How can I fly away from him when he is the one that clipped my wings?
Girl meets boy.
Boy and girl become childhood friends.
Girl and boy fall in love.
Boy cheats on girl in last year of college and breaks her heart.
It's the same tragic story that'...
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One Year Ago
My stomach growls as I poke at my salad. I've barely been able to keep anything down since Friday night and my body is protesting at its lack of nutrition.
How the hell did I let Amelia talk me into eating in the mess hall today?
"Charlie, will you please talk to me?"
I shove the forkful of salad into my mouth at the sound of his voice and lift my eyes.
His dark brown hair is a mess, like he's constantly running his fingers through it.
Or maybe she is.
So many emotions fill his dark green eyes that I can't tell one from the other. Remorse, pain, regret, self-loathing, love, sorrow...they all blend until it's a chaotic storm inside them.
His normally tanned skin is ashen, and the bruises on his face are changing shades from purple to green and yellow.
Buried under all the broken pieces of my soul, I feel sorry for him, but I'd have to dig through all the fragments to find it, and right now that's not something I can do.
"No," I reply in an empty voice, turning away from him and glaring down at my salad.
"I'm sorry, Char. I won't stop trying to fix this. I love you."
I smack my palms onto the table. "Just stop! Stop saying that." Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose while I lock my shit back down before looking back at him. "You don't do what you did to someone you're in love with, Keaton. I don't doubt that you love me. You can't be with someone as long as we have and not at least love them a little, but no way in hell do I believe you're in love with me. Not like I was you. So, please. Just stop saying that because I'm never going to believe you. Now, would you run along? I'd like to finish my lunch. I haven't eaten in two days and right now, the sight of you is making my stomach churn."
He jams his hands into his pockets and smiles at me sadly. "You're wrong, Charlie, and that's okay. It's my fault you don't believe me. I was stupid and fucked up, but I told you the truth. One day, you're going to believe me. Even if it's not until the day I take my last breath."
"I could make that happen today," Amelia mutters so low that I don't think Keaton's heard her.
He nods at her, proving me wrong. "You could and I wouldn't stop you. I'm sorry, Amelia. For hurting Char and for hurting you. I know I'm a disappointment and that I've let everyone down, including myself. But I'm going to make it right. Whatever the hell it takes, I'm going to heal her."
With my appetite long gone, I toss my fork into my bowl and watch as he turns to walk away. He tries to talk to people that he knows, people that I'm sure he thought were his friends, but they all act like he doesn't exist. Students walking into the mess hall shove against his shoulders with theirs, some ignore him. There are one or two that smile sadly at him, which he acknowledges with a nod, but mostly, he keeps his attention on his feet.
