sunsets // m.c [DISCONTINUED]

chapter 8

Reese let out a soft breath. She knew he wasn't fine with it, but it still saddened her when he finally admitted it.

"I'm hurt," he added on, looking up at the moon. He felt a lump grow in his throat. "I'm hurt because Nate promised he wouldn't fuck around with my exes. I didn't expect Val to come back into the picture."

"Mitchel," Reese said, interrupting him as she adjusted herself. "I'm sorry if I'm forcing you to talk about all of this. If you don't want to, you don't have to, you know that?"

"I need to," he sighed. "I've been keeping everything in about Val that it's been so unhealthy for me. I know you and I don't know each other well, which is why this whole thing could be weird, but this could probably help. And I don't want you to worry about me considering we aren't even close or anything. So don't think too much about what I say."

Reese sighed, looking Mitchel in the eyes under the bright moon. "Okay, I won't." With that, Mitchel took that as a signal to proceed and talk. Well, here goes nothing, he thought to himself.

"Over a year ago, Val and I started dating. She and I grew fond of each other and were practically inseparable. We had a love that I thought would last, and I'm sure she did too," Mitchel said, staring at the pavement beneath him. He couldn't look at the girl next to him as she listened. "We had our ups and downs, but who didn't?" The Australian laughed softly, recalling the memory of when they'd fight but make up not too long after.

Reese noticed he stopped talking. She looked over at him and noticed his expression became angry, but also hurt. His eyebrows were furrowed, his lip in a hard, thin line, his breathing slowly quickening. Before Reese knew it, Mitchel had tears streaming down his eyes, but he didn't bother wiping them away. He just let it flow.

"Mitchel," Reese started slowly and quietly, hesitating to put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay."

"I just don't get it," he replied, his voice raising as it quivered. "I don't understand why someone would be so cruel."

"What did she do?" Reese asked, regretting it soon after. "I mean, don't tell me if you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Mitchel sniffled. "You didn't threaten me. You didn't do anything to me." Reese tilted her head, wondering what Valentina could have done to this poor boy.

Mitchel lied down on the pavement and stared at the sky. Every memory they had came flowing back in, causing his heart to race. He began to zone out as silence was the only thing between him and Reese. The brown eyed girl didn't know how to comfort Mitchel, or what else to say to him. She looked around the neighborhood as she thought to herself.

It took a few moments before she turned her head to look at him. She saw how broken he was because of whatever happened between him and the short, black haired girl.

"I don't know what else to say," she chuckled softly, licking her lips. "I'm so sorry about whatever happened between you two. Maybe one day, you'll be able to fix things?"

"No, absolutely fucking no," Mitchel said loudly, scoffing as he did so. "I don't want her in my life anymore. I don't want anything to do with that bitch. I hate that she's with one of my closest friends, I hate that she's back into the picture. I've been trying to forget her for months, but it hasn't worked one single bit despite me trying. She's done some shit to me but I still can't seem to get her out of my head."

Reese was taken back by his sudden explosion on her and sat in silence. She was speechless. She didn't know what more to say considering she hasn't gone through what he has. She doesn't understand what it's like to be in a relationship, to be in love with someone, to have an attachment to someone else. She didn't understand, making it harder for her to try and help as much as she wanted to.