After Midnight

Chapter 19- Star

As the rain begins to fall, I stand there as he lies. I honestly thought he was different, but I was wrong. He had promised to always be there for me, but now I realise that he was just like all the others who had left me in the rain before. I choke back the tears as I try to stay strong. I promised myself that I would never be with someone who could just leave without an explanation and, when face-to-face, can't even admit what they were doing.

"Goodbye, Gage." I turn on my heel and head home as the rain comes down harder. My tears mix with the rain as they stream down my face.

I open the door and slam it shut. I lean back against it and drop to the floor. The sound of thunder echoes through the house, adding to the chaos of my emotions. I stay there for a while, letting myself feel everything. The rain pounds against the windows, and I can't help but feel like it's a reflection of my own internal turmoil. Laura exits her room and kneels in front of me while asking, "Hey, what happened?" I take a deep breath and try to compose myself before answering. I try to explain everything through tears. Laura listens intently, offering comfort and support as I pour out my emotions.

"Oh, hell no." She gets up and looks out the window. "Excuse me," she says, and I back away from the door as she walks out. I watch from the doorway as Ace pulls in and Laura begins to shout.

"You're an asshole, Gage!" she begins. "You're a real piece of work, aren't you?"

"Woah, what's going on?" Ace shouts as he steps in between Laura and Gage. Gage sits there, not moving a muscle, as she screams in his face.

"Your buddy here just broke my best friend's heart." She looks over at Gage, who sits on the porch of his house, and says, "I swear to god, Gage. Stay away from her."

He stands up, and from where I am, I can see the anger pooling within him. "I said I was sorry," he shouts. "She walked away from me before I could even explain."

"What's there to explain? You left her alone in your house—to do what? Get into a fight? You left her alone without any explanation."

Ace grabs her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Hey, look at me; calm down. Let's all get some sleep and talk tomorrow."

"No, she's been hurt too many times, and I'll be damned if I let this pretty boy here add to that hurt." She shakes Ace off and storms back to the house.

"There," she says as she walks in. "He'll be begging on his knees for you." She smiles.

"I don't want anything to do with him." I tell her. Her smile fades as she looks at me with concern. "Are you sure about that?" she asks, squeezing my shoulder. "I may have yelled at him, but Star, that boy loves you; a blind mouse could see that." I shrug my shoulders. "Get some sleep." She says as she grabs my hand, helping me up.

I return to my room, remove my wet clothes, and use a towel to dry myself and my hair. I look at my bag on the floor to see Gage's shirt. I thought I left it on his bed when I packed up. I grab it and slip it on. I take a deep breath and try to relax my tense muscles as I crawl into bed. I lay there in a shirt that smells like him, and I feel hurt. Levi would leave me in the middle of the night all the time, and Gage pulled the same stunt. More than once. I thought I had found someone who would stay and not make me feel abandoned. I feel like I'm not enough for anyone, and that's why they always leave. It's hard to trust someone new when the people you thought would never hurt you end up doing just that.

I close my eyes, and Gage's face pops into my mind. I toss and turn, trying to fall asleep, but all I want is his arms around me, holding me tight. I can still feel the warmth of his embrace and the softness of his lips on mine. The memory of our last kiss lingers in my mind, making it impossible to forget him even for a moment.