• it's time to get out •
-
two weeks later
daniel had barely eaten or moved, he only left his room for meetings and when the boys forced him to eat. his anxiety was also high due to everything overwhelming him.
nova didn't leave the house. it was summer so she didn't have any classes, and carlee brought her food and necessities.
carlee had been really sweet about everything, giving her space but today was the day she insisted nova got out of the house.
they were just gonna go to the mall and do some shopping.
nova slipped on a black cropped tank top and some sweats, not bothering to do her makeup or hair.
"you ready?" carlee asked the girl once she entered the living room.
"i guess." she sighed before the girls left in carlee's car.
carlee was looking through a sweatshirt rack and nova was looking at a pair of jordan's when someone called her name, making her heart drop.
"nova! hey it's so nice too see you." anna exclaimed, walking up to the girl.
she probably doesn't know yet. nova thought.
"hey anna. you too." she replies softly, sending the younger girl a soft smile.
"bring daniel over to the house sometime, mom is always talking about never getting to see him." she said. nova almost broke at just hearing his name.
"anna, daniel and i- we broke up." she replied, her voice breaking.
anna was shocked but immediately engulfed nova in a hug.
"what'd he do? i'll kill him." she said into the hug and nova shook her head.
"it's what he didn't do." she looked at her feet as they pulled away. "but don't blame him, he just got carried away and i couldn't handle it anymore."
"i do blame him." she said. "but i won't mention it. so when did it happen, if you don't mind me asking."
"two weeks and 3 days ago." she answered.
"i'm sorry, nova." anna said with sympathetic eyes.
"it's okay, i'm doing okay. i left the house." she smiled small, gesturing around the store.
"call me if you need anything, you're still family." anna rubs nova's arm in a comfort gesture. "i'll see you later?"
"of course thank you. bye." she responded and anna walked in the other direction.
"that was good." carlee said, coming up behind nova.
she had been watching the scene from a few feet away.
"i've never realized how much she looks like d." nova sighed.
"sweetie, i think right now even i look like daniel to you." carlee replied, trying to lighten the mood.
"yeah, you've got me there." she remarked.
-
on the car ride home from the mall, nova got a call from jonah. she sighed, thinking about ignoring it but decided against it.
"hey." she said softly.
"hi, nova. how are you?" he answered.
"i'm okay, i guess. how's daniel?" she asked.
"wait, no. don't tell me." she cut him off when he started to talk. she hears jonah sigh into the phone.
"he's not good. he's not eating, he barely leaves his bedroom." he told her anyway.
"that's so weird." she said without thinking, making jonah's eyebrows furrow.
"what do you mean?" he questioned.
"it's just- i mean i'm sad too. i left my house today, for the first time in weeks so don't get me wrong it's been really hard. but our relationship ended way before it actually officially ended. you would think that if he cared that much, he would've made an effort to fix it beforehand. i know i tried, and i gave him so many chances" she felt tears threatening to brim her eyes.
"i guess you really don't realize what you have until it's gone." jonah spoke.
"i guess. will you try and get him out of the house? i don't want him cooped up in there, it's not good for him." she sighed.
"we've tried, nothing has worked. but you could. i know he'd listen to you. and you obviously still care for him." jonah replied.
"of course i do, i love him. but i can't jonah. i want to move on, hell i want him to move on. i can't put myself in that situation again."
"i get that. i just wanted to see how you're holding up. you can call any of us anytime okay? i gotta go."
"thanks, bye jo." they both hung up the phone.
nova lets the tears fall, carlee tries comfort her while still paying attention to the road.
"it's okay, it's gonna be okay." she assures.
"did i make a mistake? should i have given him another chance?" she cried.
"you gave him too many chances." carlee assured, nova nodding in response.