John Hughes Movie

Chapter 30

Peter

The room was stark white, almost clinical. The only color was a teal stripe circling the walls. She had agreed to meet here, but I had no idea what to expect. I just knew I couldn't do what I needed to do without asking questions.

I was looking down at my phone, a picture I took of the napkin note. I had to have read it two hundred times by now. It broke my heart and built it up again every time I read it. She was so perfect with her words. I was shit with mine. I needed her to make mine even make sense. Everything made more sense with her.

I was fuddling with the green smoothie I got to not make it weird to be sitting her alone when she slid into the seat across from me. Her brown over the shoulder purse skimmed across the white table top. She looked over to me and smile. She looked good. Healthy and calm. Her hair was darker which complimented her eyes more. She was wearing her glasses that she used to only need to drive. She looked the most herself than I had seen her in a while. "Hi." She mustered up a small smile.

"Hi Gen." I tried to do the same in return. I'm not sure how effective mine was though. "Do you want to get anything? I'm my treat." I fumbled for my wallet.

"I'm okay. Thanks though. I have sorority chapter after this. There's always food." She picked at her hands.

"How's that going? How's... everything going?" I tried to not be awkward around her. We used to be able to talk about everything, but guess that didn't hold up.

"Fine." Her voice went up at the end like it was a question. "You seem nervous." She grit her teeth.

I thought for a second. It wasn't nerves to be around her. I was actually surprised how unaffected I was around her. When we first got together, my heart beat a million miles a minute. I would calm myself down by secretly counting on my fingers with her. But none of that happened now. "No." I shook my head. "Not nervous."

"Sure." She said with a smirk. "What's up?" She knew me well enough to know something was wrong.

"I have some questions for you and I don't know how you'll respond." I looked down at my hands.

"Oh," She sounded skeptical yet hopeful. "You can ask me anything. I think I owe that to you." Her eyes were a blue green that almost matched the color along the wall. Maybe that's why she wanted to meet there. They were beautiful, but not shining like Lara Jean's. I think eyes only really shined when you loved someone.

My leg began to shake like a leaf. I couldn't stop the nerves from taking over. I couldn't back out now. I knew what I came here to do. It didn't make it any easier though. "Why did you cheat on me?" It came out in one long breath.

Her face dropped. I don't know what she had assumed we'd be talking about, but I couldn't keep this in. "So, we're going right into it?"

"Gen," I tried to have compassion for her and myself. "I need to know why you left."

She looked down at her hands for a moment. "Do you want the nice answer or the real answer?"

"Real." I shook my head. Why the fuck would I want anything other than that? I was slightly annoyed she would even ask that.

"I think it wasn't one thing or one incident. I have thought about this like a million times over and over again. I almost wish it was one thing because it would make it easier for my brain to organize." She gave me a small smile. "You did nothing wrong per se."

"Thank you?" I scrunched my nose.

"I don't mean it like that." She playfully rolled her eyes at me. "I think I started to feel... stuck." She paused. "I felt suck in life in general. Stuck in school, stuck with my family, stuck in my friendships. And I think I was so desperate to escape and become unstuck that breaking up the most constant thing in my life, you, seemed like the easiest way to get unstuck. I know I would never be able to break up with you. So I knew cheating would have you break up with me."