It Was Already Too Late 💔

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Chapter 4: I Stopped Chasing Him

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The next morning, Maya made a decision.

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She wasn't going to chase Ethan anymore.

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No more waiting for him in the hallway.

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No more finding excuses to sit near him.

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No more pretending his cruel jokes didn't hurt.

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And most importantly...

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No more trying to make someone love her.

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She stood in front of her bedroom mirror, fixing her hair.

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“You're going to be okay,” she whispered.

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For the first time, she wasn't saying it because she believed it.

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She was saying it because she wanted to.

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---

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At school, Maya walked past Ethan without looking at him.

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Ethan noticed.

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He was used to seeing her smile whenever their eyes met.

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Today, nothing.

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“Maya.”

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She kept walking.

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“Maya!”

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She stopped.

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“What?”

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Ethan stared at her.

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“Why are you ignoring me?”

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She gave him a confused look.

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“I'm not.”

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“You are.”

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She shrugged.

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“I just have better things to do.”

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His friends laughed behind him.

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But Ethan didn't.

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Something about her answer bothered him.

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“You're acting weird.”

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Maya smiled faintly.

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“No, Ethan. I'm just tired.”

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“Tired of what?”

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She looked directly into his eyes.

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“Being embarrassed for liking you.”

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Ethan went silent.

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For once, he had nothing clever to say.

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Maya walked away.

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At lunch, Maya sat with Lena.

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She opened her notebook but didn't write about Ethan.

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Instead, she wrote:

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Things I want to do for myself.

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She started making a list.

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Finish my book.

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Apply for university.

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Spend more time with Lena.

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Learn to love myself.

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She paused.

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Then she added one more.

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Stop believing I need Ethan to be happy.

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Lena leaned over and read it.

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She smiled.

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“I'm proud of you.”

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Maya smiled back.

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“I'm trying.”

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“You don't have to try to be enough.”

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Maya looked at her.

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“You're already enough.”

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Those words stayed with her.

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Across the courtyard, Ethan watched them.

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He didn't understand why he kept looking at Maya.

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She wasn't looking at him anymore.

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She wasn't smiling at him anymore.

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She wasn't waiting for him anymore.

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And somehow...

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That hurt.

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Jordan noticed.

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“Bro, why are you staring at her?”

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Ethan immediately looked away.

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“I'm not.”

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Jordan laughed.

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“You definitely are.”

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Ethan shook his head.

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“I don't care about her.”

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But his eyes found Maya again.

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And this time, he couldn't convince himself.

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Something had changed.

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He just didn't know what it was.

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Maybe he missed her attention.

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Maybe he missed her smile.

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Or maybe...

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For the first time, he was beginning to realize that the girl he had treated like a joke was becoming someone he couldn't ignore.

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And Maya?

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She was finally learning how to live without him.

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She didn't know it yet...

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But that was the beginning of everything.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjZbbbiLTr

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