Game Over, Heartbreaker — Episode 8

No thanks. See? She doesn't want to anyway. Nice of him to call it kindness.

I almost laughed out loud. Tristan always fell to the surface. He ate up Sloane's whole act. He loved how self-centered she was.

I'm going to the bathroom. I needed to calm down. I was scared I'd snap and tear through his smug facade. Right there.

In the bathroom, I stared at my reflection. Pale face, dark circles under my eyes like bruises. Last night was another sleepless night. The nightmares kept coming.

In my dream, I was still hanging from the scoreboard. Everyone was laughing. Tristan was laughing loudest. I'd wake up with my pillow half wet.

I splashed cold water on my face. Just hold on a few more hours. Joan, tomorrow you'll be free. When I returned to the hallway,

Tristan and Sloan were huddled together, looking at their phones. I don't know what they saw. They were both laughing so hard they were doubled over.

I stood around the corner and watched quietly. He used to laugh with me like that, once. The difference is that when he's with me, he's always absent-minded. He'd always say,

Joan, you're so boring. Joan, why can't you loosen up? But when he was with Sloane, he was completely devoted. You're so fun.

I'm never bored with you. At lunch, I went to the vending machine and bought snacks I never let myself get. What's the special occasion? Treating yourself?

Good mood. Because I was almost free, almost out of this suffocating place. place. Last period, I packed everything into my box. Tristan noticed something was off. Why are you packing everything up? Semester's not over yet.