You Can't Have Her

Dreadful

I woke up to the foreign sound of my alarm clock. Still foggy from sleep I forgot why I even turned on my alarm. I hit snooze and laid back down still it hit me. August! I leap out of bed and ran over to my closet. Since we're going back to school I have to look like I haven't been crying for a few days. I decided on a yellow sweater and ripped jeans accompanied by my white vans. It's a simple yet bright outfit. Yellow is the color of happiness. I want to show Gabriel I'm not heartbroken on the outside. He doesn't need to know what going on inside my head. I put on some natural makeup with a winged eyeliner. Bold but subtle.

As I grab my dance bag and my backpack, my stomach starts to get tied into knots. I reach my apartment door and stop. For a spilt second I'm about to change my mind. Then I think of August. If I want to convince him I'm fine, I have to go back to class. I take a deep breath in and exit my apartment.

~At the campus~

I make it to my first class with no encounters with you-know-who. To keep myself calm, I just shove all my broken feelings way deep down. No one needs to know I'm struggling with the end of our relationship. I find a seat close to the front of my English class. I look down at my phone and check to see if I got any new messages. None. I was pretty sure by now everyone would know I got dumped by the biggest baddie. Though I guess everyone was expecting it. No one can tame the baddie Gabriel Walters. I was supposed to be different. At least that's what Gabriel told me. Those sweet words, we're a lie. I'm just like every other girl before me. Heartbroken.

How could our two year long relationship mean nothing to him? As I start to go down that train of thoughts, my eyes were starting to water. I quickly wiped my eyes before anyone notices. Trying so hard not to have a breakdown, I stare intently at my essay, that was due a day ago.

"LUNA!!" I jump as a very familiar voice shouts my name. I turn to see Annabelle walk through the door. Before I can even reply to her sudden outburst she is by my side and hugging me.

"I thought you died!! Thank goodness you didn't! Who else could be my lunch buddy?" Annabelle said as she winks at me. I only laugh, knowing she has a lot more friends than I do.

"You could have texted me." I tell Anna removing her body away from me. It was a useless battle Anna was attached by the time I was done removing her. So I sat then letting her hug me.

Anna let out an awkward laugh.

"Oh no what did you do this time?"

"My phone may have fell," Anna dug her face into my shoulder, hiding.

"Can you describe, how your phone fell?" Anna probably dropped it without her phone case on again.

"Ok, but you can't get mad," Anna said sternly. "Fine I won't get mad."

"There was this YouTube challenge. . ." I rolled my eyes not even bothering to listen to the rest of it. Anna always has to hop up on the new trends. She's been doing this since we were both Freshman in high school.

". . .so you see it couldn't have been helped." Anna finally let go satisfied with her energy transfer. She's also very pro Mother Earth and recycling. Anna's been going to some yoga classes to unlock her inner chi or something.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh.

"Anna, we have talked about this," I say slowly. "You can't risk asking your parents for another phone. They'll literally disown you." Anna puts her head down and sighs.

"I know! But-" I interrupt her.

"No buts! Your gonna have to buy your next cellphone anyway. Just save up for a better one."

Anna ignores that last part, not actually wanting to admit that'd she'd have to work for things in life. I start to doodle on my notebook. When all of a sudden Anna asks the dreadful question.

"Why weren't you here at school the past couple of days?" Anna asks innocently.

I struggle to find the right excuse or cover story. I fretted for a couple of minutes before Anna pokes me and I realize that I'd have to tell her the truth. She's my best friend.

"Well-uh, Gabriel broke up with me." I said in a whisper so no one could hear me but Anna. The change from smiley, to shock, to anger was so sudden and fast. Before Anna could say anything else the professor walked in.

"Good morning class get out your textbooks and those of you who haven't turned in your essays do so now. This is your last chance." I stand up and avoid Anna's eye contact as I give my essay to the professor.

This is not gonna go well. I sit back down and can only feel Anna's piercing gaze on me.

By the time class ends I have so much classwork I missed out on. I groan almost forgetting what I told Anna at the start of class.

"Luna how'd did this happen!?" Anna yells when we exit the building. Some people who were waiting outside looked at us weirdly. I sent an apologetic look towards them.

"Keep your voice down Anna!" I told her through clenched teeth.

"First off I don't even know why the whole campus doesn't know by now, and I'm not handling it well so please don't tell anyone." I stop and grab onto her arm so she knows I'm serious.

Instead of saying she won't tell anyone she answers with something else.

"I don't think Gabriel's been to school, for a couple of days. Maybe that's why no one knows." Anna continues to think as we resume walking.

"But why wouldn't he be jumping for joy and screaming: I'm single and ready to mingle ladies!" Anna points out the obvious and what I didn't want to hear.

"Or maybe the reason he hasn't been here is because he is at all those new clubs that just opened up by the beach. Maybe he's just getting his single out there and hooking up." Anna didn't realize how uncomfortable I was becoming. I was getting jumpy. I didn't want to continue talking about Gabriel!

"Or may-" I interrupt Anna so she can't say anymore scenarios.

"Anna! Can we please talk about anything else? I can't handle his name anymore!" I can feel some tears welling up in my eyes. Anna sees and hugs me.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to." I mumble 'I know' into her shoulder and when I pull back, I see him.

Gabriel.