More Than This

3 -Amber

Song of the chapter - Spiderwebs by No Doubt

I was standing there, watching as Matt walked away, completely shocked. All day I had been preparing what I would say, how I would end it. And then he sauntered out there and did it himself.

Was it really that easy?

The worst part was how I reacted. I can't believe I asked him if he was sure. Why would I do that after all the planning Garrett went through with me? Wasn't I sure? The whole day had been so strange, maybe that's why I was such a mess. Maybe Matt had sensed it was coming.

That morning he had acted so sweet, grabbing my hand and walking me to class. He never did that anymore, and it caught me off guard. I figured he was just trying to get me to talk with him. I had avoided him all weekend, which was another reason it threw me off. Shouldn't he have been mad?

Then, at lunch, I could sense that he was frustrated and I half expected him to try dragging me to our usual spot behind the cafeteria so he could tell me what he really thought of me. But, again, he surprised me by putting his arm around my shoulders.

Where had that guy been for the past two months?

That was the guy I had started dating, the one who showed affection. The one who cared. The guy I'd been with for the past eight weeks had been anything but caring. It was throwing me off of my plan, the whole goal of breaking up.

But I went ahead and asked him to meet me in the quad, as planned, even though it was much harder than I thought it would be to get the words out. He looked at me with eyes that said "liar" and my heart rate sped up. I felt like he was a bomb that would blow at any second with the look that he gave me. However, just as quickly it was gone, replaced with a casual smile as he said "sure"

When I stood in the quad waiting, I thought I might pass out from the anxiety. How in the world was I going to do this? How would he respond? I glanced around the area, looking for April, Nico's girlfriend, who was supposed to be my back up in case Matt tried anything. Garrett told me he'd be watching too, from a distance, but didn't tell me where that would be.

April was seated on a bench a few feet away, listening to music and looking like someone who wanted the rest of the students to leave her alone. She was tough and had a reputation for not taking any crap from anyone. She was the perfect match for Nico.

Dear God, I was going to Nico's house! If I survived breaking up with Matt, I hoped I would also survive hanging out with Nico. I had never met him but his reputation was worse than April or Garrett's. I had heard things, the type of things I wanted nothing to do with.

When Matt finally showed up, he didn't look like a guy planning to dump his girlfriend. He seemed calm, happy even. So when the first thing out of his mouth was I can't help you with your shit, I thought I might faint. I braced myself for a huge confrontation, and then it was over practically as fast as it had begun.

We were done.

He had actually broken up with me. I still couldn't believe it as I stood there, looking towards the hallway doors Matt had just disappeared through. I sensed someone approaching me so I turned and saw April standing next to me.

"Well, that was unexpected." She said with a smirk. She was really pretty, if the scariest girl at Jefferson could be considered pretty. But honestly she was. She had the perfect wings on her eyelids and deep, dark pink lips that matched the shade of her boots. The hot pink tips at the end of her black hair popped right at you, almost the first thing you noticed about her.

"Yeah. I'm not sure what to think about all of this." I looked away from her and down at my hands, which I was wringing nervously.

"You should be celebrating, doll! This is your emancipation, doesn't matter who did the deed. The deed is done." Her voice was so loud that I cringed and looked around to see if anyone was watching us.