When Distance Hurts
Days turned into weeks.
Ben barely spoke to her anymore. In class, he sat beside Casey instead. In the hallways, he'd glance at Fabiola but look away too quickly.
Every time he smiled at Casey, Fabiola felt another piece of her heart slip away.
She tried to focus on school. She spent more time with Elena and George. But every place — the tree they used to sit under, the bench in the cafeteria, even the library — reminded her of him.
One rainy afternoon, she couldn't take it anymore. She left her last class early and walked home alone, her shoes splashing through puddles.
She didn't notice Ben following her until she reached the gate of her house.
"Fabiola," he called, his voice uncertain.
She turned slowly, her eyes red. "What do you want, Ben?"
He hesitated, water dripping from his hair. "I… I just wanted to make sure you got home okay."
She laughed bitterly. "You don't get to care about me now."
"I do care," he said quickly. "I just—"
"Then why are you with her?"
The question hung in the air, sharp and trembling.
Ben looked away. "Because it's easier," he said quietly. "Because you make me feel things I'm not ready to feel."
Fabiola stared at him, tears mixing with the rain. "That's not love, Ben. That's fear."
He took a small step closer, his voice breaking. "You think I don't know that?"
For a moment, the rain was the only sound between them — a soft, endless rhythm of everything they couldn't say.
Then she whispered, "You're hurting me."
Ben's expression fell apart. "I know."
She turned away before he could see her cry again.
The days that followed were quiet. Fabiola stopped waiting for him. She stopped checking her phone for messages that never came.
Instead, she threw herself into exams, helping her mom at home, talking with Elena and George about college plans.
But even as she tried to move on, her heart refused to forget.
Until one day, just before summer break, she saw Ben standing by her locker.
He looked nervous, holding something behind his back.
"Fabiola," he began softly.
She froze. "What are you doing here?"
He stepped forward, pulling out a small bouquet of daisies — her favorite. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
She stared at him. "Sorry for what? Ignoring me? Choosing someone else? Making me feel like I wasn't enough?"
He flinched. "For all of it."
The hallway buzzed with students leaving for the day, but in that moment, it felt like they were alone.
"I wanted to tell you…" His voice shook slightly. "You were right. I was scared. I thought if I told you how I felt, I'd lose you. But I lost you anyway."
Fabiola's heart pounded.
He took another step closer. "You're the only girl who ever made me want to be better. And I can't stand that I hurt you."
Tears blurred her vision. "Then why now?" she whispered. "Why tell me this now?"
"Because," he said, his eyes searching hers, "I can't leave things like this."
She wanted to be angry. She wanted to walk away. But when he gently brushed a tear from her cheek, her resolve melted.
"I don't know if I can trust you again," she whispered.
"I'll earn it back," he said.
And for the first time in weeks, she believed him.