“Oh, no. Do you need anything?”
“I’m okay. But I don’t want to give you anything, so don’t come too close.”
“Fine, but I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit. Text if you need something.”
I muster up a smile. “Thanks.”
When she leaves, I put my pillow over my face and sob.
A loud ping makes me stir, and I roll over. I must have cried myself to sleep. I have no idea what time or day it is. I grab my phone and sit up, my heart skipping a beat seeing Penn’s name on the screen.
Penn:
Make it home safe?
It’s 11:43 p.m. Of course, I made it home. He thought my flight was at 9:00 a.m., and he’s justnowchecking on me? He’s never gone this long without texting me, not since we started this whole thing. Tears threaten again, but instead of responding, I turn my phone off and fight sleep the rest of the night. Once I drag myself from bed, my body feels sluggish, taking every bit of my energy just to shower. When I’m done I reply to Penn’s multiple texts only because he hasn’t stopped calling, and if he hears my voice, he’ll know something’s wrong.
Olivia:
I’m home. Not feeling well.
I’m not ready to talk to him yet. Now that I’ve had some time to sit with my feelings, I’ve decided I’m over it. We both knew what this was. It was fun, but it was never meant to last. We’re too different, on different paths in life, and now maybe leaving won’t be so soul-crushing.
I knew we were moving too fast, but I jumped right in and didn’t look back.No regrets!
I let him have my heart, even if he didn’t know, and my body. But he got bored, like I knew he would.
Penn:
You okay? Want me to bring you some soup?
Olivia:
No, thank you. I might be contagious.
Penn:
Barbie, I do not care. Call me when you can. We play downtown tonight. If I don’t answer I’ll call you after.
Great.
My lip trembles, but I don’t bother responding, opting to snag a granola bar and force myself to eat before class so I don’t pass out.
I spend hours at the library, not ready to go home. My whole body feels numb, inside and out. Penn texted again to check on me earlier, but I turned my phone off. I’ll talk to him eventually. I just need time to figure out what I’m going to say. Do I tell him what I saw? Give him a chance to come clean? Maybe I should ghost him. No, that would never work. He knows where I live.
When I shove through the library doors, I’m pushed right back by something hard. I stumble, losing my grip on my books, and they scatter across the pavement.
“Oh, damn. I’m sor—Liv?”
Once I regain my balance, I glance up and find Chad standing there. Awesome, this day just keeps getting better.
“I’m sorry. Here.” He crouches down, grabbing my books before I have the chance.
“Thanks.”
“How are you?”
I take my books and step away from the door. “Fine.” I haven’t seen or spoken to him since Penn punched him. I was hoping I could avoid him until graduation.
