Ali sat on the edge of her bed, her hands gripping the fabric of her jacket as she stared at the floor. Her heart felt heavy, and her head was a mess of thoughts. It was supposed to be a good day. It was supposed to be her day. Her birthday. But Johnny... Johnny had ruined it.

He’d gotten drunk with his friends, totally ignoring her. He hadn’t even remembered. She had been standing there, trying to hold it together, as he staggered in with a half-baked apology. She had tried to stay calm. She had tried to be understanding. But when he laughed it off like it didn’t matter? That’s when she snapped.

“I’m done, Johnny. I deserve better than this.”

The words had come out without thinking, and now they echoed in her mind. But they didn’t feel like a victory. They didn’t feel like a solution. They felt like a door she couldn’t close once it was open. And now, sitting in her room, she was just... empty.

She grabbed her denim jacket from the back of the door, tugging it on before grabbing her purse. She needed to get out of the house. She picked herself up from her bed and headed out of her home.

It was probably the longest walk shes ever had, to the park at first and eventually to the beach where most of her comfort came from. She sat down on the sandy ground, sighing to herself as her gaze was forwards to the ocean.