Never Just Friends

Heartbreak and Silence

“She’s just a kid, Jake. I mean... I can’t date her,” Finn was saying, but he didn’t sound as sure as I expected. There was this hesitation in his voice, like he didn’t even believe what he was saying.

Jacob sighed. “You don’t think she knows that? Hanna’s strong, but this isn’t easy for her.”

“I know,” Finn said, frustration creeping into his tone. “But Ciara... she’s just easier. It’s not complicated with her.”

Oh, of course. Ciara. Because she’s so simple and not at all manipulative. I rolled my eyes from the top of the stairs, feeling my heart sink even lower.

“Ciara won’t make you happy, and you know it,” Jacob said flatly. “You’re not fooling anyone.”

There was a long silence, the kind that felt heavy, before Finn finally spoke again. “It’s not about that. I just... I don’t want to hurt Hanna.”

Too late for that, genius.

The days after the party felt like one big blur. Every time I saw Finn, I turned and went in the opposite direction. I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t even look at him. And to make matters worse, every time I did catch a glimpse of him, Ciara was right there. Laughing, smiling, acting like she’d won some kind of prize.

I spent most of my time with Emily and Elordi, who could both sense that something was wrong. I hadn’t told them what happened at the party—at least, not yet. I wasn’t ready to say it out loud.

“We should hang out at the park after school,” Emily suggested one day as we sat in the cafeteria. “Get some ice cream or something. It’ll be fun.”

I shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

As we were getting up to leave, I spotted Finn and Ciara sitting together at the far end of the cafeteria. Ciara was draped over him, laughing at something he said, her hand on his arm like he was some kind of trophy. I felt a lump rise in my throat. I turned away before I could see any more.

“You okay?” Elordi asked, noticing the look on my face.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile.

When we got to the park, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Finn doesn’t want me,” I blurted out, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Emily stopped walking and turned to me, her eyes wide. “Wait—what? What do you mean?”

I swallowed hard, feeling the tears start to well up again. “He said I’m too young. That I’m not ready for someone like him. He wants to be with Ciara.”

Elordi frowned, staying quiet, but Emily looked like she was ready to explode. “Are you freaking serious? He’s choosing Ciara over you?”

I shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t bother me as much as it did. “It doesn’t matter. I just... I just want to move on.”

But no matter how hard I tried to tell myself that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still there between me and Finn. Every time he looked at me, I felt it—the pull, the tension. It was like we were caught in this invisible thread that kept tying us together, even though I wanted to break free from it.

And then there was Ciara. She wasn’t just satisfied with winning Finn. No, she had to rub it in my face at every opportunity. She cornered me in the hallway the other day, smiling sweetly as she told me how “pathetic” it was that I’d thought Finn would ever choose me. I didn’t say anything. What was the point? No one would believe me anyway.

“Don’t let her get to you,” Elordi said quietly as we sat on the edge of the park fountain. “She’s just insecure. You don’t need to give her that power.”

“I know,” I whispered, but deep down, it was harder to let go of than I wanted to admit.