All Good Things... (Part Three)

Amazingly enough, we weren't in trouble.

Hisako had the foresight to actually tell the people she needed to tell that we were gone, and we couldn't rightly be blamed for any dust-ups that we hadn't started. I'd expected a loud telepathic call in my head the moment we set foot on campus, but nothing of the sort happened.

Eddie had said Mister Summers would be pissed, and honestly, I'd wanted to be in some kind of trouble. It would have been easier navigating the minefield of discipline than to deal with what I knew was coming next.

I think I've said it before; I can deal with people being angry. It's when I feel like I've let someone down, or otherwise failed my friends that I start feeling like garbage. Well, I felt like I failed my girlfriend, and I needed to remedy that as best as I could.

So, it was with heavy footsteps that I marched through the halls of the dorm the next day, heading to my fate.

Hisako of all people seemed to be the most concerned, "Do you want any of us to come with you?" She asked, following alongside me, "I mean, you don't have to do this all alone. She's not going to be all alone."

I had eyes and ears around the school; more than just my teammates. While I'd been gone for the entire day of Saturday, it had not been a good day for public opinion on me. One of the rumors, according to what I'd been told, was that I'd run off with Laura to bang her in a hotel away from prying eyes and nosy mind-readers.

Goddamn mutant high school.

First of all, just, no. Second of all, who was spreading this information? The only people who knew were my team and Megan... and probably Megan's friends, who would have seen her after she'd gotten back.

Well, with that, it seems I answered my own question.

I put my hands on a stern-looking Hisako's shoulders, who actually seemed protective of me, "I love you to death, but if you're there, it's just gonna escalate things," I didn't want to start a fight.

Hisako sighed at hearing my decision, "Look, I know I yelled at you this morning, but we all know you and Laura didn't do anything," She said, "You don't deserve-."

I stopped her with a gentle shake, "-No one deserves anything," And Hisako knew I never felt like I deserved Megan, "It is what it is. Nobody knows what's going to happen yet."

Seeing Hisako's expression, I was reminded by what Laura had said the day before about my apparent hypocrisy, "This sucks. I want to help. Are you sure you have to do this today? You don't want to let her sleep on it a bit more? Like, until tomorrow or Tuesday?"

I scoffed in return, "I almost got killed twice yesterday. I want this done before something else stupid happens," Hisako was able to laugh at that, but her heart wasn't in it.

The two of us butted heads a lot, but I never took it personally. Hisako was a good friend. A great friend, actually. As loyal as I could ever have asked for. Eddie was a bro, Ruthie was a sister, but Hisako was a friend. More than any of the others, she made sure my head was on straight, and was more protective of me, whether I thought I needed it or not. That extended to away from the field as well.

She meant well, but I had to handle this on my own. This was a relationship between two people, so it had to be the two of us who handled it... or so I thought.

I knew Megan wouldn't have been alone. Hisako said as much, and I was smart enough to figure it out on my own. I had figured that she would have at least come to her own door though. When I arrived at her dorm room and knocked, it was Megan's roommate Hope that answered, opening the door just a crack to see me.

The reception was less than welcoming, and I knew it, "Hey, Trance," I greeted, trying to sound cool. Not nearly as cool as the icy stare Hope gave me in return, but whatever, "How's it going?"

She raised an eyebrow at me, as if to say, 'Is that really what you want to ask about?' She was right, of course. But I was trying to gather my wits. Inside, I could hear hushed voices – other girls. That did not bode well for me. And yet, I pressed on. What other choice did I have?

Calm and steady, that was how I had to play things, "I was wondering if Megan was available for a minute or two," I knew Megan could hear me and answer me herself, but I cordially played along with the whole relaying-a-message thing. No need to rock the already tumultuous boat.

Hope shut the door, leaving me standing outside awkwardly for a moment, until she came back with an answer, "She really doesn't want to see you, Bel."

Ouch. And yet, it had been expected, "I figured," I muttered more to myself than to anyone else, "Look, I get it. I'll make myself scarce until she's willing to. Is there some time this week we can get together and talk?"

Hope looked inside for a moment before addressing me again, "One sec," Again, a closed door served as the barrier between me and trying to smooth things out with Megan, while the female tribunal discussed the whole affair inside. This time, I was out there for longer than the first time, but eventually, Hope reappeared. Her best attempt to look stern left me with a feeling of foreboding, "...Megan wants to break up."

What the hell? That was not the sort of thing that should have been relayed secondhand, "...For something that big, I kind of need to hear that from her," I said, feeling knocked for a loop. Any confidence I thought I could have mustered had evaporated, just like that, "Did-. I mean, I've gotta hear why."

Hope let out an exasperated sigh, and I felt a vein pulse at my temple. Oh, was this troublesome for you? So sorry. Send Megan my way, and you wouldn't have to deal with it! "This has been a thing since the summer. You had Laura all to yourself back then, and now you sneak off to the city, just the two of you-."

I stopped her right there. I had to. That was a poisonous narrative that could go any further, "I didn't do anything. You know I didn't do anything."

Hope had the temerity to roll her goddamn eyes at me. I'd blasted people for less, "I don't know what you did or didn't do-."

"-I'm not talking to you," I ice grilled Hope and actually got her to lose the attitude, before speaking past her to who I was really there to see, "Pix... I know you can hear me. I can't make you talk to me. I can't make you change your mind if this is what you want. I just... I need to hear it from you."

I waited, and didn't hear anything from inside. No one speaking, no one moving around to get up. Even Hope turned around for a moment to see what was happening. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, I got an alert on my phone. A text, from Megan.

We should breakup

I stared at my phone, then at Hope, then at the phone. It was hard to believe. I mean, I saw it coming from day one. I'd always figured that Megan would realize she was too good for me, sooner rather than later. But not like this. Not over something that I didn't even do.

I couldn't even get the courtesy of a face-to-face.

And so, I turned and walked away. I don't even remember the trip back to my room. I just remembered telling myself not to do anything stupid. The next thing I remembered happening was spotting Saberwolf at the foot of my bed, staring at me, "You are troubled," He stated as a fact, "It is clear from your body language and how you are trying to control your breathing."

That was a very technical way to describe the act of trying not to cry or fly into a rage, "I just got dumped, Wolf."

Wolf hopped his heavy-ass front legs up onto the bed, nearly flipping me out of it, "I am aware of the significance of the term in regards to your human relationships. I believe the next thing one should ask in this situation is, 'Are you okay?'"

Not really. Even expecting Megan to eventually dump me, it still sucked. In my head, I figured it would have been like getting punched in the face when you were braced and ready for it, as opposed to getting sucker-punched. In reality, I didn't know if it was any better or not.

It just went to show; you could prepare for disaster all you wanted. Sometimes, it was still going to hit you hard enough to hurt.

"I... think I will be soon enough," I said after a deep breath, "Just give me a few days," Give me something to distract myself. Squad challenges were starting. That would be a good enough focus.

Wolf was odd. He could clearly tell I was down, yet had no idea how to help. We were pretty similar in that regard, "…Would you like to play Mortal Kombat?"

"Will you let me win a match?"

"No."

At least he was honest about the asswhooping he was going to give me. Some things I could still count on, "…Yeah, sure. Turn it on."