What's a Mutant?

Chapter Forty

              “What are you doing in here?” he asked.

              “Reading,” I replied dully.

              Hank gave me a knowing look. “I have been sitting across the room for a good twenty minutes working on some things and I know that you have not turned the page this whole time.”

              I let out a long sigh. “Listen, it’s not exactly something I want to talk about. I just have a lot on my mind and it’s quiet in here.”

              He nodded. “I understand, but I can’t help noticing how you have seemed in thought a lot lately. I know it is none of my business –“

              “Hank, it’s fine, really,” I said softly. “I consider you a friend. Yes, I have had a lot on my mind lately. No, talking about it is not what I want to really do at the moment, but I appreciate the concern. The truth is, I need to stop sitting here and stressing about things and go do something about them. This problem is not one I want to confront, though.”

              “And you don’t want to talk about it?” he asked, clearly not believing me since I had just brought it up.

              I thought for a moment. Maybe he could help me work it out and figure out how to talk to Sean about how I felt without hurting his feelings. But would he tell other people? Hank and I didn’t really talk much, yet he seemed rather trustworthy. It’s not like about weren’t going to find out about it anyway. Still, he would keep the secret.

              “If a girl was going to break up with you, how would you want her to go about it?” I asked.

              Hank seemed taken aback by my question. He looked at me, with his mouth open for a few moments before finally closing it and answering. “Well, personally, I would rather her not break up with me at all.”

              I could not keep the laugh in. The way he said it was so blatant and honest that it was rather amusing.

              “Well obviously,” I with a laugh, then straightened up, “though seriously, while I understand there is no way around the girl hurting you, what could she say to make it better?”

              “Honestly, nothing.”

              I opened my mouth to protest, but shut it and looked down.

              “If she is going to break up with me, and especially if she is anything like you, it is going to break my heart in two. Anything she says to try and make it better, I will just not hear.”

              “Oh.” That was all I could manage. The news of this made me feel even worse than I had before. Maybe asking Hank was a bad idea after all.

              “But,” he said then stopped.

              I looked up at him. “But?”

              “I clearly care about this girl, and I would rather her tell me she has a problem with the relationship and let me know instead of suffer. If she is so unhappy that she wants to end it, there is no avoiding it, and I would rather her tell me cleanly before things get too bad.”

              “Good point,” I sighed. “I need to tell him, but…”

              “You still love him and don’t want to do anything to hurt him,” Hank said.