The Day Love Burned Out

Hardened Resolve

It was the graduation trip we'd been talking about. Zoe wagged the walkthrough she was holding at me. "There's not a thing you'll worry about!"

I was going to bring up that talk after the trip and end the relationship on a cordial note. Johnny was already waiting at the train station with his luggage in tow. "I just want that walkthrough. You don't mind, do you, bro?"

I said nothing. Zoe glanced at the look on my face and retorted, "You and your antics. It's supposed to be Seamus and me. You're going to be the third wheel. I didn't get a ticket for you."

I was the one who was blocked at the entryway as my ID was denied access.

Johnny glared at Zoe. "I can't believe you forgot to get his ticket!"

Zoe seemed stunned as well. "I thought he'd gotten his himself."

"You shouldn't just assume things! The train's arriving in 15 minutes!"

It was supposed to be an argument. However, to everyone who wasn't blind or stupid, it clearly looked like a couple's banter.

"I'll get you a ticket right now. It's alright, Seamus." She quickly whipped out her phone, but all the tickets were sold out until next week.

The turnstile stood in my way like an impassable barrier. Something called exhaustion seeped into my heart. I stood here, separated from them by the barrier like an afterthought.

"Let's break up, Zoe," I said.

Zoe jerked her head up. "You're breaking up just because I forgot to get you a ticket?"

"Yeah." I pulled my suitcase and left the station alone. The sabotaged pen story could stay hidden for a while longer. I'd love to see the look on their faces when the results were out.

Apparently, my calm indifference infuriated her as she promptly dragged Johnny and had their tickets checked. Her actions didn't faze me. I even took the time to book a ticket to Harland.

Honestly, their terrible acting only hardened my resolve to apply for Harland.

She never texted me after that day. Instead, she would post stories about her trip with Johnny every single day. My mom saw it, and she asked me about it right away.

I blocked Zoe right in front of my mother. "We broke up."

My mother demanded no answers or explanation. Instead, she consoled me, "I'm happy you got over it, son. She's not the only girl out there. You'll have a lot more options once you get into Harland."

SAT results were released at the end of Zoe's trip. I ran into her on my way to take out the trash at night. She was coming upstairs, her luggage in tow.

Then, she blurted, "I know you didn't mean what you said at the station." She even patted my shoulder with sympathy. "It's fine if you flunked the SAT. You can repeat the year. LDR's an option. I know you can get into Harland if you take the test again."

I smacked her hand away like it was something more disgusting than the trash I was taking out. "Lady, are you delusional? Flunked the SAT? I'm the top scorer for our city this year. I've got reporters holding interviews earlier in the day!"