Endless

Broken

SAGE'S POV

A week and a half seemed to drag by. Angel and I hadn't spoken to each other since then and every day got harder and harder — after the third day of us not speaking, I'd stopped going to classes altogether. I suddenly didn't seem to care about my grades, or eating, or moving. I just wanted Angel.

So, I'd lie in bed and stare off into space. I slept a lot. I cried a lot. It was one or the other, but crying gave me a migraine, so I was choosing sleep when I could.

Ben and Leo tried to help, but I couldn't even find the strength to talk anymore.

I was so angry at myself. Why didn't I just tell him? Why didn't I say, 'I wanna marry you?' Why wouldn't I just say that? Now, we weren't speaking, and I didn't know if we were going to be together much longer. That thought alone terrified me.

I was lying in bed, as usual, when my door creaked open slowly as Ben peered in. Though my back was turned, I knew it was Ben because Leo wouldn't have hesitated.

I said nothing, and he said nothing. The bed dipped behind me, and he crawled under the covers. Leo shuffled in seconds later, climbing in, as well.

I reluctantly turned around, now facing Leo. His eyes were sad, and pitying and sympathetic. I hated it.

"Stop looking at me like that," I murmured, and his eyes widened a little in surprise.

"We miss you," Ben said. He was lying across Leo's lower half, the spare blanket that I kept on the bottom of my bed draped over his body.

"Yeah... me, too," I replied, averting my gaze.

Leo suddenly sat up, prompting Ben to shift his body, as well. Leo forcefully pulled me up and I almost thought he was going to make me get out of bed, but instead he just pulled me in for a hug, squeezing me tightly. Surprised by the sudden contact, it took me a moment to process, but I soon returned the hug, every emotion hitting me harder.

My eyes glistened as I tucked myself into Leo's shoulder, while Ben patted me on the back gently. When I pulled away, Ben cupped my cheeks and wiped them dry, eyes soft.

"Look, we don't know what happened with you and Angel..." Leo started carefully. I winced. "...but we," he motioned between himself and Ben, "are here for you. For every single step." I nodded silently, gazing off into space.

I felt numb.

"I think you should go and talk to him," Ben breathed, and Leo sighed exasperatedly as my eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" I mumbled.

"Sage, this? What you're doing? It's not healthy. You can't just sit in your bed and not eat or shower, and just cry and sleep everyday. It's dangerous." I huffed, shaking my head.

"Are you forgetting he asked for space? I'm giving him what he wants."

"No, you've already given him what he wanted," Leo corrected. "Now that that's done, you need to go see him. Sort things out."

"And what if he doesn't want anything to do with me?" I snapped, hands shaking at the thought. Leo's eyes softened.

"I doubt that's how he feels." I rolled my eyes.

"You won't know until you go and talk to him," Ben said, shrugging suggestively while raising his eyebrows a bit.

I hated that they were right; I knew I had to talk to him. I was just... petrified.

They squeezed my shoulders before exiting the room, leaving me to figure out what the hell I was going to say to Angel.

•

ANGEL'S POV

I sat in my bed, staring at the television while Grease played. Sandy was speaking with Danny after the game, and Danny was being a dick because he was in front of his friends.

I hated myself for wishing Sage was next to me, pointing out how much of a jackass Danny was being.

I was in my dorm, alone, with a tub of ice cream. Chocolate.

After I left Sage's, I went to the liquor store and just stood there, staring at the sign until my eyes burned. I considered going inside, but inside I knew better. I wouldn't turn to alcohol for peace of mind.

Instead, I went to the shop next to the liquor store and bought five huge tubs of ice cream; vanilla, chocolate, cookies 'n' cream, cookie dough and mint chocolate chip.

I walked my sorry ass back to my dorm, where I ate the mint chocolate chip all in one sitting, crying while watching Can't Buy Me Love. Yes, I was a walking cliche — er, sitting and moping cliche.

I'd managed to watch 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, Dirty Dancing, Clueless, and quite a few more eighties and nineties rom-coms.

I was miserable. So, I sunk my spoon back into my ice cream and slipped it into my mouth as I wished Sage and I hadn't gotten so messed up.

The door popped open and in came Terry and Carlos, their smiles fading when their eyes landed on me, then the TV.

"Babe, you can't keep doing this," Terry said, sitting down next to me on my bed.

"Why not? I'm having a great time." She lowered her eyes, glancing at Carlos. He shook his head and took her place on my bed, staring at me a while.

He picked up the remote, pausing the movie.

"Hey, I was—"

"I don't care," he snapped, stealing my ice cream away. I frowned, reaching for it but he moved it out of my reach.

"Carlos."

"Angel."

"Can you just—" I reached for it again, but he was faster than me, moving it again before I could grab it. I huffed.

"You want it? Get up and get it." I glared at him, debating whether or not to punch him in the face. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms and giving up. He shook his head again disapprovingly. "You need to talk to him."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." I rolled my eyes.

"Carlos, we can do this all day. I'm not talking to him."

"You are so stubborn," Terry complained, and I shrugged, snatching the ice cream back from Carlos, clutching it to my chest.

"I'm watching a movie, so... if you don't mind," I suggested, waving him off. He rolled his eyes, sighing as he stood, moving to his bed. Terry threw her hands in the air, frustrated, and I picked up the remote, playing Grease.

*****

By the time the movie ended, I was fast asleep, the now empty tub of ice cream on my nightstand.

I woke to an empty room and a knocking on the door.

I groaned, waiting for whoever it was to go away. They didn't, though, they just kept knocking.

I grunted, rolling out of bed and sulking over to the door. I literally almost fell over trying to walk, as if my legs had forgotten how to function.

The knocking had stopped, but I opened the door anyway, greeted by an empty hall. I sighed, annoyed that I had gotten up for no reason.

I was just about to close the door when my eyes drifted to the ground, my heart suddenly pounding in my ears.

At my feet, Sage was lying on the ground. Unconscious.