The Transfer Decision | Book 2

School was back, and a new year had started. I wasn’t exactly excited about going back to school because it meant facing certain problems I didn’t want to face. 

During the break, I could shelter myself from any traces of Nicholas Ackerman. We lived close together, but it felt like we were so far away. He hadn’t tried climbing up my fire escape, nor did he text or call me. The distance between us grew, but my love for him remained unchanged. 

None of it stopped me from hanging out with my friends, though. The dynamic had changed since I avoided being around them when Nick was there, which led to loneliness, but they never left me out of anything. It was great to know I’ve made some true friends here, and they weren’t looking to replace me. 

We were back at Brookfield High, roaming the halls before the first period. Our classes got mixed up because we no longer needed certain courses. It was a confusing mess, but my friends and I were more concerned about whether we had any classes together. 

“It looks like we’ll all be in last period together, even—“ 

“Don’t say his name,” I cut Sophie off. “It’s too early to deal.” 

She gave me a sympathetic look but always kept it real with me. “Listen, you’ll have to let up at some point.” She rested her hand on my shoulder. “What happened sucked, but it’s time to put yourself back out there!” 

Jade shook her head, understanding where I was coming from. “That sounds like the opposite of what she needs. It’s only been a few weeks despite being a new year.” 

Sophie waved her off. “The only way to get over a guy is to find somebody new,” she insisted. “Which is why we’re doing that double date this week.” 

I groaned, siding with Jade. “I know I said I wanted to do it, but Jade’s right,” I second-guessed myself. “It feels like the opposite of what I should do, especially knowing how I still feel about him.” 

“Trust me, it’ll do you some good. Cory’s friend is apparently hot.”

My brow raised in amusement. “You never even seen said friend?” 

She shook her head. “No, but Cory’s hot, so I assumed his friends had to be too.” 

Jade laughed her ass off. “That’s some sound logic, Sophie.” 

We giggled together, finally meeting up with the guys. Chase and Landon were as relaxed as ever, even though none of us wanted the break to end. Between Christmas and New Year, we were still riding high off those holidays. Our gift exchange was a bit weird, but even still, I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. 

As for Landon and I, our friendship was stronger than ever. We got to a place where we could hug each other without that constant longing feeling dangling in the background. I also didn’t feel the need to kiss his cute face whenever I saw him. We were strictly platonic and closer for it. 

I linked my arm with his, resting my head on his arm. “Gah, I missed you,” I said with a smile. 

He laughed, never minding how close I got to him. “We saw each other last night.”

”I know, but I still missed you.” I shrugged. “My daily dose of Landon is an energy booster.” 

Chase draped himself over Jade, already over the day. “Please tell me we all have a class together this term.” 

“Last period should be us together,” Jade told him, leaving a kiss on his cheek. 

“It says drama, but we only watch a bunch of movies and psychoanalyze them.” Sophie sang. “Easy A.” 

I’ll say and it was a perfect way to cap off the school day. There were only a few classes I was worried about, and even then, I knew I’d graduate with high honors. 

Standing around talking, I felt on cloud nine until he walked in. Not only did he walk in, but Maya was right next to him, like everything was okay in their world. The smile on his face and the way that he held her hand were grotesque. This was the one thing I dreaded seeing when we came back, and there it was, right in my face. 

My mood instantly damped, clutching onto Landon even tighter. I could feel him look down at me, knowing how much I was hurting inside. Seeing Nick with anyone else broke my heart, and it didn’t help Maya was beautiful. Her hair was stunning, cascading down her back with those curly ends. Her caramel skin was glowing, and the freckles on her face made her stand out even more. Talk about an upgrade. 

They hugged one last time before Nick officially made it over to us. He at least looked happy, and that’s all I could ask for. 

“Hey guys,” he smiled that bright grin at us—well, them. “How’s everyone doing?” 

“I think the question is, how are you doing?” Chase asked. “You’re barely around anymore.” 

Nick’s cheeks flushed as he leaned against the locker. He was still so cute. “I’ve been chilling.” 

Sophie smirked, all of us knowing what he been truly up to. “Yeah, chilling,” she echoed. 

That made him laugh because he knew it was true. I’m glad he was having a grand time but envious that it wasn’t with me. It was clear that our time had come and gone, but if I couldn’t even look at him, our relationship would never get back on track. Did he even want that? 

“We all have last period together, so let’s try not to get into too much trouble,” Sophie warned him. 

He looked like he knew that already. “Oh, yeah, Maya’s in that class.” Of course, she is. 

That made things a bit awkward with us all. Nick was confused until he saw my face standing there. His eyes softened, and he immediately noticed my face when he mentioned her name. He was rubbing their newfound relationship in my face without even trying. 

His body lifted, gesturing toward me, but the bell rang. 

“Walk me to class?” I asked Landon to get away from here. 

He shrugged. “Sure,” he said nonchalantly. “See you guys later.” 

I didn’t want to stay around him too long in case he had something to say. We shouldn’t be conversing if we weren’t going to fix anything about our relationship. He said he didn’t love me anymore, so distance was of the essence. 

Landon knew me so well, clocking me as soon as we got out of earshot. “When are you gonna talk to him?” He wondered. “He’s gonna be around all the time now that we’re back at school.” 

I pouted. “Yeah, yeah. Tell me something new, please.” I was tired of hearing that I needed to talk to Nick. It wasn’t going to change anything. 

“You can’t keep letting this hold you back,” he insisted. 

My eyes rolled, but not at Landon. “It’s not, and he looks happy,” I said, remembering his face when he came in with Maya. “He’s not worried about talking to me.” 

Landon thought otherwise. “I dunno; it seemed he wanted to talk to me.” 

Even if that were true, what were we going to say? We stopped interacting at the beginning of Christmas break, which was almost two weeks long. A simple greeting couldn’t stop the awkwardness between Nick and me. 

I scratched my cheek, feeling like I could never escape the shadow Nick left behind. It was great that my friends cared about my feelings but they weren’t helping me get over him. 

“Whatever, what’s done is done,” I shrugged, unlinking our arms as we got to my classroom. 

As usual, Landon stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled down at me. “At least work on being friends again if you’re unwilling to date,” he suggested. “Your dynamic affects the whole group, and I miss hanging out with all of us.” 

My lips pouted, but I understood what he meant. “Fine,” I exasperated. “I’ll try, maybe.” 

“Maybe?” His brow raised. “I feel like you owe it to me for ending our relationship for no reason.” 

He was only kidding, but I could tell he meant it too. I did ended our relationship for no reason; however, I didn’t expect Nick to want to be friends and move on to someone new. Who could’ve predicted that? 

Walking away, I heard Landon laughing at his annoying joke. My cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “You can’t keep using that against me forever!” I yelled out to him. 

His body turned around, smiling from ear to ear. “I’ll use it as long as it works!” He waved. “Just try it!” 

I giggled, shaking my head before walking into first period. It was French, and just like my luck, Maya was here. It was hard not to look at her with envy, knowing she had the one person I couldn’t. 

They jumped into something so fast that I wondered if she knew our history. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nick kept it a secret. It wouldn’t be ideal to start something with him knowing what we’ve been through. 

He’s also done a good job not bringing her around the group. None of his tactics made sense, confusing me further. Was he avoiding introducing her because of my feelings? Please, Vanessa. He doesn’t care about you that much. 

Either way, the second half of the year started out exactly how I expected: still lonely and broken-hearted.