Boy Band Games: Why Don't We Edition ✓

S2: 51 | She Let Me Go

"Tell me now, is that the sound of all that we were building? Crashing down,   all around us, and we never saw it coming."— Keshi, Us

Chapter Fifty-one
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THE WIND WAS softly blowing my face in its cold swift embrace as I walked towards the bench at the back of the cabin. It was eerie. The sky was pitch black, with stars littering all over it. It was as if there wasn't any snow that fell from it hours before. But the obvious tracks of white ice particles covering the ground was clear evidence that there had been snow.

It's been several hours since Jordan and I had come back to the cabin from our date. When we did, everyone was already in bed, asleep. Usually, some of them would be awake at that hour but maybe the snowy games this morning tired them out.

Jordan was sleeping in our room, together with the abundant amount of presents I had gotten everyone for New Year's Eve that was to come tomorrow. It's currently the 30th, and I really can't wait for it to be 2021— with the lot of things that happened to me this year and all.

I reached the bench and started wiping off whatever snow or remnants of ice was on it so I could sit. It was damp from all the cold but I could care less. The amount of clothing I had on was enough to keep my bottom dry.

I sat on the bench and lightly sighed as I gazed up on the stars that were looking back down at me.

At this time of the night, the dark is filled with my late night thoughts.

Daniel's tantalizing glare at me hours ago constantly bugged me.

It was as if I caused him pain. Not the whole breaking-the-band-apart pain, but the Lotte-broke-my-heart kind of pain. I feel like I did something wrong, but I can't put my finger on it.

Seeing his hurt expression that he always hurriedly covers with indifference pains me so much. I want to ask him why he's hurt— what I did to him so I could make it right. But I can't. It's like a needle is stuck to my heart and I can't pull it out because if I do, I'll die.

I silently sighed.

Corbyn's angered eyes that didn't seem to have a trace of the fun guy I once knew in them also bothers me.

I don't know where it all went wrong.

With Corbyn, I mean.

Did our friendship get jeopardized because of his... feelings for me?

If this is love, I don't want it.

I want the old us back.

When we were back at the bench in the backyard of the Boy Band Games house, gazing at the stars, talking and laughing about the craziness of it all.

When we were having the most fun together, sharing food and having phenomenal pillow fights.

When we were.. us.

Alexa, play Us by Keshi please, and thank you.

I sighed, looking down from the stars and all of a sudden finding my sock-clad feet more interesting than them.

Suddenly I saw something move from far south. Someone was walking up along the stone paths back to the backyard. My eyes squinted together as I tried to see who it was. The lone figure was clad in winter clothes that kept them warm as they walked.

It wasn't long until they came into view, the moonlight shone on the part of their face that was left out of their coat hood's coverage.

"Zach?"

His eyes snapped towards me immediately. My heart punctured when I saw his tear-streaken red cheeks and puffy red eyes. His nose was red, and he was silently sniffling, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying probably minutes before he had decided to come back to the cabin.

"Lotte." He rasped out in shock. His voice sounded so.. tired.

My eyebrows scrunched together as I looked at the boy who looked so broken. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and forced out a humorless laugh. "Oh—nothing." He sniffled."I'm getting frostbite from the cold, that's all."

"But you're crying." I pointed out.

He paused, looking up at me.

"I'm your friend, Zach." I pursed my lips. "You can tell me anything."

He looks so... vulnerable.

Chocolate brown eyes were looking at me with pain swimming in his orbs. It was like I was staring into a dark abyss of hurt, anguish, and fear.

I stood up and walked over to the broken boy. I held his arm and pulled him to walk with me to the bench. He sat down, and so did I.

"You can tell me." I rubbed his back. "I'll listen."

"Or you can just keep it to yourself." I also offered. "I'll stay here and keep you company. You can cry, I won't judge."

He stayed silent and I did too. If he's comfortable with silence, I'm perfectly cool with that. He can cry all he wants, and I won't judge him.

If there's one thing I know about Zach, it's that he's noisy. He always is. There is never a time that he is this quiet so the phenomenon really scares me. This means that there's something really serious going on in this jokester's life that none of us know of.

We were all caught up in our own lives and how Zach's role was just to spice it up with his jokes and innuendos that we forgot one thing— he has his own problems. He's dealing with his own demons while he helps all of us fight ours. He's all alone.

"It's Trina." He managed to say after a few silent minutes. His voice sounded so vulnerable.

I pulled him to my chest and hugged him. He clutched onto me for dear life and I couldn't bring myself to pull away from my best friend.

"I'm scared, Lotte." The dam broke. He started sobbing uncontrollably. His chest was rumbling with every sob and word that he was saying.

"W-What if she d-dies?" He hiccuped..

I continuously rubbed his back to comfort him. "She won't die, Zach. Trina is strong."

He pulled away from me and I did the same. His red puffy eyes stared at me brokenly.

"Then why did she break up with me?"

I froze, looking at him in disbelief.

He weeped onto the palm of his hands and sobbed. He was breathing unevenly and I was just stuck there frozen.

She.. broke up with him?

How?

I voiced out my thoughts and Zach looked at me. "She called me this afternoon."

He hiccuped and a small smile graced his face. "She said she stole her phone to talk to me."

I looked at the boy, suddenly feeling pity for him. He seemed to be really excited that she called and.. she just broke up with him.

That doesn't sound like Trina at all.

Trina won't do that unless..

"She told me she has three months left to live."

Unless something's really wrong.

My heart fell and I felt myself losing the ability to breathe.

"She.." I trailed off, my mouth dry and my lungs frozen. ".. what?"

The information struck me like a wrecking ball. Trina.. dying? The thought never crossed my mind. I know she's a strong girl. She'll make it through this... right?

My eyes followed the guy who used to be all smiles and jokes— watching him break down and cry because of the girl he loved. Not because she did him wrong but... but because she was dying.

"And she doesn't want me to get hurt when she dies." He continued retelling the story, sobbing. "So she.."

"She let me go."

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