ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅ|ᴊ.ꜰ

🀣𝟢𝟣𝟧🀣

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ
↳ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴀꜱʏ.

I'd gotten into five of my top colleges, but I'd chosen the University of Chicago because it was closer to Mateo. I already knew that following after a boy wasn't a smart idea, especially at our age, but I'd done it anyway. They didn't have the best music program in the country but they did have a good one.
I'd just gotten home from the studio, they keep it open during the summer for students who are in the music program. I've been working on music non-stop these days with Mateo and I constantly arguing. I was almost never home now that we get into a fight every time I am. We weren't even fully living together, I still had most of my things at my place. But Theo goes on and on about how he doesn't like being around my mom twenty-four-seven.
He was sitting at the table when I got in, his face buried in his hands. "What's wrong?" I asked. He didn't say anything. I sat my stuff down before heading over to him, peering over his shoulder to the screen in front of him. "I can't afford it and I can't afford to go into debt... And coaching youth isn't bringing in enough money."
My stomach was twisting and turning. "I'll help you pay for it," I said. "You can barely pay for your own college and we haven't even started yet, Nani. No... This is how I'm gonna do, they'll pay for it while I'm in basic and-"
"Are you serious? You're not going to basic and being shipped out to fight a war that's not even your's!"
"I don't have a choice!"

I scoffed. "You do. You can stay here with me and we can go to college and we can finally be normal people and have normal lives like everyone else in this damn world. But you're not enlisting, Theo. You're not leaving me."
"It's not your decision to make." He was looking at me with intent, like he had no plans on changing his mind. "We can send emails and letters and we can call each other. But I have to do this," He continued. I shook my head. "You're. Not. Leaving me. Not again."
Mateo grabbed my hand in his, placing a kiss on the back of it. "I already enlisted." But before I could respond, my phone started blaring from my jacket pocket. I reached in and grabbed it. It was Jeremiah... I answered it.
"Hello?" The line was silent for a second or two before his voice abruptly cut through. "Conrad's been missing from his college for two days, Zara. Me and Belly are gonna go look for him and we thought you'd wanna help since I know you still care about him."
Could his timing be any worse? I sighed. "I'm kind of in the middle of something, Jere-"
"If you're not gonna do it for him, do it for me. Please..."

Jeremiah's had this way of pulling me back to him, even when I didn't wanna go. He knew he was my soft spot, that I'd do anything for him. Before he called, I was in the middle of an argument with my boyfriend, and now I'm trying to figure out what my priorities are. It should be Mateo, and not Jeremiah. But some part of me wanted it to be both of them, and another wanted it to only be Theo.
"I'll meet you at his school, just don't call me again." And I'd hang up. "What'd he want?" Mateo asked. I tossed my phone on the table and sat down. "Conrad's missing from college, no ones seen or heard from him in two days so Jeremiah wants me to help him and Belly look for him."
Mateo sat silently, but I knew what he was thinking. "Alright well... I leave tomorrow, so hopefully you can ship me off before going on one of your adventures." He reached over and grabbed my hand. "We'll figure this out, I promise we will."
"And if we don't?" I whispered. "We'll go back to being friends, just like before," he said. "We're gonna break each others hearts again... Aren't we?"
Theo didn't say anything to me. He got up and sat in the seat next to me, wrapping his arms around me. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you, too."

🀣

Once again, it was me and snuffles. But this time, Theo was with us. We're on our way to the base, and silence is the only thing that could be heart between the two of us. Theo hadn't let my hand go the entire ride. He wouldn't let go. I'd tried to pull away to keep two hands on the wheel but he wasn't having it.
I should be mad because he'd enlisted without even telling me, I'd found out the night before he'd leave. When we pulled up in front of the base, I knew there was only a matter of time before we'd have to let each other go. He only packed a duffle bag, he said he'd mainly be wearing his uniform so I didn't press on it.
There were two officers standing outside of a van already waiting for him. "Nani, this is Sergeant Bullock, this is my girlfriend, Serge."
I stuck my hand out to him and he gratefully took it. "It's nice to meet you, miss Mahina. Private Rodríguez has told me and sergeant major that you and school are his two main reasons for doing this." Theo had never mentioned that to me. I'd smiled anyway, even if I didn't like this idea. "Yes, well, Theo is very brave for doing this."
Yeah, brave for thinking I wouldn't kill him when he gets back. "Say your goodbyes, private. We leave in t-minus oh-point-oh-eight minutes."
"What does that mean?" I asked. "That we've got five minutes to get everything out before I'm gone for who knows how long..."

Five minutes? That's all we get? I knew we should've gotten here earlier. "Promise me you'll stay safe out there? And that you'll call me every time you get the opportunity and uh... Don't forget to put your ankle brace on before you go to sleep, alright? And make sure you brush your teeth at night because you know you always forget."
Theo smiled down at me. "You sound like my mom," he laughed. "I sound insane... I'm sorry, I'm just really worried." He grabbed both my hands. "We've got this, Nani. I promise."
He looked down at his watch before sighing. He'd put space between us, space that didn't need to be there yet. Theo slipped the ring I'd made him off of his finger. "No... No keep it-"
"I can't... I promise that when I get back, I'll put it back on. Right now, we're friends. But I still love you." He placed a kiss on my temple before picking his bag up and walking away. "Theo, don't leave like that, that's not fair."
"I love you, Nani."
Before I knew it, they were pulling off through the gates. I'd ran to them, that fence putting even more distance between us. "I love you!"

🀣

I'd cried the entire way to New York. It's dumb because I should've been over it by now, but who knows what'll happen to Mateo while he's out there. When we became friends again, we'd made a vow one night that we'd never leave. Whether we started dating or stayed friends or broke each others hearts again. And he'd broke it by enlisting.
I knew I was being dramatic, but my brain keeps convincing me that he's really gone. He'd given the ring back, so that means that we're over. At least for the time being. He'd said it himself, he said we were friends again right now. And I know he did that to make the situation easier but it doesn't make it easier, it makes it even harder.
I'd texted Belly when I got to the school. I wiped away the tears and buried all the feelings that were coursing through me. I couldn't seem weak, or even remotely upset. Not in front of Belly and Jeremiah. They'd met me at my car, and it more than awkward.
"Let's skip the hello's and go find your brother." Your brother. I didn't mean for it to come out so harsh. It seemed like I was distancing myself from them, and in a way, I was. Jeremiah nodded and lead us inside. We'd gone to Conrad's dorm, and his roommate was there. I didn't talk much, just listened to the conversation.
We would find out that Conrad is at Cousins, and it wasn't a surprise, either. A while ago, Cousins was the one place on earth that never changed. We'd gone there every single summer of our lives to get away from our normal ones. Maybe that's why he'd chosen it as is hideaway.

We were walking out of the school when Jeremiah sparked up a conversation. "How's Chicago?" He asked. I shrugged. "Same as usual. Mateo moved out there, he was gonna attend for football but that changed rather quickly," I said. "Where is he? Why didn't he come with you?"
I knew the topic would arise, but I didn't think it would be so soon. "He enlisted... He's at basic right now, probably being screamed at and told to do a thousand push-ups. I'd dropped him off early this morning before I made my way out here."
Jeremiah grew quiet, and Belly hadn't spoken a word to me. "Your ring," she said. "What about it?" I asked. "It's on your ring finger..." I'd tried to ignore it the whole ride but it wasn't something that could go unnoticed. "I made promise rings for us a while ago... His is the band. He gave it back before he left."
"So you two are over?" She asked. I shook my head. "Yes but no. He said we're friends right now, he's trying to make this easier for me but it isn't easy. And he thinks being friends is gonna stop me from worrying about him but that's all I can do. I don't know what's gonna happen when his ten weeks are up."
"You can't think like that. You have to remember that they're not gonna ship some private out before their even fully trained. He's got a lot to learn before he'll ever actually be gone." Jeremiah sent me a reassuring smile, but some part of me couldn't believe him.

"Let's just get to Cousins and make sure Conrad is okay," I said. We'd left it at that. Jeremiah and Belly didn't ask me anymore questions about Theo, and I had no plans on answering anymore.

Word Count: 1,803.