The New Guy (Laurance x Reader)

Chapter 12: Over?

Almost two weeks later, Laurance texts me saying he is ready to talk. The problem is, I don't know if I am ready. It's been really strange at lunch. Laurance sits with us but no one talks. It must be really awkward for our friends.

I tell myself that I have to go talk to him even if I am not ready. "When and where would you like to meet?" I text him back. "My house this weekend?" He suggests since no one in his family is ever home.

"That works for me. I'll be over on Saturday." I sigh, feeling a mix of relief and sadness, without really knowing why. "Hey, Mom? Can I go over to Laurance's this Saturday?" I yell as I walk out of my room, knowing she is in the kitchen. "Sure, Sweetie." she says as I walk into the kitchen. "Thanks. He says he's ready to talk." I grimace a little as I say that but luckily she doesn't notice. "That's great, hun."

I take a granola bar with me back to my room, not really wanting to talk to anyone else at the moment. It's Thursday afternoon so that gives me about one and a half days to work this out in my head before. What am I going to say? WIll just become another fight? I don't think I could deal with it if that's what it came to.
I think through a lot of possibilities in my head and only one really sticks because I am thinking about again Friday morning as I head to school. I replay this scenario over and over again to understand why this one stuck.

I don't really pay much attention in class; too anxious to find out what happens tomorrow. I don't know how, but school was impossibly shorter than normal; I guess even Father Time wants to know tomorrow's verdict. He is the one who makes time change, you know.

I take a deep breath and walk out of chemistry but as soon as I am around the corner to my locker, all that air is knocked out of me. Standing next to my locker is Laurance. This means I am going to have to talk to him and I don't want to right now; not at school at least. Once I remember how to breathe properly, I walk to my locker.

When I get to my locker, Laurance looks up, startled I believe, as if he wasn't expecting me to be there. "Oh hey." He says awkwardly, looking down again. "Hey." I open my locker without saying anything else and he doesn't either.

"What's up?" I ask, honestly surprised he's here. Standing by my locker like nothing ever happened. Like he hasn't done for the past two weeks.

"I just wanted to see if maybe you would rather talk today."

I had a feeling that was why he was here. "Sure. What time?" I ask with a sigh. "Does now work?" I nod my head. "We walking home together then?" I ask, looking up to see his face. I swear that, for a second, he smiled. Quickly, he hid his face from me. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

We walked in an awkward silence all the way back to his house and I lost hope. As we got closer to our street, I got more nervous. Did he just want to get this over with sooner? Maybe he had other things to do tomorrow. But why agree to Saturday if you knew you had something going on?

My thoughts were quieted when Laurance cleared his throat; obviously to get my attention. I looked up at him and he gestured towards the door as if to say "Ladies first." It was strange to walk into his house. It had been weeks since I was last here and that didn't end well. It sorta felt like deja vu. I went to sit on the couch and Laurance followed.

After a minute of silence, I decided it would be better to start talking now. Then I couldn't freak myself out more. Laurance must have had the same idea because we started talking at the same time. Only, we both said completely different things. I said, "You said you were ready to talk and here I am." But Laurance said, "I think we should just end this."

It took me a second for my mind to fully register what he said. He wanted to break up with me. Is this why he was so quiet on the way here? He didn't want to have it slip before we got inside. It must have shown on my face that I was both confused and hurt. The confusion as to how long he has been thinking about this. The hurt from the rejection I just experienced. As soon my face showed the effect of his words, he was trying to fix what he just broke.

"Y/N. Listen, I really don't like this idea but I have too many issues at this moment. I can't add continuously hurting you to that." He pleaded. "I.... Y/N don't cry." But it was too late for that. For the second time in two weeks, I was crying because of Laurance.

"Y/N please. Don't cry." You could hear the pain in his voice. He never liked hurting me. But this couldn't be fixed by an apology and it was worse than before. This time it was actually over. Done. And that hit me hard. "If that's what you want." I said quietly through my tears. I got up and walked out of his house for the last time.

I wouldn't walk through that door again. I was done with Laurance and he was done with me. But, sadly, I knew in my heart that it would end like this because that was what has been going through my head since Thursday night.