yours.

[41] Miles

I don't see Jasper at all the next morning. That doesn't mean I don't think about him -- I do, and almost constantly. It's my thoughts of him that carry me to my car, across town, and to Krystina's cream-colored house, which remains sandwiched between two identical others. Her silver crossover waits in the driveway, and I drive to park beside it.

I check her most recent text.

Hey so um I don't know if these are even going through, but I'll probably be free between 10 and 3 ❤❤❤ [8:46 AM]

I don't understand why she's given me a time slot of when to come -- it's not like she has other plans -- but I follow it, knocking on her door at eleven-fifteen. A few seconds later, I hear the deadbolt slide free, and Krystina's smiling face greets me in the doorway.

"Miley!" she pretty much shouts. She lunges forward to give me a hug. I pat her back awkwardly. "I haven't seen you in forever! How have you been?"

"Um. It's been like six weeks--"

"Which is practically forever--"

"But I've been okay. You?"

Her hazel eyes light up. "Oh, it's been great," she gushes. "In the woods, there's not really much space for drama -- I mean, there's drama, but it's mostly over who gets to sleep closest to the campfire, but anyway everyone there is so nice... Well, except for this one girl Sasha, who thinks she's Mother Nature or something--"

"Krys."

"And she offered to braid my hair 'woodland style' once but totally just stuck twigs and fungus and everything in there, and it took me like a week to get everything out--"

"Krys."

"Oh, and did I mention we have to bathe in rivers and stuff? Together. Co-ed and everything. And some of the guys there are creeps..." She finally realizes I'm not listening. "But you don't have to worry about me, because I've already told everyone there that I have a boyfriend at home, and he's great." She grins. "And he's all I need."

I swallow. "Well, uh. About that--"

Krystina steps back into her house, waving for me to follow. "Oh, I'm sorry. Come in, I don't want to leave you waiting outside the whole time."

I shake my head, saying, "No, Krys. I... I can't."

"Of course you can. I told you, my parents aren't home--"

"No, I mean I can't. I can't... have sex with you."

Krystina flushes pink, her face matching the shade of her strawberry-blond hair. "Oh, well, we don't have to, it was just a suggestion."

I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say what I mean. "Krystina," I start slowly, "I can't do any of this, okay? I'm not staying."

Her expression twists to one of confusion. "I... Miley, what do you mean?"

"I mean I'm breaking up with you." My words come out rushed, like if I don't say them quickly, I won't say them at all.

Krystina's eyes widen, and her lips part. "Well... no." I lift my eyebrows, and she adds, "You can't. Miley, we were doing so well, you can't just... end that."

"I have to. I'm sorry."

She steps toward me again, and I try to move away, but she's faster. In one motion, she takes my face in her hands and kisses me, hard. When I pull away, slightly embarrassed for her, she searches my gaze desperately. "Why?" she whispers.

There's someone else. I want to say it, but I'm scared of the questions I'm sure will follow. "I'm not the right guy for you, Krys. You know that."

"No, no, we were perfect for each other. Everyone said so--"

"Because they weren't actually in the relationship," I cut in, watching in sympathy as her face falls. "I really am sorry, okay? I hope you find someone--"

"But why now?" she presses, and I sigh.

"Our time apart helped me realize that we'd both be... better off with different people." Not technically a lie.

She finally detaches herself from me and spins, turning her back on me and marching back into the house.

"Hey, um, if it makes you feel any better, some guys on my team were talking about you," I call after her.

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"A very good way."

She considers this for a moment, then scrunches her nose. "Tell them I'm not interested. There's a guy in my pack, Ryan, who seems absolutely delicious." She smiles at me, but I can tell it's strained. "Now, he's interesting." Then she closes the door in my face, and I head back to my car, equally relieved and scared.

It's over. I did it. I can go back to Jasper.

But who says he'll want me back? What if he's done with me? Then what?

Starting up my car, I think of Jasper's smile, his laugh, the feeling of his hand in mine. I have to try.