my seven for your three.

the conversation. (once more to see you)

May stood in the shadow of the old playground, her heart pounding in her chest. This place, once filled with whispered confessions and stolen kisses, now felt cold and distant. She glanced at Eleanor, who was pacing nervously, her eyes darting around as if she expected someone to be watching. Her boyfriend sat on a bench nearby, glancing at his girlfriend occasionally but mostly staying on his phone.

The walk to the park had been mostly quiet, but the trio did talk about one thing. May made it clear that none of them were allowed to talk while they were having the argument. To her, this was the most important thing she's ever had to face. And May knew that in the moment there would be no one else other than her Eleanor; a duo for the last time ever.

May clenched her fists, feeling the familiar knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. But this time, something different stirred within her—a simmering anger she could no longer contain. She looked over at Eleanor, took a deep breath, and started speaking. "Eleanor, why are you acting like this?" Her voice trembled, but it carried an edge that hadn't been there before. "Like I'm some... stranger to you?"

Eleanor's eyes flickered with guilt before hardening. "Because you are a stranger to me, May. I don't know you anymore. You're just—just some weird girl who's obsessed with the past. We dated for like two months. Let go."

May flinched at the words, but instead of backing down, the anger surged forward. "You're lying, Eleanor. You're still the same person you were back then, just too scared to admit it."

Eleanor shot her a glare, her voice dripping with venom. "I'm not scared! I've moved on. I'm not gay, May. I told you, it was just a fucking phase! I have a boyfriend now, a normal life. You're the one who's stuck, clinging to something that was never real."

May's hands shook, but she took a step forward, her eyes locking onto Eleanor's. "Normal? You think this is normal? Pretending to be something you're not, lying to everyone—including yourself?"

Eleanor faltered, her mask of confidence slipping for just a moment. "I'm doing what I have to do to survive. It's better than hating myself every day for being... for being like you."

Bianca glared at Eleanor and put her arm on May's shoulder. "Dude, don't. She's not worth it. Please."

May's anger flared, and she felt something inside her snap. A memory of the two of the rushed back to her head again; but this time, instead of the happy ones, it was the worst one. May sobbing in her room over three words that Eleanor had screamed at her, three words that had echoed in her head over and over for her entire life.

"Just a phase."

"Get your fucking hand off me, Bianca!" May yelled, shoving her away. Bianca fell to the ground and looked up at her in awe and disappointment while Lainey watched on quietly with a satisfied smile on her face.

May turned to look at Eleanor and started talking again, quietly raging.

"Like me? You can't run from who you are, Eleanor! No matter how hard you try to cover it up, it's there—your bisexuality. And everyone else can see it, even if you can't."

Eleanor's face twisted with rage, her voice rising. "Shut up, May! You don't know anything about me!"

Out of the corner of her eye, May could see Eleanor's boyfriend standing up, probably wondering what was going on. "You better not be fucking with my girlfriend!"

May ignored him and stepped closer, her voice rising to match Eleanor's. "I know you better than you know yourself! You're not fooling anyone, least of all me. You think you can just erase who you are? You think you can just pretend it away?"

Eleanor's breathing became erratic, her eyes wild with a mix of fear and fury. "Stop it, May! Just stop!" Bianca stepped in too, nervously saying "May, watch yourself, you're getting out of hand."

But May was past the point of holding back."No, I won't stop! You can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to me. You loved me, Eleanor. Just as much as I loved you. You're just too much of a coward to face it!"

Eleanor's hands trembled as she reached for the knife in her pocket, her vision blurring with tears of rage. "I said stop!" she screamed, and in a flash, the knife was in her hand, plunging into May's chest.

The world exploded into blinding pain as Eleanor's knife pierced her chest. For a moment, everything froze—time, sound, and even the breath in her lungs. May's eyes widened, struggling to focus on Eleanor's face contorted with fury. The playground, once a sanctuary, now felt like a trap.

Her body seemed to betray her, growing heavy and unresponsive. The blood pooled in her lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe. The cold air felt sharp against her skin, each breath a ragged, desperate gasp. May tried to speak, but her voice came out as a choked whisper, barely audible over the roaring in her ears.

Eleanor's face was a storm of emotions, anger and something else—regret, perhaps—flashing in her eyes. May's vision blurred, the colors around her blending into a disorienting swirl. She reached out weakly, hoping for something—anything—to hold on to. She made contact with a flannel that she instantly recognized as Bianca's, and weakly touched her chin as Bianca held her and sobbed loudly, trying to cover up the wound.

"Why... why are you... doing this?" May managed to croak out, her voice barely rising above the gurgling sound in her throat. Her vision dimmed, darkening at the edges. The playground equipment, the fading light of the setting sun, and everyone's shifting faces became distant, fragmented images.

In her fading consciousness, May felt a strange calm. She was drifting, each breath becoming more of a struggle. Her mind flashed through memories, moments of laughter and pain, all blending together. Faces of friends and family appeared in her mind's eye, moments of joy and regret, all collapsing into a blur.

The cold metal of the knife seemed to burn through her, and she felt herself slipping away. The world was growing darker, the sounds of Eleanor's frantic cries and Bianca's screams becoming distant echoes. Her grasp on reality was slipping, her thoughts becoming fragmented, disconnected.

May's final attempt to speak came out as a strained whisper, her thoughts scattered. Her vision finally dimmed to a shadow, her body no longer able to fight the overwhelming darkness closing in. The playground and the faces around her faded into a single, unreachable point of light.

And as she took one last, shuddering breath, her thoughts faltered and ended with:

Most importantly of all, I needed to tell Bianca that I