Heartbreak Hypothesis

t w e n t y - e i g h t

Since my mom woke up, the tension between Daniel and I seemed to grow with each passing second. I still had a lot of explaining to do about my mom's condition and I was sure he had his questions too. It's not that he was making me feel bad about it. Quite contrary even, he was being supportive, way too supportive. That, and the fact that I was supposed to break his heart in a couple of hours made each breath feel like inhaling rocks.

"Hey."

My attention snapped up to Daniel who had brought lunch for me. He had on his basketball jersey which meant he was going to the game after now. If I was going to tell him about Chanelle, this was the perfect time to do so.

With a smile etched into his expression, he took the plastic seat beside me and handed me my lunch. I smiled back as I collected it, positioning it in my lap and thanking him under my breath.

I felt his fingers under my chin, turning my fave to him. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Your ex payed me to break your heart.

Seven words.

"I have something to tell you," I blurted, face hot and heart racing. His expression grew serious. Biting his lips together, he nodded for me to continue.

I swallowed and looked to my mom's sleeping form in her hospital bed.

"Is this about your mom?"

My gaze went back to Daniel who was now watching my mom with questioning, yet care in his eyes. "Yes... Kind of." I paused to exhale as his eyes locked with mine. "After my dad died, she... got addicted. And being the terrible person I am, I—I let her walk that dark path alone."

Daniel's eyes darkened, all the questions seeming to disappear from them. He leaned forward and put a hand to my cheek. "You're not a terrible person. You had to deal with losing your dad too."

At this point, the tears were threatening to brew. I inhaled and touched his hand over my cheek. "But I did something terrible." Seven words. I had to just spit them out. "Before I tell you this, I want you to know that I was new to this school and the world was literally on my shoulders. I only did it to be rid of mom because I thought she was a burden."

Another exhale. "I want you to know that I'm not the same person I was then and I want you to promise me that —"

Our phones pinged at the same time, cutting me off. While Daniel shot me an apologetic look so he could check his text, I drew out my phone and checked mine.

Barbie:

The game's about to start. Where the fuck are you? And where is Daniel?

1:57PM

Huh? I thought their game didn't begin until four?

"When does your game begin?" I asked Daniel.

Looking guilty, he replied, "In three minutes or so." As my eyes widened and my jaw unhinged, he scrambled to reword his statement. "I didn't want to ask you to leave your mom just to be at my game. That would be selfish of me."

Just when I thought I couldn't feel any worse. I felt my stomach drop to the floor.

"You need to get going!" I exclaimed, setting the food aside and springing to my feet. Daniel got up after me and stepped forward so we were toe-to-toe

"The game can wait a couple of minutes, Noah."

My eyes clouded with tears. I didn't deserve him. He didn't deserve this. I couldn't break him.

His eyebrows furrowed, hands cupping my face. "I need you to take care of yourself for me. And your mom needs you. You're supposed to be tougher than this. I'm not going to die without you at one game, Freshman."

Of course he wouldn't, but only the heavens knew what Chanelle would do once she doesn't find me at the game. If this was the last time he'd look at me the way he currently was.

So, more for the sake of memory, I grabbed the collar of his jersey and brought his lips down to mine, planting a firm kiss there. Before it could get any hotter, I pulled away by barely a centimeter while he smirked, and looked him dead in the eye. "When you're done being Furman's golden boy, you get your ass back here so we can talk. I still have a lot to say to you."

His smirk turned into a smile and his next words shook every atom in me. "God, I love you so much."

For moments, we both stood frozen like that. Staring into each other's eyes as if expecting the other person to disappear. Momentarily, the spell between us was broken and with a hurting heart, I kissed him again.

"Come back, Daniel," I told him as I pulled away and stepped back. "Goodluck with your game."

He grinned, planted a kiss on my forehead and left without another word. As Daniel's words replayed in my mind, the guilt built up until it began to suffocate me. My phone pinged and another message from Chanelle came in.

Noah, you're going to regret ever crossing me. I guess I'll have to take care of this small task myself. It was nice doing business with you, Loser.

With my brain in overdrive and my heart frantic, I had no idea what to do. Chanelle was going to tell Daniel about the contract. She was going to put an end to everything Daniel and I had. This was it.

No. I had to do something.

My breathing sped up as I frantically searched for Ali's number and sent the call. She picked up on the second ring, but before she could say anything, the words I'd been holding back practically poured out.

"Daniel's ex payed me to make him fall for me and then dump him." As soon as the words were out, I broke into a sobbing fit.

Her end of the line fell silent for seconds but then she said, "Hang in there, Noah. We're coming."

As I cut the call, I crouched down and hugged my knees, sobbing my heart out because of the mess I'd gotten myself in.

~

"So, if everything I've heard is accurate, Chanelle, Daniel's ex is friends with your roommates and she's been hiring girls to make Daniel fall in love with them and break his heart but all her plans so far have failed... Until you, that is." Ali had both hands on the sides of her hips. She ran a hand through her hair and exhaled when I nodded to confirm her statement.

Manu, beside me, swore under her breath. "But her plans have failed even now. Our sweet Noah's in love with Daniel."

I wouldn't say I was in love with him yet. Yes, I cared about him and yes I probably did love him, but it was hard to tell in-between Chanelle's drama and my mom's health. At this point, the first thing that needed tackling was the impending hell that was about to break loose.

"Chanelle is going to tell him about our contract today," I said with a heavy heart. My eyes were probably puffy from crying and my cheeks felt dry. "She's going to tell him and he's going to hate me so the past four weeks aren't going to matter."

Saying it now, it felt so real. The reality was choking me till I couldn't breathe. I blinked away the tears that seemed to be permanently positioned in my eyes as I exhaled to calm myself. "This is going to be it for us. And I didn't even get to explain myself to him."

As I bowed my head and fought back tears, Ali and Manu came up to put their arms around me.

This was it.

"We could try texting him. He'd see the text immediately after his game, right?" Manu suggested.

Ali replied, "Chanelle won't even let him get to the locker rooms." Then, in a softer tone, she said, "I'm sorry Noah."