She tells me quietly as she stands.
Spencer: "Ashley, I..."
Ashley: "This is over." I swallow hard and take a small step towards her.
Spencer: "Baby, I..."
Ashley: "This is dumb, Spencer. You're good now and I can't...can't pretend that...this is over." She concludes as she looks up at me. She's shaking. Hard. From head to toe her body is violently shaking and her hands clench and unclench painfully. "We shouldn't pretend it isn't..." Her jaw is working double time and she looks almost green. Her eyes are glassy and she keeps swallowing like she's trying to keep from getting sick. She looks as though she's the one getting dumped.
I watch, struck, as she turns and walks back into the school, swaying slightly as she goes. I give her a good ten minute start before I take off, running flat out up eight flights of stairs until I get to our dorm room. It's empty and I'm about to take off again when something on my bed catches my eye.
I jog over to it and find a small black, velvet jewelry box laying on top my messy sheets. The note next to the box just reads:
-From Ohio, it should be yours. It's where you got your courage.
A.
I flip open the box to see a small silver lion charm. I swipe away at the stray tears and quickly grab the box before I race out the dorm and run up the three remaining flights of stares until I get to the hole. I rip open the door and surprise the four girls waiting for me.
Spencer: "She ended it." I say as I stand in the doorway. All shocked eyes are on me and I wait until I get a reaction.
Sara: "Spencer...I...oh my God, are...are you sure...I mean...?"
Kelly: "Spence, sit down, what happened?" She asks as she holds out a bottle of Orange Stoli for me to take. I wave her off and begin to pace.
Gage: "Spence, what the fuck happened?" She asks urgently when I don't answer.
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