SORE • l. ackerman ✓

𝐈 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ reader ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

My breath became slow and hard as I continued up the hill. It became exceedingly harder for me to keep my breaths steady, and eventually I gave in and started to heavily breathe through my mouth. It seemed the further that I stepped, the heavier the books in my backpack became, weighing me down as if I was carrying a bag of bricks. As soon as I reached the top of the hill, I slumped down against the giant tree that stood perfectly in the middle, out of breath and my face flushed. I'd expected Jean to be there by the time I'd gotten there, but as usual he was either late or wouldn't show up. I pulled my phone out to text him just to make sure he hadn't changed his mind, hoping that he would come but deep down knowing that he wouldn't. He never did.

2 : 5 2 PM

Me: Hey, are you still coming?

I set it to the side to give him some time to respond, but to my surprise, my phone buzzed almost immediately.

Jean ♡: sorry babe, can't make it today. I picked up an extra shift tonight and I forgot to tell you. I promise I'll make it up to you

J e a n ♡ i s o f f l i n e .

I felt my throat start to burn as I fought back tears of frustration. It was the third time he'd stood me up that week alone. Granted, he was never one to enjoy things like reading as he preferred parties and clubbing, but he agreed to let me read to him at our favorite chill spot as a date since he hadn't seen me in almost a month, and the last time we seen each other ended in an argument.

I went through the trouble of leaving the comfort of my house all for nothing. I decided not to head back home since I was already there, and instead read my favorite book while enjoying the scenery and the near silent atmosphere. The view from the top was absolutely beautiful, overlooking the city. It looked like something straight out of a movie.

A light breeze rustled the tree leaves and blew through my hair, messing up the neat way I had styled it previously. My chest felt tight thinking of Jean, but not the way that it used to. It no longer felt good to think about him. When I would think of him before, my chest would feel tight in an excitedly nervous type of way, but at that moment, it just hurt. Maybe it was the feeling of falling out of love.

I knew that he didn't love me anymore, but i was holding onto the hope that one day he would change. I wanted him to realize I was worth it. That our relationship was worth it. I was willing to spare myself the heartbreak for as long as I could.

-

The sky began to darken and the sun started to set behind the hills. The light breeze from before slowly turned into a colder, harsher wind, and I no longer wanted to be alone with my thoughts and the words on the pages anymore. I silently pouted as I remembered that I would have to make a trip down the hill with all the heavy books. I put the one that I was reading into the red backpack that I had with me and put the straps on my shoulders, preparing myself for the short journey to my car. Instant regret filled me as I felt the straps dig into my shoulders. Just as I was leaving, I seen three people starting up the hill. I began the short yet excruciating journey down and to the car, where I threw the backpack in the backseat and let out a sigh of relief.

The ride home was short and quiet. When I finally got home, I went upstairs to my room and changed into comfortable clothes, heading to bed shortly after.

-

Hiya
So this chapter really isn't that important to the story, it's just a little bit of background for everything that's gonna happen further down the line.

-TJ

[Edited]