The Heartbroken - S01 E159

Story 2 years ago

The Heartbroken - S01 E159

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 159

“Don’t make me regret telling you,”

I told her.

“But I totally called it. You—”

“I get it,” I snapped, cursing myself

for blushing so easily. “Will you

please just get to the part where

you give me advice?”

She had always been the planner

(for lack of a better term) between

the two of us, and despite the fact

that she kept repeating the whole

“I knew you like Seth” thing, I was

glad that I had worked things out

with her. Otherwise, I wouldn’t

have anyone to talk to about this.

“For now,” she said in her no-

nonsense voice, “you can’t tell him

yet. Telling him is too big of a move

for something that requires

timing.”

“Timing?”

“Yes. Timing,” she echoed, and

without elaborating this, she

moved on. “We have to find out

about this Sarah girl. We have to

know where Seth stands with her.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Then you have to observe him real

close and casually ask Lily and the

others about his normal behavior

with them. Compare it to the way

he acts with you when you’re

alone.”

“Okay,” I repeated.

“And also,” she said, her voice

dropping into a quiet murmur,

“you have to work things out with

Cedric.”

I knew she was going to say that.

I expected it, knowing full-well that

Hail didn’t like loose ends, and

neither did I, but I made Cedric an

exception, if only because seeking

closure made it final. Like doing so

would fully close the door that let

him in before he decided to walk

out of it.

Seeking closure, to me, felt like

locking that door and throwing

away the key.

But I knew it had to be done, so I

forced myself to say, “Okay.” Just

four letters strung together to form

a simple word that took everything

I had in me to say.

For a moment, she didn’t speak,

then, hesitantly, she said, “Kyla?”

“Mmm?”

“Are you sure you’re not using Seth

as a rebound?”

I anticipated this question too, but I

still found myself fumbling for a

reply. I turned on my side and

curled up, my eyes landing on the

case of the All Time Low album

perched atop my bedside drawer.

“When I’m with him,” I told her,

closing my eyes and trying to stay

as honest as possible, “it’s like I

don’t even remember who Cedric

is.”

“But?”

I opened my eyes, not entirely

surprised that she knew I still had

something to say.

“I don’t know. When I see Cedric… I

know I’m not completely over him

yet. Is that bad?”

First, silence. Then, “No,” she said,

“just sad.”

“For whom?”

“The three of you.”

I knew she was right.

I had to talk to Cedric. I had to close

that door and tie all those loose

ends. I couldn’t act on my feelings

for Seth until I was sure I wasn’t

just setting him, or me, or even

Cedric, for more heartbreak. The

last thing I wanted to do was trip

on untied shoelaces just when I’d

settled into a comfortable pace.

As soon as I hung up, my phone

rang with another call. Seeing his

name made me feel both wary and

excited and I had to struggle to

keep my voice calm before picking

it up.