Falling for the Sun

01

What the hell.

I thought to myself as I aimlessly scrolled through the internet, succumbing to my usual teenage boredom and wanting to be updated about the happenings in North Hill Ridge, or as I like to refer to it, North Hell Ridge. It was the place where I longed to escape. Let's just say I'm one of those kids that are going to cry on graduation day not because I will miss my 'high school life', but because finally, finally! I can get out of this hellish life I have inside this cage and break free from this wretched existence. But as fate would have it, my world stopped when I laid eyes on my newsfeed. Holy fudge!

My eyes widened, and I instinctively covered my mouth in disbelief. This couldn't be real. I mean, seriously, the entire school would be buzzing about this!

Just then, my phone rang, and I scrambled to find it amidst the clutter on my desk. It was Cassidy, we are the best of friends for as long as I could remember.

"Oh my gosh!" she screamed from the other end of the line, her voice piercing through the air. "Have you seen it?"

"Seen what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Duh, the most epic breakup in the history of North Hell Ridge," she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you mean Britney and Dylan?" I asked nonchalantly, as if it didn't affect me in the slightest. But deep down, I wanted to throw a massive celebration and invite everyone I knew–and that says a lot regarding who I am.

"Uh, duh! Who else do you think I'm talking about?" she retorted sarcastically, and I rolled my eyes once again.

"Well, I don't know, maybe you and—" Before I could finish my sentence, she cut me off abruptly.

"Don't you dare, Evans! I despise hearing that name, and don't you ever mention it again!" she snapped angrily. I couldn't help but laugh at her outburst. She truly loathed hat guy, and quite frankly, he deserved every ounce of her disdain.

"Fine, fine. I won't bring it up again. But seriously, what's the deal with them?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious. Although, let's be honest, everyone knew it was a huge deal.

"Are you that slow, Paige? Or are you just pretending to be clueless to convince yourself that you no longer have feelings for him?" she said with confidence, leaving me momentarily speechless. 

How on earth did she find out?

"What the heck, Cassidy! We all know our so-called love story was written ages ago. Everyone has moved on, including us."

"Oh-ho! You? Moved on? Oh, please, Paige," she said matter-of-factly, a hint of playfulness in her voice. "Lying can be deadly too, you know. Maybe not physically, but it can certainly damage your so-called precious heart."

Reluctantly, I had to admit that this gaga friend of mine was right, however corny that statement was. But I couldn't let her know that. I had made a promise to myself, sealed it tight, that I would never, ever develop feelings for that jerk again.

Yet, these infuriating emotions refused to cooperate. For three long years, I had concealed my true feelings, ever since that dreadful day. I tried convincing myself that I despised him, that I wanted to hurl insults and slap his oh-so-handsome face. But no matter how hard I tried, my foolish heart still chose the wrong guy, the one I had once believed was right.

"You're cheesy, you know that?" I retorted, acting disgusted while making exaggerated noises, unable to resist a chuckle at her corny line.

"Laugh your ass off until you can handle the pain, Paige," she replied, undeterred. "Deep down, I know you still have feelings for him." Once again, her reply silenced me. "See? Just friendly advice, stop denying everything. You know it, and I know it. You still like him. Why not give your story another chance? The book is still open, isn't it?"