Rejecting the Bad Boy 5 Times

I was forced to dump the school's most dangerous bad boy. Five separate times. I had to play a sick game, trapped in an endless loop of messy breakups and begging for him back.

By the fifth time, something in the untouchable Alpha broke. His chest heaved, pulling in jagged air. Bloodshot eyes locked onto mine, dark and feral.

He closed the distance between us, his voice dropping to a jagged, dangerous whisper. "Looking for another excuse to throw me away?" A bitter, breathless laugh tore from his throat. "I'll fucking end it right here in front of you." Chapter 1 After dumping Declan twice, I swallowed whatever pride I had left and showed up to beg for him back.

Inside the dim, bassthumping VIP booth, Declan lounged against the leather sofa. A cigarette hung loosely between his fingers. The tip of his cigarette flared red in the dark.

A thick haze of smoke blurred his sharp, untouchable features. The moment I stepped through the door, his jaw ticked.

He crushed the cigarette hard into the glass ashtray, tilting his chin up.

His gaze was pure aggression. "Why the fuck did you bring someone irrelevant?" The heavy bass suddenly felt like the only sound in the room.

Everyone knew exactly who he was targeting. "Hey, Declan." I flashed him a sugarsweet smile, completely ignoring the hostility.

His scowl deepened. "Come on, Declan, we all go to the same college.

Let's just chill." Finn—my roommate Paige's boyfriend and one of Declan's closest guys—stepped in to break the ice. He flashed a casual grin, waving for Paige and me to take a seat.

I took the opening and slid onto the sofa right next to him. Pressing close to his side, my fingertips tentatively brushed his arm.

I looked straight at him. "Did you miss me during this month we've been broken up?" Declan kept his jaw locked tight, staring straight ahead. Silence meant yes.

A spark of victory flared in my chest. "Then let's get back together," I pressed. Staring at my blatant audacity, his patience finally snapped.

He poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek, letting out a sharp breath before aiming a single, lethal word at me. "Out." Touchy.

I swallowed my next words and clamped my mouth shut. The booth was packed with familiar faces, and the alcohol quickly brought the energy back up.

Paige knew exactly why I was here tonight. She was on a mission to help me. She slammed her drink down and suggested a game of Truth or Dare.

It was like the universe was on my side.

Paige targeted Declan on the very first round. "Truth," Paige demanded, leaning across the table. "Hypothetically, if your ex came back right now begging to get back together, would you say yes?" Every single pair of eyes in the booth instantly locked onto me and Declan.

The tension was suffocating. "No." He didn't even blink, a cruel scoff ripping from his throat. "I'm not that pathetic." Tough crowd. I should've seen that coming.

I slumped back into the leather cushions, letting out a heavy sigh. Paige shot me a quick, reassuring look.

She had a backup plan. "Dare, then," she challenged. "You and Isla play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser has to date the winner." The ultimate wingwoman. Fucking genius.

The entire booth erupted in hoots and suggestive whistles. Everyone was absolutely certain Declan and I were about to be locked back in. Honestly? I thought so too.

Until Declan, face carved from stone, threw Scissors. Right as I threw Scissors. Seriously? I dropped my hand, totally defeated. I didn't even have the energy to argue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of Declan's mouth. The freezing hostility radiating off him thawed, just a fraction.

We pushed through a few more drinking games. By the time it got late and everyone had their fill, the group started filtering out to head back to campus.

I dragged my feet, staying at the back of the pack. I kept stealing glances at Declan's sharp profile, waiting for an opening. He never gave me one.

He just kept walking, his long strides easily putting distance between us until he disappeared into the night. I was left standing on the curb, staring at my Uber app.

For whatever reason, ten minutes passed and the screen still kept spinning. No drivers available. The summer night air carried a sharp chill.

I crossed my arms over my chest, rubbing my bare skin. I really should have just hitched a ride back with Paige. Suddenly, the deafening roar of an engine ripped through the street.

Declan's custom black motorcycle pulled up and slammed to a halt inches from my sneakers.

A heavy helmet concealed his striking features, leaving only those dark, intense eyes visible through the visor. "Put the helmet on." His voice was muffled, but the command was absolute. "Get on." He caved.

I slid onto the leather seat behind him, wrapping my arms tight around his lean waist. A smug sense of victory bloomed in my chest. He was actually talking to me again.

The reconciliation was definitely back on the table.

Staring at the back of his leather jacket, I started running through the perfect script, preparing to wear him down until he cracked.

Chapter 2 Just as we pulled up to the campus gates, my phone lit up with Paige's name.

It was the weekend, and the housing staff were pulling a surprise curfew check at the dorm entrances. She warned me to stay far away. I killed the call.

Right on cue, Finn's name flashed on Declan's phone. The RAs in the guys' dorms were running the same sweep. A heavy, suffocating silence settled between us.

We ended up at a hotel a few blocks off campus to crash for the night. We asked for two rooms, but the girl at the front desk flashed us a tight, apologetic smile.

Thanks to the weekend rush, the place was packed. They only had one king suite left.

Declan let his heavy gaze slide over to me. "You taking it or what?" I gritted my teeth. "We'll take it." Locked in a single room with Declan.

The confined space instantly cranked the tension to a breaking point. I dug my nails into my palms, suddenly not knowing what the hell to do with my own hands.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor. When I finally forced myself to look up, I caught Declan gripping the hem of his black Tshirt.

He arched his back and yanked the fabric over his head in one fluid, brutal motion. The next second, hard, sculpted muscle lines and a deeply cut Vline were put on full display.

The raw masculinity radiating off him sucked the air right out of the room. "What are you doing?" The words stumbled out of my mouth. A hot flush crawled up my neck.

Even when we were together, we'd never crossed the line past heavy making out. I was nowhere near ready to handle whatever this was. "I'm covered in sweat.

I'm taking a shower." He cocked a dark brow, his lips curling into a wicked, mocking smirk. "What exactly did you think I was going to do?" He looked effortlessly lethal, damp strands of dark hair falling over his sharp brow bone. "Strip in the bathroom!" I snapped, pointing at the door.

But my traitorous face was already burning up, flushing a deep, hot crimson.

By the time the bathroom door clicked open and Declan stepped out—a white towel slung low on his hips—I was already buried under the duvet.

I kept my body pressed flush against the very edge of the mattress. "Relax, exgirlfriend. We're keeping it PG.

I'm not interested in you." He caught me acting like he had the plague, letting out a dark, mocking scoff. He cracked open a bottle of cold water, tilting his head back to down it.

He drank too fast.

A stray bead of water escaped his lips, tracking a slick path down his strong jawline, over the hard bob of his Adam's apple, past his collarbone, and straight down into the V of his torso.

The sight of him was driving me crazy. I swallowed dryly. Honestly? Keeping it PG suddenly felt like a massive mistake.

He tossed the empty bottle onto the nightstand, ripped back the heavy duvet, and slid into the bed. He hit the switch. The room plunged into pitch blackness.

Every breath I took was completely hijacked by his scent—a sharp, intoxicating hit of citrus body wash.

I wrestled with my pride for a solid ten minutes before finally rolling over. "Declan," I whispered into the dark. "Let's get back together." A faint streak of neon light from the street below bled through the curtains, casting a pale glow across his profile.

His eyes remained shut tight. Not a single word. He was already out cold. A heavy weight dropped in my chest. I slumped back onto my pillow. An hour passed.

Just as my brain finally started shutting down, his voice sliced through the dead silence. "You threw me away twice.

And you actually have the nerve to ask for me back?" The sheer, biting ice in his tone jolted my nervous system. Any trace of sleep instantly vanished.

I shot up, propping myself on my elbow to face him. "I messed up. I was impulsive, and my head wasn't right when I pulled the plug.

I'm sorry." Both times I had walked away, I had used the exact same cowardly excuse—claiming I just wasn't sure if we were meant to be. Declan let his eyes flutter open.

Those pitchblack irises locked onto mine, dead and unreadable. "And you're sure now?" "Yeah." I nodded frantically, reaching out in the dark to grab his hand.

He simply shut his eyes again, cutting me off entirely. I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth, trying to drag a reaction out of him.

But his jaw remained locked tight, muscles jumping under the skin as he froze me out. I pulled back an inch. "Forget it.

Pretend I never said anything." He was untouchable, proud to his core, and I had dragged him through the dirt. There was zero reason for him to keep bleeding himself dry over me.

Swallowing the bitter taste of defeat, I rolled back over and glued myself to the far edge of the mattress.

Chapter 3 Suddenly, Declan's arm hooked around my waist, yanking me backward. Before I could even process the movement, his solid weight caged me in.

His fingers gripped my jaw, tilting my face up just as his mouth crashed down on mine. "Isla, I'm fucking ruined because of you." The words were ground out between clenched teeth before his brutal, punishing kiss swallowed the rest.

A wave of scorching heat crashed over me. He kissed me like he wanted to devour me alive. His ragged breaths scorched my skin.

The kiss was frantic, heavy, the faint stubble on his jaw scraping a sharp, electric sting across my skin. The sharp taste of tobacco and raw heat crashed over my senses.

His long fingers roughly slipped under my shirt, his scorching palm grabbing my lower back with absolute possessiveness. A shiver ripped through my spine.

I pressed both hands flat against the hard wall of his chest, gasping for air as I shoved him back just an inch. "So, is that a yes to getting back together?" My face was burning up, the question slipping out breathless and entirely too soft.

Declan was practically vibrating with tension. He ripped himself away, grabbing the halfempty water bottle from the nightstand and downing the rest in one go to cool off.

A low, gravelly "Yeah" vibrated in his chest. "Don't you ever casually throw around the word 'breakup' again." He pulled the duvet back, dragging me flush against his chest, locking his arms around me.

The absolute seriousness in his voice left no room for argument. Tucked safely in the crook of his arm, I met his dark gaze and nodded rapidly.

But a cold knot of guilt twisted deep in my stomach. Three more times. I still had to do this three more times. The harsh edge in Declan's eyes melted into a faint, lazy amusement.

He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my lips. "Good girl." The heat in the room started climbing again.

I looped my arms around his neck, seriously debating if I was ready to cross that final line tonight.

Then, a sharp, unmistakable rhythmic thumping sound bled right through the paperthin drywall. Everyone knows exactly what that sound is.

This time, the flush didn't just hit my cheeks—it scalded all the way down to my collarbones. Pure, unadulterated mortification. Declan, on the other hand, didn't even flinch.

His large hand cupped the back of my head, his teeth gently nipping at my bottom lip as he murmured a rough complaint against my mouth. "Focus on me." But the neighbors were just getting started.

The noise escalated until the headboard was slamming against our shared wall like a damn jackhammer. Declan's body went completely rigid.

He let out a dark, annoyed click of his tongue. "Jesus, they're really going for it." He sat up, rapping his long knuckles sharply against the drywall. "Keep it down!

Wrap it up, don't you guys have an 8 AM class?" The room next door instantly went dead silent. I buried my face in the pillow, completely failing to hold back a burst of laughter.

The interruption completely shattered whatever heavy, undeniable tension we had going on.

Exhaustion finally crashed over me, and I let out a massive yawn, burying my face into his warm chest. Declan tightened his hold around me, his thumb gently swiping across my cheek.

His sharp features completely softened into something dangerously tender. "Night, girlfriend. Glad I got you back." Declan and I were officially back on. Again.

The next morning back on campus, Paige cornered me in the lecture hall with a wicked, entirely too smug grin. "So, how was the assist from Finn and me?

Is Declan completely ripped under that jacket or what?" The curfew check was a total setup. Realizing I'd been completely played, a fresh wave of heat hit my cheeks.

I shoved her shoulder, but my mouth betrayed me. "Honestly? Absolutely lethal." Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and flawless skin. Any girl with a pulse would lose her damn mind.

Paige dragged out a long, knowing "Ooooh," giving me a look that practically stripped away all my secrets.

It made my skin crawl with embarrassment. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" I hissed, my face burning. "We kept it PG!" We had completely skipped breakfast to make it back in time for our morning classes.

The second the lecture ended, Declan appeared at the door with an iced coffee and a bagel for me. He leaned lazily against the window frame, one hand shoved deep into his pocket.

His dark eyes were flooded with a rare, quiet warmth as he watched me tear into the food. Finn had tagged along.

He stood next to Paige's desk, shooting Declan a highly obnoxious, exaggerated wink. "Hey Declan, didn't you just say last night that you weren't pathetic enough to take her back?

So why are you playing delivery boy this morning?" Declan raised a brow, lifting a long leg to aim a halfhearted kick at Finn's shin. "Because I fucking wanted to.

Get lost," he shot back, a lazy grin pulling at his lips. I sat at my desk, laughing right along with them. But the smile was about to be wiped right off my face.

Chapter 4 A cold shock hit my spine, pinning me to the chair. The invisible countdown clock in my head slammed back into motion. My appetite instantly evaporated.

I dropped the halfeaten bagel onto the desk. "Full?" Declan asked, his gaze dropping to the food. "Yeah," I mumbled, forcing a slow nod. I had to dump him again.

We literally just got back together. "What do you want for lunch? I'll take you." Declan, assuming I just hated the bagel, leaned down.

His large hands cupped my face, his voice dropping into a low, coaxing murmur.

I shoved the heavy guilt down my throat and forced my lips into a stiff smile. "A double cheeseburger." It didn't take long for me to pull the trigger on breakup number three.

I didn't have classes that day, so I ghosted his texts and snuck over to the Computer Science building, planning to ambush him with a surprise.

Instead, I walked right into a nightmare in the hallway.

A girl with short hair had both hands clamped around Declan's arm, actively trying to press her body completely flush against his. "What the hell are you doing?" The words ripped out of me before I could stop them.

Declan's shoulders instantly locked. He brutally yanked his arm back. The girl stumbled hard, nearly eating the floor. "Isla, wait—" I threw my hands up. "Save it.

We're done." I spun on my heel and sprinted down the hall. Declan closed the distance in seconds.

His large hand clamped around my bicep like a vice, halting me in my tracks. "There is absolutely nothing going on with her. She literally just—" Smack.

Before he could finish the sentence, I swung hard.

The sharp crack of my palm colliding with his cheek echoed through the corridor, shoving the rest of his excuse straight back down his throat.

A distinct, angry red handprint instantly flared to life across his pale skin. "We're over." I tore my eyes away from him, ripped my arm free, and bolted straight back to the dorms. "Are you kidding me?

It's barely been a day and you two crashed and burned again?

What happened?" Paige had been humming to herself, fixing her makeup, when her phone suddenly exploded with notifications.

She picked it up, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as she scanned the screen. "Yeah, we're done." My voice was hollow. "I saw another girl all over him." I had already blocked his number and completely scrubbed him from my socials.

I curled into a tight ball under my duvet, staring blankly as a barrage of unknown numbers lit up my screen.

I hit decline on every single one. "Isla, you know exactly how obsessed that guy is with you. What if it's a massive misunderstanding?

At least let him explain." Paige grabbed my arm, dragging me up from the mattress, and shoved her glowing screen directly into my face. Declan had hijacked Finn's phone.

His messages were flooding Paige's chat like a rapidfire assault. [It's Declan.] [Tell Isla to take me off the damn blocklist.] [I can explain.

It was a complete setup.] [That psycho walked up to me, claimed her blood sugar dropped, and literally threw herself onto me.] [I didn't even have a second to react.

Right as I was shoving her off, Isla walked in.] [I'm being set up.] [Isla, pick up the phone. Don't end this, okay?] [It's all my fault.

From now on, anyone who isn't you stays a tenfoot radius away from me.] [Not even a female mosquito is getting near me.] [Stop being mad, please?] [Just talk to me.] "See?

It's obviously just a misunderstanding.

You guys just need to talk," Paige reasoned, pulling the phone away to comfort me. "Declan has literally only dated three times in his life, and every single time it was with you.

He's completely whipped. Where would he even find the time to cheat?" I kept my mouth shut. Deep down, I knew exactly what happened. It wasn't 'probably' a misunderstanding.

It was a carefully orchestrated hit, and I was the one pulling the strings. I literally paid that shorthaired girl in cash.

I knew exactly when she was going to throw herself at him. Hell, to really sell the betrayed girlfriend act, I actually slapped him across the face. But I had zero choice.

If I wanted a clean break, I had to be absolutely ruthless. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. A sharp, burning sensation crawled up the back of my throat, stinging my eyes.

Chapter 5 The next morning, Declan ambushed me outside my dorm. He clearly hadn't slept a wink. "Isla, you have to believe me," he pleaded.

His large hand locked like a shackle around my wrist. Exhaustion dragged at his sharp features, his dark eyes heavily bloodshot.

I kept my face carved from stone and ruthlessly ripped my hand out of his grip. Forcing down the crushing guilt, I brushed past his shoulder and walked away without looking back.

I only made it three steps before that invisible, violent shock locked my muscles. The familiar sensation flooded my brain. The system was lifting the ban. I could take him back.

A massive wave of relief crashed over me. I shoved my textbooks right into Paige's chest, spun on my heel, and sprinted straight back to him. "I believe you!

We're good!" Declan was still frozen in his spot. I launched myself into his arms, pressing my face flush against the hard wall of his chest.

My voice was practically vibrating with joy. "I swear to god, nothing like that will ever happen again." The impact made him stagger a halfstep. Then, his brain finally caught up.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me in so tight my ribs ached. He was completely wrecked, caught between fierce relief and heavy guilt.

He crushed me against him like he was trying to embed me directly into his ribcage. And just like that, breakup number three was officially in the rearview mirror.

I let out a long, shaky breath. After that, Declan turned into a total stagefive clinger. If we weren't in class, he was glued to my side.

Finn told me later that Declan really did stay awake that entire night, tearing his own mind apart.

Declan was convinced he had screwed up somewhere along the line, that he hadn't given me enough security to trust him blindly. He swore he would fix it.

Hearing that felt like swallowing a mouthful of glass. A heavy, suffocating wave of guilt threatened to pull me under.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek and chant the same mantra in my head. Only two more times. Two more times, and I'm free. But the plot didn't care about my internal breakdowns.

Exactly a month later, the fourth countdown violently kicked in. It was a Saturday. Declan had dragged me to a massive theme park.

After hitting every adrenalinepumping ride in the park, his large hand completely enveloped mine as we wandered aimlessly through the crowds.

The night breeze carried a comfortable warmth. My eyes locked onto a brightly lit merch cart up ahead. I practically dragged him over, grabbing a fluffy set of bunny ears.

I stood on my tiptoes, determined to shove them onto his head. Declan just let out a low laugh. He actually bent at the waist, obediently lowering his head to let me have my fun.

I barely managed to secure the band in his dark hair—fully prepared to mock my masterpiece—when a chorus of gasps erupted nearby.

Someone was proposing. "Wow, that's beautiful," I murmured, my eyes instantly drawn to the commotion. A massive heart made of flickering LED candles lit up the pavement.

A guy, practically shaking out of his shoes, shoved a massive bouquet of red roses toward his girlfriend.

He dropped to one knee, yanking a velvet box out of his pocket, his voice cracking as he asked her to marry him. "That routine is so damn tired." Declan lifted his chin, his tone dripping with lazy arrogance.

I immediately dragged him a few yards away by the sleeve, completely terrified the poor couple would hear his trash talk and have their moment ruined. "When I propose to you, it definitely won't be this tacky." Declan's voice suddenly dropped.

The mocking edge vanished, leaving his dark eyes burning with absolute sincerity.

With those ridiculous, soft bunny ears sitting on top of his lethally sharp features, the contrast was violently endearing.

He paused, a wicked smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "And the rock I give you definitely won't be that pathetic." Pure, unfiltered arrogance.

I bit down hard on my lower lip, quickly turning my head away before he could see the massive smile taking over my face. A warm, undeniable sweetness flooded my chest.

The park was gearing up to close. Declan, paranoid that I was getting dehydrated, bolted toward the last open concession stand to grab me an iced strawberry lemonade.

He popped the straw through the plastic lid and held the cup directly to my lips. "Taste it.

If it's trash, I'll go buy you a different flavor." I lowered my gaze, staring at the stark, pale skin of his lean wrist gripping the plastic cup.

I bit the straw and took a long sip. The sharp clash of sweet and sour exploded across my tongue. Exactly like what I was feeling right now. Sweet, because Declan was mine.

Sour, because— Chapter 6 Just seconds ago, the countdown for breakup number four clicked into place. Declan, we're done. I sat on the edge of my dorm bed.

One hand pressed a wad of tissues under my nose, desperately trying to stem a heavy, sudden nosebleed.

The other hand hovered over the keyboard, staring at the text I had just typed out on my screen.

My thumb froze over the send button. "Nosebleed again?" Paige stepped out of the bathroom, freshly washed face, and stopped dead at the sight of the bloody, crumpled tissues piled high in the trash can. "It's fine.

Just stress," I mumbled through the paper. "That's a lot of blood for just stress.

Do you need to hit the clinic?" Her brow furrowed, stepping closer. "I'm fine, really." "The last time you bled this much, you and Declan had just made things official.

Hot boyfriend, insane body… guess he really gets your blood pressure spiking." Paige let out a laugh, digging through her minifridge before tossing an ice pack onto my lap. "Here.

Put it on the back of your neck." I blew through another halfpack of tissues before the bleeding finally slowed.

A heavy breath rattled in my chest as my eyes locked onto the glowing screen.

Declan's latest text sat right above my drafted breakup message. [Baby, why are you ignoring me?] I closed my eyes and pressed send.

Less than three seconds later, the reply came through. [Baby, stop messing around.] The bleeding stopped. The screen instantly lit up with an incoming call.

I grabbed my phone, shoving open the sliding glass door and stepping out onto the balcony to answer. "Baby?

Are you in a bad mood today?" His tone was deep, but a harsh, jagged edge of panic bled right through the speaker.

The silence stretched for two suffocating seconds. "We're done." The words scraped out of my throat like shattered glass.

A sharp, violent intake of air hissed across the line, followed by dead silence. "Don't fuck with me, Isla." His voice was low, violently suppressed. "I'm dead serious.

I want to break up." A hot, stinging blur hijacked my vision.

I blinked once, and thick, heavy tears immediately spilled over my lashes, tracing hot lines down my cheeks. "Why?" "Because… because I'm just bored.

Being with you isn't fun anymore.

I'm over it." I violently scrubbed the back of my hand across my wet cheeks, forcing my vocal cords to steady, trying to manufacture a cold, mechanical apathy. "Are you just sick of being on campus?

I'll take you to the city this weekend, okay?" "Did I do something wrong? Tell me, I'll fix it." "Just tell me. I'll change." The untouchable, arrogant Declan was gone.

His voice was completely shattered, begging. "You didn't do anything. I just don't want you anymore," I whispered.

A long, suffocating silence stretched between us before the line abruptly went dead. Breakup number four. Done.

Paige completely lost her mind when I walked back inside. "Isla, are you actually addicted to selfsabotage?!" My eyes were swollen and raw.

I looked her dead in the eye and gave a single, serious nod. "Literally." She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly strained something, completely done with my drama. "I don't get you at all.

You guys were literally just at the theme park having the time of your lives, and now you dump him out of nowhere." "You rip his heart out, and then you're standing here crying like the victim.

Honestly, falling for you was the worst luck of Declan's life." Yeah. It really was. All the blood drained from my lips.

I pulled my mouth into a fractured, ugly smile that felt worse than crying. I never belonged in this world to begin with. The reality was, Isla didn't actually exist.

I had zero clue about my true identity until I met Declan, completely oblivious to my own existence until he relentlessly chased me down and officially claimed me as his girlfriend, triggering a violent awakening in my consciousness.

I was nothing but a pawn in a rigged game.

My sole purpose was to execute a predetermined plotline, a strict and unforgiving script that demanded I brutally dump Declan five separate times.

I had to completely shatter him, methodically destroying his capacity to trust or love so he could harden into the ruthless, icecold billionaire CEO the future storyline required.

I didn't have to worry about the grand finale or the mechanics of the plot, my only job was to hit my marks, executing the agonizing cycle of breaking his heart and crawling back to him right on schedule.

Once the fifth and final breakup was officially in the books, the invisible chains would drop, granting me full autonomy and the right to permanently stay in this world as a free girl.

But if I missed a deadline or refused to play along, the system would ruthlessly drain the life right out of my physical body, letting my organs fail one by one until I simply ceased to exist.

Chapter 7 At first, I refused to believe it. Declan and I were doing perfectly fine. Why would I dump him for absolutely no reason? I wasn't going to do it.

The punishment was immediate. The nosebleeds started. A highpitched ringing pierced my eardrums, and my vision blurred until the room spun.

A slow, crushing agony twisted deep into my organs like a physical vice. I dragged myself to the campus clinic, but all my bloodwork and scans came back spotless. Panic set in.

I didn't want to die. So, I swallowed the unspeakable secret and locked myself into this twisted, endless cycle of brutal breakups and desperate reconciliations.

Before the system could even unlock the reconciliation mandate, Declan found me first. "Isla." Declan stepped out from the heavy shadows, dressed in all black, practically melting into the dark night.

My sneakers completely locked up against the concrete. "I spent the last few days tearing my brain apart, and I still had to come ask." His voice was ragged. "Are you really just throwing me away like I mean absolutely nothing?" I spent the last few days… His voice scraped out of his throat, completely raw.

The night breeze whipped the hem of his dark jacket, violently carrying the heavy, bitter scent of tobacco straight to my senses