Tyler shifts beside me, and a quick glance in his direction shows his face change. As soon as the words leave my lips, I taste them—they taste just like the accusations he hurled at me when we broke up. About me accusing him of not fitting into the life I wanted.
I look between Jack and Tyler—the boy who abandoned meand the boy whoIabandoned, and the answer feels crystal clear, a sudden rush hitting me like a cool dousing of water. The unexpected wave of immediately knowing the right thing to do.
Tyler and I can’t be together—there are too many reasons it won’t work out—but that doesn’t mean I should be with Jack, either.
“How did you even know I was here?” My question is short and sharp, startling him.
Jack only falters for a second before straightening his spine and putting on the air of confidence that I’ve seen him practice before a mock trial meet. “I know you, Olive. You said in your message that you were leaving today, and I looked up the flight schedules. I remember you saying you like to be an early flier, and I had to find you and get the chance to say all of this before you left…” He trails off, and in the awkward silence, the three of us stand there, shifting on our feet. Jack looks crestfallen, the corners of his mouth drooping pitifully when he realizes this is a court case that he can’t win. Tyler looks and feels tense, his arm still protectively around my shoulder, ready to pounce in case Jack gets out of hand. And standing here in this airport, exhausted and not looking forward to a long flight and wrung out on the emotional whirlwind I experienced these last few days, I snap.
All of Jack’s reasons for wanting another chance—that I’m the one he planned his life with, his partner in crime, that I’m the one who helped him figure out his future dreams—none of those things have to do with love, or soulmates, or wanting to be together because hefeelsfor me.
It’s because, looking back on it now, Jack and I have always been better friends than we were partners. Somewhere along the way in our relationship, we’d reverted back to the comfortablerapport of those early days of dating, of being friends who pushed and encouraged each other to chase their dreams…without the romance behind it. And it happened without us even realizing it.
My mind flashes back to him and Lilly sprawled out on the dorm room floor.Or maybe he realized it already, butIhadn’t.
The realization is sharp and swift, and in that moment, I amsovery done.
“You’re out of chances,” I say with finality, lifting my chin and struggling to remain calm. “You ghosted me and probably wouldn’t have been upfront about your feelings for Lilly if I hadn’t flown all the way here and caught you.” I suck in a deep breath, channeling my heartbreak into anger as I continue. “I don’t want that life with you anymore, Jack. And if I’m being honest with myself, this hasn’t felt like a relationship for a while. You messed up with going behind my back, big-time, but as much as that sucks, it’s not the only reason. For as long as we’ve been together, it feels like I’ve been more of a prop for you to check ‘girlfriend’ off your to-do list than someone who you actually love.”Which is never how Tyler made me feel.My thoughts flash to him briefly, standing tall next to me and the muscles in his hands flexing, ready to come to my aid at a moment’s notice. Always being the strong, steadfast Tyler that I remember.
I steel myself for the final dagger, turning my attention back to Jack. “And now we’re done, for real. I meant it when I said I never want to see you again.”
But Jack isn’t taking no for an answer, anger and hurt warring on his face as he takes another step toward us. “Olive, please, give me one more chance to make it right and prove to you that I’ve changed—”
“How?” I interrupt, narrowing my eyes. “Please, enlighten me on how you’ve changed in the last two days.”
I don’t think Jack was expecting such a direct callout, because he flounders for a few seconds. “I, uh, I’m going to make more time for you, and call you more…” He trails off, looking lost andvery,very cornered.
“Wrong answer.” I jab my finger in the direction of the exit. “You need to go.”
“You heard her, Jack.” Tyler’s voice is tight and clipped through his gritted teeth. “She said you’re out of chances. I think it’s time you leave her alone.”
Now, in the year and a half that I’ve been with Jack, he’s never had a mean streak. He was a bit cocky, and snobby at times, and he has some shitty friends, but the anger on his face now, nearly purpling his expression, is an entirely new phenomenon for me to witness. He speaks through tight teeth, his words sharp and precise as he narrows his eyes on Tyler’s arm around me, seeming to register it for the first time. “What the fuck are you doing with my girlfriend, Tyler? Why are you even here?”
“Ex-girlfriend,” Tyler points out smugly, a hint of glee in his voice. I sense the oncoming bro battle and extract myself from his embrace gently, stepping aside. “I guess she’s both of our ex-girlfriend now, huh? Funny how things work out.” He levels Jack with a stare that turns my blood cold with tension. “Even the guys who think they deserve everything in life find themselves losing in the end.”
Jack clenches his jaw so tight that I’m surprised he doesn’t crack a molar.
“Oookaaaay,” I interject, stepping between both boys and raising my hands in anI come in peacegesture. “This is gettingway out of hand, and we aren’t a pack of lions in the savanna. I don’t need someone to stake their claim on me. Infact”—I turn and look at both Tyler and Jack individually—“I don’t belong to either of you. So cut this out.”
Tyler at least has the decency to look chastened. But Jack is still splotchy with rage.
“This is what you’ve been doing the past two days, Olive? Rebounding with Tyler Ferris? That loser you left behind?” He spits Tyler’s name out like it’s a dirty wad of gum stuck under his shoe, and I see Tyler wince in response. And there’s something about that, after everything that’s gone on the past few days, that sets me off. I take a step away from Tyler and toward Jack, jabbing a finger directly into the center of his chest and making him startle with surprise.
“First of all, howdareyou say his name like he’s beneath you. Just because he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth doesn’t mean he’s any less of a person than you are. In fact, he’s probably better. He’sdefinitelybetter.” I take a shaky breath, the words threatening to break me, but I force them out anyway, saying all the things that need to be said. “And second of all, you havenoright to show up here after I told you to leave me alone—which you probably thought was romantic but is definitely a little bit creepy—and then get angry at what you find. After you ignore me for weeks and then tell me that you’re basically falling in love with someone else, you of all people know you’re inzeroposition to have any opinions about me or my life choices. My life is not your business. You lost that privilege.”
Jack swallows. His expression has dulled from a sharp anger to more of a surprised resentment. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me.”
The laugh is out of my mouth before I can stop it. “You can’t believeIdid this toyou? First of all, I did nothing.”Except love you and show support for you and fly out here to surprise you like you surprised me now.And okay, maybe it’s not too creepy that he’s here, but it doesn’t mean I have to forgive him for wanting to hook up with another girl. And if I listen to my heart, I’m not even that upset about it, really, because it gave me a chance to connect with Tyler again—someone who is a real friend.
Or at least someone I hope becomes a real friend again.
Jack opens his mouth to retort, but before he can, I’m fueled with a rage to hurt him as badly as he hurt me. “Where’s Lilly, anyway? She didn’t want to accompany you for this?”
He rears back as if I’ve slapped him, and behind me, I hear Tyler murmur a quietdamn.
After gaping like a fish for a few seconds, Jack stumbles to find his words, wringing his hands nervously. “Lilly and I realized that maybe we aren’t a good fit for each other after all. We both knew that my heart really lies with you.”
I’m unimpressed and can’t help but laugh dryly. “Which translates to her dumping you because she realized you’re a sorry, slimy emotional cheater.”
