It Was Already Too Late 💔

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Chapter 5: The First Crack

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Ethan couldn't understand what was happening to him.

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For the past few days, Maya had barely spoken to him.

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She didn't look at him.

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She didn't react to his jokes.

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She didn't even seem interested in whether he was around.

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And somehow, that bothered him more than it should have.

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At lunch, Jordan nudged him.

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“Why are you so quiet?”

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“I'm fine.”

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“You've been staring at Maya all week.”

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Ethan frowned.

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“I told you, I don't care about her.”

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Jordan laughed.

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“Then why do you care that she doesn't care about you?”

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Ethan didn't answer.

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Because he didn't know.

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---

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After school, Ethan saw Maya sitting alone on the steps outside the library.

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She was reading.

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He walked toward her.

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“Hey.”

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Maya looked up.

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“Oh. Hey.”

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She went back to reading.

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Ethan stood there awkwardly.

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“What's that?”

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“A book.”

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“I can see that.”

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“Then why did you ask?”

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He almost smiled.

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The old Maya would've laughed.

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This Maya didn't.

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“You've changed,” he said.

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She closed her book.

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“No. I just stopped pretending.”

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“Pretending what?”

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“That your behavior doesn't hurt me.”

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Ethan looked away.

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“I was joking.”

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“You always say that.”

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“Because I am.”

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Maya shook her head.

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“Maybe you are.”

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She stood up.

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“But I'm not laughing anymore.”

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She walked away.

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Ethan watched her go.

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For the first time, he felt ashamed.

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Not because his friends had caught him.

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Not because someone had told him he was wrong.

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Because Maya had looked at him like she no longer expected anything from him.

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And somehow, that hurt.

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---

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That evening, Ethan opened his phone.

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He scrolled through his messages.

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He found an old conversation with Maya.

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Months ago, she had sent him a simple message:

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Good luck with your test tomorrow! You can do it 😊

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He had replied:

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Stop acting like you care.

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Ethan stared at the screen.

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He remembered that day.

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He had laughed after sending it.

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Now, he wished he could take it back.

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He typed:

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I'm sorry.

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He stared at the message.

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Then deleted it.

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He typed again.

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Can we talk?

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Deleted.

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Again.

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Are you okay?

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Deleted.

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Ethan threw his phone onto his bed.

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“What is wrong with me?”

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He didn't know.

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But something inside him was changing.

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And Maya was changing too.

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The difference was...

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Maya was becoming stronger.

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Ethan was only beginning to realize what he had lost.

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And neither of them knew that their next encounter would change everything.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG8dk2KKWP

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