Free Your Exception by Bria Starr Page A

back?
    He gets up and follows me out the front door to where my car is waiting for me. We don’t speak to each other. I can hear the crickets chirping, and they’re rather irritating. I stand in his driveway and kick at my tire, waiting for him so say something. Anything.
    “I really hope we can be friends.”
    I look up and laugh out loud. “Did you really just say that?”
    He smiles and looks down. “I think you’re awesome. I really do want to keep being your friend.”
    “I’d like that.” Would I? Could I even just be his friend? Probably not. It’s just what guys say to get out of a relationship. Even the ones they claimed they wanted. I feel so sad and let down, even though I had a feeling all of this was coming.
    He comes over to me and pulls me in for a hug. Probably the last one I’ll ever get from him.
    Then he kisses me, and I let him. Probably the last kiss I’ll ever get from hi m .
    I know we’re over.
    He kisses me on the forehead and takes a step back, letting me go.
    I can feel the tears welling in my eyes, so I go around and get into my car. I plaster a smile on my face and wave at him as I back out of his driveway and head down the street.
    The tears instantly start to fall. After I’m a few miles down the road I can barely see what’s in front of me. I pull over on the side of the road and sob. I’m heartbroken. I thought I had moved on and found someone I could spend eternity with, but I was mistaken. Again.
    Why can’t I be loved?
    Not that love was what we had, but I knew it was there. I could feel it.
    After fifteen minutes of tears and snot, I reach over to the glove compartment and grab some extra napkins I have stuffed in there. I clean myself up and blow my nose, pull back out on the road, and make my way home.
    Cassidy is sitting back in the recliner reading as I enter. I give her an apologetic shrug as I scurry up the stairs. She doesn’t come after me, which is good, considering the last thing I want to do right now is talk. I just want to go to bed and cry myself to sleep.
    I call my dad in the morning and tell him I’m sick. He buys it and tells me he hopes I feel better.
    Yeah, now I’ m that gir l .
    The one who calls in sick because she’s broken over some boy.
    The girl who fell too hard too fast.
    What was I thinking?
    I don’t even know what I’m thinking right now.
    I’m a little hungry…
    I roll over and go back to sleep.
    *****
    I wake up to three missed calls, two voicemails, and one text message.
    One missed call and voicemail from Alec, and the rest are from Zachary. I dial my voicemail and delete Alec’s message inst antly, then I listen to Zach’s.
    “Hey, Wren. It’s Zach. Your dad said you weren’t feeling well today and stayed home. I remember when you were sick with mono and would still somehow make it in to work, so I hope you’re doing all right and that everything is okay. Please call me if you need anything. Bye. ”
    I look to my texts.
    Zachary: Are you feeling better yet? Wanna come over and see Maynard? He’s been asking about you.
    He’s so funny, and it’s sweet that he can sense something is wrong, but no, I don’t feel like doing a damn thing today. Not even reading.
    I seem to be taking this breakup worse than the one with Alec. I know I was going to stop with the comparisons, but I can’t help it. I don’t recall having been so sad that I actually missed work. It was over and I made a decision, and moved on, eventually. Here, I am confused and strung along, with a sense of promise that this may not be the end and that we shall remain friends. I feel as though I’m in a state of purgatory.
    Mid-afternoon, I stroll into the kitchen still wearing my pajamas. I dig through the cupboard that holds my junk food until I find my chocolate and my licorice, grabbing a can of soda out of the fridge and making my way back upstairs. My iPod is playing sappy love songs while I eat my goodies and try not to think as the day goes