In Case of Heartbreak

13 | breakdown

C H A P T E R 1 3 | K A T I E

"So... what happened with Dean?"

Rain splattered against the windows of William's coffee shop, blurring the view of early morning traffic towards the university. Stella and I had stopped in for a quick breakfast before our classes started, but our conversation had been stagnant, up until her sudden question caused a sharp inhale on my behalf. Choking on scolding coffee, my eyes wide, I regained my composure a few moments later to see her expression blank and her brow quirked.

"What do you mean?"

"Considering you asked for a ride this morning," she began slowly, a rush of worry flooding her eyes, "I didn't know if something had happened, or – "

"Oh," I said, realizing where her train of thought had led her, "No. Everything's fine. Dean just had a check-up this morning." I shrugged, cracking a smile. "I thought it'd be weird if I dropped him off at the hospital and then left with his car."

"Isn't it a little weird already though? You driving his car most of the time?"

"I thought it was at first," I admitted, taking a sip of coffee before continuing, "But I get why he's weary about driving." I cast my gaze downwards shyly. "Plus, it's not like I mind spending time with him."

A small grin pulled at Stella's lips. "Speaking of which," her voice now laced with delight and intrigue, "Is there anything interesting I should know about?"

I rolled my eyes with amusement. "This again?" She laughed, though pulled a face of mock innocence as I sighed. "We've hung out a lot, as friends, and sometimes I think that there's something there, you know?" I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my lips. "He's sweet, funny, insanely attractive," I paused, "But he's also putting so much effort into recovering and getting back into basketball, and I don't know if I want to talk to him about it just yet."

"But..."

"But," I continued, "It's hard to bite my tongue or hold myself back."

"Sometimes you just have to take the risk."

I couldn't think of a response as we finished our breakfast, and when I sat in the passenger's seat of Stella's car minutes later, the radio filled the otherwise comfortable silence up until she killed the ignition in the campus parking lot. Just as I went to reach for the handle, I noticed that Stella was sitting nervously in her seat, and when she glanced over at me to see me eyeing her, she bit her lip.

"Can I ask you something?"

Her question was calculated as she rang her hands together in her lap, making it seem like she'd spent the entire ride from the coffee shop trying to pull together the right words.

"Yeah," I replied, letting my bag drop down to the floor, "Of course."

She inhaled deeply. "Are you okay?"

Maybe it was because her pointed stare seemed to carry a lot more weight than simple curiosity that a swarm of dread sprouted in the pit of my stomach. At the sudden realization of what she was talking about, I could feel the colour drain from my face.

"I don't – " I stuttered, "I'm not – "

"Katie, I'm your best friend," she stated, no louder than a whisper, "Did you really think I hadn't noticed?" My chin hit my chest as I dropped my gaze, feeling small as embarrassment coursed through me. "Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you're somehow staying on top of everything you have going on, but with the bags under your eyes and the waver in your steps, I don't think it's worth it if you're putting your health at stake."