Stan leaned against his locker, staring blankly at the message from Wendy. We need to talk. Yeah, no kidding.

Lately, every conversation with her felt like walking through a minefield. He sighed, locking his phone and shoving it in his pocket. Across the hall, laughter caught his attention. You were standing with a group of friends, smiling, completely unaware of his gaze.

Kyle’s voice snapped him out of it.

—“Dude, you look like a kicked puppy.”

Stan groaned, shutting his locker.

—“I just… things with Wendy feel off. Like, we’re technically still together, but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s like… I’m just going through the motions.”

Kyle gave him a knowing look.

—“And let me guess, when you see them, it does feel like something?”

Stan clenched his jaw. He hated how obvious it was.

—“It’s not like I planned this, okay? I just—ugh.” He rubbed his temples. “I shouldn’t be thinking about someone else when I have a girlfriend.”

Kyle shrugged.

—“Maybe that’s the problem. You have a girlfriend, but you don’t want one.”

Stan exhaled sharply, gripping the strap of his backpack.

—“I don’t know, man. Wendy and I have been together for so long. It’s hard to just… end it.”

Kyle crossed his arms.

—“Yeah, but dragging it out while you’re obviously into someone else? That’s worse.”

Stan didn’t answer. He just stared at the floor, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him.

And then, like some cruel joke, you walked past him—close enough for him to catch a whiff of your scent, close enough that his heart clenched in a way it never did with Wendy anymore.