Getting broken up with was one thing Aliana Haven was used to. Her first years of High School mostly consisted of heartbreaking break-ups. But on top of all that, she has to deal with the remnants of sadness left behind after her mother left her and...
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Aliana's POV
I sat there on the couch in stunned silence. The refrigerator was making a humming noise but otherwise, it was quiet.
Why did he want me to meet him at Terra Lake Forestry? It was random and weird. What did he want? A shiver ran down my sine and I hugged myself tightly for warmth. The frigid cold was making goosebumps travel up my bare arms.
I was sorta pissed at Ashton because he had just now figured out that he had hurt his girlfriend when I had known all along. How could he be so clueless? And why didn't I tell him that I saw her in the hallway that day? He could've apologized before Abbie was slowly realizing how oblivious he was. It was partially my fault.
And there it was, I blamed myself for someone else's actions. It was the exact thing I did with all of my breakups. I told myself that I was the problem, the one that messed up the relationship. But it really wasn't my fault.
I was told that I was annoying, needy, ugly. And I convinced myself that I was all of those things. So I broke down and built a wall of sadness around myself, the bricks being the memories of my mom, my dad yelling at me, my boyfriends calling me names and breaking up with me.
My wall was built tall; no one could break it down.
Except Ashton, the one that was breaking my wall down brick by brick. I had to stop him. I didn't want to be uncovered. I felt unsafe and vulnerable.
I stood up from the couch slowly and walked over to the window. Ashton was just now pulling out of the driveway. I couldn't see his face, just his shape in the window.
I pulled my gaze towards the huge moon that was high in the sky. It was full and glorious looking. I laid a hand on the window and the cold bit my hand. I didn't pull it away though, and my skin adjusted to the sensation.
I watched as some gray clouds started covering the moon. I took a slow breath, and let it out, the air fogging the window, and leaned my head against it.
Why was life so complicated?
***
"Where are you going?" Fiona asked me groggily the next day. I froze in front of the front door, my hand hovering over the doorknob.
I cleared my throat and turned around. "I'm just going to see a friend." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Who is is this 'friend'?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.
I swallowed. "Ashton."
She pointed at me. "Ah-ha! I knew it! You've been seeing Ashton, haven't you?"
I shook my head back and forth. "No! No. Well, we've been hanging out. But we're not seeing each other."
She scoffed. I couldn't tell if she was actually annoyed at me or not. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. But I've seen the way you look at him, Al. Everyone has. The whole school."
