You were sitting on a trolley in the janitor’s closet, pouring your heart out to Tori.
From Jade’s proposal to fake-date her, to falling in love with her unexpectedly, and then the moment when she received Beck’s message.
Everything you had bottled up for so long was finally spilling out, and as terrifying as it was to admit to these feelings, it was a relief to finally tell one of your friends about this.
At least now, one person at school knew what you were going through.
Tori listened silently, letting you unload everything.
When you finished, she pulled you into a comforting hug, still saying nothing.
“I just don’t get it, Liv. She looked so in love with you. She still does. None of this makes any sense,” she said, confusion and concern lacing her voice.
You shrugged. “Well, it happened, didn’t it? Whether it makes sense or not doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”
“But Liv—” she began, but you cut her off.
“No, Tori. Just leave it. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I just want to be distracted for a bit,” you said honestly.
Even if Tori might be right, you weren’t ready to hear it.
Not now, at least. Maybe once you got over everything, she could tell you why it didn’t make sense, but right now, you just needed to do something, anything, to clear your mind.
“Okay, I get it. I’m sorry about all of this, Liv. I can tell how much you like her,” she said softly.
You sighed. “It’s alright, Tori. It’s not your fault.”
She looked at you, contemplating for a few seconds before speaking. “How about we get out of here for today? Maybe grab some coffee and then head to my place to binge our favourite movies?”
You smiled. Tori was such a good friend.
“I would actually love that. Fuck this stupid place,” you said.
Together, you walked outside to your car.
On the way, you passed your friend group.
You could feel Jade’s eyes burning into you as you climbed into your car.
You tried to ignore it, but it was difficult.
Your heart ached for her, but there was nothing you could do.
Tori grabbed her phone and plugged it into the aux, blasting upbeat songs and singing along.
Keeping your eyes on the road, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself.
Maybe you didn’t have Jade, and even though that was hard right now, you were surrounded by people who loved and cared for you.
—
As you and Tori walked out of Jet Brew, you felt your phone buzz in your back pocket.
You checked the message, and to your surprise, it was from Jade.
It read: “Why did you and Tori leave?”
No “Hey,” no “How are you?” No “I’m sorry for breaking your heart.”
Just a stupid question, which wasn’t really her business anyway.
Apparently, Tori thought it was a ridiculous question too, because she snatched your phone and tossed it into her bag.
“No talking to Jade right now. This afternoon is about forgetting her, and that’s impossible if you’re texting her.”
She was right.
Even though you wanted nothing more than to reply, you knew you had to let her go.
But that was easier said than done.
Normally, you spent almost every moment with Jade.
Even when you needed some space, which was rare, you were still with her for at least a few hours each day.
The rides to and from school were precious to you, those quiet moments before or after the chaos, where it was just the two of you, enjoying each other’s presence.
Whether you talked the whole time or sat in comfortable silence, it didn’t matter.
You were always at ease with her, no matter where you were.
Even in places where your anxiety would normally spike, places you’d rather avoid, Jade’s presence made you feel safer in a way you’d never experienced before.
It wasn’t just because she was extremely protective, scaring off anyone who dared to look at you the wrong way.
It was deeper than that.
Like no matter what happened, as long as she was there, you’d be okay.
But you knew what you had to do.
You had to forget about Jade.
Forgetting her was the only way forward.
Comment