Faded Connections: A High School Story

Chapter 10: Fading Affections

[MIA'S HOUSE - DAY]

It had been a month since Mia and Jace made their relationship official, and at first, everything had been perfect. They had spent countless hours together, laughing, talking, and enjoying each other's company. Jace had been attentive, always finding ways to make Mia feel special, and she had fallen deeper in love with him every day.

But lately, something has changed.

Mia sat on her bed, her phone in her hand, staring at the last text message she had sent Jace hours ago. It was simple,

MIA
"Hey, how's your day going?"

But there had been no response. She tried to push away the uneasy feeling that had been creeping up on her over the past week, but it was growing harder to ignore.

Jace had been distant. His texts were becoming shorter, his calls less frequent. When they were together, he seemed distracted, his mind elsewhere, and sometimes on his phone.

Mia had tried to brush it off at first, telling herself that he was just busy with school and basketball, but the coldness she felt from him was undeniable. The Jace who used to be so affectionate and attentive, now felt like a shadow of the boy she had fallen for.

Mia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone vibrating. Her heart leaped, hoping it was Jace, but when she looked at the screen, it was just a message from Anna.

ANNA
"Hey, are you okay? You seem a little off lately."

Mia sighed, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she tried to find the right words to respond. How could she explain the confusion and hurt that had been building up inside her without sounding paranoid or needy? She decided to keep it vague.

MIA
"Yeah, I'm just a little stressed with school stuff. Thanks for checking in!"

As soon as she hit send, Mia's mind drifted back to Jace. They had plans to meet up that evening, but she wasn't sure she could handle another night of his indifferent behavior.

She missed the way he used to look at her, with warmth and tenderness in his eyes. She missed the way he used to hold her hand tightly, as if he never wanted to let go. But now, it felt like he was slipping away, and she had no idea, why.

[CAFÉ - NIGHT]

Later that evening, Mia sat at a small café near the school, waiting for Jace to arrive. The minutes ticked by, and she kept glancing at the door, hoping to see him walk through with his usual carefree smile. But when he finally did arrive, his expression was distant, almost resigned.

JACE
"Hey"

Jace's leaning down to give her a quick, almost perfunctory kiss on the cheek before sitting across from her.

MIA
"Hey"

Mia tries to mask the disappointment in her voice. She noticed how he avoided her gaze, his eyes darting around the café as if looking for an escape. The awkwardness between them was palpable.

They ordered their drinks, and an uncomfortable silence settled over the table. Mia fiddled with the straw in her iced coffee, her heart pounding as she tried to gather the courage to say what was on her mind. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer.

MIA
"Love, is everything okay? You've been... different lately."

Jace's eyes finally met hers, but instead of the warmth she was used to, there was a flicker of something else-guilt? Indifference? She couldn't tell.

JACE
"Yeah, everything's fine,"

His tone was unconvincing. He took a sip of his drink, avoiding her gaze again.

Mia felt a lump forming in her throat, but she pressed on.

MIA
"Are you sure? Because it feels like... I don't know, like you're not really here with me anymore. Did I do something wrong?"

Jace sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

JACE
"No, Mia, hindi ikaw. It's just... I've been really busy with school, and the team, and... hindi ko alam. I've just had a lot on my mind."

Mia nodded slowly, but his words didn't ease her worries.

MIA
"I get that, but... I miss you. I miss us. It feels like you're pulling away, and I don't understand why."

He was silent for a moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was softer.

JACE
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like that. It's just... minsan, I feel like I need some space to figure things out, you know?"

The words hit Mia like a punch to the gut. Space? Was he saying he wanted to break up? Panic surged through her, and she struggled to keep her voice steady.

MIA
"Space? Are you saying... you don't want to be with me anymore?"

Jace quickly shook his head, but the hesitation was there.

JACE
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I just... I need to clear my head, I guess. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

But Mia could feel the cracks deepening in her heart. She had always been good at reading people, and right now, Jace was like a book with pages torn out, leaving her with only fragments of the story.

She tried to remind herself that maybe he was just overwhelmed, that maybe he would come back to her when things settled down. But the uncertainty gnawed at her, eroding her confidence.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of forced conversation and strained smiles. Mia could barely focus on what Jace was saying, her mind stuck on the way his words didn't match the coldness in his eyes.

When they finally parted ways, Jace gave her a quick hug, but it felt more like a formality than a gesture of affection. As she watched him walk away, a heaviness settled in her chest, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something had irrevocably shifted between them.

[MIA'S HOUSE - NIGHT]

That night, lying in bed, Mia replayed the evening over and over in her mind. She had never felt so lost, so unsure of where she stood with someone she cared about so deeply. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jace's distant expression, and heard his indifferent tone.

The memories of their happy times together felt like they belonged to a different lifetime, and she wondered if she had been foolish to believe that their relationship could withstand whatever had come between them.

Mia's thoughts spiraled into self-doubt.

MIA
(to herself) "Was I not enough for him? Did I do something to push him away?

The questions haunted her, and she found herself questioning her own worth. She had never been the type to cling to someone, but with Jace, she had let herself be vulnerable, allowing herself to fall completely. And now, it felt like she was falling alone.

As the days passed, the distance between them only grew. Jace continued to be distant, his texts sporadic and his calls brief. When they were together, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, one that Mia didn't know how to break down.

She missed the way he used to hold her close, the way he used to make her feel like she was the center of his world. But now, it felt like he was slipping away, and no matter how hard she tried to hold on, he was already gone.

Mia knew she couldn't keep pretending everything was fine. The reality was that Jace's love, once so vibrant and alive, was fading right before her eyes, and she didn't know how to stop it. All she could do was watch as the boy she loved drifted further and further away, leaving her with nothing but the echoes of what they once had.

---