that? Why does that even matter right now?”
“It’s a question you need to
answer,” he said coldly. “It’s important to me.”
“Fine,” I said. “I don’t like
hanging out with people who make me feel terrible, and you shouldn’t want to
hang out with people like that either.”
“Watch it,” he warned. “Those
people are my friends.”
“ Those people are cruel and heartless.
They aren’t anyone’s friends, Daniel. What’s going on?” I asked.
He sighed, “Look, I know that
your mom just died. And I’m really sorry. You have no idea how sorry that I am…
but you’ve been really negative about my friends lately and it’s really starting
to bug me. Why can’t you just get over your problems with them?”
“What do you want me to do? Hang
out with people who treat me like I’m not good enough to be in their presence?”
I asked, getting angry, “I should just get over something small like that?”
“See? There you go again,” he
threw his hands up in the air. “You just can’t quit. And they don’t treat you
like that. They were just fine with us dating until you started getting all
weird.”
His words stung, “Weird? You mean
SAD because my mother was SICK?”
“Yes,” he said, “you fit in just
fine before that.”
“Well, I’m so glad that I got a
glimpse into being super popular like you are, Daniel. Thank you for this
privilege,” I remarked. “I don’t understand. We were friends BEFORE you started
hanging out with Jasper all of the time, and you were well liked. People wanted
to be around you because you made them happy, not because they wanted to be
popular by association. Wasn’t that better than this?”
He snorted, “I’m not super
popular! Don’t you get it? I’m barely hanging on here because of…”
“… because of me,” I finished.
“I’m bringing down your social status because I’m so weird and I don’t do every
little thing I can to make Jasper happy.”
He just stared at the ground.
“Are you kidding me? Do you even realize
how ridiculous this conversation is? My mother just died, her service was
literally hours ago, and we are sitting here talking about how your social
status is in danger because I was sad? That’s so petty.”
He still didn’t say anything.
“You know what? You’re being a
coward,” I said, wanting to find anything that I could say to hurt him the way
that he was hurting me by being silent.
His head finally snapped up, “No,
I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!” I yelled. “You
are basing your actions on what other people want, not what you want. That’s
being a coward!”
He scoffed, “How do you know what
I want?”
I looked at him, but I didn’t
recognize him. He had never given me that cold stare before. He looked at me
like he was looking at a stranger that he was very, very angry with.
“I thought you wanted… me?” I
asked, suddenly more afraid of losing him than being mad. I didn’t even realize
that I had let myself get so vulnerable until the words were already out of my
mouth.
“Don’t go feeling sorry for her,
Daniel,” Jasper said. “It’ll just be a waste of your time.”
I turned around and saw Jasper,
smirking.
“You got that right,” Daniel
said.
I whipped back around to face
him, and his face showed no remorse. It was like I was a nuisance that he
needed to get rid of.
“Goodbye, Adeline,” Daniel said,
and Jasper laughed.
I jumped and woke myself up. I
stared at the wall of the cabin, so upset that I could feel the sweat all over
me and my heart beat faster than I ever realized it could.
I closed my eyes to try to escape
the thoughts that were pouring in, but then the scenes from my dream became all
the more vivid, and I had to open my eyes to escape them. It was a mess. I was
in love with Daniel, and he left me right after my mother died. I needed him
more than I ever needed anyone before in my life, and he wasn’t there for me.
He valued Jasper’s opinions
“It’s a question you need to
answer,” he said coldly. “It’s important to me.”
“Fine,” I said. “I don’t like
hanging out with people who make me feel terrible, and you shouldn’t want to
hang out with people like that either.”
“Watch it,” he warned. “Those
people are my friends.”
“ Those people are cruel and heartless.
They aren’t anyone’s friends, Daniel. What’s going on?” I asked.
He sighed, “Look, I know that
your mom just died. And I’m really sorry. You have no idea how sorry that I am…
but you’ve been really negative about my friends lately and it’s really starting
to bug me. Why can’t you just get over your problems with them?”
“What do you want me to do? Hang
out with people who treat me like I’m not good enough to be in their presence?”
I asked, getting angry, “I should just get over something small like that?”
“See? There you go again,” he
threw his hands up in the air. “You just can’t quit. And they don’t treat you
like that. They were just fine with us dating until you started getting all
weird.”
His words stung, “Weird? You mean
SAD because my mother was SICK?”
“Yes,” he said, “you fit in just
fine before that.”
“Well, I’m so glad that I got a
glimpse into being super popular like you are, Daniel. Thank you for this
privilege,” I remarked. “I don’t understand. We were friends BEFORE you started
hanging out with Jasper all of the time, and you were well liked. People wanted
to be around you because you made them happy, not because they wanted to be
popular by association. Wasn’t that better than this?”
He snorted, “I’m not super
popular! Don’t you get it? I’m barely hanging on here because of…”
“… because of me,” I finished.
“I’m bringing down your social status because I’m so weird and I don’t do every
little thing I can to make Jasper happy.”
He just stared at the ground.
“Are you kidding me? Do you even realize
how ridiculous this conversation is? My mother just died, her service was
literally hours ago, and we are sitting here talking about how your social
status is in danger because I was sad? That’s so petty.”
He still didn’t say anything.
“You know what? You’re being a
coward,” I said, wanting to find anything that I could say to hurt him the way
that he was hurting me by being silent.
His head finally snapped up, “No,
I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!” I yelled. “You
are basing your actions on what other people want, not what you want. That’s
being a coward!”
He scoffed, “How do you know what
I want?”
I looked at him, but I didn’t
recognize him. He had never given me that cold stare before. He looked at me
like he was looking at a stranger that he was very, very angry with.
“I thought you wanted… me?” I
asked, suddenly more afraid of losing him than being mad. I didn’t even realize
that I had let myself get so vulnerable until the words were already out of my
mouth.
“Don’t go feeling sorry for her,
Daniel,” Jasper said. “It’ll just be a waste of your time.”
I turned around and saw Jasper,
smirking.
“You got that right,” Daniel
said.
I whipped back around to face
him, and his face showed no remorse. It was like I was a nuisance that he
needed to get rid of.
“Goodbye, Adeline,” Daniel said,
and Jasper laughed.
I jumped and woke myself up. I
stared at the wall of the cabin, so upset that I could feel the sweat all over
me and my heart beat faster than I ever realized it could.
I closed my eyes to try to escape
the thoughts that were pouring in, but then the scenes from my dream became all
the more vivid, and I had to open my eyes to escape them. It was a mess. I was
in love with Daniel, and he left me right after my mother died. I needed him
more than I ever needed anyone before in my life, and he wasn’t there for me.
He valued Jasper’s opinions
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