Page 66 of Falling For Us Again

“Maggie, I... I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t,” she snaps, wiping her face with the back of her hand, angry now, her voice shaking with frustration. “You don't even realize that you’ve kept your heart locked away for someone else. For her.”

She’s pacing now, her words rushing out faster than I can keep up with, each one hitting me harder than the last.

“I hate myself for loving you, you know that?” Maggie’s voice cracks again, and she’s crying harder now, her sobs ragged and raw. “I hate that I’ve spent years watching you long for her, pretending it’s fine, pretending I’m fine.

And now that she’s in town, seeing the way you can’t keep your eyes of her... God! I hate that I can’t stop loving you, no matter how much it hurts.”

“Maggie, I’m sorry...” My voice is barely a whisper, and it feels useless, like it doesn’t even matter anymore. She shakes her head, her eyes red and swollen, refusing to look at me.

“You can't love me, and I have to accept that,” she says, her voice hollow now, defeated.

Her words echo in the air between us, like the sound of a door slamming shut. I feel a deep ache in my chest, an emptiness that I didn’t expect. I care about Maggie; I do, but not like this. Not the way she wants me to.

There’s nothing left to say. Nothing I can do to make this better. So, I just stand there, watching as Maggie crumples in on herself, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. After what feels like an eternity, she turns and walks inside, the door closing softly behind her.

I don’t move. I can’t. My mind is spinning, my thoughts a tangled mess of guilt, confusion, and something else I can’t quite place. Maggie’s words keep echoing in my head, looping over and over again until they blur together.

Love. Hate. Jenna.

Jenna.

Somehow, it always leads back to her.

Before I know it, my feet are moving, carrying me away from Maggie’s house, down the quiet streets. The night is silent; theonly sound is my footsteps on the pavement. I don’t know where I’m going, but somehow, I arrive at Jenna’s place.

The lights are still on when I get there, a soft glow filtering through the curtains. I stop at the edge of her driveway, my heart pounding in my chest, my breath coming in short, uneven gasps.

I could knock. I could walk up to her door and tell her everything—about Maggie, about how confused I am, about the way my head is spinning with all of this. But I don’t.

I just stand there, staring at her house, my mind racing.

It’s all too much. Too complicated. Too messy. I can’t make sense of it. I don’t even know what I’m feeling anymore.

After a few minutes, I turn around, my feet carrying me away from Jenna’s house, back toward the empty streets.

The night air is cool, prickling my skin through my thin shirt, but the chill is nothing compared to the knot twisting in my gut.

Maggie loves me. Has always loved me. How could I have missed all the signs. How could I have not known?

Then there’s Jenna. The girl I once loved completely but broke my heart.

Can I trust her with it again? or will she break it all over again.

Chapter 23

MRS. ANDERSON

Jenna

The Town festival is in full swing by the time I arrive.

The sweet, sticky smell of cotton candy and kettle corn drifts through the air, mixing with the sharp tang of roasted peanuts. People crowd around the booths, their faces flushed with excitement.

I take in the sounds, laughter, shouting, the thud of footsteps over worn cobblestone streets.

Lola and Paul are a few steps ahead, already caught up in the whirlwind of colors and sounds. Lola’s curly red hair gleams in the sunlight as she leans into Paul, laughing at one of his jokes.

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