind was made up.

"So how have things been?"

"Small talk? Really Jake?"

He knew she hated it and esspecially from him. She knew he also didn't know what to say because he could tell she was mad enough that almost anything he said would set her off. He knew she was fighting it.

Every second with him she grew more angry with him. For all the hurt she felt, nothing would ever chagne. She hated it. He pulled into a spot and parked.

"Im waiting in the car, your the one that wants this so you can take the walk of shame alone." She barked at him.

"Ok."

He hopped out of the car and sitting there in the passenger seat somthing caught her eye. A picture, for a moment she thought it was him and her. It had been one of their "aniverseries" now that just seemed dumb, but they had taken a picture in a booth with a random "I LOVE YOU" banner and a heart around it she had always thought it was a cheasy background. He was wearing his stupid cowboy hat, she didn't mind that it was dumb because he loved it, and a jacket, and she was in a tank top. They had spent that night just running around hopping on and off the kiddy train when the guy wasn't looking. They had run back in the telling kissing and holding hands. She would watch him play the arcade games while he tried to win her one of those dumb prizes, to her the prize was dumb, the memory was not. Back then all he wanted to do was constantly show her off and please her. She snapped out of her memory to realize one major difference in this picture, it wasn't her, it was the toy. He was wearing everythign the same same banner, but with her! She hopped out of the car grabbed the picture ripped it up and threw it on the floor board of his truck and she started walking back to her car. Jake must have heard the car door slam and knew the sound of the slam enough to know it was her because within seconds he had jerked the car in front of her demanding her to get in.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he demanded?

"Im going to wait in my car, I will meet you there!"

"No your not get in Lauren." he demanded in one of his sweet voice like it was somthing that would protect her if she obeyed. He must have seen the picture and realized that had hurt or he wouldn't be being so nice because she had gotten in the way of somthing he wanted or slowed it down for the moment, but only because she wasn't still sitting in the car like he had wanted her to be.

"Jake," she had calmed down the tone in her voice " I just really need to cool off ok, this sucks, I don't even want to be here, Im hurting. Let me just say really nice picture by the way. I don't know if you put that there on purpose and I don't even know if you know but we had one just like that, not that you care anymore, but dangit really? Just let me walk to my car ok." she pleaded with him.

"Get in the car! I will be right back! We aren't playing these games!" he was angered in not getting the answer he wanted from her and her stuborness with him and she knew it wasn't worth the argument and knew if she just didn't get in the thing would blow even more out of proportion than it had. She did know she wasn't going to be happy about it. he was pissing her off more and more by the minute.

"Fine! Just hurry please! I want to go and get the hell away from you." she stabbed. He parked his car there and got out and again and she waited and shoved the rest of the pictures of the toy in the glove-box. She wondered if he could feel even one inch of the pain she felt if he would stop barking at her and just love her like he used to. She really did whatever he wanted, she did nothing but try and make him happy when they were together they would flirt and laugh and tickle when he would come and spend time with her and not be drunk it would be perfect. Unfortanitley she had slowly become only a small piece of his life and that was the her part. All of his friends were new, he had a new job. It was like he was 19 about to be 40 with all this wisdom that he thought he had. He was so cocky.

Things had definitley changed. There was a day when he wouldn't not have barked at her if she would have wrecked his truck. He used to go around showing her off to everyone. She was his prize. She was amazing really, your all american girl, she loved everyone to the very depth of her soul, and she picked him out of all of those boys chasing after her. He knew he was lucky, but somwhere down the road somthing got in the way.

She remembered sitting at the house with him one night. He was going through her phone and looked at her and grinned his obnoxious grin. She was instantly excited to be getting attention from him. She looked at what he was doing it was a picture of them. He didn't take pictures with him anymore. She wished he did. He had his finger over the delete button and he would do it just to be funny.

"Jake really don't, you don't take pictures with me hardly at all anymore and I love that one." I pleaded

He did it She was so mad she hopped up and stormed off so they wouldn't fight. Before she knew it she was being jerked down to the ground by her hair. He was irate and she didn't know what to do. She tried to pull away and immediatley regreted that. He started swinging her around like a rag doll by her hair she thought her neck was going to break. All she could do was cry the more she fought it the worse it got. He stopped and she scooted over to the corner.

"What in the heck!" she was thinking "Why why why is he doing this, where is my Jake? God where is he I want him back! GOD WHERE ARE YOU! I want my life back, what is this crap!"

Jake sat there for a moment maybe in shock of what he had done or just who even knows. He watched her for a moment. She got up defeated not angry and started to walk away. He grabbed her gently and swept her up off her feet and held her. In her mind for a moment he loved her again. He was her protector again. She always knew if anyone ever tried to hurt her if she was with him, they wouldn't be able to if he got ahold of them. She trusted him with her whole being. Too much.

"Baby Im sorry. I love you so much Im so sorry!" He pleaded with her.

"It's ok I love you too." She laid there still defeated not knowing what was going on, insane with pain, just praying that this moment of peace and love and him being there not go away.

Her thoughts disapeared as the door opened and she quickly wiped her tears before he had a chance to see.



"Im going to watch." He stated. He had a reason to want to she told him back when they broke up six months ago that she had a test say no that he saw and told him she dipped it in water when she saw it just so she could see him again. However this was not that she didn't even want to be here. He was dumb if he didn't know that because she had told "jay leno" everything. She knew there was no point in argueing with that she clearly always lost with him because she was too tired to fight right now. She really just wanted this to all be done.

"Whatever, so Ashlei called my on my way here. I guess she's just as much of a fool as I am." She stabbed hoping the cut down on herself would make him feel like a bigger jerk.

"I don't know, I know im lucky to be getting another chance and Im not going to mess it up." He said sweetly, " Im sorry Lauren."



Ouch she thought, "Why does he have to be like that tonight. Really it wouldnt' matter what he said it would still hurt." Even if he begged her back tonight as much as she wanted to be with him she couldn't tie anything down to him, she would love to give him the chance to prove it though, She just knew she didn't want to leave him tonight like this, no answers, everything had happened so fast. She just felt like leftovers and sloppy second to the world now because she wasn't good enought to fight for but for some reason "Jay leno" was good enough.



"Ok be quiet, so my dad doesn't wake up." He stated

"Oh my God, Jake , you lied."

"Well your here now, hurry up."

There was no point in throwing more of a fit, he had already bought the test now, and she was too tired, he knew it. It didn't matter. Part of her didn't care anymore. It was her last few moments with him. She was going to get some answers.

They sat there and turned the water on other than the rushing water they were now just waiting on her to pee on the stupid stick. She did and they sat there for three minutes both praying for a negative. Him praying so he could move on and be done with her and her praying because she never wanted him to be trapped with her and she wanted someone that wouldn't be so wishy washy with kids. She thought he would make a terrible dad. All he kept mentioning before was if she was she would have no choice but to get an abortion and she couldn't do that she woudnl't be able to live with herself, and she didn't want to fight him either.

He wouldn't let her see the test. He was flirting when he did this, or maybe trying to be nice, but he used to do back when things were good and when he was flirting with anything he would jokingly say "you'll jynx it!"

He sat there holding it from her, he just wanted to see it first.

"Yes!" He whispred as he grabbed her and hugged her. A part of her heart sank this was it he would now be ready to get out of here, she was happy that they wouldn't have this crazy life. She still however wanted him to be her hero again to sweep her off her feet, tell her sorry. Yes he had hurt his new toy, but he hurt me worse. The toy couldn't love him like she had. She loved him, she wished she didn't then this ache would just go away. She grinned at him. They stepped outside and were about to get in his truck and he was going to take her to her car. He stopped and knealed down and started to cry.

"Lauren Im so sorry. I really am." breifly through tears. He stood up and opened her door. She climbed in and began to cry. He got in the car, and she didn't hide it this time. There was no point, they had been best friends, lovers everything, and now they might as well be enemies.

"What's wrong?" he was done crying.

"Jake, Im sorry, doesn't fix it she gets you, that sweet guy that you started to be. Why not me, I mean i really don't get it. I have been there, this isn't just some fling your throwing away here. It hurts, it never goes away, I have no one, no one to distract me from anything, the second I am alone it consumes me. Sometimes I want to be alone so I can actually break down and cry. I lost everything. You were my best friend, one day it's like you just stopped, and then you would show me a little love, just enough to keep me around. You told me everyday no one loved me but you, I believed it, but where are you now? Where Jake, where?" she cried through sobs.

He pulled into Whataburger.

"Come on, let me walk you to your car." he said it like he was taking care of her, she knew he was just getting rid of her, he knew how to handle her. He would leave her completly broken by the time this was done. He was about to be sweet, really sweet, so she would be left feeling like the witch and he was just some big super hero.

He took her to her door opened it up, as he walked around she turned the car on, expecting he was just going to give a hug and be on his way. He opened her door and sat down reached over and pulled her onto his lap. She didn't fight it she wanted it. She wanted him to love her so badly that at any moment that she felt love from him, she could never walk away from it. She knew she still wanted him, he would have to treat her right though, and she knew it couldn't happen over night they would have to start over.

"Jake, I promise you one day you will regret this. I probably shouldn't tell you this, " she was speaking slowly like she was talking to her best friend again and like she knew he was about to quit being dumb, you could tell the hurt was deep she wasn't trying to hide it anymore," I can't be with you right now, but if you ever want to be with me again you need to be done with Ashlei now, do you really want to let everything go with us. If I leave here tonight, this is it. I can't do this anymore Jake it already hurts bad enough without you playing these games with me. If you ask me not to go to Michigan, I will stay her in Texas. I will but only if you are gonna fight for me. Otherwise this is it."

She rested against is chest while she waited for his response. It really didn't matter what he said. She was ready for the no, she knew it would be a no. This had been the most strung out awful break up.

"Lauren I, I love you, I just can't. Me and you have tried. It didn't work."

She smirked, "I tried, you gave up when things got hard, I just don't get whats wrong with me and what makes her so great? Do you love her?"

"No of course I don't?"

It didn't make anysnse for her to see someone fight for someone he didn't love and not for her. He never fought for anything when it got hard though. Jake had never been one of those stand up for what you beleive in thing guys. Lauren had always been easy, any guy would have been lucky to have her. She got along great with everyone and was happy, even when she wasn't happy she was happy for those she loved.

"Lauren I love you, but we are young, and all we know is each other."

She just kept thinking whats so wrong with that.

"Im sorry, I really am."

As he held her the next song on the cd came on. "I told you so" by Carrie Underwood. Jake reached and turned it up.

"Maybe this is how it will be with us one day Lauren maybe your right. I just can't."

Lauren simply stated "Then will be to late."

"I hope not if your right."

She thought how could someone want me for later just not now, leave me to be hurt and all alone, but she knew at that moment, Jake knew she was probably right even though, she didn't know anymore. She was so exhaugsted she felt like she had been run over by a train.

"Lauren I've got to go." he held up his phone, it was Ashlei,

"Ya." He answered.

"Look im talking to her, I will call you when I get home, we need this ok, Ok talk to you later."

Jake reached down and kissed her forhead. Another train just ran over her. It was like he was dead to her. Her best friend, dead, but it almost hurt worse because he was right there in front of her in that moment. The goodbye that was about to happen haunted her. The now didn't matter anymore because it was already done.

"I love you I always will."

"Jake please hold me for one more minute, ok, just do that."

"Ok."

They listened to the rest of the song as tears tracked down her face.

"I love you Lauren, we will still be friends, we will message each other on facebook."

She was going to be moving to Michigan.

That gave her hope for a moment, but then she stopped. She could never just be friends with him, at least not anytime soon. She new that, she agreed but she knew it would only be a matter of time before she would block him.

"Ya ok." She managed a smile.

"I love you, " he whispered in his ear as he squeezed her "you are going to find someone amazing someday."

Another tear streamed down her face. She wanted him to be happy so badly she just had always thought happy included her.

"I love you too." wasl all she could say.

She kissed him on the cheek knowing it would be the last time, but she wanted to.

"Bye Jake."

She didn't look at him as he climbed out. She was aching. This was it. She watched him get in his truck out of the corner of her eye as she slowly reversed. She watched him pull out in her rearview mirror as she headed the other direction, wondering if he was watching her too, it hurt to watch. It felt like watching someone you love die. You couldn't help but watch though. Her entire body ached but she knew that there was nothing she could do. "It is what it is." she thought. Somehow those words didn't help but she beleived if she told herself that enough it would get better. That and lots more. But that was goodbye and still nothing made sense.