"Hello from the other side
I must've called a thousand times
To tell you I'm sorry
For everything that I've done
But when I call you never
Seem to be home"
Hello - Adele

oOoOo

(Back to Kate's POV)

After Kaden leaves, I sit on my bed in shock.

So that just happened.

I stare at the wall.

A tear escapes my eye. More follow in an unbroken stream.

I hear a knock on the door.

It's Blair.

"You okay?" She sits on the edge of my bed.

"No," I croak.

The stream turns into a river.

"It'll be alright," she says, wrapping me in a hug. "You knew he would be mad. Just take the rest of the day to clear your head and let him clear his. You can have an adult conversation tomorrow."

She rubs soothing circles on my back.

I open my mouth to speak, but only a strangled cry comes out.

"What am I," hiccup, "going to do?"

"Talk to him. You haven't been communicating. Fix that, and you're on the right track to fixing your relationship."

I don't respond. She leaves me alone.

I can do that. Just talk it out. We are going to be fine.

Things will work out. Kaden will forgive me. Boys don't stay mad too long. Everything will be fine.

Right?

I try calling him when I calm down.

I get sent to voicemail.

"Um, hey, Kaden... It's me, Kate... Well, um, I just wanted to talk. I'm sorry... Can you call me back? I can explain everything. No more lies... Okay, I guess that's it. Bye."

I fall backward on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

I turn around. I start counting the polka dots on my comforter.

1, 2, 3...

Minutes tick by.

167, 168, 169...

It's not working. I can't turn my brain off.

Is he okay? Why won't he call me back? Am I being unreasonable?

If only he would just let me explain-

oOoOo

Monday.

I go to classes like a zombie.

I check my phone every five minutes, hoping for something.

I stop at The Brew five times.

He's not there.

Juliet calls to warn me about the magazines.

She advises me to do damage control. It's too late; the damage is done.

My fingers drift across my phone screen, hovering over his contact.

I stop myself from calling him again. I don't want to seem desperate.

It's fine. He's just taking longer than I thought to clear his head. His reaction is fine.

He'll come around. I'll give him some more space. More space.

Tuesday.

I wake up early to do the homework I neglected.

I go to class. I go to The Brew.

Kaden's still out.

I text him. Radio silence.

I Snapchat him. Left on read.

I can't fall asleep at night. I stay awake, not wanting to miss his call.

Spoiler alert: he doesn't call.

Wednesday.

I wake up late and miss my first class.

I stare at my phone all day, willing him to return my calls or texts. It's no use.

I cave. It's been a few days. Maybe he's waiting for me to make the next move?

"It's me, Kate. You know, your girlfriend? That's if we are even together... Anyway, um, can you call me back? I'm sorry for everything I did... Terribly sorry... I didn't mean for the truth to come out like this. Call me when you get this. I want to make sure you're okay. I'm worried about you."

Tears fall freely from my eyes. My nose runs.

Things will get better. We will make it out of this; everything will be fine.

This is just a little bump in the road.

Thursday.

I wake up early, promising myself that I won't mope all day.

I clean my room before class.

Kaden's at The Brew today.

He goes into the back room when he sees me.

At least he is okay. Some of my anxiety is eased. Things will be fine. We're making progress.

Classes pass slowly.

I call him four times. I send five texts. I send three Snapchats.

Nothing. Rien. Nada. Niente. Nichts.

I miss his blinding smile. I miss his dumb jokes. I miss his warmth. I miss his hugs. I miss his company.

I miss him.

Friday.

He's going to text me today; I can just feel it in my bones.

I check my phone and my mood sours.

Still nothing from Kaden. Nothing all morning.

I call again. His voicemail box is full.

I pull at my hair.

Trails of mascara stain my face. My eyes are red and glassy.

I throw crumpled up pieces of paper at the wall. I rip out an entire notebook.

Things are not fine. We are not fine.

I stare blankly out my window for hours.

I move on to counting windows on buildings.

I can see 121.

One window for every hour Kaden has ignored me.

Saturday.

It's been five days.

Five fucking days and still nothing.

I walk around campus, hoping to spot him.

I look everywhere. My head turns whenever a new person appears in my peripheral vision.

Kaden is nowhere to be seen.

I might be okay, but I'm not fine at all.

I approach Greek Row. Should I confront him?

My feet take me to the porch of Theta Alpha.

I raise my arm to knock.

I lower my arm and sigh. I'm not strong enough. Maybe tomorrow.

I catch my reflection in a puddle. The girl looks nothing like me. Her hair is greasy and tangled. Her eyes are bloodshot from crying. Her skin is breaking out.

Sunday.

His voicemail is still full.

That's it. I'm going to barge into Theta Alpha today. Demand to see him. Make him listen to my explanation. Answer all of his remaining questions. Honesty from here on out.

Things will be fine.

Blair drives me to Theta Alpha.

I knock on the door.

It opens.

Kaden's here. He's okay.

We stare at each other in deafening silence.

"Hey."

I prepare for a fight to be allowed inside. It never comes.

He opens the door wider.

"Come in."

oOoOo

Thanks for reading chapter 27! Please vote and comment if you liked it. <3

Is it bad that I had a lot of fun writing this? I might be psychotic. I was laughing for most of it. These past 3 chapters have been my favorite in the entire book