I read it again. This time out loud.
“That’s it?” I yell at the phone.
There’s no explanation, no emojis, no nothing?
My heart plummets. I stare until the words start to run together. I scroll, looking for another message…for something… but that’s it, fourteen words and she ends things just like that.
Is this a joke? Some sick April Fool’s thing?
Only it’s two weeks late and not funny at all. Something ugly sets in my stomach…panic, anger, or both. For a second I just sit there, waiting for her to text back. “Just kidding. I need to see you.”
But nothing comes.
I pull on yesterday’s jeans and T-shirt from the floor, I don’t even bother with socks. I’m shoving my arms into my jacket before my brain catches up. I’m out the door and in the truck, tires screeching before the engine’s even warm.
The city at this hour is washed-out, empty. I blow through stop signs, barely looking at the lights, pulse thudding in my ears so loud I barely hear my own pissed-off muttering. The address pops up on the nav, but I don’t need it. I could drive to April’s house in my sleep.
In my head, I run through every possible reason she’d bail. Her sisters? Another one of their jokes? Maybe April woke up regretting things. Maybe I came on too strong. Maybe none of this was real, not for her. My jaw clenches so hard it aches.
Her street is lined with well-manicured hedges and cars with college bumper stickers. I park crooked, engine still rumbling, and then I see her.
She’s on the porch, backpack slung over one shoulder. Hoodie, skinny jeans, hair pulled back tight. Her head is down, eyes glued to the crack in the cement, but I know her walk.
My chest squeezes.
She doesn’t look up as I slam my door. I nearly slip, shoes skidding over wet grass. Cold dew soaks through the sneakers, but I don’t slow down.
She’s maybe three steps from her car when I cut in front of her, and she startles, hand flying to her chest.
“What the hell?” Her voice comes out sharp, but it’s paper-thin.
I don’t even care that her neighbors are probably watching, eyeing me like some kind of psycho. My hand finds her arm, right above the elbow. Her skin feels ice-cold.
“April, what the fuck is going on? You can’t just…” I shut my mouth before my voice cracks. “Talk to me. Tell me what happened.”
She tries to pull her arm free, but I’m not letting go, not yet.
“It’s over, Ben.” She finally looks me in the face, but her eyes slide right past mine, staring at something in the distance. “Just… leave it alone.”
Bullshit.
Everything in her posture screams she’s about to run, but I step between her and the car, blocking the door.
“Why?” My voice is raw. “I deserve that much. Tell me why.”
Her throat bobs. For a second, I swear she’s gonna break, maybe even cry. But then she squares her shoulders, lips pressed together so tight the color drains out of them.
“There’s someone else.”
The words sucker-punch me. Silence rings out, sharp as a car alarm. I let go of her arm, stagger back half a step. My head feels hollow, weirdly light.
She flinches. Her hands are shaking where she clutches her backpack strap. For a second she looks like she might say something else, but then her face goes tight. She jams the key into her car and slides into the driver’s seat.
The engine comes to life, but she doesn’t look up, not once. I stand dumbstruck in the driveway, watching as she guns it out of there, taillights streaking red down the sleepy street.
I don’t even feel the cold until she’s gone.
The neighbors keep peeking out their windows, expecting a scene. Guess I already made one…pacing, fists clenched, looking like a total lunatic. But I can’t get her last words out of my head.
