Beautifully Broken

“I’m going back to my apartment after school,” I announce. “I can’t keep having this conversation with you. You let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”

“What? Kat, no. Don’t leave.”

I start pulling my clothes out of the drawers and shoving them in my bag. At some point over the past few months, I seemed to have inadvertently moved in with Gavin. Maybe some space will be good for us.

I put my hand on my hip. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?”

He looks torn. “There’s nothing—”

I hold my hand up. “Please don’t.”

He bites his lip. “Kat, please stay.”

My eyes fill with tears. “I’m not breaking up with you, Gavin. I just need space. I never intended to stay as long as I have anyway.”

He looks at his watch. “Damn it! I have to get to work. Please just hold off until we can talk about this later tonight.”

I move to the closet and remove my dresses from their hangers. “I work for the next three nights but you know where I’ll be afterwards if you want to talk.”

“Kat…”

“Go to work, Gavin. I’ll see you in second period.”

A tear rolls down my cheek as he closes the front door.

“Miss Kennedy, I need to see you for a moment.”

Goddamn him. The bell just rang indicating the end of second period. Gavin’s been trying to make eye contact with me throughout the entire class but I’ve managed to avoid him. I’m trying not to have an emotional breakdown at school again. If I look at him, I’ll think about him. And if I think about him, I’ll think about us. I was planning to run out of the room as fast as possible but now I can’t pull that off without looking insubordinate.

I clench my jaw and stare at my desk as the other students filter out. Gavin moves toward the door, I’m guessing to close it, but he pauses mid-stride and gets a strange look on his face.

“Hi, Gav,” the familiar voice begins. “Do you have time to talk?”

Gavin walks backwards and looks at me nervously out of the corner of his eye. I sink a little lower into my chair and release my ponytail to hide my face with my hair.

“Hailey,” he clears his throat. “What are you doing here?”

She shuts the door behind her and steps further into the room. “I’m sorry I haven’t returned any of your calls. I’ve needed some time to think.”

Wait…what? He’s been calling her? Why? I hold my breath, pleading with God that she doesn’t notice me.

“Um…Hails, now’s not the best time to talk. Maybe we can meet after my last class? How long are you in town?”

“That depends on you, Gavin.” She rubs her noticeably larger belly. “We have some things to discuss.”

Oh my God, does she want to get back together? Would he even consider that if she’s pregnant with another man’s child? I gasp as a sharp pain moves through my chest.

Her eyes immediately hone in on the sound. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize any students stayed behind.”

At least something’s going right; my hair is apparently hiding my face well enough.

“Um, that’s okay.

She was just leaving.”

I take my cue from Gavin and grab my stuff, trying to weave my way to the other side of the room before making my exit. Clearly escaping notice was too much to ask because I drop my book less than five feet away from our surprise visitor.

“Shit!” I mutter under my breath. I bend down to pick it up and start walking briskly toward the door.