Self Improvement, chapter 21

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Rachael felt broken. As if someone had slammed a hammer onto her porcelain self and smashed her into a thousand little pieces. Her day had started like any other, morning jog followed by a quick shower. She and Fred had agreed to meet later. If she played her cards right, she might just be able to bed him. It was to everyone's surprise that they'd yet do actually do it. Rachael felt ready to commit, but Fred had been overly cautious. Not because he didn't like her back. More because he had strong principles and wanted things to be official before they got to that part. Unfortunately, they never made it that far. A couple of hours before they were scheduled to meet, Fred sent her a text, canceling their date. They both knew that this was supposed to be the day they made things official. The day they'd finally do it. The fact that he canceled on her wasn't the reason she was so upset though. It was the manner in which he did it.

"I don't think we should see each other any more."

It was a swift kill. No excessive excuses. No apologies. Nothing. Just a very rudimentary text which contained the bare minimum of words to carry his point across. One could argue that Rachael was owed an explanation. After all, she'd been nothing but kind and good to Fred. Still, the man didn't care to give one. On his side of things, their relationship hadn't taken the course he'd envisioned when they first exchanged numbers. The way he'd seen the quiet, modest girl explode into a blonde, ditzy bravado of a person had removed every sliver of attraction he felt for her. He didn't know her when they first met, so perhaps that person was an act. A facade put on to attract a "high value man", only she'd let her guard down too soon, overestimating how attached he'd gotten.

Of course, Fred couldn't be farther from the mark. Rachael's development was absolutely something new. The girl he'd fallen in love with initially was the girl she was at heart. The girl trapped underneath layers upon layers of other people's "best intentions". Both her father and love interest had in quick succession grown too concerned/tired with Rachael's shift. Meanwhile, Rebecca didn't seem bothered at all, probably too convinced that it was her own good influence that started having an effect on her BFF.

To make matter worse, the creep from a few days ago wouldn't stop pestering her over text messages. It started the day after they first met. She can only assume it was the first thing he did sober, either way, he wanted her to send him some pictures of herself in underwear. Not something she'd usually do, but the man could be very persuasive. She felt a little embarrassed because it'd taken her so long to realize that indulging those types of requests were commonplace amongst pretty girls and their admirers. At least the man stopped at risqué photos for now.

Feeling like absolute garbage after getting "dumped" by what she expected to be her boyfriend, Rachael laid some plans in an attempt to cheer herself up, if only a little. She booked an appointment with her aunt, and asked if Rebecca wanted to go shopping with her. What little exercise gear she'd bought on her last haul wasn't cutting it anymore. With frequent use and a lot of washing, the colors were getting sort of faded, and the winter months of the year would surely require something a bit warmer. It was still alright to jog in shorts and t-shirts, but there was no harm done in being prepared. Hopefully Rebecca could aid the heartbroken girl in thinking about something else, if only for a day.