The Other Half // The Half of It - Netflix // Ellister / Assie Fanfic //

Sparky's Diner

Little late on the update, but here it is. A bit longer than previous chapters, BUT, I hope you still enjoy this bit. Enjoy!

In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you – Jane Austen

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"Aster, you have to come back, we had a deal. You are to marry me and be my wife, I have talked to your dad about this and promised him. I promise, I'll be a different man."

I rolled over to the side of my bed and picked up my phone. The sight of Trig Carson's name on my phone nauseated me. My heart felt heavier than it already is and there's nothing I can think of that could get him to lay off.

"Trig, I am not marrying you. I can't and it will never happen." I replied even though I know that he was stubborn and will never take no as an answer. As expected, when he replied, I felt like I just wanted to disappear, change my name and runaway to a place where I can restart my life. I don't want to be the Aster Flores that anyone can push around and hurt very willingly.

"You are going to regret this, Aster" I sighed. It couldn't get any worse than this, can it? I switched my phone off and attempted to fall asleep.

But I couldn't. The disappointment on my dad's face, the hurtful look on mom's face, being with Paul just to be sure of what I feel and the defeated look on Ellie's face when I told her about my relationship with Paul. I have caused nothing but pain to everyone around me, I have hurt and pushed everyone away just because I wanted to find who I really am. Was I being selfish and unfair? All I know that I have been nothing but a burden, especially to my own family.

Tears started rolling down my face without realizing how much I have been feeling. This is going to be a really long night of ordeal, I sighed and sobbed quietly into my pillow.

-

I pulled up at Sparky's diner and headed inside, quickly spotting a brown-haired boy with a girl wearing flannel and her glasses, knowing that it must be Paul and Ellie. I quickly walked over to their booth and was greeted by Paul "Hey! Come on, sit!" he says very excitedly. I waved at him and looked over at Ellie who seems quite flustered or uncomfortable, I wouldn't know.

"Hi" I smiled at her and she returned the same gesture. "Ellie was just talking about Grinnell and something about the power of habits? I don't really get it but you know, yeah." Paul chimed in trying to continue where they left off.

"Oh, the power of habits huh? So, you managed to find a new perspective in life with habits?" I asked, curious about which habits that she has changed and why? It is almost impossible to find any flaw in someone who dedicated her life to helping almost anyone she came across in her life.

"Uhm, yeah. I realized that our identity as a person and our habits are what completes us as a person. Even though there are things that we hate about ourselves or think that we lost control of what we call, "life", we can always change our habits and learn to take that control back. It's just something I realized back in Iowa, something that I believe in." completely taken aback to what she said, I am lost for words. In the span of two years, she managed to find something great to believe in and built herself from it, while here I am, still trying to figure out what I am supposed to do.

"That sounds great, Ellie. I'm so glad that you figured it all out in Iowa" I told her and Paul still looking confused, Ellie laughed at his face, completely clueless to what she just had said.

"It's technically replacing your bad qualities into good qualities" she dumbed it down just so Paul could understand what she was trying to explain. "And uhm yeah, thanks" barely keeping an eye contact with me. Before I could speak up, the waitress served us our food.