HAUNTED || chris sturniolo

𝟎𝟏𝟎. stupid love letter

CHAPTER 010 -
╰┈➤ ' stupid love letter ' ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
「 real life 」

─ real life ᥫ᭡

THE CAFETERIA BUZZED WITH THE USUAL FRIDAY LUNCH ENERGY, students laughing, silverware clattering, the low hum of conversations bouncing off the walls. chris was at his usual table, absently picking at his sandwich while his friends argued over weekend plans. his mind kept drifting to the letter he'd slipped into adriana's locker. what would she think when she read it? would it remind her of what they'd once shared, enough to want to try again? he imagined her expression, maybe a smile, maybe the soft look she used to give him when she thought no one was watching.

but then, as if summoned by his thoughts, the cafeteria quieted. chris glanced up, his heart stuttering. adriana stood at the entrance, her expression a storm of anger and hurt. whispers began rippling through the crowd, heads turning, conversations stopping mid-sentence. the letter, crumpled and worn from what looked like hours of clenching and unclenching, was clutched tightly in her hand.

chris's stomach twisted. every instinct told him to look away, to pretend this confrontation wasn't about to happen. but he couldn't tear his gaze from her. she was already marching toward him, her eyes locked on his. she looked furious, and beneath that anger, he saw pain he hadn't fully understood until now.

before he could process what was happening, she was standing over him, arms crossed, her knuckles white around the letter. "you really thought this was a good idea, didn't you?" she said, her voice low and seething, yet sharp enough to cut through the air and turn every head within earshot.

chris felt himself shrink under her glare. he cleared his throat, scrambling for words. "adriana... i... i didn't think you'd—"

"read it?" she interrupted, her tone mocking as she raised the crumpled letter in his face. "of course i read it. i read every single word. and all i could think was, who do you think you are?"

the words landed like a slap, but chris tried to keep his voice steady. "i just wanted you to know how i feel. things weren't supposed to end like they did."

adriana's laugh was harsh, edged with bitterness that sent a chill through him. "oh, now you're suddenly filled with regret? you ended things with me, chris. you're the one who walked away." her voice grew louder, and the entire cafeteria fell silent, watching.

heat crept up his face, but he tried to stay calm. "i know. i messed up. i thought—"

"you thought what? that you could just come back whenever you wanted?" she interrupted, her tone rising. "like you could ignore me for months and then drop some stupid love letter and expect me to fall into your arms?" her voice broke slightly, and he saw her struggle to keep her composure, setting her jaw as she glared down at him.

chris felt everyone's gaze boring into him, yet he couldn't look away from her. "it wasn't like that. i've missed you, adriana. i thought you'd want to know that."

adriana's eyes flashed, her lips twisting into a disbelieving smile. "missed me?" she echoed, her voice thick with incredulity. "you 'missed' me so much you started spending time with my dad? playing 8 ball pool with him behind my back like we're still together?"

chris's stomach dropped. she knew. "that wasn't... i didn't mean for it to be weird. i just—your dad and i, we got along, and..."

"and what?" her voice was sharp as a knife, cutting him off. "you think that's normal? just inserting yourself back into my life without even asking me how i feel? i bet he thinks you're this perfect, sweet guy who just made a mistake." she lifted the letter slightly, as if to remind him of what he'd written, her fingers pressing into the paper so hard it began to crumple further. "but he doesn't know that you're the one who walked away from me, who made me feel like i wasn't enough."

the cafeteria had gone silent, the attention of the entire room trained on them. chris's friends watched, stunned, but no one intervened. he looked around, feeling the weight of everyone's stares, then returned his gaze to her, guilt churning in his chest. he knew he couldn't say anything to justify what he'd done, but he tried anyway. "i know i hurt you. i... i didn't handle things the way i should have, okay? i thought i was doing the right thing at the time."

adriana's eyes narrowed, the pain there barely concealed by her anger. "so now that you're suddenly ready to 'handle things,' i'm just supposed to forget how you made me feel? like i was some disposable part of your life? you hurt me, chris. you don't get to decide when it's convenient for you to come back."

he took a step closer, trying to lower his voice as his hands reached out, hoping to calm her down. "i'm trying to fix things, adriana. i know i can't take back what i did, but i want to make it right."

but adriana shook her head, her expression hardening. "you can't just undo this. you don't get to waltz back into my life and expect me to open up just because you feel guilty now." her words were slow and deliberate, each one landing with a weight that left him breathless.

the crowd around them seemed to inch closer, leaning in, hanging on every word. he caught a few sympathetic glances, but mostly, people were riveted by the drama. he realized, in that moment, he was fully exposed, no longer in control of the narrative. he was just a guy who had hurt someone, laid bare for everyone to see.

before chris could respond, adriana thrust the crumpled letter hard against his chest, her knuckles brushing against him as she forced it into his grip. the paper felt cold and damp from her clenched fist, the weight of everything he'd said and everything she'd felt pressed into a single, crumpled page.

"this letter isn't an apology, chris. it's just another way to put yourself first." her voice was a mere whisper now, laced with finality. she released her hold and let her hand drop, her gaze piercing as she met his eyes one last time.

chris felt as though his entire world was caving in. he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come. all he could do was watch as she turned, her head held high, and strode out of the cafeteria without a second glance. her back was straight, her strides unflinching, as if she were leaving not just him, but the weight of everything they'd been.

the room was silent for a beat longer, everyone frozen in the wake of what they'd just witnessed. his face burned as he clutched the crumpled letter in his hands, his mind still reeling. he could still feel her touch where she'd pressed it against him, a final, damning gesture he knew he'd remember long after today.

finally, zayn broke the silence, nudging chris's shoulder gently. "that... didn't go like you hoped, did it?"

chris shook his head slowly, the weight of regret settling over him, crushing and unavoidable. "no. no, it didn't." he looked down at the crumpled letter, feeling the full force of his actions settle like a stone in his stomach.

he knew then that some things, once broken, couldn't be mended with just words.

evie speaks
...