HAUNTED || chris sturniolo

𝟎𝟐𝟖. you can't undo the past

CHAPTER 028 -
╰┈➤ ' you can't undo the past ' ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
「 real life 」

─ real life ᥫ᭡

THE AFTERNOON SUN HAD DIPPED LOWER, casting long shadows across the pavement as chris sat on the hood of his car, arms crossed tightly over his chest. zayn leaned against the side mirror, his posture relaxed as he scrolled lazily through his phone, the faint sound of music drifting from the device.

for a moment, neither of them said anything. the school parking lot was almost empty now, the distant hum of traffic the only sound breaking the silence. chris stared out at the horizon, his jaw tight and brows furrowed.

"she definitely hates me."

zayn didn't even look up from his phone. "she doesn't hate you, man."

chris's head snapped toward him, eyes sharp. "are we at the same hangout, zayn? did you not see the way she wouldn't even look at me unless she was actively trying to roast me alive with a single glance?"

zayn smirked, finally locking his phone and tucking it into his pocket. "that's not hate, chris. that's resentment. very different."

chris let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair before gripping the back of his neck. "is that supposed to make me feel better?"

zayn shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "hey, i'm just saying, hate is a strong word. adriana... she's hurt, yeah, and she's pissed off at you—understandably so—but if she hated you, she wouldn't have shown up today."

chris shook his head, his voice low and bitter. "that doesn't mean anything. cecelia probably dragged her there. or maybe she just wanted to prove that she could sit next to me without—without..."

"without what?" zayn prompted, one brow raised.

chris let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping forward. "without caring."

zayn tilted his head slightly, studying chris with an expression that chris couldn't quite read. for once, the usual teasing grin was absent.

"man, if she didn't care, she wouldn't be this upset. she wouldn't have shown up, she wouldn't have glared at you, and she definitely wouldn't have looked like she was about to fold in on herself every time there was silence between you two."

chris flinched slightly at zayn's words, turning his gaze down to his shoes. he could still see adriana sitting on the edge of that bench, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her shoulders hunched as if she was trying to make herself smaller.

"then what the hell am i supposed to do, zayn?" chris asked, his voice cracking slightly at the end. "i can't fix it. i can't go back and undo everything i said—everything i did."

zayn's expression softened. "you're not supposed to undo it, man. you can't. you can only... i don't know, show her that you're trying. that you're not just giving up because it's hard."

chris let out a hollow laugh. "yeah, well, it feels like every time i try to talk to her, i just make it worse. it's like... i open my mouth and the wrong thing comes out every single time. and then she looks at me like—like i'm a stranger. or worse, like i'm nothing."

the silence that followed was heavy, the weight of chris's words hanging between them. zayn shifted his weight, his hands still buried in his pockets, before he let out a quiet sigh.

"you know what your problem is?" zayn said, his voice softer now.

chris lifted his head, his brows furrowed. "please, enlighten me."

"you keep assuming it's over. like you've already lost. you walk around acting like every conversation with her is your last chance, and every word is going to be the thing that ruins it all forever. but man, adriana's still there. she's still showing up. she's still talking to you, even if it's awkward or clipped or sharp. if she hated you—actually hated you—she wouldn't be giving you the time of day."

chris swallowed hard, his throat suddenly tight. the ache in his chest felt sharper now, like something was pressing down on him from the inside out.

"but what if it's not enough?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "what if i'm just making it harder for her? what if she's only showing up because she feels like she has to?"

zayn shook his head, his lips pulling into a faint, knowing smile. "chris, you're an idiot, but you're not that clueless. adriana doesn't do things she doesn't want to do. if she's still here—if she's still letting you sit next to her, still showing up—it's because some part of her wants to."

chris stared at zayn, the words sinking into his chest and settling there, heavy but comforting. he hated how much sense they made.

"but if you keep walking around acting like you've already lost her," zayn continued, his voice firm now, "you're going to mess it up all over again. you need to stop tiptoeing around her like she's made of glass and just... be honest. be you."

chris let out a humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair. "being me is what got me into this mess in the first place."

"then be better," zayn said simply. "you can't undo the past, but you can stop letting it control what happens next."

for a moment, chris didn't say anything. he just stared down at his sneakers, his fingers tapping nervously against the hood of his car. the ache in his chest was still there, but it felt a little less suffocating now—like maybe there was a way forward, even if he couldn't see it yet.

"you know," zayn said, breaking the silence with a small grin, "for a guy who's usually so full of himself, you sure do love to spiral into self-loathing when it comes to adriana."

chris snorted despite himself, shaking his head. "shut up."

zayn grinned wider, bumping his shoulder lightly against chris's. "that's more like it. now, come on. cecelia's been blowing up my phone about ice cream for the past ten minutes, and if we don't show up soon, she's going to order half the menu out of spite."

chris let out a quiet laugh, finally pushing himself off the hood of his car. the weight on his chest was still there, but it felt just a little bit lighter now.

as they started walking toward zayn's car, chris shoved his hands into his pockets, his voice low but firm. "i'm not giving up. not yet."

zayn grinned, slinging an arm around chris's shoulders as they walked. "atta boy. now let's go before cecelia starts a war with the ice cream parlor."mom

for the first time in weeks, chris felt something that almost resembled hope. it wasn't much, but it was enough to keep him going.

evie speaks
we are getting somewhere!!!