Bad Memories // a.u.

chapter 32: break ups

keaton's pov

I stood on the beach, shocked by what Noelle had just told me. I couldn't believe that she had decided to go back to Rhode Island and even packed up all her things. This was all going too fast for me and I found myself falling back onto the hot sand, looking out at the ocean before me. I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there when I noticed a presence next to me. 

"Hey, Keats," Wes said, setting down his surf board and taking a seat next to me. "You alright?"

I shook my head, unable to find the words to explain what had just happened.

"Is it Noelle? I thought she was back safe and sound."

"She's leaving me," I finally told him, the words leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Once I said them, it felt more true, like she actually had packed up everything and was going to leave. 

"She dumped you? That sucks man." Wes placed a hand on my back as a way to comfort me, but I felt no comfort. The only thing I wanted now was for Noelle to come down from her house and tell me that this was all a sick joke and she wasn't actually going to leave. 

I shrugged. "I don't exactly know, but she's going back to Rhode Island so yeah. I guess she did dump me."

My brother brought me closer in a sort of side hug and I layed my head on his shoulder. "I'm for you, bro. Break-ups suck." 

We stayed out on the beach, looking out at the setting sun for hours until it turned to night. I thought that maybe I would feel better, just looking out at the waves of the ocean, but all I felt was lonely and heartbroken.

noelle's pov

It didn't exactly go as I had planned, my goodbye with Keaton but it was over. I had decided as I stood in the kitchen of my soon to be ex-house, looking out the expansive windows out at the ocean below and Keaton still sitting there in the sand, that I was going to call my aunt in the morning. I crossed my arms over my chest and pulled the sweater I had put on closer to myself. I wasn't cold, but I was feeling alone and I had thought that the sweater was going to help take that away. So far, it wasn't helping at all. 

"What are staring at?" Skylar came up behind me, causing me to jump nearly ten feet in the air. 

"God, Skye," I sighed, turning around and took a seat at the table. 

She shrugged, giving me an innocent look. "Well? What were you staring at? It looked like you'd been standing there awhile."

"Just the ocean. Keaton, I guess."

"Why were you staring at him when you could just be with him and stare at him? Wouldn't that be a whole lot easier than staring out the kitchen window?" She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the faucet. 

"Because I told him goodbye," I muttered.

She put her glass down loudly on the table and asked, "You what?"

"Told him goodbye," I repeated.

"Noelle," Skylar groaned. "You didn't. You love that boy so much. Why the fuck would you do such a thing?"

I pushed my chair out, causing it to screech against the wood floor and stood up so I could be the same height as her. "Don't come at me, Skylar! I can make my own decisions and I've decided to go back to Rhode Island so I did in fact need to tell him goodbye."

Skylar stood frozen in front of me. "You didn't," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She knew that my decision to go back would make her have to do the same. She didn't necessarily have to leave, but my aunt wasn't going to be paying for the house anymore and she would have to find somewhere else to live. She would have to leave Drew or have a long distance relationship and I hated that I was doing this to her. I hated all of things I'd done to her in the past. 

I nodded slowly. "I already packed my things. I'm calling my aunt in the morning."

"Why is every goddamned thing about you Noelle? Why can't one single thing be about me, huh? Did you ever stop to think that I don't want to go back to fucking Rhode Island?" 

Skylar's voice was sharp and felt like a knife stabbing me in the heart. In all honesty, I hadn't thought once about Skylar when I was packing my things or deciding to call my aunt. I had been thinking of myself and how I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted another escape. It seemed like that's what I was best at, so why not keep doing it? 

"You know what, Noelle? Fuck you. You can go back to Rhode Island, but I'm staying here. I can deal on my own. Without you." She grabbed her purse and then seconds later, I heard the door slam. She was gone and I was once again alone. I looked back out at the beach, but Keaton was now gone as well. 

I wrapped my sweater as tight as I could around myself as I walked up to my room. I took the suitcase and box off the bed and placed them on the floor. I took out the blanket that I had packed earlier not having thought about needing to use my bed and dug out my headphones. I turned on Ed Sheeran and curled up with the single blanket and wished for sleep to find me. 

**********

The next morning, I woke up with drool running down my cheek and for a moment I felt ok. But then I noticed my suitcase and the box next to my bed and realized that Skylar had walked out on me and I had said goodbye to Keaton. I sat up and stretched, taking out the headphones that were still in my ears. 

I walked slowly to the bathroom and turned on the shower to the hottest water I could stand before stripping off my clothes. I stepped into the shower and let the steam and hot water wash over me. This made me feel better while I was showering, but as soon I stepped out, the cool air made me feel empty again. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked back into my room. I changed into one of Keaton's t-shirts he had left here and a pair of jean shorts. I stared at my phone sitting on my bed in front of me before I picked it up with a shaky hand. 

"Hello?"

"Aunt Kathryn? I've decided to come back to Rhode Island."

Hey guys (: so i'm trying to wrap this up with a few more chapters. please vote and comment xx zoe