Bad At Love | Halsey

Forget

We pull apart so fast I feel like Ash almost ripped out my hair.

"Grant!" she squeaks, not looking him in the eye.

"What is she doing here?" he demands, looking me over judgmentally.

"It's over, Grant," I say, and his jaw locks.

"Are you being serious?" he snaps. "I thought you'd finally come to your senses."

"That's exactly what she's done," I say, but in my mind, I start to feel unsure. We've done this too many times. She came to me, then went back to Grant, and now she's coming back to me again.

Grant senses my hesitation, and he smirks. "You don't even love her. Not really. If you did, you'd let her go."

"You're one to talk. You going to let her go?"

"She wants to be with me. Why else would she come back to me so much?" Grant counters, and I cross my arms over my chest.

"She doesn't want to be with you!" I snap, and when I open my mouth to say more, Ash grabs my arm.

"Why don't you let me speak for myself," she says, making me feel instantly guilty.

"I'm sorry," I say, stepping back as she looks to Grant.

"I used to love you," she tells him. "And then, I realized you were manipulating me. I'm done."

"So you're going to go off and be with her?" he questions, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't even seem mad. He's so sure that she's going to come back to him.

"No," Ash says, making my jaw drop. "I need to be on my own."

"But Ashley—"

"No, Lauren," she says, looking to me. "I love you. You know that. But I need to do this. I need to be free."

I open my mouth to protest, but I realize I need to let her go. I close my mouth, and Ash turns to Grant again.

"Stay the fuck away from me," she says before pushing past him and walking out the door.

Where did that even come from? 

Grant stares after her, clearly surprised.

"What the fuck did you say to her?" he demands, but I shake my head.

"Nothing. I don't know what that was."

———

"Ashley," I say, running up to her. She was walking down the road, her head down.

"Lauren," she says, looking to me. We stop walking and face each other.

"Does this mean we're over? You're just leaving Grant and me both?"

"I didn't mean it then, but...yeah."

"What do you mean you didn't mean it?" I ask, feeling confused.

"I just said that so Grant wouldn't get mad. Well, more mad," she says.

"But you mean it now?" I ask, and she nods.

"Grant was using me, and I'm no good for you," she says, making my heart break.

"But I love you. If you're trying to do this for me, you need to stop."

"I'm doing it for both of us. Forget me, Lauren," she says.

"You expect me to forget you like that?"

"You were able to kick me out," she points out. "Should I hurt you again to make it easier for you?"

"Ashley, please—"

"No. You said it yourself. You don't deserve this."

"That was heat of the moment," I plead, but she shakes her head.

I feel my heart drop into my stomach as tears brim in my eyes.

"I need to do this. I need to do this for you and for me. It's over. You don't know me anymore. Forget me."

And with that, she walks away. I want to follow her. To grab her and pull her into a hug. Tell her she's wrong. But actually...she's right.

A/N

I'm fucking with my own emotions lmao