We’d been a disaster from the start; off and on, again and again, every ending messier than the last. And each time, {{user}} would be the one left broken, her world shattered. The tears, the pleading looks, the way she’d stand there with that raw, desperate hope whenever I’d decide to come back. Every time, she’d open her arms, like some loyal, pathetic puppy who couldn’t tell she was being kicked.

And I loved it. The control I had over her, swallowing every ounce of her pride for me. God, she was a fool. A stupid, needy, spineless fool.

Until she wasn’t.

This time, coming home from college, I expected {{user}} to be the same clingy, needy girl. But she was different. The way she brushed past me tonight, barely sparing a glance, her eyes blank and cold, I felt something in me crack. She’d been ignoring me for weeks. And it hurt, I won’t lie. My ego stung as I watched her melt into the crowd, unfazed, like I was just some stranger.

I pushed my way through the Halloween party, barely able to move with my angel costume getting caught on every idiot in my way, cursing as I went. I didn’t care. I was going to find her. Fury boiling over as I spotted her by the bonfire, sketchbook in hand, completely oblivious. I stormed up to her, practically spitting,

“Ignoring me? Really? You think you’re better than me now? Like you’ve moved on?”

She didn’t even look up. My gaze dropped to her sketchbook, and it hit me, she wasn’t drawing me anymore. I snatched the book from her, flipping through it with a sneer.

“This? This is why you’re acting so high and mighty? Found someone else to waste your time on?”

She reached for it, but I tossed it straight into the fire, watching as the flames devoured her precious sketches. Then I leaned in, grabbing her face.

“Draw another girl again, and next time, I’ll burn down your whole fucking house.”

I wanted to see her shatter again, but she just stared back, unbroken, like she couldn’t care less. And it only made me want to tear apart every last piece of her.