Things I Could Never Tell You

Chapter 7

I haven't been able to sleep since that time. It's 5:08 am and since that minute, I have been been laying on my bed, with every muscle of my body still. I'm scared of his reactions. I'm scared of what he will say.

Or... could it really be him the one who saw those messages? He lost his cellphone almost one and year and a half ago. Why the hell now?

I bite my lip out of pure nervousness.

If he really did read everything I could never tell him, I don't know how he would react. I have no choice but to pretend I'm sick so I don't have to go to school in some hours. If he was really the one who saw these texts, I could never be able to face him.

But if I have to do this, then that's what I'll do.

***

"Stephanie, time to go to school." Mom calls from downstairs. Two hours have passed since I decided I'd pretend to be sick so I don't have to go to school.

I don't answer her call. Instead, I just try my best to make a painful look to when she comes here. She calls two more times until she eventually gives up and comes up to my room. She knocks on my door and I let out a small moan just to assure her that I'm alive. She opens the door and looks at me sprawled on bed.

"Stephanie, are you okay?" She asks, coming closer.

"No, I have a really bad headache." I say. She examines my face for a second and places her hand on her hip.

"You really do look exhausted," She tells me. "You didn't spend the night awake, right?" She eyes me suspiciously.

"Of course not, mom." I place my hand on my head.

"Uhm, okay then," She nods her head. "You can stay home today. But that won't happen everytime. I won't be able to skip work and stay here with you. Can you handle yourself?" She asks me and I quickly nod in response.

"Okay, bye, honey. I have to get going. Have an important meeting today. Wish me luck." She tells me and that's what I do.

She leaves the room and I sigh in relief.

***

One hour later, I'm plopped on the couch, with the TV on, but I'm not paying attention to it. The only thing I can seem to think about is if you really did see all of those texts. My palms are sweating, I can feel it. I hear a knock on my door. I lift up from the couch and and walk towards the door. I open it and that's when I gasp. Standing, in my front, is Tyler.

His eyes are bloodshot and he has black circles around them. My brain tells me to shut the door in his face. And that's what I try to do, but he puts his feet in between the door fast enough so I'm not able to close it completely.

"Stephanie," He croaks. My heart starts throbbing in my chest and my breathing turns accelerated. I know he saw them. It's obvious now. He reaches for his pocket and shows me the phone. His old phone. It's still the same I remember it was. He clicks the unlock button and the 301 texts appear on the screen. "What are these?" He asks. His breathing is shallow and ragged.

I don't answer him. I just stare at him, in shock.

"What are these? H-Have you been... texting me all this time?" He asks. Despair is evident in his tone of voice.

I don't know what to respond. So I just stay in silence.

"Stephanie, please, I need to know." He breathed out. "Did you send these for me?" He asks.

I take some time to think of an answer. "What do you think?" I whisper.

"I-I don't know," You blurt out. "Did you?" He asks once more.