I watch Kelly walk into the shop and I smile. I haven't talked to her since the fake breakup. I imagine she has questions and I wouldn't be surprised if she blames me for everything that is going on right now.
"Hey." She says coming into the store room.
"Hey." I say back at her.
"How are you doing?" She asks her face serious.
"Hanging in there." I say and she smiles.
"Everything sucks huh?" She says and I shrug. "Can you take a little break?" She asks already walking away.
"I guess." I say following her. She heads out of the front entrance and she walks towards her car.
"What's going on O?" She asks when we're next to her car and out of ear shot.
"I don't know." I say honest. I don't know what's going on with Ryo and I think I'm getting to a point where I don't want to agonize over this.
"What do you mean you don't know?" She asks confused. "Ryo is not telling me anything.
"Where are you?" Jameson asks his voice filling up the interior of my car. I have him on speaker as I drive to Ryo's favourite coffee spot. I miss her, need an energy boost and I'm tired of being cooped up in my house. My mother is starting to look at me like I'm crazy. She's two minutes away from asking me what's wrong with me and I don't want that."I'm going to get coffee," I say and I can hear him judging me through the phone."At nine in the evening?" He says when the silence stretches."Yes, I need aboost." I say and he sighs. "What? Say it." I say as I pull into the parking lot of the coffee shop,"Have a good time." He says and en
"Do you mind if I join you?" She asks looking at the chair and then at me."Not atall." I say and she sits down."I didn't peg you for the coffee before midnight kind" She says smiling at me and I shrug."I couldn'tsleep." I say and she raises her brows at me. "I know coffee is not really the answer but I had to get out of thehouse." I say and she looks at me concerned."Well, I'm glad you decided to come here. It's good to see you." She says surprising me.
The next MorningWhen I open my eyes in the morning I am overcome with a sense of calm. I haven't felt like this since my fight with Ryo. Last night didn't turn out the way I hoped for but I'm happy we got to talk. We don't have answers for how we're going to fix this whole mess but I'm glad that we're not fighting anymore.There is aknock at my doorand I stare at it for a moment wondering if I should get out of bed to go answer it. Do I want to know what's out there? Do I want to let the world ruin my moment of bliss?"Yes." I say choosing to not get out of bed but I can't ignore whoever is on the other side of the door."It's mom."
"I was thinking about our break up." She says turning her full body to look at me. "You said I ended things between us and that's not how I remember things going down." She says and I sigh.It's crazy that I'm the villain in every story that she remembers. Every time I heard her or any of her friends talk about our relationship I was the one that did her wrong. I'm the one who was dating multiple girls and flaunting them in her face. When in actuality..."How do you remember it?" I ask trying to hear how she remembers how this story goes. Of course, I've the highlights over the years but we've never talked about it."You met that girl with the long hair. The one you used to meet up with when your family went on vacation and then suddenly I wasn't good enough anymore."She says and I smile a little.
"I don't know who told you what but I didn't do anything with Simon" She says and I laugh because she has to be joking. I can't believe she's denying this."Simon toldme." I state plainly and she shakes her head no."Nohe didn't. You're just trying to get me to admit to something that didn't happen." She says smiling."Marlene you can't deny this. I spoke to Simon before he left and he told me everything." I say and she frowns."He said he had to confess the wrong he did before he had to leave." He wanted to be a good friend. I say snorting as I remember. "I know he didn't tell me for my
"I don't get how your cheating on me is my fault." She says her voice low."Howisyou breaking up with me my fault?" I ask and she groans. "You're the one that decided we were over. Why didn't you stay?" I ask looking at her. I wait for her to reply but she doesn't say anything."You were cold, mean and you never had time for me." She says after a long pause."I couldn't stop thinking about you and Simon. I couldn't be the same guy before you cheated on me."I say to her statement and she frowns. I wait for the words to filter through her mind. I want to make sure that she heard me. I want this to be our last conversation. I don't want to play this game with her anymore. I'm done, I want to be free o
When I walk into the house I find my mother standing in the middle of the kitchen. She has a coffee mug in her hands and she's staring in the direction of the garden. "Mom." I say to get her attention. She turns around to look at me and then she looks back in the same direction."She's gone." I say and I can see her sigh in relief."What did she want?" She asks looking back at me. I walk over to the kitchen table and take a seat. I feel so exhausted from the conversation I just had with Marlene that I don't trust my legs to hold me up this whole conversation."She wants to fix things." I say and my mother shakes her head at my statement. "You don't want me to?" I am even though I already know the answer."She's not good for you." My mother says simply and I agree with her. We're not good for each other."And besides don't you have a girlfriend?" She asks and I raise my brows in shock. How does she know that? No one in my family
Two days laterJameson sent me a very serious text, demanding that I come out with him or he's going to show up at my house and drag me with him. So here I am at some random breakfast place sitting across from him."I'm glad you showed up" He says smiling at me. That's his way of saying I've been a very shitty friend and he;'s not happy with my behaviour."Yeah." I say and that's my way of saying sorry."How are you?" He asks and I shrug. I look out of the window taking a second to think about it. How the hell am I? I feel terrible. I miss Ryo and I wish life didn't suck. But other than that I'm doing great."I'm..." I say and I see Ryo walk towards us. I close my eyes and then open them just to make sure she's not a figment of my imagination. "Is that?" I ask looking back at Jameson."Yes. I hope you don't mind." He says smiling at me."I don't mind. Why would I
As I head back to my room, the cozy feeling from the movie night fades, replaced by a growing sense of dread. I know Savannah won't let this slide. I try to shake off the anxiety, reminding myself that it's not a crime to talk to someone, but deep down, I know this will be more complicated than that.When I reach my dorm room, I take a deep breath, preparing for the confrontation I know is coming. Just as I turn the doorknob, I hear the unmistakable click of heels behind me. I turn slowly to see Savannah, her arms crossed and her expression as icy as ever."Marlene," she says, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Do you have a minute?"I nod, feeling my heart rate quicken. "Sure, Savannah. What's up?"She steps closer, invading my personal space. "What do you think you’re doing with Adrian?" Her tone is low, but the threat is clear.I take a step back, trying to create some distance. "We were just watching the movie. It’s not a big deal.""Not a big deal?" Savannah repeats, her e
It's movie night and every student in the dorms is summoned to come and watch. I would rather be sleeping right now but the headmistress made it clear that we have to be here. The common room is buzzing with excitement. The lights are dimmed, and the scent of popcorn fills the air. Students are chattering as they find seats, some on the couches, others on the floor, creating a cozy, makeshift theater.I choose a quiet corner, my back against the wall and a thick blanket draped over my shoulders. I prefer this spot for its unobtrusiveness, allowing me to watch without being the center of attention. As the opening credits roll, I relaxed slightly, hoping to blend into the background.But my hopes are dashed when Adrian walks in, his presence immediately drawing the attention of the room. He scans the area, his eyes quickly finding me. With a confident stride, he makes his way towards me, carrying a bag of popcorn and two sodas."Mind if I join you?" he asks,
The first week at St. Hilda’s passes in a blur of classes and unfamiliar faces. I keep my head down, focusing on my studies and staying out of trouble. Despite Adrian’s unexpected attention, I’ve managed to remain invisible, just the way I planned.It’s Friday afternoon, and I’m sitting under a tree in the courtyard, reading a book for my literature class. The sun filters through the leaves, creating shadows on the ground. I’m finally starting to
My parents dropped me off at the school dorms a day ago and I've been layng low since. The girl's accomodations is about 5 km away from the main campus and today is the first day I''m seeing it and the other day students.The bus ride to the new boarding school feels like a journey to another planet. Trees blur past the window, the landscape changing from unfamiliar streets to unknown territories. The thought of starting over terrifies me, and I try to suppr
The sun filters through the café windows, casting a warm glow over the bustling breakfast crowd. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries fills the air as Oliver and I walk in, hand in hand. We spot Jameson and Kelly at a cozy corner booth, already settled with cups of steaming coffee and plates of pancakes."Look who finally decided to show up!" Jameson calls out, a wide grin spreading across his face as he waves us over.Oliver laughs, sliding into the booth next to him. "Good morning to you too, Jameson. Ready to celebrate?"Kelly pushes a plate of assorted pastries toward us, her smile warm. "Absolutely. Congratulations on the A in your English assignment. You guys really earned it.""Thanks, Kelly," I say, taking a croissant. "It feels good to see our hard work pay off."We dive into breakfast, laughter and chatter filling the air. It's moments like these that remind me of the importance of friendship, of having people who cheer for your successes and stand by you th
"Forever," I murmur, my lips still tingling from our kiss. Oliver pulls back slightly, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat. We both laugh, a mixture of relief and joy filling the small space of his car."I have another question," Oliver says, his voice softer now. He glances at his phone, then back at me. "What’s your biggest dream?"I pause, letting the weight of his question settle in. The sunset paints his face in warm hues, making his eyes sparkle. "My biggest dream?" I echo, pondering. "I think it’s to travel the world. To see places I’ve only read about, experience different cultures, and find inspiration in the beauty of our planet. And…" I hesitate, then smile. "To do it with you."Oliver’s face lights up, and he takes my hand, squeezing it gently. "I love that. I want that too." He looks out at the lake, then back at me. "Imagine us, years from now, looking back on this moment. Knowing we had the courage to dream big and chase those dream
"That went well," Oliver says sitting next to me in the driver's seat of his car. I nod looking at the amazing view in front of us. We found a new spot to chill and have our epic question dates. And today is a very special one. "I should say, I think she loves you more than me." He says and I laugh shaking my head disagreeing with him.She was nice to me but she will never feel that way about me."I'm glad you agreed to meet her." He says smiling at me happily."I'm honoured to have met your mother. She's incredibly kind and she's beautiful" I say and he nods in agreement."So, he says taking out his phone." He has this cheesy smile on his face. "I put together a list of questions for us." He says and I get excited. I really missed spending time with him. We had a great thing and all of the fighting and backstabbing had ruined it.But being here with him, the stupid grin on his face beaming back at me. It all
"I'm so happy to meet you." Oliver's mother says getting up to hug me. I take in her beauty, poise and style as we embrace. She looks incredible. so well put together. I don't know if I can stop staring at her. I realize I have to eventually so it doesn't turn into anything weird. I don't want her to think I'm crazy"I'm happy to meet you too," I say finally finding my voice. I'm still nervous but a little at ease because of how sweet she is. She hugs Oliver and then we sit down."I've heard wonderful things about you." She says looking at me with a huge smile on her face. I look at her with such awe. I don't think I've seen her smile before and it's incredible how much her face changes."I hope I can live up to them," I say and she chuckles a little."Oh, no. There's nothing to live up to. You're perfect." She says and I smile not really sure what to say. "So, how are you?" She asks genuinely
"Do you think this is a good idea?" I ask Oliver when he opens the car door for me. I stare into his eyes hoping he changes his mind. I know I agreed to this but now that we're here I'm not so sure. "Yes, it's a very good idea." He says offering me his hand. "Don't freak out. It's going to be great." Oliver says when he sees my face."What if she doesn't like me?" I ask closing the door. We start walking and my legs feel like jelly below me. "What if I say the wrong thing?" I say and he smiles looking back at me. "You can never say the wrong thing." He says and I groan in frustration. I'm freaking out here and he's not taking me seriously. I don't think I'm ready to meet his family, let alone his mom. I've never met a boyfriend's mom. I was never in a serious relationship where it got to this point. What am I doing here? I don't belong here. "That's a lie. I put my foot in my mouth all the time. And I don't know if I can find the right words when I'm this nervous." I say trying to