So very angry. And yet, Serena just couldn't bring yourself to yell at anyone else. Not even to Sergio. Because that would hurt him. You hated yourself for doing it. Hated yourself for lying to him and manipulating him. Hated yourself for hurting him. Hated yourself for making the decision to break the promises you had made to him. And yet, here you were, standing in front of him, breaking that promise. Here you were, standing in front of him, breaking his trust.Your eyes widened in shock. Was that it? Was that all it took to cause this much damage? Were these the repercussions of letting someone in and allowing them to become so important to you? Just by letting them into your heart, you had allowed them to tear your family apart. Just by opening your heart up to them, you had opened your soul to them and allowed them into your home. They were now living in your home. You had let them stay in your house. You were letting them stay at your side. You had let them see everything abo

"What was that about?" You asked, panting heavily as you turned to look up at him. You watched as his dark eyes gazed into yours while he took in short, shallow breaths as well. He seemed to notice that you had been watching him and he smiled at you playfully."Your reaction tells me everything that I needed to know."As usual during the weekdays, you were the first one to rise. Despite feeling exhausted from the previous night’s dream and sleep deprivation, you couldn’t get rid of the feeling that you were missing someone. When you woke up, you found yourself unable to fall back asleep due to the lingering feeling of being alone. You thought it best to get dressed and ready so that you could get out of bed sooner rather than later. When you exited your bedroom, you noticed that the house was completely silent and lifeless. It reminded you a little of the day that you had returned to your own house, but it also reminded you of what had happened the last few weeks. The memory brought

Serena didn't push him to elaborate further. In all honesty, you didn't really care where he lived or what he did in general. All she really cared about was that he was okay. That was all she needed to know.“So, uh, what have you been up to since the breakup?”“Not much. We still hang out, obviously.” He chuckled.Serena glanced up quickly, a grin spreading across your face. She nodded slowly in agreement, biting her lip.“Yeah, I guess that would be pretty fun. I just don’t see how we’ll end up seeing each other as often anymore if we don’t have any classes together.”“We won’t be seeing each other as much as we used to,” he said casually, causing you to frown slightly. “I’m only going to be here a couple weeks this year, so we might only see each other during winter break. I doubt that we’ll ever be able to meet up outside of school again.”“Probably true. Still… it sucks. I don’t wanna lose you.” You frowned at yourself. Was that really how you felt? Was it just your usual way of

“Uh... yeah. I did talk to someone today. I was thinking about talking to someone new, too. I haven’t really talked to anyone besides you guys since I came to live with you, though. I haven’t really had a chance to speak with other people since I moved here.”“What are you gonna do about that? Aren’t you supposed to have friends? Like, real friends?”“I’ve already talked to one person that I consider a real friend, and I haven’t been able to get along with her very well.”“Why is that? Do you not get along with her?”“No, no,” you assured him quickly. “She’s great and everything.”Serena stopped yourself for a moment and added.“I’m just scared that we’re not gonna get along. That’s all.”“Are you really scared that you might end up getting along with her?” He asked. You nodded silently, and after a brief pause, he continued.“There’s no need to worry, Serena. I know that there’s something about her that makes you uncomfortable, but she seems to care about you a lot, and it shows in

“Yeah. I read it. There was a scene where the protagonist was running from her abusive stepfather and she accidentally bumps into another girl, causing them to fall. She apologizes to the girl, but then she realizes that she’s forgotten to introduce herself and she starts crying because she thinks she’s ruined their friendship. Then the reader goes to comfort her, telling her that they understand and that she’s not the reason that they fell. She asks them to continue watching and so they do, until the girl finally gets her memory back.” He explained.“Wow.” You said after realizing that he just told you about what he read in the book. “Did you like it?”“Yes, actually. But I still don’t know why I did that. I shouldn’t have let myself act that way. I thought I had control, that I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t. I didn’t realize that I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and that scared me.”You sighed softly. “I know. Believe me, I’m aware of what you went through with your stepda