Running from the life that was.

Chapter Nineteen

Over the next month, Mia and Tate continued to spend time together, their friendship blossoming as they shared more of their lives. One afternoon, sitting in a quiet corner of the park, Tate opened up about his past, revealing that his parents had died in a car accident when he was just six years old, leading to his life in foster care. The revelation struck Mia hard, igniting a surge of empathy within her. She wanted to understand what he had been through, to help him in any way she could.

But when Mia tried to ask about his current foster home, Tate would always shift the conversation elsewhere. This behavior concerned her, and the comment Sam made about him getting into fights at home loomed in her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about his living situation, and began to wonder if he was safe there.

Despite her worries, everything else seemed to be going well—until one morning when something shifted in Tate. He began to grow distant, his laughter fading and his smile becoming less frequent. Mia sensed that he was struggling, and she guessed it had to do with his foster home. But each time she tried to talk about it, he brushed her off, insisting he was fine.

The change reached a breaking point one day as they sat together on the school field during lunch. Tate had been unusually quiet, and Mia's concern deepened. Finally, he turned to her, his expression serious. "Mia, I need to talk to you about something," he said, his voice low and tense.

Mia's heart sank. The way he avoided eye contact and shifted his body nervously told her that whatever he was about to say wouldn't be good. "What is it?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Tate hesitated, searching for the right words. "I... I can't hang out with you anymore. Not for a little while," he said, his gaze still averted.

Mia felt as if the ground had been pulled out from under her. "Are you serious? What do you mean? Why? Have I done something?" Mia's words stumbled out.

"No! No, you haven't done anything," he replied, his voice strained. "It's just... I have to sort something out first. I promise I want to come back and be your boyfriend; I want to make it official, but I can't do that yet. You don't have to wait for me, but I'd love it if you did. I like you, I like you so much, but that's also why I need to do this."

Mia's heart plummeted. "What do you need to do? Is it something to do with your foster home? Tate, please, just tell me what's going on," she begged, desperation creeping into her voice.

But Tate shook his head. "I can't. I just need you to trust me, okay? I just... I just need to take care of something." With that, he turned and walked away, he couldn't stand being there any longer, seeing the pure hurt on Mia's face. If he didn't leave now he wouldn't be able to walk away at all.

So he kept walking and didn't once dare to look back and Mia was left standing there alone, feeling as though her heart had just been shattered into a million pieces.

————

That evening, Mia locked herself in her room, tears streaming down her face as she sent message after message to Tate, pouring her feelings out and begging for answers. But her phone remained silent.

"Mia?" Maya called through the door. Mia had caught the bus home, so she hadn't seen Maya or Carina yet. Since Lane had a restraining order against him, they felt more confident in giving Mia some freedom, but she still needed to let them know where she was to ensure she was safe.

When Mia didn't respond, Maya knocked again. "Mia? Are you in there?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm here. I'll, um... I'll come out soon," Mia replied, her voice slightly cracking, hoping Maya wouldn't notice.