Chapter 20
I Was Supposed to Let Go. But I Couldn't.
The last day.
The one I swore I'd break up with him.
Rip off the band-aid.
Do the right thing.
Set us both free.
I even told Fatima.
"Today's the day," I said as we walked to school. "Two hours of chaos. Then I end it."
She didn't believe me.
Not for a second.
We had it all planned — two hours of us. No homework. No overthinking. Just memories.
I didn't bring anything except a pen.
One single pen.
After the final exam?
I opened the window and threw it out.
Like I was throwing away every chain tied to this place.
I told my mom I was just staying "in front of the school for ten minutes."
A lie.
Obviously.
We were going far.
I was already in my other outfit under my uniform.
Ashlee had snuck in someone's phone.
Yuri smuggled snacks.
Keifer showed up like he wasn't secretly going to cry when this day ended.
We slipped out once.
Made it past the gates.
Walked by a flower shop — the same one from before.
But this time?
The teachers caught us.
They knew it was us.
Dragged us back inside like criminals.
My chest pounded.
My throat burned.
This wasn't how I wanted to remember today.
But Fatima grabbed my hand. "One more time."
And we ran.
The third time we got caught, I was screwed.
The teacher asked me to call my mom.
I almost cried.
My mom thought I was standing ten minutes away, not running through the city in a dress and sneakers, half-ready to jump a fence.
I called her.
"I'm with friends," I said. "We want to go eat something. Please?"
She was silent.
Then:
"…Fine. Just don't be stupid."
My jaw dropped.
The teacher let me go.
We were free.
We ran down the streets like it was the last time we'd ever laugh.
Keifer bought me another rose.
I didn't want to take it at first.
Felt too real.
But I did.
Snuck it into my bag like it was treasure.
We ate ice cream.
Took photos.
Spray-painted our names on the fresh-painted school wall behind the back gate.
Mine in blue.
His in black.
Right next to each other.
Our school is cheap it will go years before they repaint it.
We laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
At one point, we passed Alatunessa High School and College — where my cousin studied.
If she saw me through a window?
I was done.
But I didn't care.
Because this wasn't about being careful.
This was about living.
When it was time to say goodbye, I felt it building in my throat.
The words.
The breakup.
But I couldn't.
I just… couldn't.
We stood on the sidewalk, traffic in the distance, sun low in the sky.
"I'll tell him next time," I told myself.
"When we get our exam results."
Because maybe if I delay it, I won't have to say it at all.
He hugged me tight.
Not like before.
Like he knew.
Like he felt the countdown ticking between us.
"I'll see you," he whispered.
I nodded.
And when he pulled back, he kissed my cheek.
Soft.
Warm.
Fleeting.
Like a promise neither of us knew how to keep.
End of Chapter 20.