I stare at the words on my phone.
Jack: Paige, I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry. I think we should break up.
I can’t help the sob that spills suddenly from my throat or the tears that stream down my face. Did Jack seriously just break up with me over a text message? I’m devastated, but I’m also furious. We’ve been friends our whole life, and he’s breaking up with me over a text?
A freaking text?!
I thought I was worth more than that. I still can’t give up, though.
I try calling him, but he sends me straight to voicemail. I pull up our text messages and respond to him.
Me: You said you’d fight for us. This isn’t fighting.
Jack: I know. I tried Paige. This is too hard. I can’t do it.
Me: Are you seriously breaking up with me over a text? Is that how little I mean to you??
The tears are pouring down my face now. I’m sobbing uncontrollably and damn near hyperventilating because I’m crying so hard. This is the worst pain I’ve ever felt.
This can’t be happening.
This cannot be happening.
Oh, God.
In the haze of my crying, I faintly hear the door open.
“Paige?”
It’s my mom, and I can hear the concern in her tone, but I can’t respond because I’m trying so hard to breathe through this clenching pain in my chest and the unrelenting tears. I feel her sit on the bed, and she pulls me to her. I hug her hard, soaking her sweater with my tears. I’m for sure ugly crying at this point, but nothing matters right now.
I hear my dad come into the room and feel him sit on the other side of me. “What’s wrong?” He whispers to my mom.
I don’t hear her respond, but he wraps his arms around me. I’m cocooned by my loving parents, and that’s when the dam fully breaks – I honestly had no idea it was possible to cry any harder, but here I am, spilling my guts out through my tears. My heart is shattering more and more with every second that Jack doesn’t respond. I wait for hours, but he never texts me back.
It’s really over.
I can’t believe this.
He didn’t fight at all.