Squeeze the Day

🍋S E V E N T E E N🍋

"PLEASE SAY SOMETHING." I waved my hand in front of Jordan's face. "Can you just say anything? You're creeping me out." Okay, this was getting old. "Jordan!" I exclaimed.

He slowly looked up at me, his eyes staring into mine. His honey coloured eyes were my favourite thing about him, always so loving and warm. The eyes that I fell in love with were nothing like the eyes staring at me. There was not a single ounce of love in his eyes, and I felt myself getting goosebumps.

"You're not going to Mount U," he said very slowly, wrapping his mind around it. He suddenly shook his head. "You showed me your acceptance letter."

"It was a fake." Just like that letter, I felt like a fraud. Jordan gave me all of his love and trust, and I threw it away like it meant nothing.

"Why?" He looked so hurt, and it ached my heart. I just wanted to hug him and assure him everything was going to be okay, but I knew he wanted his answers first.

"I didn't want you to be mad at me," I admitted in a quiet voice.

"Does it look like I'm happy now?" he shouted, earning a couple glances. I locked eyes with one of my co-workers who gave me a concerned look, but I shook my head, assuring her I was fine. It was true, I was perfectly fine. I wasn't the one being lied to from my partner of four years.

"I'm sorry." I tried to hold back the tears that were fighting to come out. "I made a mistake, a stupid one, and I'm so sorry."

"You hid this for months!" he bellowed. "Who knows what else you've been hiding? I thought I could trust you, but clearly I was wrong."

When he suddenly stood up, I gripped onto his arm, but Jordan tore it out of my grasp. He started walking out of the café, and because he was much larger and stronger than me, I had no choice but to follow him. "Jordan, listen to me," I pleaded. "I'm so sorry."

He looked at me with disgust. "Sorry doesn't make up for lying to me for months, Maxine!"

"Max," I corrected briskly, basically conditioned to do so at this point.

Jordan scoffed. "God forbid I call you by your actual damn name, but it's perfectly fine for you to lie straight to my face."

"Jordan," I whimpered, the tears streaming down my face.

"Save your pathetic excuse." He turned around but stopped, slowly lifting his head over his shoulder, not even being bothered to look at me. "Save your stories for Shane."

I gaped at his retreating figure, shocked by his words as he stormed off. I had imagined scenarios of this conversation, but none of them ended like this. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, tears now freely flowing, but I knew that wasn't the smartest decision.

With shaky hands, I took out my cellphone and punched in a number. It rang a few times before I was met with silence, meaning the person on the other end answered, they just weren't going to talk.

"Shane," I managed to get out in between my sobs. "Can you get me?"

"On my way." The line clicked dead, and I felt the most alone I had ever felt.

~*~

The ride was even more quiet than the drive to the café. I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that I called Shane of all people. Fortunately I was able to clean up my face before he got here, but I knew he knew I had been crying. I knew he was curious to know what had happened, so I was surprised he didn't try to prod like he usually did.

"You can ask, you know," I said after the deafening silence.

He simply shrugged his shoulders, his eyes not leaving the road. "Not my place to ask."