It Started With A Concussion ✔️

Chapter 47

The celebration of our official relationship is short lived. The game had ended and we all went home, but I noticed I hadn't seen Kayla since we walked onto the field.

And Hannah and I left her without warning.

It was when she answered the phone in a voice that made me want to drive straight to her house, which I did when I asked her, "What's wrong?"

And her response was nothing but choked up tears through the phone. She couldn't even give me an answer, that's how much she was crying.

I sped to her house and knocked on the front door. When her dad opened the door he already had a worried look on his face.

"I thought I might see you here soon." He knew his daughter had come home balling her eyes out and let me in immediately. "She's in her room. Do you want me to call Hannah?"

I shake my head as I kick off my shoes. "No, it's okay." I respond, knowing Hannah is super busy with Finn right now as they left the game together.

She'll know later, but I don't want to ruin her time with Finn. I climb the stairs, two steps at a time, and reach her door.

"Kayla, it's Emery. Can you please open the door?" I plead as I can hear her sniffling inside.

I cautiously wait by the door and a wave of relief washes over me when I hear the click of the door unlocking. I push the door open and find Kayla curled up on her bed.

I sit on top of her comforter with too many questions swirling around my brain. But I end up asking her the classic, "What happened?"

Her puffy eyes turn to me and I feel worse when a tear rolls down her cheek. "It's...Elliot." She gets out and I panic.

"Do you need him right now? I can call him if you want." The offer comes out in a rushed manner.

She shakes her head and pulls her knees tighter to her chest. Shit. "No, Em, please...don't call him." she whispers and my look at her only gets more worried. Until she drops a bomb on me. "We broke up."

My face drops and it feels like my whole life just shattered. "Wha–what?" I sputter not knowing what else to say. "Why?" I ask as sincerely as I possibly can.

What the fuck. This can't be real. I thought everything was fine between them. A million things are running through my mind. Who? When? Why? What?

Internally I was asking myself these questions because to be honest, they were my definition of what love is. And it's always been normalized that couples won't make it through high school.

But I was so sure they would. I mean, they fucking love each other—or loved now. No, they love each other...right? Either way I've never seen two people more enamored with one another.

I swear they were walking perfection together. The It Couple. And they...broke up? I don't understand.

"We decided it was best because of college, you know?" she sounded so hurt as she spoke. "The distance...it would be a lot and...oh for fucks sake Em, I don't know."

I feel like my own heart is ripping and this relationship doesn't even involve me. But it involves my best friend and my brother, so maybe that's why it hurts so much.

"I mean, he's going to Alabama and I'm all the way in Indiana. That's not exactly driving distance." she continues. "And I feel so shitty because I hate that we ended things, but I can't deny that I was thinking about it in the back of my mind too."

I grab the box of tissues off her side table and hand it to her. Scooting closer to Kayla, I throw my arm around her shoulder as she continues.

"It broke my heart when he brought it up, but I feel worse knowing that I agreed with him. Because I still fucking love him and I wish, I wish so fucking badly that you could call him...but you can't." Her cries get louder and my emotions are all over the place.