Everything with you

Part 42

Emma

The weekend was just a day away. I'd just closed up the studio and was on my way back to the dorm. I really was saving almost two hours with my new car. It did make weird noises sometimes and took a while to start, but all of those were minor issues that I chose to overlook. I would have it checked out next month. I was technically not broke, but I was close to being broke. Thankfully, the month was ending soon, and I would get paid soon.

I reached my dorm in thirty minutes, compared to the hour and a half it used to take on the bus. I smiled again looking at my reflection in the mirror once I had parked it. I grabbed my things and headed to my room. On the way I checked my phone; nothing. Justin had not even opened my messages from yesterday. I decided to go to his class and talk to him tomorrow.

About an hour later, I was listening to songs with my headphones on, doing an assignment. A tap on my shoulder startled me.

"God! You scared me!", I shriek at Hayley.

"Jesus! You scared me too!", she responded in the same tone as me.

"I didn't hear you come in," I say now laughing.

"Yeah... you wouldn't hear it even if an intruder had come in, Em. The door was unlocked, and you're in a different world!" , she says with concern. It surely wasn't that late; I checked my phone for the time; it was almost midnight.

"I lost track of time," I say, removing my headphones.

"Yeah... you look distracted... What's up?" she asks as she takes a seat beside me. She's wearing a blue dress and a high ponytail that makes her eyes stand out.

"I'm fi...," I begin to say when she interrupts me.

"Don't say you're fine, Em. I can clearly see that you're not...", she says gently as she holds my hand.

My emotions caught up to me. I told her everything about what happened a few nights ago at the studio and how Justin was ignoring me.

"Oh my god! I mean... Thank God for Taylor! I can't think what would have happened if he hadn't bee there", she says, sounding horrified.

"I don't think I've ever felt so helpless," I say honestly.

"And that jerk Justin! I mean... I know he's going through something, but that doesn't give him the right to treat you like this. The least he can do is respond to your texts."

I remain silent. "I'm planning to see him after class; hopefully I'll be able to see him."

"Hmm... if you do, give him a piece of your mind and don't let him go easy. Just because he's hot, he can't do stuff like this, she says seriously, making me laugh.

I nod my head, wiping away a tear, "I will!".

The next day was a game day for our soccer team; Joel couldn't stop talking about it.

Apparently they had a warmup session before the actual evening game. I'd hoped to catch Justin before his warmups. Psych was not my last class for the day, though; I finished my designing class and headed straight to the engineering building.

It was easy to spot Justin. He was taller than most people in the halls. He was wearing a grey shirt with dark blue jeans. That was all I could make out as he turned away from me. He was with Ash and Nate, and they were walking towards the exit on the other side of the building.

"Justin!" I called out. I tried to move and catch up, but there were too many people moving towards the exit behind me. I moved between the crowd and managed to catch up to him.

"Justin!" I called out again. He turned around on hearing me and stood still as I walked closer to him.

"Hi," I said a little out of breath.

"Hi," he said, looking around, clearly not expecting to see me here.

"How are you? What happened to your face?", I questioned, shocked, looking at his face; the right side of his jaw was purple, and his lip was clearly split.

He pulled me away from the crowd into an empty classroom. The classroom was eerily quiet, the evening sunlight streaming through the half-closed blinds, casting long shadows across the rows of empty desks.

"What happened?" I ask again, reaching for his face. He grabbed my hand before it touched his face.

"I fell down," he mumbled, still holding my hand.

"You expect me to believe that?" He was clearly lying. If I was right, it looked like someone had punched him.

He lets out an irritated sigh, dropping my hand. "I did fall.".

"You didn't respond to any of my messages," I say, looking away from him.

"I was busy, Emma," he says flatly. I let out a sigh in frustration.

My patience frayed to its limits, I crossed her arms tightly and glared at him, my  voice sharp with frustration: "Are you ever going to say something more, or do you plan to let silence do all the talking?"

He tips his head, groaning again irritatedly, "What do you want from me?" .

Tears began to well in my eyes. "I really don't know... I thought I was giving you space, but it's like you don't care at all."

His stance changes; he puts his hands in his pockets. "Care about what?"

"Anything! Your family, me, or even yourself".

"I don't have time for this; I need to get to practice," his tone was still irritated.

"Well, I'm tired of this. You keep pushing me out. I am trying, really trying, to be there for you, but you are making it extremely difficult. I mean... you don't even want to talk to me anymore.

"Don't then," he retorts.

"What?"

"Don't, Emma. Don't try", he turns around to face the window.

A few beats pass, he turned around slowly, his expression unreadable, though his hands fidgeted at his sides. "We need to end this," he said flatly, his voice lacking any of the warmth I was used to.

My heart sank, and I took a cautious step forward. "What are you talking about? End what? Us?"

"Yes," he said, not meeting her eyes. "This... relationship. It's not working."

I froze, my brows furrowing as the words sank in. "Not working? Where is this coming from? Everything was fine last week. What's going on?"

He leaned against the window sill, his jaw tightening as he forced himself to speak. "I've been thinking about it, and I don't think we're... right for each other. We're too different."

"Different?" I repeated, my voice rising with disbelief. "You're seriously using that excuse? After everything we've been through?"

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "It's not an excuse. It's the truth. Look, you're too good for this—for me. You deserve someone who can actually give you the kind of life you want."

My eyes narrowed as I stepped closer, refusing to let him hide behind his words. "Stop it. Stop saying what you think I want to hear. If you're going to break my heart, at least give me the truth."

"I am giving you the truth," he said, his voice hardening. "I don't feel the same way anymore. This... whatever this is, it's not what I want."

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach, and I stumbled back, my hand gripping the edge of a desk for support. "You're lying," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I know you are."

"I'm not," he said, his gaze darting away. "This was a mistake, okay? We were a mistake."

My breath hitched, tears pooling in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Fine," I said, my voice quiet but steady.

"If that's how you feel, I won't fight you. But know this—walking away doesn't make you noble. It just makes you a coward."

I grabbed my bag and stormed out, the sound of the door slamming echoing in the empty classroom.