Along for the ride

Chapter 38

I spent Biology starring at a wall, trying to avoid Jake's glances and occasional looks.

Once the bell rang to go home, I rushed out of the classroom. I met Valorie at her car with watery eyes.

"Gabbie, are you crying? What's wrong?"

"We broke up," I choked.

It was the first time I had said those words out loud. Those three little words sent a sharp pain to my chest. The same pain I felt four years ago.

"Why? What happened?"

I let out a breath, shaking my head.

I couldn't break down. Not now while everyone's watching.

"Can we go to your house. I really don't want to be home."

She nodded without another word.

After five minutes, I lost it.

All the tears flowed out of me like a river, the pain in my chest increasing.

Once we got to her house, we made sure Rhyan wasn't home, before sliding into her room.

"Why is this happening to me?" I cried, falling to the floor, "I forgave him, Valorie. Do you know how hard it was to forget? How hard it was to not think about him leaving me and all the pain he's caused me? I hate him."

Valorie knelt down next to me brushing my hair out of my face as I cried.

I didn't know who I hated more. Jake or myself.

I should have seen this coming. There would have been a time where he would have gotten tired of me, breaking up with me. Or he would have cheated.

Regardless, I believed in him. I saw the best in him when I easily could have seen the worst. I get judged for my mistake and he get's rewarded for his. The thing that hurts the most about all this was that through all the lying, the pain, and the break up, I was still in love with this boy.

There was just something about him that had me hooked. He made me feel a different type of special. A different type of love. He knows me better than I know myself as I know him quite the same.

That look in his eye scared me. Not the fact that it was a look of anger and hate, but the simple truth that this look was directed towards me.

"He's stupid, Gabbie. He really is. I know he's going to come back to you."

"I don't know, Val. You should've seen the look in his eye."

Valorie sighed, "Just because his stupid ass is being childish doesn't make you any bad of a person. Most of this is my stupid step brothers fault. I'm going to talk to him later, you can count on it, but please don't let him bring you down like this. Not again. You deserve so much more than this. Don't let him hold you back."

I let out a breath, taking Valorie's hand. She gave it a light squeeze, wrapping her free arm around me. It didn't make me feel much better, but the pain in my chest eased up a bit just at the fact that I had people who cared about me.

After I calmed down, I decided I needed to head home before my parents got worried. I had almost forgotten that I was on punishment.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me, okay? It sucks that you don't have your phone."

Valorie wrapped her arms around me tightly, as we stood at her front door.

"Thanks for everything. It means so much. I'm sorry I'm on punishment," I mumbled.

She chucked, "It's not your fault. My brother has gone mad. I'll talk to him when he gets home-"

The front door opened and shut with a loud slam.