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Monday

Her

I walked out of the building, the warm sun hitting my skin. I noticed Micah, standing by the tree we used to meet up at, by the tree where we shared our first kiss. My throat tightened and I twisted my fingers together.

He turned toward me, throwing me one of his knee buckling smiles and my heart dropped in my chest.

“I thought you would bail on me,” He chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“I thought I would, too,” I smiled, swallowing the large lump in my throat.

He nodded, his smile disappearing, “Well, Inesa, I-I don’t know where to begin. We haven’t spoken since Saturday and I just wanted to clear the air.”

I scoffed, stopping myself from breaking into a full out laugh, “Clear the air?”

The need to laugh suddenly turned into the need to cry.

He sighed, running his hand down his face, “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I was drunk and-“

“No, Micah,” I shook my head, “I-I don’t want to hear excuses.”

I wrapped my hands on the straps of my backpack, taking a few steps back from him.

He grabbed my wrist, panic evident in his eyes, “Please, let’s fix this.”

“You cheated on me, Micah!” I shook my head, my voice catching everyone’s attention.

“I know,” He whispered.

“You messed up. You did this. There is nothing for us to fix,” I tried to pull my hand from his hold again, “Micah,” I cried, though I turned my face from him, I didn’t want him to see my tears.

“Inesa, please forgive me. I want to work on this, work on us.”

I scoffed painfully, turning to him. He meant it. His eyes were honest, glistening with hope. The pain that made my heart ache, though, overpowered the love I still held for him.

“You cheated on me with Liz. My best friend. I-I need time,” I whispered.

His hold on my wrist tightened, “I’m not letting you go, Inesa.”

My skin burned as I tried to twist my wrist out of his hold, pain and annoyance turned into full blown anger.

“Let me go!” I yelled.

He wavered for a second, but determination flooded his eyes, “No. I love-“

“Let her go,” A familiar voice sent a shiver down my spine, relief flooding me almost immediately.

Micah frowned, his eyes shifting to look behind my back. I could hear the stomps of his feet as he made his way toward us and then felt his shadow. I closed my eyes, not sure how the next few seconds would go.

My wrist was ripped from Micah’s hold and I winced from the pain that shot up my arm. Something had bent the wrong way.

Micah grunted in retaliation, “What the fuck, man!?”

Swiftly, my new friend stood between us, his hand pushing me behind him. I chewed on my lips nervously, not liking the attention they both brought to me, all I wanted was to get through today without crying. I had failed miserably.

“She asked you to let her go, I suggest you walk away now.”

I watched his back tense in his tight black shirt and his hands tighten into fists. I couldn’t see around him, but I was sure Micah detested him and wasn’t afraid to show it.

“Who the hell do you think you are? This is a private conversation,” Micah spit back.

The mystery man took a step forward, throwing his elbow back, preparing to punch him. I stepped around him, placing myself between both of them with my hand against his chest.

“Please,” I whispered, “He’s not worth it.”

His angry gaze left Micah, softening as he looked down at me. He clenched his jaw, nodding stiffly.

I watched him take a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket, popping one between his lips. He raised an eyebrow at Micah, who had been rambling on behind me, though I could not make out a single thing he said.

“You okay?”

He asked the same question he had repeated to me over the course of the day, and yet again I was left speechless. I swallowed, realizing how dry my mouth was at that moment and nodded.

He narrowed his eyes, looking between Micah and I.

“Whatever, I’m fucking leaving,” Micah muttered behind me.

I didn’t turn around, but I heard his steps as he walked away.

“Mr. Ashford!!” Mrs. Jacobs yelled from the door of the school, making him roll his eyes and throw his head back.

He reluctantly took the cigarette out of his mouth to place it back in the packet before turning around to walk back into the building.

“Wait!” I grabbed his wrist, making him look at me over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in question, “W-what’s your name?”

His eyes ran down my body, making me feel insecure, self-aware in a way that made me shudder.

“Kian,” His gruff voice made me exhale.

I let his arm go and he walked away, his fists swinging beside his legs. I watched him walk away, mesmerized by the way his body moved. The sudden sound of voices whispering made me return to reality.

Everyone was watching me and I bit my lip, walking away. The walk home was fast, my steps quick and purposeful. I hissed, looking down at my wrist in pain, feeling the tender spot that had begun to swell.

I knew today would be a difficult Monday, I had just not realized how bad it would be. I was beyond grateful though that Liz did not show up to school, god knows how much worse that would have been.

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