Heart Me

Chapter 9

Nate's POV

There was a game among the school's senior teams on a Saturday evening. Although I wasn't yet part of any school team, I attended to watch. When the game concluded, I approached Tristan, the basketball captain, to discuss joining one of the teams. He assured me he would speak to the coach on Monday, paving the way for my official membership in his team.

After our conversation, as I wandered around the basketball court, I noticed Kayla and approached her. She hadn’t been present at the beginning of the game.

"Kayla? What brings you here?" I asked, raising my voice to be heard over the din.

"I..." She glanced around before focusing on me with a smile. "I was looking for Tristan," she replied, and my heart sank.

"Oh! Can you spare some time for us?" I asked hopefully.

"Maybe some other time," she responded dismissively, hurrying towards Tristan and embracing him.

Tristan and Kayla were friends, but honestly, I envied Tristan. He effortlessly garnered Kayla's attention, while I struggled to gain even a fraction of it. Lily always seemed to ruin my chances to speak with Kayla.

As days passed, Kayla seemed increasingly disinterested in me, while Lily clung to me persistently. Adding to my troubles was my ex-girlfriend Mia. During our relationship, she seldom showed the affection I craved, and then she betrayed me by sleeping with my ex-best friend. Now, post-breakup, she clings to me with a disturbing obsession.

The noise in the basketball court was starting to irritate me, so I made my way to the exit. There stood Mia, smiling at me. She wanted me to approach her, but I walked past her into the hallways. Unrelenting, she followed and grabbed my right hand, stopping me. Her face was etched with pain.

Ignoring her had hurt her, though that wasn’t my intention; I just wanted to avoid drama.

"You hate me that much," she gasped, tears welling in her eyes before she released my hand.

"I don't hate you, Mia," I sighed.

"Then why did you do that? Why? You claim to be my friend, but do friends treat each other like this?" she asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Students were milling around, making it an inappropriate place for this conversation. I pulled Mia close and led her to an empty classroom, shutting the door behind us.

"Hey, don’t cry," I said, holding her hands. "I don’t hate you. It just feels weird talking to you like we used to. You know things aren’t the same. I’m still angry at you. You know that. I’m not okay with you."

"I’m very sorry. I—"

"Mia, some things can’t be fixed with just an apology. I still care about you, and seeing you cry hurts me," I sighed.

"Do you still love me?" she asked, choking on her tears. "You don’t love me. You hate me."

"Hey, you’re my friend. I’ve known you my entire life. I didn’t let our breakup end our friendship. Mia, I love you, but not in the way you want. I love you as a friend. You’re like a sister to me. I know you want us to get back together, but you screwed things up. We weren’t meant to be. We are better as friends. If you can accept that, our friendship can work. Otherwise, I’ll have to keep my distance."

I released her hands as she stopped crying. I handed her my handkerchief.

"I haven’t used it," I said.

She took the handkerchief and wiped her tears, looking dejected. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.

"You can talk to me," I sighed.