Fresh Start

Chapter 7

You stayed in Star City the rest of the week, until Thea was finally sent home. Then it was time for you to go back to Central City before you got into trouble for missing too many classes. Goodbyes were hard once again, you knew you were going to miss them but you also knew they were going to be there if you needed them, just like you would be there for them no matter what.

Barry's calls weren't so insistent anymore. He still tried to reach you by calling or sending a text, but it looked like he was finally getting your message. It wasn't like you didn't want to see him ever again, but you felt so humiliated and hurt that, at least for now, you didn't want to see him or hear from him. On the other side of the story, Barry was still desperate to talk to you but now he knew you weren't going to be pick up the phone.

"Dude, you can't just show up at college" Cisco told him.

"Why not?" Barry asked.

"Stalker" Cisco replied.

"It worked the first time!" Barry exclaimed.

"Obviously she's hurt, Barry" Caitlin said. "If you just show up wherever she is...it's not going to change it. She probably needs some time" she shrugged.

"She had the whole week" Barry sighed.

"Maybe she needs more" the doctor shrugged.

"She's right" Iris said walking in. "Remember the time before I knew you were The Flash? All those time you disappeared?" Barry nodded. "It doesn't feel good, Bar, not even a bit. I remember I felt abandoned and even lonely. Imagine how she must have felt taking into account she's new in town and you're probably the first person she has met. And maybe the only one she knows" she explained.

That was the first time Barry really thought about how you might feel. The whole time he had been too selfish and too obsessed with earning your forgiveness that he had completely forgotten about your own feelings. He had been such a jerk.

***

It was already dark when you finally walked into your apartment. You were completely exhausted from the journey and the last few days and all you wanted to do was sleeping. But you were also hungry. The eternal battle: sleep or eat? Which one was better? Which one was more important? You had the solution: milk and cereals in bed.

When you were finally settled in your bed and you had eaten your cereals, you finally took your phone and started listening to all Barry's messaged and reading his texts. They were all the same: he was so sorry, he regret leaving you alone, he knew he had let you down. But it was the last one you found on your voicemail, from that day, the one that caught you attention:

"Hey (Y/N), it's Barry, again. I wanted to say once again that I'm sorry and I understand that you're mad at me. I cannot even imagine how you felt when I...left you there. Take all the time you need. Just please, call me someday. Bye"

After hearing that message you felt the impulse to call him to talk but you knew it wasn't the best idea. You still needed some time to figure out if you really wanted to give him another chance. You connected your phone to the charger and turned off the lights before lying down. It didn't take you much before you finally fell asleep.

Since you had gone to bed so early you were up an hour before planned. So you decided to go to Jitters and have a proper breakfast before driving to college, praying you didn't have much to catch up on. You took a quick shower and got dressed, you took all you would need for college, along with your keys, wallet and phone, and left the apartment. On your way to the car you sent both Thea and Oliver and good morning text, letting them know you were alright. Then, you finally headed towards the coffee shop.