Chapter 5: I Threw Away Every Memory of Him

I didn't go back to class. I walked straight home.

The second I got to my room, I tore it apart. I rummaged through my bookshelf, my closet, and my desk drawers, making a massive mess.

I grabbed a huge cardboard box and threw in every single thing Cole had ever given me since we were little.

It filled the entire box. I double-checked every corner to make sure I hadn't missed a single piece of trash.

I hauled the heavy box downstairs and dumped the whole thing straight into the trash bins out back.

When I finished, my parents still weren't home. I pulled out my phone and called my mom.

"Hey, baby. What's wrong?"

"Mom. When you get home today, go tell Cole's parents that we're done. And one more thing."

My voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Starting today, Cole is not allowed to step foot in our house ever again. Tell him to stay the hell away from me."

When my mom got home, she took one look at the red, swollen handprint on my cheek and nearly lost her mind.

I told her everything that had happened over the last few months.

My mom's jaw locked, her eyes flashing with pure rage. She spun around, marched right across the hall, and pounded on Cole's front door.

Cole's mom answered, looking entirely confused. My mom didn't hold back. She laid out the entire story, point blank.

She told her exactly how hard Cole had slapped me. How he had stood by and watched a transfer student verbally bully and humiliate me for months. And how, in the end, he had shielded that same girl and struck me.

All the color drained from Cole's mom's face.

Our families had been tight-knit for years. But today, because of me, that bond shattered.

My mom didn't blame me for a single second. She just walked back inside, wrapped her arms around me, and spoke in the softest voice.

"No one gets to bully my Rory. Whatever you choose to do, your dad and I have your back."

All the injustice and heartbreak I had been choking down finally exploded.

My nose burned, and I buried my face in my mom's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.