To Renna Rose Lancaster, Aadam Callahan was her first taste of magic-the boy who made her world feel livelier, brighter, like anything was possible. Together they crafted a bond that felt unbreakable-a universe where dreams were shared under starlit...
"I felt special .Until I realised you talk to everybody like that "
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I barely felt the ground beneath my feet as I stumbled through the door, the image of Aadam and Lara seared into my mind.The name alone made my heart clench.
I should have looked away, should have left right then, but I couldn't. I was rooted to the spot, my heart already cracking under the weight of what I knew was coming.
And then, those words, those cruel words still echoed in my mind."Lara and Aadam are so meant to get back together. They look so perfect together."I squeezed my eyes shut, the memory of one of the girls voice slicing through me like a knife.
Perfect. That's what they were, wasn't it? Perfect for each other. Aadam's past, his present, maybe even his future. And where did that leave me?
Alone, always alone, watching from the sidelines, wishing for something that was never mine to begin with.
I took a shaky breath and forced my feet to move, crossing the room to my bed. My legs felt heavy, my whole body weighed down.
I sank onto the mattress, burying my face in my hands as the memory of what came next crashed over me like a wave.
I had watched them . God, I had stood there and watched them...like a fool. Lara had leaned in, her smile so confident, so sure of herself. I had known what she was going to do, could see it in the way she moved closer, the way Aadam didn't pull away. And then they kissed.
I felt a fresh stab of pain at the thought, my heart splintering all over again. The way they kissed, like nothing else in the world mattered, like they had never been apart... it was too much. And Aadam, he kissed her back, as if he had been waiting for this moment, for her, all along.And all those people over there cheering like their favourite people had just found their happy ending.
I squeezed my hands into fists, trying to block out the memory, but it was useless. The image of them together, their lips locked in a kiss that spoke of a love that never really died, was burning into my mind.
I stared up at the ceiling, my vision blurring with the tears that I refused to let fall. I didn't know what to feel- anger, sadness, jealousy-they all swirled together until I couldn't separate one from the other. All I knew was that it hurt, so much more than I ever thought it could.
How could he kiss her? Didn't he know? Didn't he see me, right there, watching him? Or maybe that was it-maybe he did see me, and it didn't matter. Maybe I never mattered.
Every laugh we'd shared, every time his eyes lingered on mine just a little too long -had it all been in my head? Had I really been so foolish, so delusional, to think that he could ever love me back?
My phone buzzed, dragging me out of my spiraling thoughts. I reached for it with trembling hands, seeing Isla's name on the screen.
"Renna? Are you okay?" Her voice was so gentle, so full of concern, and it almost broke me. I didn't deserve her, I don't deserve anyone in my life. I should have kept to myself, knowing I don't fit in.I was better off alone, without getting close to anyone.
