Faele paced the hallway, her heart racing as she approached the cafeteria. The laughter and chatter of students filled the air, but all she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat. She had to confront Stella and Vince about what she had seen—the kiss that had shattered her world.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the cafeteria doors, scanning the room until her eyes landed on them. They were sitting together, their heads close, sharing a moment that felt intimate and exclusive. Anger surged within her, fueling her resolve.
“Stella! Vince!” Faele called out, her voice cutting through the noise.
Both of them turned, surprise flickering across their faces. Stella’s expression shifted from joy to concern as she saw the look on Faele’s face.
“Hey, Faele! What’s up?” Stella asked, trying to sound casual.
“Can we talk?” Faele demanded, her tone sharper than she intended.
Vince exchanged a glance with Stella before nodding slowly. “Sure. What’s going on?”
They moved to a quieter corner of the cafeteria, but Faele felt as if the walls were closing in. “I saw you two,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “You kissed.”
Stella’s face went pale, and Vince shifted uncomfortably. “It was just a mistake,” Stella stammered, avoiding Faele’s gaze.
“A mistake?” Faele echoed incredulously. “You call that a mistake? It looked pretty intentional to me!”
Vince stepped in, his voice calm but defensive. “Faele, it wasn’t like that. We were just—”
“Just what? Having fun at my expense?” Faele interrupted, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. “You both promised to be there for me! How could you do this?”
Stella opened her mouth to respond but faltered. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this,” she said quietly.
“Then how did it happen?” Faele pressed, desperation creeping into her voice. “Didn’t our friendship mean anything?”
“It does! It really does!” Stella insisted, stepping closer. “But things have changed since… since everything happened.”
Faele felt a wave of betrayal wash over her. “So this is how you deal with change? By kissing my boyfriend?”
“He’s not your boyfriend anymore!” Stella shot back, frustration bubbling over. “You’ve been so distant since your parents died; I thought you didn’t care!”
“I do care!” Faele exclaimed, hurt flashing in her eyes. “I’m just trying to figure things out! But instead of being there for me, you both just… went behind my back!”
Vince ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable with the escalating tension. “Look, we didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said softly. “I thought you needed space.”
“Space?” Faele laughed bitterly through tears. “You think ignoring me and making out with my best friend is giving me space?”
Stella took a step back, hurt evident on her face as if Faele’s words had struck her deeply. “I never meant for it to come between us,” she whispered.
“But it has!” Faele cried out, feeling the weight of isolation pressing down on her chest like an anchor dragging her into despair. “You both have chosen each other over me!”
Vince looked between them with guilt etched across his features. “We didn’t choose anyone over you,” he said earnestly. “It just… happened.”
“Just happened?” Faele repeated incredulously. “That’s your excuse? You let it happen without even thinking about how I would feel?”
Stella opened her mouth to argue but then closed it again as if realizing there was no justification for what they had done.
“Maybe I should have seen this coming,” Faele said quietly, heartbroken as she stepped back from them. The reality of their betrayal settled heavily in the air between them—a chasm that felt insurmountable.
“Faele…” Vince began, reaching out as if to comfort her.
“No!” she snapped, pulling away from him. “Don’t! Just… don’t.”
With that final plea hanging in the air like a bitter farewell, Faele turned on her heel and walked away from them—each step feeling heavier than the last as she left behind not just a friendship but a part of herself that felt irreparably broken.
As she exited the cafeteria and stepped into the cool hallway outside, tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked; she wiped them away angrily as if trying to erase the pain etched into every moment they had shared.
The isolation felt suffocating now—like an invisible barrier separating her from everyone else in the world. She had lost not only trust in Stella and Vince but also faith in friendships that once felt unbreakable.
In that moment of vulnerability and heartbreak, Faele realized how fragile connections could be—how quickly love could turn into betrayal when least expected—and how alone she truly felt in this new reality.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Promise
Teen FictionHaving been fooled by someone to keep holding on to the broken promise. Can sometimes makes you think as an unvaluable being.
