30. [Isabella]

510K 7.5K 2.8K
                                    

Four days.

The last time I saw Thomas was four days ago. It was Christmas Eve and I had barely talked to Thomas. Besides the good morning and good night texts, our interactions with one another ended there. Every time I asked him if he wanted to hang out, his typical reply would be, "Sorry. I'm really busy today." As much as I really hated to admit it, there was always a constant ache that comes and goes, returning tenfold with each passing rejection.

I never knew that missing someone could consume every fiber of your being, but now I do. It was definitely a torment I wasn't prepared for.

"Isabella!"

I looked up to see Alex as he poked his head in. I was thankful for the distraction. "Yeah?"

"Someone's at the door for you."

"Who?"

Maybe it was Jason. Ever since the time at the park together, he'd been showing up at my house lately. The sudden friendship was quite a shock at first, but hanging out with Jason was almost . . . comforting. The feeling was hard to describe, but every time I'm with him, I just feel complete—like we were once best friends.

"Don't know. Some guy. I think his name was Thomas?"

My heart thudded faster in my chest. "Did anyone see him?"

He shook his head. "No, he's still waiting outside."

"Thank g—"

"—but, I think John's downstairs. He said something about going outside earlier."

It took me less than a second to process that, and then I broke out into a run. Nearly knocking Alex as I passed him, I ran down the stairs going as fast as I could without falling.

"Don't you dare open that door!" I yelled when I saw my brother near the entrance of our doorway.

John paused in his steps as he heard my voice. "And why shouldn't I?"

"Because Thomas is out there!"

John stared at my face for what seemed like a long time. After a moment, he sighed and dropped his gaze. "Look. I promise I'm not going to hurt him. I just want to talk to him rationally."

My body stiffened. "No, you can't! He doesn't know I'm Isabella Ace."

John settled himself against the door. "I still don't understand why you're going through with this plan of yours."

"You know why."

"Bell. If you really wanted revenge, I could've beaten the hell out of him for you." He swung his leg up and demonstrated his boxing skills.

"I know, John, but I need to do this myself. I can't always depend on you for everything, you know?"

"Do you honestly think you'll get your revenge by breaking his heart though?" I felt a sharp, stinging blow to my chest at his remark. "Are your feelings for him even true?"

"Why are you bringing that up again?"

"If you really like him, how would you feel if you actually went through with it?" John asked.

"What do you mean? I'll feel happy . . . right?" My voice faltered momentarily. Somehow, that didn't sound right, even to me.

"I don't know, Bell," he finally said. "But, I would rethink this revenge plan of yours before someone ends up badly hurt."

Why did it sound like he was talking about me when he said that? I couldn't possibly end up hurt. I'm the one who's breaking up with him, not the other way around.

My High School Life [Rewritten - Ongoing]Where stories live. Discover now