"you cut him off just like that?" dana asked after i finished explaing what happened with nate earlier yesterday.
i nodded. "yeah, i guess so."
"are you stupid or are you stupid?" dana hit me.
"what?" i furrow my eyebrows.
"why on earth would you do that mia?" dana exclaimed.
"you were there!" i scoffed. "he was with another girl, dana!"
"so? like you said, you're not his girlfriend. you're not dating!" she yelled at me.
"but it still fucking hurt." i whined like a kid. "i just don't want to be a girl he fucks then kicks out!"
dana shook her head. "let him know that! he wanted to talk, you should've told him how you felt mia!"
i crossed my arms and shrugged my shoulders, "whatever. the damage's done, dana. it's too late now."
school was about to start and i needed to starting focusing on my future, i don't have time to be running after nate and being his therapists for mary jane. there are actually people who get paid to do that so he can hire one of them.
i could tell dana was angry with me when she laid back on my bed and ignored for the remainder of her visit.
"i'm gonna go home." she mumbled to me, grabbing her back and quickly exiting my room. i sighed and was about to close my door when someone put their foot in between the door.
"guessing things didnt go well between you and maloley yesterday huh?" bryan asked, letting himself in.
"do you always eavesdrop on my conversation?" i rolled my eyes.
bryan laid back against my bed and put his hands behind his head, "it's my job, lil sis." he smiled smugly. "so answer my question."
i huffed and shook my head, "no it didnt go well with nate. we let each other go."
bryan asked with raised eyebrows. "we or you?"
i furrowed mine. "what do you mean?"
he sighed and sat up. "i don't think you realize it but ever since mom left you tend to push people away-" i shook my head, ready to object but he stopped me. "before you argue and say you don't, you do mi. you slowly started to distant yourself but then you met dillion and he brought you out your shell; dad and i were thrilled, we finally thought you would open up more. but then that dick went in cheated on you..." bryan remembered through gritted teeth.
"anyway," he continued. "after that you started to close up again and shove your face into books."
this was ridiculous. i shook my head. "i just don't want to get hurt."
"who does mia?!" bryan raised his voice, making me jump a little. "no one wants to get hurt, it's just life. we don't choose to get hurt."
"but we do choose who gets to hurts us." i say quietly, quoting one of my favorite books.
bryan shakes his head, getting up. "for someone so smart, you're actually really stupid." he pushed me out his way. "stop reading so much and see the real world for once. stop trying to hide." he said before turning the corner.
i sighed and slumped back in my chair. it feels like everyone is ganging up on me. i'm surprised my dad hasn't found something to yell at me about yet.
"mia, clean your room!" i heard him yell from downstairs.
i roll my eyes, it's not even dirty. but i start cleaning up before he comes in and yells me another more. a pile of books laid by my bed, i sit on the floor and put each in the drawer i keep by my bed. i frown when i see something slip from in between the books. i pick it up and realize its the beaded bracelet nate gave to me once when were hanging out; he told me it would look better on me when he slipped it off his wrist and handed it to me.
i slipped the yellow, red, and green- of course- bracelet around my wrist and smile softly and continued to clean.
