CHAPTER 13: BREAKING POINT
779 Words
By Tuesday, I couldn’t take it anymore.
It was the little things that did it, the way Marissa linked her arm through his in the hallway, the way Adrian didn’t pull away. The way everyone started whispering about them like they were already official.
And maybe they were.
The thought gnawed at me all morning, each class dragging like wet sand. By the time lunch rolled around, I’d barely eaten, my stomach tight with something heavier than hunger.
Adrian found me under the oak tree, the same one where we’d once shared chips and laughter. Only today, I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
“Hey, stranger,” he said, sliding down beside me. “Haven’t seen you much lately.”
“I’ve been busy,” I muttered.
He frowned. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
The words landed like a dart. I looked away, watching the sun splinter through the leaves. “You’ve been… with Marissa a lot.”
There was silence. Then, softly: “Is that what this is about?”
I turned on him, the dam breaking. “Of course it’s about that, Adrian! You don’t even notice, do you? The way you look at her, the way you let her have everything that used to be ours. The swings, the jokes, the time, everything.”
His brows knit together, his voice calm but firm. “Summer, she’s just a friend.”
“Friends don’t look at each other like that,” I shot back, my voice trembling. “And you don’t see what it’s doing to me.”
The words hung between us, sharp and messy. Adrian stared at me, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to piece something together.
“Summer,” he said slowly, “why didn’t you just tell me sooner?”
I froze. My throat ached with all the things I hadn’t said. The late nights. The almost-kiss. The way his smile had stitched itself into my chest.
“I was scared,” I admitted, my voice breaking. “Scared you wouldn’t feel the same. Scared I’d lose you.”
His shoulders softened, his expression caught between sadness and something else I couldn’t name.
“You could never lose me,” he whispered.
But even as he said it, I wasn’t sure if it was true.
The bell rang, saving us, or maybe damning us.
We walked back in silence, the distance between us thicker than ever.
At his locker, he turned to me. “Can we talk after school? Just us. No distractions.”
I nodded, though my chest still ached. “Okay.”
He smiled faintly, like he wanted to reassure me. But all I could think was: If he says he doesn’t feel the same, I don’t know how I’ll survive it.
The hours crawled by. Each tick of the clock pulled me closer to something I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
When the final bell rang, my heart nearly beat out of my chest.
I found him waiting at the swings, alone. Relief rushed through me just to see him there, just to see that he’d kept his word.
We sat in silence for a long time, the creak of the chains the only sound.
Finally, Adrian spoke.
“Summer, you’re one of the most important people in my life. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”
My breath caught. “But?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “But I don’t know what I feel right now. About you. About Marissa. About… everything.”
The ground shifted beneath me.
“You don’t know?” I repeated, my voice raw. “After everything we’ve shared, you don’t know?”
His eyes flicked to mine, guilty, conflicted. “I care about you, Summer. More than anyone. But caring and knowing… they’re not the same.”
And that was the breaking point.
Tears blurred my vision, hot and unrelenting. “Then maybe I was right. Maybe I’ve just been making up a story where you’re the hero, and I’m the girl you were supposed to fall for.”
“Summer...”
I stood abruptly, my voice shaking. “I can’t do this anymore. Not if I’m the only one who believes in us.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I ran, the swing chains rattling in my wake, my sobs swallowed by the evening wind.
That night, I lay awake staring at the ceiling, my heart in pieces.
The truth was out. I’d said it all. And yet, somehow, it felt like I’d lost him anyway.
I wished the season would end.
Because maybe when it did, the ache in my chest would finally end too.
- Writer
