Barron’s Second Chance: A Cheating Redemption Story Novel – My boyfriend Barron’s body was flush against the other girl, she eagerly accepted his smooch. “Barr!” where he turned his head and met my eyed. “Eden,” he clumsily waded to the pool’s edge to climb out. “Don’t bother coming out on my behalf,” I calmly said. “After all, we’ve broken up now, haven’t we?” “Eden, baby, wait!” I almost reached the front door before he grasping my arm. I spun around and slapped his face. “You do not get to call me ‘baby’,” I hissed, “Not after ignoring my calls, and texts, and then blatantly flaunting your cheating around town.” “Eden. It honestly just happened.”He lifted his head. “Just happened?” I spat out. “You just happened to slip your shaft into Lissa?” “No!” He quickly cried; he reached “I haven’t slept with her.” “Right.” I rolled eyes. “You just cuddled her on your lap and made out with her in the pool. That’s okay, then.”I jabbed finger into his chest. “You coward.”
Eden was on the third week of her seven-week vacation with her mom. It was the summer break before her senior year in high school, and they were visiting her grandparents, who had recently relocated to Pensacola Eden hadn’t wanted to go. What seventeen-year-old wanted to spend their summer break hanging with their mom and grandparents? She wanted to be back home in New Haven, spending it with her best friends. And Barron. Her boyfriend of three years. At the start of her trip to Florida, Eden talked with Barron every day, multiple times. However, something began to feel off toward the beginning of their third week apart. Barron was distant, almost eager to get off the phone with her. When she confronted him, he excused his behavior by saying that Simon was keeping him busy, so she hadn’t thought anything more of it.
She missed him desperately, though, and was having serious withdrawal symptoms from being unable to be near him or talk with him whenever she wanted. But the last thing Eden wanted to be was a clingy girlfriend. So she had accepted his excuses at face value. Then, towards the end of the third week, he stopped picking up her calls altogether and declining her video chats. Her texts were answered sporadically, but they seemed impersonal. Barron: I can’t talk tonight, sorry. Barron: Everything’s fine. Simon’s just nonstop. Barron: Kinda tired tonight. Raincheck? Barron: Yeah, miss you too. Even more concerning, Sofia – who had no trouble keeping in contact with her while she was away – had informed Eden that she hadn’t spoken to or seen Barron. They were both good friends, so it wasn’t unusual for Sofia and Barron to hang out if she wasn’t present. He wasn’t with their other friends, either. In fact, Sofia informed her that she had seen Barron and Simon hanging out with Brad and his crew. She had been lying in bed, scrolling through Instagram, waiting for Barron to reply to the text she had sent him two hours ago. Eden jerked when her phone rang in her hand and scrambled to answer it.
She swallowed back the bitter taste of disappointment when she saw Sofia’s name. She missed Barron. Where was he? “Hey, you!” She breathed, trying to put some excitement in her voice. “Um, hey, Eden.” Sofia’s voice was missing its usual boisterous infliction. Her best friend was usually teeming with energy. “Whoa, who died?” Eden joked. “Unless someone actually did, then I’m sorry!” She rushed out. “Uh, no,” Sofia replied, almost hesitantly. “Um, I don’t know how to say this.” Eden sat up, grabbing her pillow and grasping it to her chest. Something was seriously wrong. “What is it?” “It’s about Barron.” Eden’s heart leaped. But not in a good way. Her gut – the gut that had been telling her for weeks that something was off with Barron – clenched in fear. “Just tell me,” she whispered. Sofia took a deep breath before tearing Eden’s soul in two. “I was riding my bike past Frend Close,” she started. Frend Close was a popular park by their school where kids usually hung out, mainly after dark, to drink and chill. “And I saw Barron there with his cousin, Maria, Brad…and Lissa.” Another deep breath by Sofia before the words rushed out. “Lissa was sitting on Barron’s lap.” The air rushed out of her lungs in a strangled cry.
“What?” She stammered out. “A-are you s-sure?” “Yeah, E.” Sofia quietly said. “I am. He was sitting down, and she was sitting in front of him, her back to him.” She paused. “Between his legs.” Eden closed her eyes, tears rapidly falling as her hand squeezed her phone tightly. “Maybe she had just sat there, and he didn’t want to be rude -” “Her back was up against his chest, and his arms were around her waist, cuddling her.” Sofia quickly got out. No. No, no, no, no, no! She had finished out her vacation week privately crying while putting on a brave face to her Mom and grandparents. The last thing she wanted to deal with was pity. Besides, she wanted to talk with Barron first. Face to face. She walked up the stone steps to his front door before calmly ringing the doorbell. She clasped her hands in front of her as she patiently waited for her knock to be answered. When the door finally opened, it was Barron’s mom on the other side. She loved Kelly Carter almost as much as she loved her own Mom. She was warm, caring, and adored having Eden around. She also always greeted Eden with a big smile. So, the fact that a small frown now marred her pretty features was another clue that something was wrong.
Even more so when Kelly stepped out onto the porch with Eden instead of throwing the door open and ushering her inside like she usually would. “Eden, sweetheart, are you okay?” Instead of waiting for an answer, she wrapped Eden’s slim frame into her arms for a tight hug. “Uhh, I’m fine, Mrs. Carter.” She returned her hug, still confused. “Is Barron home? He hasn’t replied to my messages.” Kelly pulled back, her brow still furrowed. “Uh, yes. He’s out the back in the pool with his friends and Simon. But sweetheart,” she rubbed her hands up and down Eden’s arms, “Why are you here? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been dying to see you. I was so disappointed and sad when Barron told me that you split up, but now’s probably not the best time.” Eden stood there stoically, the color draining from her face. Split up. Split up. Barron’s Mom thought they had split up. Eden wracked her brain, casting her mind back on all the texts and calls between them while she was away.
Granted, there weren’t that many, but she still wondered if there was a breakup message that she had missed or misinterpreted. No. No. That was making her doubt. He made her gaslight herself into thinking they had somehow broken up in the seven weeks and periodic messages apart. But they hadn’t. Barron had lied to his mom, and God knows who else. This wasn’t the Barron she knew and loved. “If it’s all the same to you, Mrs. Carter, I would prefer to see him now and get it over with.” Eden looked his Mom square in the eye. Despite her cracking heart, she held herself with a steely resolve. “Oh, but -” Whatever Mrs. Carter was about to say was cut off when a loud girlish shriek split the air. Then, the unmistakable sound of Barron’s laughter rang out, followed by a few splashes. She recognized the owner of that shriek. Forget cracking; her heart was crumbling like a house of sand. “Please, Mrs. Carter. I know what I’m going to find.” Kelly searched Eden’s face, and whatever she saw there loosened her stance. She gave her a slight nod before stepping aside. Eden moved into the large familiar hallway of the Carter residence, rigidly making her way to the kitchen where the sliding doors opened onto the spacious deck and pool. She saw Simon first. He had a bikini-clad Maria Smith wrapped in his arms by the side of the pool.
He jolted when he spotted her, his face looking like he had seen a ghost. His head quickly swiveled towards the pool before calling out Barron’s name. She got a few more seconds of watching her boyfriend with Lissa. His body was flush against the other girl, and Lissa’s wet blonde locks flowed down her back as she eagerly accepted Barron’s smooch. “Barr!” Simon’s loud bellow finally pulled Barron away, where he turned his head and met her blue-eyed stare head-on. He sputtered before frantically pushing away from a smirking Lissa. “Eden,” he clumsily waded to the pool’s edge to climb out. “Don’t bother coming out on my behalf,” she calmly said. “After all, according to your Mom, we’ve broken up now, haven’t we?” She quickly turned and stormed back into the house, blinking furiously to ward off the tears threatening to fall. “Eden, wait!” Barron shouted desperately after her. Him. That lying, cheating prick. She almost reached the front door before Barron caught up with her, grasping her arm. “Wait, Eden, baby, wait.” She spun around and slapped his face. Hard. “You do not get to call me ‘baby’,” she hissed in anger. “Not after ignoring my calls, and texts, and then blatantly flaunting your cheating around town. Sofia had to call me to tell me what was going on.” Barron’s eyes flashed with regret and guilt. “Eden.”
He hung his head in shame as droplets dripped down his toned body and onto the wooden floor of his house. She noticed that his body had beefed up a bit over the summer. Had he done it in an effort to please Lissa? “Why?” She whispered in torment. “Why did you cheat on me? How could you?” The last sentence caused her voice to crack. Tears pooled in Barron’s eyes, the shame of his actions causing him to drop his gaze from hers. “I’m so sorry, Eden. I didn’t mean for this to happen, for you to find out this way. I still love you, but -” he stopped. “But, what?” She pushed. When he remained quiet, the anger of the last few weeks exploded.
“At least have the balls to look me in the eye and tell me why you’re a lying, cheating aprick!” she growled. “I deserve that much!” He lifted his head; his gaze held so much. Love, regret, pain, guilt. But it was too late. There was no coming back from this. “It honestly just happened.” Her breath huffed out in disbelief. “Just happened?” She spat out. “You just happened to slip your shaft into Lissa?” “No!” He quickly cried; he reached to touch her but stopped as her body jerked back in response. “I haven’t slept with her.” Yet. That word hung between them, heavy in the air. “Right.” She rolled her eyes. “You just cuddled her on your lap and made out with her in the pool. That’s okay, then.” She jabbed her finger into his chest. “You coward.”