Heat by K. T. Fisher

choosers. I know the truth now and that's all that matters, even if I do have a shattered heart because of it.
     
       These last ten days and nights I've had to listen in to Roxie's side of her mushy phone conversations with Mason while I ignore Cole. I can tell when Mason asks Roxie about me because she answers with one word, her tone of voice is strained and she doesn't smile. Cole tries to get in touch, usually about twenty times a day, maybe more but I ignore him. I don't answer his calls or reply to his texts. Roxie recently told me that he has started dedicating a song to me during his bands shows. As soon as Roxie told me what Mason had told her I looked online and his loyal fans had helped me yet again. The videos were already uploaded to YouTube and I watched them all. Cole was singing to me and I had no idea what song it was but I could feel the lyrics. I looked through the comments to see what song it is and saw it was I Miss You by Incubus . The song tore at my heart, I felt every lyric. I downloaded the song and added it to my heartbroken playlist but when I listened to it, it wasn't the same. I wanted to listen to Cole singing it, so even though the song made me cry, I continued to listen to Cole singing to me.
     
       I haven't gone outside of my apartment since that eventful day. I only came out of my room two days ago and that was only because Roxie forced me to. She was shouting and moaning at me, telling me how I'm acting like a teenage fool and I need to snap out of it, blah blah blah! I don't give a shit how I'm acting. She might be able to forgive Mason but I don't think I could do the same for Cole.
     
       The front door opens and I look up to see Roxie and she’s holding up a big bag for me to see. "I got us some dinner on my way home from work." She disappears into the kitchen and I hear the banging of the dishes. When she places down a pizza on the table in front of where I'm sitting on the sofa, I quickly bring up my work so she doesn’t see what I was really doing. I see she has bought my favorite pizza, barbecue with bacon and chicken, but I still turn my nose at it. I just don't have an appetite anymore and nothing looks appealing to me. Roxie sighs when she sees I'm not going to eat the pizza. "You need to eat Lace."
     
       "I'm fine."
     
       I get a scowl from Roxie in return. "No you're not. You're losing weight. You need to eat."
     
       I roll my eyes. "I do eat."
     
       "Chocolate and ice cream don't count." I keep quiet because that is all I've been eating. Roxie's face hardens and points to my pizza. "Eat it!" I look down at the pizza and it does look nice and I sniff up the aroma, it sure does smell good. "Now, eat Lacey!" I huff and reach for a slice. My mouth suddenly salivates once I take a bite. Damn this is good. Before I know it, the whole pizza is gone. Roxie smiles at me but she doesn't look happy. She nods at my laptop. "What have you been up to?"
     
       I look to make sure the video of Cole singing I Miss You still isn't up. "I’m working."
     
       I did manage a little work today but I won't lie, it is hard to read about romance at the minute. I find myself eye rolling when it comes to the mushy shit, hard to believe a short while ago I was comparing myself to these characters.
     
       Silly little Lacey!
     
       Roxie raises her eyebrows and nods her head in a way that tells me she doesn't believe me. "I couldn't get a hold of you today."
     
       "My phone is off." It has been for about a week now. I turn it on once a day to delete Cole's texts and voice mails without listening or reading them.
     
       "Can't you at least hear him out?"
     
       "Nope."
     
       "Not even a text?"
     
       "And why would I do that?"
     
       "He's sorry Lace! Please just talk to him, you're a mess."
     
       "Gee thanks."
     
       "You know what I mean. Just talk to him please. He's just as miserable as you are."
     
       "And whose fault is