Sticking to Tradition

Chapter Thirty-One: Rylee & Theo

Note: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot was written by me and not copied from any other writer.

The worst part about being coupled up for this stupid tradition is the reality that we have to break up. Considering Theo and I just became an official item at Devenport, this situation is frustrating. Khole and Tatum were handling the separation well. Theo and I? Not so much.

I must admit that our break up was quite beautiful, despite the strong undertones of sadness and regret. Theo made a nice picnic at our middle school. We chatted and ate on his mom's homemade sandwiches and apple pie. Theo brought blank cards and pens for us to write fourteen cute messages. The messages were to be read each day we were apart during the "break up." He felt like we needed some encouragement as we stuck to the tradition.

It was a cute idea, and I spent twenty minutes writing things I knew he would need to hear. Like Mondays, he has History, and he hates that class, so I wrote, "Today will be great. History isn't just a good deal of bad. Just think, in a few years you will be kissing me after winning your first football game in the NFL season. That's a moment worth mentioning in the history books." Or the one I wrote for Saturdays when he misses me the most, "I think you're my favorite part of junior year. I think you'll be my favorite next year too. Sometimes, I wonder if senior Theo can out boyfriend this version of you?" It was corny, but I knew it would make him laugh.

Theo's notes to me were amazing, too. I would read one in the morning and stare at it until I fell asleep at night. I had a few that I liked. The one he wrote for the first day said, "You have my heart. Always." It was so like Theo's nature. He was a guy of few words, but his words were powerful, earth-shattering, sometimes. He had a funny side, too. In one of his notes, he wrote, "I think having a one on one with Ryland is more bearable than this distance. On second thought, maybe not." But my favorite of them all was today's note, "I want to know your secrets. I want you to know mines. When you bite your lips, it drives me insane. That's my weakness." It wasn't a surprise. I knew how much it affected him. It's just it was a habit I developed from being around him. It was reassuring knowing I affected him as much as he affected me.

Despite the notes, we were struggling so much to keep up with the separation. We couldn't talk to each other, which included text, video calls, or even a simple meet up at school. Thankfully, cheer kept me busy and distracted for a few long and excruciating hours. According to Mikah, Hayden said he and Theo were busy with post-season training. Coach gave them a break, which lasted a week before starting their training. Post-training was given to the players who had the potential to be scouted by Wilcaster. Coach Fields also gave opportunities to the new players, who would hold spots in the next season like KC. It was a great opportunity, and I was thrilled to know Theo was one of the few selected. I was relieved knowing he would have something to distract him while we were on this break.

Maybe, I was just relieved at knowing where he was and who he was with during this time. Since winning the championship, girls have flocked to him. Almost every day, some girl was stopping him in the halls to talk or trying to sit next to him in class. I wasn't threatened by them, but it was a bit annoying to know they could talk and touch him when I couldn't. It was so unfair.

But all of that was about to end soon. Today was the last day of this stupid break up fiasco. Mikah decided to distract me with a trip to the mall. I needed an outing, so I quickly got dressed and met up with her. We spent most of the day going to her favorite stores and trying on clothes we thought were cute. I picked up a few outfits for Theo and I's future date nights and outings. I got a few in his favorite color, yellow, which is something I recently discovered. Well, not his favorite color, but it is the color he says he loves seeing me in. He said I looked like a radiant sunflower. It was weird, but pretty charming at the same time. I miss him. I sighed outwardly.