FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

32 ➵ Reality Check

My breathe hitched, still not fathoming his words. "Greg told you all this?"

The boy nodded, simply.

"I knew that this was all my fault," my voice cracked, hand covering my mouth afraid I would break down in this very moment.

Every ounce of my body was thankful I didn't.

Corbyn's arm rested over my shoulder, a devastating look on his face. "Don't take these things to heart, Sienna. It's not even really about you anymore, it's just about your history with Daniel. It's nothing you can change."

"It's still all my fault, Corbyn." I pushed his arm away, another step back. "This doesn't just affect Daniel anymore, it affects everyone. I can't be the person constantly holding you guys back."

There was nothing he could say, because it was sadly all true. The sweet boy didn't want to admit it, but the silence was enough of an answer. They didn't choose me, Daniel did, and it wouldn't be fair for our relationship to affect them too. It would never sit right with me.

"You guys can't be pulling yourself apart because of me — I won't allow it."

Corbyn was calculating his answer carefully, unsure of which direction to take this conversation next. He chose the simpler route.

"Honestly, Sienna, it's been a long night. Get some sleep and we could all talk about this in the morning, okay? Please, don't stress over something you can't change."

I didn't push or argue, much to my dismay. I watched Corbyn walk slowly up the stairs, dread in his steps. Every fiber in me wanted to scream, stop, run across to him and cry. I just wanted to cry. Sometimes, the simplest words are the ones that hurt the most. The guilt was rooted too deeply into my system for me to go to bed, so I stood there, longing to finally fit in the puzzle.

Though, I wasn't sure that would even be possible.

My body retired to my old spot in the yard, regret all over my demeanor. Nothing ever worked out between the boy and I, so why did we keep on trying? We were going in circles, falling for each other over and over again, a constant spiral of old issues and the solutions that never really worked.

We were falling around each other, never quite reaching one another.

The sun kissed the moon goodbye, making me envious of their perfect love story. I was up too many hours to even count, insomnia being a close friend of mine. There was chatter in the household, finally being greeted by day, though none of them went down the stairs yet. I could hear faint music along with the shower faucet, making someone opened the window to the bathroom. It was a rap song I didn't really enjoy, ruining the harmony of my new outdoor acquaintance.

My legs reached their front door sooner than I imagined. I didn't realize that I should have left in the dead on night, taken the occasion of sneaking away for some serenity when no one was looking. I just needed time, time to clear my head, think away all the demented thoughts still being permanent residents throughout the night. I only hoped no one would stop me, but I had hoped for too much in that sense.

"Have you guys seen these articles?" a worried tone halted down the stares, right at my disposal.

Zach.

He gave me a sad smile, holding his phone closer to his chest. "Sorry, I thought everyone was downstairs already," he muttered, slowly inching his way back up the stairs.

"What articles?" I was defiant, stepping closer to him.

The Herron boy shook his head stiffly. "Sienna, I don't think you want to see them. Really, ignorance is bliss right now, okay?"