Shattered Reflections

Chapter 21

April 12, 2024

One night during the Europe trip, Fae, Ally, Sam, and Uzi were lounging in Fae and Ally's hotel room. 

Uzi, with a mischievous grin, decided to bring up a topic that had been bothering him. "So, Fae, what's up with Kai?"

Fae, who had been scrolling through her phone, looked up. "Yeah still 'friends' just not that close."

In reality they were still no contact but she couldn't tell them.

Uzi scoffed. "Good. That guy's a fucking prick. I don't get why you ever liked him. He's a manipulative asshole."

Fae's grip tightened on her phone. "You don't know him like I do, Uzi."

Sam, sensing the tension, tried to intervene. "Uzi, maybe we should drop it. It's not our business."

But Uzi continued, ignoring Sam's advice. "I'm just saying, Fae. He treated you like shit. Everyone saw it. He's not worth your time."

Ally, who had been silently listening, gave Fae a worried glance. "Uzi, seriously, enough. This isn't helping anyone."

But Uzi pressed on, unable to stop himself. "Come on, Fae. Why do you keep defending him? He's toxic. You deserve better."

Fae snapped. "Shut up, Uzi! You don't understand anything. Kai's been through a lot, and he's trying his best. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Uzi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Trying his best by ignoring you and then suddenly texting you, using you? That's bullshit."

Fae stood up, her face flushed with anger. "You don't know what he's dealing with! He has his own issues, and it's not fair to judge him like that. He's not perfect, but neither am I."

Uzi looked taken aback by Fae's outburst. "I'm just trying to look out for you, Fae. You're my friend, and I hate seeing you hurt because of him."

Sam coughs jokingly, "Ehem... friend... EHEM."

Ally grins. "More like massive crush."

Fae shoots her alook.

Fae's voice wavered, but she kept her ground. "I appreciate that, but you don't get to decide who I care about. Kai means a lot to me, even if we're not talking right now."

Sam sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is getting out of hand. Let's just change the subject, okay?"

Ally nodded, standing up to stand beside Fae. "Yeah, let's talk about something else. We're supposed to be having fun on this trip, not arguing."

Fae took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Fine. Let's drop it."

Uzi, still looking a bit miffed, leaned back on the bed. "Whatever. Just think about what I said, Fae."

Fae sat back down, her heart pounding. She knew Uzi meant well, but defending Kai felt like a necessity, even though they were still not in contact.

All Fae wanted to do was to prove everyone wrong about Kai, but all he ever did was prove them right.

During the school trip to Europe, Fae stayed connected with Tommy over the phone. They texted frequently, and Tommy assured her that once she was back, they would go on a proper date. However, there was a looming problem: Tommy's girl best friend, Tanny, who was in love with him and actively trying to ruin Fae and Tommy's budding relationship. Tanny spread rumors that Fae was a player, causing Tommy to lose trust in Fae. Despite this, Tommy eventually blocked Tanny, realizing her true intentions and told Fae not to worry about her.

April 15, 2024

On the final day of the trip, as Fae was packing her bags, she received a message from Kai. "Wow, it's been a month," she thought, her heart racing as she read his text.

Kai: "Hey, Fae. Saw you in my dream last night."

Fae felt a mix of emotions. Anger, longing, and excitement flooded her senses. She replied, trying to keep her cool.

Fae: "Hey, Kai. Wow that's interesting."

Kai: "Missed talking to you."

Right...

April 20, 2024

Back in the city, Fae met up with her friends—Fiona, Maddy, Sophie, and Ally. As they sat in their favorite café, she broke the news.

Fae: "So, Kai reached out to me."

Fiona's eyes widened. "Are you serious? After all this time?"

Maddy shook her head in disbelief. "And you're actually talking to him again?"

Sophie frowned. "Fae, you can't be serious. That guy's a fucking nightmare."

Ally, always the voice of reason, sighed. "Fae, you deserve better. Don't forget what he put you through."

Fae held her ground, looking each of her friends in the eye. "I know what he did, and I know you all hate him. But all I ever wanted was for him to come back. And he did."

Sophie threw her hands up in frustration. "You're impossible! Just don't come crying to us when he screws you over again."

Before rekindling things with Kai, Fae knew she had to end things with Tommy. She called him, and with a heavy heart, explained everything.

Fae: "Tommy, I'm sorry. I'm not ready for anything serious.Thats a lie. I'm just trying to heal right now. Another lie. And i don't want to lead you on. That's a truth.

Tommy was silent for a moment before responding. "I get it, Fae. I just hoped... well, never mind. Thank you for telling me this in advance before I got too... attached to you..."

Fae quickly spoke ."Let's stay friends, please." 

"Sure, of course. But man I'm gonna miss you, why do you have to do this to me," He whined as a joke. "I'm losing my perfect match who is also hot as fuck." He exclaimed.

Fae laughed. "It's okay, I am one text message away." 

"Feel free to hit me up too babe." He joked.

And with that Fae got rid of another problem which...will come back haunting her.