rivals | colby brock ✔️

thirty-nine.

"W-what?" He pulls away in one swift motion.

"I think you should go, Colby. We can't be together," I bite my lip from crying, "We can't be anything, I have a guilty feeling in my gut. If I move on from you, Ellie wouldn't have to ever know I even liked you in the first place. What would it matter, right?" I reason, pacing back and forth.

"Okay, I see your plan, but how about after a week?" He exasperates, "What happens then? To us? To her and I? I like Ellie, I do, but-"

"Don't finish that sentence," I glare, "Don't say you like me more, you don't."

He sighs, "Ashlyn... but-"

"No." I shoot, "After you leave tonight, we are never going to be anything more than the usual Colby and Ashlyn. Enemies."

He scrunches his face up, "What about the car pact? What will become of that?" He retorts.

"It doesn't exist," I assert.

He stays silent and seals his lips. The once comfortable silence flipped to the evil opposite. I could tell he surely didn't agree.

But, he's going to have to.

I will not be able to, -am not able to ever live with myself, knowing I'm hurting the people around me.

It's like lighting a match.

You see the flame, think it's amazing, get mesmerized by it's color and then the way it flickers.

Then once you love the way it burns, you might light another one, and make it bigger.

Then all of sudden, you will see the fire lose control.

You drop the match, your fire.

Fire, which represents the burning love in my case.

And once the flame hits the carpet, next thing you know, your whole house is on fire!

Everything catches fire, and it all becomes burning down around you. All the loving memories framed in pictures and the stable furniture where you spend your days living.

Colby and I are a fire, that hit the carpet, and is now burning everything that is stable and loving around us.

Ellie and Sam, our friends.

We are burning them because of our fire.

It leads back to now, our un-pleasureful conversation.

Feeling the displeasure makes me want to scream again, but this time, rip out my own vocal chords. I don't want him here anymore, I told him everything. He does not have any duty nor task to complete here.

"You should go," I murmur, not wanting to look at him again.

"Please don't make me, Ash," He pleads, taking me aback,"Just let me sleep here. It's lonely without Sam, and don't tell me it's not lonely without Ellie. Going back into my apartment, knowing Sam's not going to be there for days or even weeks, depresses me," He explains.

I feel his pain, I'm experiencing the same thing, I guess.

I deliberately pierce my eyes into his to see his intentions. My judgement couldn't see any bad storms over the ocean in his eyes so my tired head nods solemnly as a yes.

"Okay, fine," I oblige."You can sleep in El's room," I mumble, trekking to my room.

"Thanks," He calls out.

I hear him, but I don't reply as I shut my door.

/////

I lay in my bed, ridden of pajamas, blankets pulled up to my nose, and thoughts still swirling but in slow motion.