Chapter Four
Henry's POV
College sounds fun and distant, but I'll be there soon. One thing I couldn't be happy
about the fact that my boyfriend Ethan and I couldn't get into the same college, despite trying together. Ethan and I—we grew up together, and I guess the fact that
We were always close with each other helped everything along the way. But I
couldn't get over his character: a bully, Mr. Know-It-All, tall, handsome, with deep
dark eyes, blond frizzy hair—he was everything you could dream of, but not for me. I
got tired of him and couldn't wait to get away from him. After our camping trip a few
years back, he became possessive and suffocating and it was choking me. I wanted
to break up with him, but with him being him, I couldn't, so I just kept it easy and
waited.
I lost bits of my memory during a bear accident. Deep down, I blame him for my
timidness—he never wanted me to stand up for myself and I didn't like it. He always
put me down, trying to make me dependent on him every damn time, which wasn't
nice. I just needed someone to love me for me. He never seems to see anything
wrong with the way he is, so I guess you can understand my eagerness to get away
from him. My dad died some years ago—always supportive. I still miss him, always
supportive. So it's just me and my mom, who has been my everything. Even though
she nags a lot, I still love her so much.
As I was arranging my luggage, a call came in from Jenna, my best friend. I quickly
pick up. I hear her cheerful voice from the other end of the call.
"Hello, Henry," she says cheerily. "We'll be having a get-together later with the
others." I almost forgot about it. "Or did you forget?" she says in a slightly annoyed
tone.
I decide that I would pull her leg and say, "Sorry, I totally forgot about it and can't
make it due to Mr. Damon, who I see as an uncle, coming over." To which she yells, "If you dare miss today's party, you and I are through with each
other!" I quickly surrender and say it was a joke and that I'll be there on time. "You'd better," she replies, and hangs up the phone. I get done packing and see that
It's time to go meet the gang.
I get to Jenna's apartment. I knock, and as the door opens, cheers ring out as I step
inside. I get a hug from Jenna and her girlfriend, Lena. "Ethan isn't here yet," she says as she ushers me in. I quickly come up with an excuse
and she says, "You don't have to lie to me. I know he's always been like this, so
don't worry. I understand."
Ethan finally arrives later, a blast of cool night air and his deep exotic cologne
following him. He's magnetic as always, quickly commanding the room's attention. He walks over and gives me a perfunctory kiss on the cheek, spewing a bunch of fake
apologies on why he's late, to which Jenna and Lena roll their eyes. After which, he
ignores the whole party and focuses on his phone, which seems to piss me off. A little while later, the group plays a board game. Ethan, already on his third drink, becomes a bit aggressive, talking about his university prospects, his major, the
people he'll get to meet over there. Someone asks if we'll see each other after
midterms, to which he says, "I won't be able to make it and my workload won't let
me, but you, Henry, since your workload might be lighter, you should be able to
Come see me, right?"
"Ethan," I say, "you just assumed, as always. You never cared about my opinion on
things." Ethan rolls his eyes, a gesture that puts me off. "Don't be dramatic, we'll talk later."
"About what?" I say, sounding pissed. "You never listen to what I have to say, always
shutting me down whenever I want to have a conversation with you, always making
I seem crazy for demanding the bare minimum from you."
"I am doing this for us—our future."
"A future where I don't fit in," I say to him. "All I'm saying is, if this is what we look
like now, with you making all the decisions and I am supposed to just accept what
you say and go along with it, I don't see us together in the long run. A relationship
where I feel lonely even now—I don't know how I'll feel in the long-distance version
when I go off to college. I don't think I can continue with this."
"Are you breaking up with me?"
"Yes, I am, because this doesn't feel like a relationship anymore, but one of your
many school projects." Ethan takes a look around and sees no one supporting him. "Fine," he says, takes his
backpack, and walks out the room without looking back. The remainder of the party was a blur for me. "Sorry," I say, telling Jenna I ruined her
party. "Don't be silly, it was only a matter of time. I'm proud of you."
"I loved him so much," I say while fighting back tears. "We know," Lena says as they lean in for a hug. "Hopefully things get better from now on," I whisper to her, but more to myself.
Ethan furious
Henry asked to end things today. I didn't want to agree, but I felt that he needed
some space, so I agreed, though it was never going to last. He's never escaping me
again—not in this life nor the next. So enjoy your time away, little lamb. I'll be back soon