✓ 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒, park jongseong.

I Don't Love You Anymore

"you don't get it."

kat scoffed, her eyebrows knitting together, "what am i not getting?" she forced herself to look him in the eyes. "it's been two years, and you've given up."

"i-i haven't given up." her, soon to be ex boyfriend, stuttered. he always felt intimidated by kat, though he also thought he was better than her. "i just don't love you anymore."

"...right."

kat was in disbelief. on his birthday he was breaking up with her? after she'd given him that gift in front of her friends. how embarrassing, she thought.

"i've given you everything, max. what more could you need?"

"nothing, kat." he seemed sincere, but in all honesty, she didn't care, "i just don't want to be with you anymore." so it's revealed. the plot point kat's never been fond of. "it's not personal, because i did love you."

she hugged her arms to her chest, comforting her obliviously breaking heart, "and i thought you did love me, max. but you were only in love with the idea of me." and maybe that was true, she wondered, "you liked the status i came with. the baggage you thought you could fix."

he had a complex, sure, but he never thought he could fix what kat wouldn't even show him, "no, ka—"

"just listen to me, before we break it off." she took a breath, "thank you." because in reality, he was a good boyfriend to her. "you were always good to me. and even if i'm not to your standards anymore, i always meant what i said to you." and maybe that's why she stopped saying she loved him awhile back.

people change, and she knew that, but it didn't mean it hurt any less.

"i'm sorry, kat. i never wanted to break your heart."

"hey," she smiled, reaching out a hand to him. he took it, squeezing gently, "it's okay." she knew eventually forever would fall apart, she just didn't expect when it did. "you don't have to apologize for being true to yourself. at least we're not leading each other on anymore."

they both knew forever was too good to be true. all those promises made would eventually come back to bite them in the ass.

"so it's mutual?"

she nodded her head hesitantly, feeling her heart shatter even more. she wondered if it hurt him like it hurt her, or just his pride.

she wouldn't cry, though. she hadn't cried in front of him, keeping it bottled inside because she never truly felt the desire for it. she didn't like being vulnerable around people, and maybe that's why she never went farther with him.

"happy birthday, max." she let his hand drop back to his side. "it'll be the last time i say it to you."

he was taken aback by her calmness, "see you around, kat." somewhere deep down he knew kat wasn't the one for him. but he still didn't think it'd actually hit him like it did now. she was gone. and no matter what she thought, it wasn't her status that kept him around for so long. though, it was a driving factor. but this is high school, he thought, she'd forget about me—just she like she claimed she would everyone else.

eventually kat got into her car, and that's when the faucet broke—setting free tears from tonight, and every other night. but eventually it turned into a laugh. why? because she knew it would happen.

everyone leaves her. she knew better than to open her heart to people.

her parents. her sister. her friends would eventually, she was sure. she was seventeen and had so much more life to live, but she felt like she'd given it all.

sometimes she wondered if it was better off this way. sometimes she wondered if she'd even be missed.

but that's when her phone started ringing, mars.