Short Stories

Finding Myself

The place where we were supposed to meet was darker than I thought. Yes, the old bridge at the town's end sounded suspicious, but I knew every corner of this town.

The last time I stood under this bridge was when I was still in high school. 5 years later, and I am back here, standing at the same place I wished to never return to.

"Julia?" I turned to the voice that gave me goosebumps every time I heard it. Here he stood, the man I hated from the bottom of my heart.

"Hello, Nate."

"Thank you for seeing me. I know it was unexpected, but I need you to help me with something." he walked closer to me, so now I had to look up to see his eyes. His weak spot, which only I was aware of.

Back in our high school sweethearts phase, every time he lied, he turned his head to the side and ran his eyes all over the place to avoid my eye contact. Looks like old habits die hard.

"What is so mysterious that your girlfriend cannot help you with?" I asked. He looked nervous, which piqued my curiosity about the topic he was going to throw at me.

"Come back to me...Marry me." These words were like a slap across the face. I stood there, unable to move. All the memories we had together, good or bad, played in my head like a movie.

"Are you being serious right now?" I could not believe this was happening.

"Yes, like never in my life before," he said with a poker face.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Are you insane? After everything you have done to me? You have a girlfriend!" He has gone insane. That is the only explanation for his actions. I expected insults or jokes, but not this.

We fell in love in high school. Everything was perfect. We were at the top of the class and always competed against each other to see who would end up at the top. We took it like a friendly competition, nothing serious. Until one day, Zoe Parkinson turned this friendly competition into something more, and our relationship into broken pieces.

It was a week before our summer holiday. That whole week, Nate was acting strange, but I paid no mind to it. Maybe it was the stress, I told myself.

On Friday, we got our results from our final exam that year. I was first, and Nate got second place. Usually, he smiled and congratulated me. He felt happy when I had achieved something, even if he had to take second place.

This time, he did not even look at me. Since morning, I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

"First place again? Maybe if you cared more about your boyfriend and less about your score, he wouldn't need to run to somebody else." Zoe appeared in front of my desk with her annoying voice.

My head shot up with a shocking face painted all over it. "What are you talking about?"

Zoe smirked and replied, "Oh, Nate didn't tell you? We have been seeing each other for a couple of days now."

The emotions I felt in that moment were indiscernible, but what came next was even worse. 

I turned my attention to Nate, expecting him to deny everything that had been said a couple of minutes before. His response was just a short stare in my direction. He then got up and left the classroom.

I tried to call him, text him, and even sent him an email, but got no response. Looking for him at his house was also a failure; he went to his grandparents' for a holiday.

No note, no text or call, nothing. He left me with unanswered questions eating my mind day by day.

Days passed, and I still hadn't gotten an answer. I loved him and gave him everything I could to make him happy, and this is how it's going to end?