Ablaze

Twenty Four

Tears slip from my eyes, "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you but I just wasn't ready. I was actually going to tonight, but guess you beat me to it."

"Please, don't apologize, it's fine. I'm sorry for you... I mean... are you okay?"

It takes everything I have in me not to burst into tears, but I couldn't help it. She grabs me as soon as I let out the first sob, hugging me tightly. "It's okay, honey, I know... it sucks... you're gonna be okay." She repeats to me.

I finally pull away and wipe my wet face, "Sorry, I don't mean to cry all over you."

"Stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm your best friend, you can soak me in tears for all I care. Whatever helps you feel better." She wipes the tears away from my face, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Not really. But I know I should. I haven't said a word about it to anyone, so maybe talking about it will help.

It takes me a few minutes to catch my breath, but I'm finally able to."We... we got really close, and fell in love pretty fast. I was always told that it doesn't matter how long you've known a person, if you love them, you love them. That was true for me, and I thought it was for him, too. But I was wrong."

She holds my hands as I speak, comforting me without even having to ask. "He... he told me he didn't love me anymore."

"Oh, no..."

"I didn't believe him, at first. After what we had been through together, there was no way that could be true. And... and then..."

I start to get choked up again, but she rubs my back to help. "He told me that cheated on me." I say through a cracked voice.

Her face drops, going from a sympathetic look to anger. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah... he said he kissed this girl, and realized he wasn't in love with me... and then he fucked her."

The look on Akita's face is something I've never seen before, and to be honest it was kind of scary. She's usually very bubbly... but this look was something out of this world.

"I'm going to fucking kill him."

"No, please don't get angry, it's okay. At least he had the decency to tell me and didn't stay with me."

"You're seriously way too good of a person. How the hell could you possibly be defending him right now? After what he did?"

She's right.

I shouldn't be defending him right now. This wasn't my fault... at all. But all my life, I've just been so conditioned into thinking that everything was my fault... when it never was.

"So, this is why you haven't been coming to school?"

"Mhm..."

"And, let me guess— there was no "conflict" with your other class, right? You changed classes because you couldn't stand to see him."

"Yeah."

"That fucking asshole. He's ruining everything for you and he doesn't even fucking care. Yeah. He's dead. I'm killing him. This is so fucking unfair, Ash."