Unspoken Rules (Rules 2)

“So what? You’re just going to leave? We’re just going to break up in five days?” The words break up echo in my chest.

“I don’t want us to. We can find a way.”

“I’ll give you a way. Stay here. Find a college here. Let’s build a life here. Screw Canada. It’s cold all the time anyway.” My anger speaks for me.

“But it’s my home…”

“And Florida is mine.”

An impenetrable tension surrounds us.

“Long-distance relationships are a thing, you know?” Her voice breaks.

“Is that really how you want to live? Winter, this isn’t an ‘I see him on the weekends’ kind of long distance. This would be an ‘I see him once every six months.’ We can’t do that. Don’t you want this to work?” I move over to her.

“Are you even listening to yourself? You’re the one sounding like you don’t want us to work right now. I’m trying and you’re just… downing every solution I come up with,” she says, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Shit. Great job, Haze.

I sigh. “You’re right. You’re right. I’m sorry. Hey, look at me.” I lift her chin up. “We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it. We still have a few days to figure this out. And we will. We’re strong enough. I promise.” I open my arms for a hug that she doesn’t decline. She wipes her tears and hides her face in my neck. My baby’s just as scared as I am.

She only leaves my embrace when her phone vibrates for the millionth time.

“It’s been going off since I woke up,” I say.

She nods and picks it off the counter. She reads the many texts on her screen, and if I thought the look on her face was heartbreaking before, I’d clearly never seen the pain envelope her like this.

She just read something. But what?

“What’s wrong?” I ask her.

“Nothing.” She moves from side to side.

“Winter.”

“It’s nothing, I promise. I have to shower. Kass will be here soon.” She turns on her heels, but I steal her phone away from her. She’s not quick enough to stop me. She has a few texts from Kendrick and Will, all asking her the same question. They want to know if the rumors are true. They’re asking if I really gave up fighting. The most recent one, which is also the text that turned Winter’s smile upside down, rubs me the wrong way. It’s from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: Heard you’re leaving next week. Can’t wait for Haze to pay me another visit. ;)

What the fuck?

“Who’s that?” I ask.

“I… I have no idea how she got my number.” She doesn’t directly answer my question, but she says enough.

“Bianca?” I put the pieces together.

She nods.

“What has the psycho been saying to you?”

“Oh, you know, nothing much. The usual. That you slept with her the day I left town. That you had sex with her over and over again and lied to me about it.” She looks at th

e ground.

Anger consumes me.

Then surface the memories…