Five Words

Chapter 18

~Ace

Three years earlier...

"Ace, you need a drive after school?" Eric asks as we pull up in front of our school.

"No, I'll take an Uber. But I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Definitely." Eric shakes my hand and turns to Sarah, "If you need one, I can give you a lift." He offers.

"No, thank you. My father will drive me home." She declines.

"Thanks for the lift, Eric." I grab my bag and get out of the car.

"Ace," Sarah calls my name but I don't stop and wait for her.

"Ace, please." She calls again and I hear her getting closer.

She tugs on my sleeve and pulls me back, stopping me.

"Ace, let's talk."

"What about?" I don't push her hands away this time.

"I swear nothing happened between us, Ace. Why don't you believe me?"

"Explain to me why his arm was around you."

"Daniel and I go way back, Ace. Before he ditched me, and before we broke it off, he was my best friend. My feelings for him didn't end when our relationship ended."

"Wow." I step back not understanding what she meant by that.

"No. No." She shakes her head, "that's not what I meant to say."

"So you're still in love with your ex and what're we doing?"

"Ace, can you give me a second to sort this out? This is just all too much." She rubs her temple and when our eyes meet, my heart breaks.

"This is all too much for you?" I yell, "For you? I just waited an entire week for you to come back to Washington so that I could see you. I go over to your father's house and watch you come down with your ex-boyfriend all over you and you're so happy. Then he tells me that he is still in a relationship with you. And now, I know that you're in love with him. I'm sorry if this is too much for you. I'm sorry."

I need to go for a run and get away from her. I need to clear my mind and sort his out. Or else, I'll lose my fucking mind.

"Ace, you're not listening to me. We're just comfortable around each other because we've always been together. Even after our breakup, he reached to me and we talked over summer—"

"This just gets better and better." I chuckle, "You've been speaking to him all summer." I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. "And you didn't care to mention this once?"

"I knew that you would act like this. I knew that you would let it affect us." She's impossible.

"Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?" I can feel people's eyes on us and how big of a scene we are causing in front of the school, but I could care any less about these god damn people when my heart is burning.

"Did he even know that you were dating me?"

She stays quiet and I know that she is trying to come up with some kind of explanation. This morning's encounter reminds me that he had no idea who the fuck I was and that's why he was so fucking comfortable around her.

"Great. He doesn't know, well didn't. Now he does. But I guess that won't matter anymore." I understand that I am insinuating that we might be over but what she dumped on me today is driving me insane.

"Ace, don't." She quickly grabs my hand and laces our fingers together, "Ace, please, I want to be with you and not him. I am with you and not him."

"Sarah..."