It had been a year and three months.
And Raven still hadn't moved on.
She told herself she had. Said the words enough times, loud enough, long enough until even her best friends started believing it.
But at 2:14 a.m., when the world went quiet and the fake smiles peeled off, his name still sat at the edge of her breath like it belonged there.
Chris.
She hated how softly her mind said it.
Like a secret it didn't want to give up.
Some days were easier.
She played ball with the boys, shoved her way through the court like her ribs weren't still bruised with memories of him.
She joked. She flirted. She laughed.
But then there were days like this.
When his arms around her reminded her of every time he held her close, not because she was hurt—but because she was his.
When the way he looked at her made it all feel so unfinished.
They say time heals.
But Raven had counted every day.
Four hundred and eighty-six of them.
And she still couldn't figure out how to unlove him.
"Why..why did you leave me..?"
Raven bit her lips as a tear rolled down her cheek.
She wiped it away quickly. Like it didn't mean anything.
Like it wasn't the first one in months.
Because Raven didn't cry.
Not for anyone.
Especially not for him.
But tonight…
His voice. His arms. That stupid steady heartbeat against her ear when he carried her—
It brought everything back.
The way he used to look at her like she was the whole damn sky.
The promises.
The silence that followed.
She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror—eyes red, lips trembling, a ghost of the girl he used to love.
Or maybe still did.
But if he did…
Why didn't he fight for her?
Raven clenched her fists, jaw tight.
She wasn't begging for answers.
She just wanted the truth.
Because if he never loved her…
He shouldn't have made forever sound so easy.
_________________________________
The next morning, Raven didn't hesitate.
She stepped into the school hallway like a storm—chin high, eyes locked forward, heart thudding so loud it drowned out everything else.
She wasn't here for classes.
She wasn't here for peace.
She was here for him.
And there he was.
Chris.
Standing by the lockers, talking to someone, that usual calm written all over his face.
Raven didn't slow down.
She marched straight up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him back—hard.
"What the—Raven?" he said, stumbling a little.
But she didn't give him a chance to react.
She dragged him.
Through the hallway. Past stares. Past whispers.
Until she found the nearest empty classroom and shoved the door open, slamming it shut behind them.