Love Is...

-15-

⚠️TW: Suicidal thoughts⚠️

Song: "She Used To Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles

**

Alejandro looked at the clock during Spanish class, preparing for what he was about to do. Heather's usually the last student out the door now, so this should work. He anxiously tapped his pencil as the professor lectured.

The moment she dismissed class, Alejandro shot up out of his desk and stood near the door as everyone piled out of the room. As he guessed, Heather got out of her desk slowly as she had been doing recently. He let the professor leave then stepped in front of the door. "Heather, talk to me."

Heather stopped a few feet in front of him. "Alejandro, let me out."

"Not until you talk to me."

She nervously eyed the door. "—Ok, what? What do you want?"

"Tell me what's wrong. And don't try to deny it because it is obvious."

Heather sighed, chewing her lip. Then she crossed her arms. "There's nothing wrong with me. Now let me leave."

"You blocked my number. Did I do something wrong?" Alejandro asked.

"No! I'm just—I'm really busy, and I don't have time to talk to you anymore!"

"I do not believe that, chica. Not one bit."

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you because it's true!" She looked out the door again. Alejandro noticed and raised an eyebrow. She looked—scared?

He shut the door. "Is this better?" He asked gently. "No one is watching us, but you seemed paranoid."

Heather lightly stomped her foot. "I am not paranoid!"

"You keep looking out this door. I am so much more observant than you think, Heather."

She started hyperventilating. What am I supposed to tell him?! I can't tell him the truth! I just can't. He won't believe me. He'll think I'm disgusting. Quick, you're good at telling lies! "—I'm in a hurry, ok?! I'm moving out with my fiancé, and we have to be at the rental moving truck place to pick up the car in thirty minutes!"

He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief at how quickly she came up with that. "That is such a lie. Heather, stop lying to me."

Tears filled her eyes as she became more panicked. Chandler's probably been waiting for me for two minutes overtime! He's going to be so mad! He's going to hurt me! "I-It's just been really hard—" her voice trailed off. She swallowed, keeping her tears inside.

"What's been hard, Hermosa?" Alejandro looked at her with deep concern.

"Just—moving out and everything." She traced her shoe along the tile lines. He studied her unusual timid behavior as she spoke. "My, uh—my family probably threw a huge party after I left. And they don't want me to come back and visit. They made that clear." Heather felt nauseous. "And yeah, it's—it sucks."

"Were you ready to move out?" Alejandro furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Yes, I was," she answered hesitatingly.

"It doesn't sound like it. Did Chandler try to rush into things?"

"—Chandler?" Heather's voice came out shaky. Just saying his name made her want to throw up. "No, we both agreed on this at the beginning of the school year." Chandler might kill me. He might actually kill me. She started stepping left to right slightly.

Alejandro noticed how antsy she started acting when her fiancé's name came up. "But you could have changed your mind. Is he hard to talk to?"

"No! No, he's—he isn't." She started visibly shaking.