I was done with Kasey, completely done.
Since that day, it had become nearly impossible to even see him.
After all, if someone wants to avoid you, they have a thousand ways and reasons to do so.
It was like he suddenly vanished from my world, without hesitation, completely, utterly.
"Jocelyn, stop bothering me."
Those words weighed heavily on my heart, lingering, refusing to leave.
Maybe we had already gone our separate ways, probably the moment I unknowingly started to like him, everything had gone wrong.
There was no going back.
What a joke.
Man, you've successfully gotten my attention!!!
I still didn't understand why Kasey suddenly wanted to draw a line between us, but from what I knew about him, he surely couldn't be a jerk.
He couldn't be one of those guys who kisses you and then cuts ties! Something must have gone wrong. Suddenly, I remembered something he said.
"Because you told me you'd always be with me."
"That's different..."
"I was never a good person."
...
It seemed that every time something related to Pablo came up, he'd turn into a completely different person. The answer seemed to be just out of reach in my mind. Could it be that he liked me too?
Maybe some things, whether teasing or making eye contact, had been misunderstood. Did he think I liked Pablo?
...
How foolish.
---
Kasey moved away.
I heard from his uncle that he had moved to a place near the school to prepare for the college entrance exams. Because of his excellent grades, the school had allowed him to study at home.
I originally wanted to confess my feelings, but I barely managed to push the idea back.
First, no matter my personal intentions, the most important thing right now was the exams. Since he was putting in so much effort, I couldn't disturb him.
Second, I had already said some harsh things. Besides, who did he think he was, leaving without asking for any explanation and just judging me?
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got!
But when the day of Kasey's exams arrived, I still asked his dad for the location of his exam center and decided to go pick him up. After all, there were some things I needed to clarify face-to-face.
When he walked out of the exam hall, I almost spotted him right away. He seemed to have lost weight after months of not seeing him.
Through the crowd, he seemed to have seen me too.
I waved my hand and was about to walk over, but my steps faltered, and I stopped.
In front of Kasey stood a girl. From my angle, I could only see her back, her hair slightly curled, elegant and poised, wearing a baseball cap.
Kasey glanced at me without expression, then without hesitation, took the girl's hand and walked away.
I wanted to shout his name, but in that instant, it was as if I had lost my voice, unable to make a sound.
It felt like a tiny needle pricked my heart. It wasn't noticeable, fleeting even, but that small sting spread inside me, a dull ache, making my eyes well up.
Only then did I realize: the person standing next to him wasn't me anymore.
