[2022 Wattys Winner] When love cynic Madison Watson starts university, she vows to follow three simple rules.
One: Work out at least twice a week.
Two: Get an internship.
Three: Stay away from men.
But after a chance encounter with th...
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I leaned over to straighten out a crinkle in the picnic rug underneath me. But straightening it out only caused ten more to appear. I frowned, reaching for the woven basket of snacks and wine and hiding the folds underneath.
Out of sight, out of mind.
But hiding the mess didn't settle my nerves. My heart was racing faster with every passing second, even though the hands on my watch had never moved so slowly. It was like there were ten ticks between every tock, like each minute that went by was amplifying the little voice in my head telling me to run.
I closed my eyes. Smothered that voice. I was done running. It was time to face the storm I'd created.
There was a quaint little courtyard around the corner from my biology classroom. I'd stumbled across it the morning I ran into Joanna outside of James' room. Even in my somber mood, I'd appreciated its beauty. A willow tree bloomed in the middle, its weeping branches creating a wispy alcove underneath. Daisies dotted the flowerbeds, filling the yard with the faint, fresh scent of spring.
Dusk was settling, the warm light from a nearby lamp post mixing with the pastel hue drifting down from the evening sky. I checked my watch for what must have been about the seventeenth time in two minutes, then lifted a hand to straighten out the pesky blonde flyaways that were dancing on the warm breeze.
The time was close. I could feel it.
I glanced over everything one last time.
The tiny, glittering fairy lights I'd laced through the rose bushes, courtesy of Kara and her Pinterestobsession.
My laptop, opened to a sketchy streaming website that Noah swore by.
Greasy fries and fat, juicy hamburgers from the campus diner, the fillings carefully selected by me with Dex by my side in the world's most ironic role reversal.
I took a deep breath. I was always such a perfectionist, but I knew that tonight wasn't about the trimmings. The lights and the food were just supplements for the words that I wanted to say.
If I was given the opportunity to say them.
I had to acknowledge that I wouldn't be granted that chance. That I did so much damage, inflicted so much pain. I fractured a heart just like someone fractured mine. The cycle was never-ending: we get hurt, we hurt others, they go on to hurt someone else. In the end, everyone loses.
I needed to break the cycle. I had to grant closure before I could receive it myself.
Footfalls crunched the cobblestones. My heart skipped a beat. I tried to gather myself. I had to. It was too late to back out now.
Light-hearted chatter filled the evening air, the sound of the familiar voices sending a feeling of warmth cascading through my icy veins.
Noah was the first to appear from around the corner.
