𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬

seven

“You should be sad.”
- Halsey

Reese

22 February 2017 - New York City

"So, your work for this week is to copy the notes I sent via mail. I'll check your notebook during the exam period!" Mrs.Wilcox said as she dismissed the class. I gathered my notebooks and pens together and tossed them in my bag.

"Would you like to go take lunch? The group is going to McDonald's," my classmate, Mitchell Dallais,a savage girl with a sarcastic attitude.She was tall with braid bronzes hair and an edgy sense of style. She was very amusing , ecstatic and intelligent, must I add.

"Sure," I replied, digging for my phone in my bag.We made our way to meet Mitchell's friends - Alex, Vera, Karl and Dimitri, who I didn't know - and went to have lunch.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," I said before leaving the Cafe.I inhaled the freshness of the air, trying to keep the negative thoughts away. I was partially okay after what happened in Texas with him. Neither did he try to contact me, nor did I. His brother texted me that he was planning something special for me but I just ignored him, deleting the text message.I finally understood that River weren't meant for me and would never - I sat down,crying my eyes out, for a whole day, resolving what was going on inside of  my brain.

I also tried to get under his skin for a few minutes. I was just his ex after all and I should have known something like that would happen. We both agreed to part ways but some moved on faster than the others. I was the sloth between us two - I spent too much time not moving on and being one-sided. I should have done better on the dates I attended - I showed so much disinterest that my date basically dumped me except the one who I dumped myself.

I finally reached my apartment, locking the door behind me. I opened the closed curtains, letting sun rays fill the gloomy space. I headed towards the kitchen, grabbed an egg and some spinach and mixed them together before cooking the mixture. As I was about to flip the egg, my phone rang from the kitchen counter. I huffed in relief when I noticed that it was my mom.

"Hey mom," I slowly mumbled, not really knowing what to say after leaving Texas abruptly. I didn't call after I left because I didn't want her to give me life lessons and mostly, I was healing, spending quality time for myself.

"Reese... how are you?" she coldly asked.

"Good." I didn't want to be impolite by not asking how she was but I knew my mother very well and the answer also to my question also.

"I'm calling you to let you know that I'm going to France to visit Aunt Loren since she isn't doing great. I'm taking
Katherine with me." She simply said before muttering a quick goodbye and hanging up. I was feeling bad for Kate.
She just met her girlfriend and now, she was leaving and I knew for a fact that mom could possibly stay over there for a long period of time since all of her family members lived in France.When mom met dad during her vacation in Atlanta, she left everything behind for my dad but then he passed away too quickly from cancer.

My phone rang again, projecting me out of my reverie. Why was Mitchell calling me?

"Hey Ree, remember Dimitri?" she asked as soon as I pick up. I hummed in response.

"He thinks you're cute and would like to hang it with you!" she squealed while I pushed my phone away from my ear, keeping my eardrum safe.

"Oh," I hesitated. "Give him my number if he'd like to have it," I said confidently this time. River was missing out and the only way to prove the world that I ain't just a broken girl was to thrive. I'll thrive. I don't want to be that girl whose heart is always broken. I don't want to be that girl who cries everyday.

I wanted to be that girl that would say : "I won my own battle by fighting my own demons."

"Sure." She replied. We chatted for a little longer before hanging up.I placed my egg on a clean plate and made myself a cup of green tea before heading to my small balcony with the view of NYC.Placing my cup of tea on the small rounded table, I headed back inside, realizing I left my journal inside.

Some people expressed happiness in yoga, dancing, meditation and I found mine in journalism. I like to write my thoughts because it gives me inner peace. I wished I had someone to talk about such things to but it's difficult to even find a real friend nowadays.
My only real friend would only be Mitchell...

After spending a few hours on my balcony, I lifted my eyes up, realizing the sky had turned into a rosy shade.

_________

River

23 February 2017 - New York City

"Fasten your seatbelts! We're about to land," the co-pilot yelled through the speaker. My hands fumbled together as I repeated what had to be done.The lady beside me weirdly stared at me but I just sent her an eye roll, receiving a distasteful look from her.

'Your face is fucking ugly,' I wanted to say but for once, I was here in New York for an only reason and I was trying to keep my sanity. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as the plane finally landed.

I grabbed my suitcase and headed out of the plane. After an hour or so, my taxi finally arrived and I sighed in relief because I was just about to throw a tantrum about having to wait for a whole another hour.

By night time, I was already in my hotel room, my body spread lazily across the bed. I just wrote how I felt in my, journal to soothe my agitated brain.When Reese came to Texas, I noticed her writing stuffs in her diary. I was tempted multiple times to take a glance inside of  it but I contained myself. Watching her write with a smile brought curiosity inside of me - how could writing make someone so happy - and now, I seemed to understand why. Writing kept me internally stable. I felt like I could write what I felt about Reese.

Since I got Reese's location, tomorrow, I'd be going to her house. I planned to get up very early in the morning but I didn't want her to be in a bad mood at such an early hour of the day and I didn't want the two of us waking her neighbors up. I opted to go in the afternoon to avoid inconveniences.

I needed to explain to her about Hailey. I didn't want to lie to Reese. I wanted to be an open book when it came to her. I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. Taking it out, I smiled realising it was a notification apprising that Reese just posted on the gram.

'Met a lot of people but nobody feels like you,' it read. Butterflies overflowed my stomach. I knew deep inside that this was addressed to me. I felt kind of bad for somehow stalking her but on the other side, I wasn't  doing it for a bad reason.

'You're just a psychotic ex' a thought ran through my mind, making me chuckle slightly.

_________

"Miss Reese Walker, apartment 365," the receptionist politely replied. I wasted no time running to the elevator.It was currently 3 p.m and by now, Reese must already be at home. Her courses started at 9 a.m and ended at 2 p.m according to what she said. I'm impressed that I even managed to remember her schedule.

My body shivered as I was standing in her doorway. After knocking several times, I breathed anxiously when I heard faint footsteps coming towards my direction.

And then I saw her.