~Valentina~


    Alva skips through her door with coffee and donuts for us.


    "Someone''s pretty cheerful."


    "Well yeah! Max is coming home in a few hours! Didn''t Ronnie say anything?"


    She sits and we sip our drinks.


    "Yeah. Michael let me know they''d be here before lunch."


    Alva bounces up and down on the couch.


    "Calm down before you break something."


    "Do I look like Craig Mabbitt to you?"


    We both burst out laughing. Alva and I spend most of the morning cleaning up the mess we made in the living room and kitchen. Alva is fast asleep on the couch when I get a call.


    "Hello?"


    "Hey dollface."


    My blood runs cold and I quietly get up from the couch into the backyard.


    "JJ? How''d you get this number?"


    "Let''s not worry about that right now. I have a message for you."


    "What do you want?"


    He pauses to whistle.


    "Straight to the point I see."


    "JJ."


    I sigh, getting tired of his games.


    "Okay. Okay. Don''t hang up, you''ll want to hear this."


    He clears his throat. It''s as if he''s sorting all his paperwork.


    "How much do you trust Ronald?"


    "Seriously JJ.."


    "Shut up and listen to me Valentina."


    His sudden serious tone shocks me into silence.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You obviously trust him since he''s your boyfriend, right?"


    "Y-yeah."


    He laughs maniacally.


    "Who do you trust more? Your friends or Ronald?"


    I sigh, unsure of how to answer.


    "It''s alright. You don''t have to pick. My point is that if Ronald did something behind your back, who would you expect to tell you if they knew?"


    I respond without a second thought.


    "My friends."


    "So Jacky, Zakk, Robert. Max?"


    "How do you know..?"


    He cuts me off.


    "Just fucking listen and shut your fucking mouth or I''ll walk in your house and shut it myself."


    He chuckles and continues.


    "Jacky and Robert don''t know too much because they''re barely around. But of course Max and Zakk should, right?"


    "Yes. I trust them to."


    "Really? You''re that trusting to people who''ve known your boyfriend for years? Weren''t they both his best friends way before you came along?"


    I take a deep breath.


    "Well yes but.."


    "But nothing Valentina, Use your brain. All the calls and texts. Al the attitude. All the excuses. Do you really think nothing is going on? Have you even checked? You two live in that big house alone, yet sleep in separate bedrooms? Come on Val. How would I know these things?"


    My breathing quickens. JJ continues.


    "You see I''m not a bad guy. I only want what''s best for you. Yeah, I might have a temper but that''s something you''re used to. Or have you forgotten about your dear ex-fiancé Arthur? Use that college education, Valentina. It doesn''t matter you dropped out."


    Now it''s my turn to get angry.


    "How do you know these things? Do you have me bugged? Are there cameras? You''re stalking me!"


    I hear him snort over the line.


    "Babe please. Don''t flatter yourself. How much of your life do you think Ronald shared with Rei? How much do you think Max shared with Llana?"


    I''m speechless over the phone. Besides Alva and Max fighting about Llana a few times, she''s never really been mentioned to me. At the same time, my blood boils at the mention of Rei."


    "Ronnie never told that bitch anything. Besides, she''s old news. And Max stopped talking to Llana a long time ago."


    "Oh feisty Val."


    "JJ, your pathetic excuse of trying to break up my relationship is over. And how dare you drag my sister and my best friend into it. You don''t know them."


    He laughs.


    "How wrong you are babe. I happen to be close to Max. Well, through mutual friends. The facts are babe. Your darling best friend is cheating on your sister. Still."


    "Bullshit!"


    "Don''t get angry babe. Just watch my tape. Keep my question in mind. Can you really trust Ronald and his friends? Bye babe."


    He hangs up and Alva opens the door to the house.


    "Uhm Val? Some kid just delivered this DVD?"


    I pull her into the house, not stopping until we get to the living room. I open the package. There''s a DVD and a note.


    "Babe. It''s sad I know those close to you more than you do. Watch with your sister. -JJ"


    Alva sits as I load the DVD.


    "Val, what the fuck is going on?"


    I shush her as the tape plays. Alva watches focused.


    "Hey, that''s Max."


    "Who''s that girl coming in?"


    The blood drains from Alva''s face. I see her emotions go from sad to angry and all in between.


    "That''s the bitch Llana."


    The tape continues to play. showing Max meeting with the woman multiple different times. When the tape is done, Alva and I sit in silence. The most recent clips seemed to have been caught from this tour that Ronnie''s on.


    "Did I just watch porn of my boyfriend cheating on me?"


    "Alva... I..."


    We exchange looks.


    "Shit."


    "Fuck."


    "Asshole."


    "Bastard."