Back to you | ✔

01 | Chapter One

B O N N I E

"I think we should break up."

His words slammed into my chest. My senses sharpen with adrenaline, and I hold my breath, straining to hear with every ounce of my concentration. It's cold outside and all I can hear is a low humming noise in my ear. I sense movement to my left and glance over to find Hayley, my nosy neighbor, who is watching us, completely enamored with our conversation. I glare at her, silently willing her to back off and go inside, but she doesn't make a move to leave.

The street is quiet, but not quite silent. It's only early, maybe 7 pm, so I'm glad to be home alone right now. The last thing I need is for my mom to witness this. Cool air whispered around me, enveloping me whole, and I shiver. Skylar stares at me, frowning. Waiting for me to say something, anything, but I can't speak. I don't think I could even move right now if I wanted to.

He was breaking up with me. All it took were those six words to shatter my heart. Six words to destroy all my plans and dreams for our future. I thought Skylar was the guy I would spend the rest of my life with. Instead, he's leaving me. Maybe planning out our future so far ahead of time wasn't such a good idea.

But, I thought I got lucky in the boyfriend department and found my one a little earlier than others, but clearly, I was wrong. Wrong about so many things. How was I oblivious to it all? Oblivious to his feelings being so fleeting and now non-existent. I felt like we were a forever thing, but I guess not.

Now, six hours later, I stand here alone. A sea of drunken college students surrounds me. They're dancing to the beat of something I can't even make out over the sounds and vibrations of the bass. Glancing around the room, I don't see a familiar face in sight. Well, besides my best friend and her boyfriend, which is probably a good thing. How else would I explain me being here alone? I'm not ready for that yet.

The moral of this sad story, six, is now my least favorite number.

I'm trying so hard to forget and drown out the pain, but nothing seems to work. I was never one for parties, especially right now, when I'm trying so hard to work through my heartbreak. I don't think it's even fully settled in yet what happened.

I let my best friend, Olivia, convince me coming here was a fantastic idea. I knew then, and I know now that it was, in fact, a terrible idea. Seeing everyone loved up, swaying on the dance floor together in unison, is doing the opposite of helping me forget about him. All it does is remind me of the way I used to gaze up at him with the same lust-filled eyes as we danced to the beat of our own song. Last weekend, we did just that, right here in this very room.

I sigh, wanting to punch myself in the chest for the painful reminder of how things were. I had no warning of what was to come. No signs that he was going to break up with me, and I think that's the worst part.

As far as I was concerned, and I think everyone around us too, Skylar and I were the perfect couple. We were the couple that everyone was jealous of. Everyone dreamed of a relationship like ours, but I guess we all had it wrong. He didn't even give me a good reason, or any reason at all. "I'm just not feeling it anymore," were his exact words, like that explains anything. How does that even happen? You feel everything one day and then nothing the next?

It's almost as bad as the total cliche break up line, 'it's not you, it's me.'

"Can you please try to control yourselves around me?" I frown when I notice Olivia and Axel are now practically dry humping right next to me. Honestly, they're disgusting, and the public display of affection makes me want to gag.

I can't judge though. Not even a week ago, I was that girl all loved up with her boyfriend, making out in the dark corner at one of Brad Kingsley's party. Now, I'm standing here awkwardly looking for anything in the room to focus on other than the soft moans I can hear escaping my best friend's mouth. Ugh.