Chapter 1After I ended things, Tanner blocked me first.
I was still deleting our pictures when Ayla's video call flashed on my screen.
My thumb moved too fast—I accidentally answered.
The video showed a rowdy group squeezed into a booth somewhere, probably a sports bar near campus.
One guy was laughing, "Bro, you really blocked her? You sure she's gonna come crawling back this time?"
Tanner took a swig of beer.
"Relax. Addie's not going anywhere."
"Her parents had a full ride to Oxford waiting for her, but she followed me here instead. Ended up in Ancient Greek—literally Ancient Greek—just to be at the same school as me."
"She can't go three days without me. She always folds."
Ayla, in a crop top and high-waisted jeans, hung off his shoulder and smirked.
"Ooooh, Tanner Miller—the heartbreaker!"
Tyler snorted into his drink.
"I'm just sayin', man. She's cute. And now that we're on campus? Some business major with a trust fund is definitely gonna slide into her DMs."
Tanner didn't even look worried.
"Maybe it'll do her good. Let her see what else is out there. She might finally act right."
Another guy—Luke, I think—chimed in:
"Damn, if I had a girl like that? I wouldn't be blocking her. I'd be scared she'd upgrade."
Tanner rolled his eyes.
"She cried four out of six days of training camp. Four. Just because I brought Gatorade to Ayla when she wasn't feeling good."
"Some people just need to grow up."
Ayla put on this fake sympathetic voice:
"I told him, I don't wanna cause drama. If she's that insecure, I'll stay out of your way."
The guys ate it up:
"Addie's kinda extra, not gonna lie."
"Sounds like a 'her' problem. Ayla's chill. And let's be real—cute only gets you so far."
Tanner finally frowned.
"Hey. Don't talk about her like that. She's my girlfriend. Ayla's my friend. It's not a competition."
"I just want her to stop overreacting to everything."
"All the crying… it's exhausting."
I'd heard enough.
I tapped End Call without a word.
Chapter 2
My heart felt heavy and raw. Just as I was sinking into that hollow feeling, the delivery guy showed up with the slice of chocolate cake I'd stress-ordered an hour earlier.
I curled up on the couch, fork in hand, eating straight from the container while warm tears rolled down my cheeks.
It tasted like comfort and heartbreak all at once.
Tanner and I… we grew up together.
Played in the same sprinklers, rode the same school bus, had our first kiss behind the bleachers.
For over a decade, he was my default—my safe place. My favorite person.
But this time was different. This wasn't some dramatic meltdown he could laugh about later with his friends.
This was real. And I wasn't going back.
Then my mom called.
"Addie, honey… are you really serious about withdrawing? And going to London?"
"Yeah, Mom. I am."
She hesitated. "But… what about Tanner? I thought you two were…"
Her voice trailed off, and just like that, my throat tightened all over again.
I took a shaky breath and told her everything. How we'd ended. How he'd blocked me. How his friends talked about me like I was some silly little girl who didn't know better.
"I'm sorry, Mom…
But I can't pretend anymore. I can't shrink myself to fit into his world.
I need to find my own."
There was a soft pause on the other end.
Then she said, voice warm with pride, "My brave girl. You finally see your worth."
"All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. If he can't see what he has… then it's his loss."
"Your offer from King's College is still valid. Term starts next month. We'll get your visa rushed—don't you worry, baby. Mwah ?."
I smiled through the tears. "Love you, Mom."
Chapter 3
I hauled the box of Tanner's stuff down the dorm stairs, my grip tight around the cardboard. Just as I pushed through the main door, I almost walked right into him—and Ayla, who was all but draped around his arm.
She was laughing way too loud, shoving playfully at his shoulder.
"One case of beer? Please. I could still out-drink you any day, Miller. Don't even try me."
Tanner was smirking until he saw me. His expression flickered, and he subtly tried to detach himself from Ayla.
He was waiting—waiting for the tears, the drama, the whole jealous meltdown I used to pull.
But this time? I didn't even look at him. I adjusted the box and kept walking.
That's when he stepped in front of me, that familiar arrogant grin back on his face.
"Okay, okay—you can trash the hoodies, but not the wooden wolf. I carved that thing for a month. My fingers still have trust issues."
I stared right through him. "Don't worry. I don't want reminders of you."
He chuckled like I'd told a joke. "Your loss, darling."
As I turned, Ayla grabbed my wrist—her touch making me freeze.
"Addie, wait. Seriously, don't overthink this."
"I had a few too many drinks, so Tanner walked me back. We're literally just friends. I'm basically a guy in his world, okay?"
"A guy?" I snapped, my voice sharp and loud enough that a few people leaving the dorm slowed down to watch.
"Do 'guys' make him run to CVS at midnight to buy their tampons? Do 'guys' have private Minecraft worlds with him—building houses together, going on 'adventures' like some digital power couple? Do 'guys' text him three times a week to bring them a milkshake because they're 'too sad to go alone'?"
I stepped closer, my anger boiling over.
"If you genuinely think you're 'one of the guys,' then maybe get your delusion checked by a professional. But if you keep playing this fake nice-girl garbage in my face one more time—"
Ayla's smirk vanished. She looked caught, embarrassed, then fake-wounded all in three seconds.
"Whoa, I didn't know you were keeping score. Fine. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to—"
Tanner pulled her back sharply, his voice cold.
"You don't apologize to her."
He shot me a glare. "She's always been like this—thinks she owns me. Throws a fit over nothing."
I didn't wait around to hear more.
I walked straight to the trash bin, lifted the box high, and let it drop with a heavy thud.
No turning back now.
