Chapter 17
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Tanner’s voice was unusually gentle.
Usually when I was upset, even when he apologized first, there was always that edge of threat in his tone- “Drielle, cut the drama or don’t expect me to take you to Disney World.” And I’d always take the olive branch, forgiving him instantly.
When you’re head over heels for someone, you can’t bear to actually burn bridges.
But this time was different.
The more tender he sounded, the more my heart twisted in agony.
“Come on, say something, Drielle… baby… what do you think?”
“You’re always talking about wanting a beach vacation… I heard Georgia Tech’s campus is gorgeous, you’d love it there.”
“MIT is honestly way too intense anyway, and Boston winters are absolutely miserable. You hate the cold–yourd be crying by November… but if you really want to go, I could visit you during spring break…”
Tanner rambled on and on, like he was trying to convince himself as much as me.
Like switching to Atlanta was somehow for my benefit.
I listened in silence for a while, my chest getting tighter with every word, before I couldn’t hold back anymore:
“Tanner, isn’t there something you should tell me?”
My voice cracked without permission, betraying eighteen years of trust crumbling in real time.
I thought maybe if he could just be honest about what he’d done, we might salvage some kind of friendship from this wreckage.
But if he kept dodging the truth, then we were truly done.
He only hesitated for a few seconds before mumbling: “…You already know, don’t you? Why are you even asking?”
“You’ve been pissed at me all day over this. Such a drama queen.”
“Look, they’re both good schools, and you picked a major you love. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we go…
Tanner kept talking in circles, saying everything except what actually mattered.
The cowardice in his voice made me want to scream.
I was done listening.
This was his last chance.
And he’d blown it spectacularly.
Before he could finish his pathetic rambling, I hung up and powered off my phone.
I glanced at the clock–the second hand had just swept past midnight.
No going back now.
Maybe it was for the best.
We’d both chosen our paths. We’d both gotten what we wanted.
I turned off the lights and forced myself to lie down, but my body was shaking with rage and heartbreak
Behind my closed eyelids, Tanner was everywhere.
14.7%
Chapter 17
Happy Tanner, sad Tanner, goofy Tanner, angry Tanner–every version of him I’d ever loved.
We’d grown up together, two kids figuring out the world side by side. His presence colored every memory I had.
I’d never imagined it would end like this.
Late nights have a way of breaking down your defenses.
Despite all my efforts to stay strong during the day, tears soaked through my pillowcase before I even realized I was crying.
The sobs came in waves–ugly, body–wracking grief for the future I’d just burned to ash.
I must have cried myself to sleep at some point.
When I woke up, it was past noon, and my eyes were swollen shut.
My phone showed a dozen missed calls and texts from unknown numbers.
All from Tanner.
I deleted them without reading, my finger shaking with fury.
Snapchat was blowing up too.
Joy had added me to some group chat with her friends, and people kept tagging everyone to spill tea about last night.
