I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 12

I Ditched My Childhood Sweethearts for a Brighter Future Chapter 12

If things had been handled properly from the start, we might have remained great friends.

But under their constant brainwashing, the relationship had completely soured.

“Logan, you and Charles were the ones who abandoned me first.”

“We know we messed up, Paisley. Can’t we just go back to how things were? You haven’t come to see me lately, your scent is fading from this room, and the way you look at me is getting colder and colder. Talking to you feels like talking to a stranger, and it hurts so much.”

Water was still dripping from Charles’s face. He walked out of the bathroom, his eyes completely bloodshot, looking genuinely devastated.

Logan pressed his lips together, staring at me. “Paisley, don’t ruin years of history between us over some guy you just met. We’re truly sorry. We were wrong during this past stretch. Can we please start over? Just like we used to…”

Eighteen years. From the day I was born until now, these two boys had occupied my entire life.

They were friends, they were family.

I kept my head down, refusing to look at their faces.

“Logan, Charles, for years I kept wondering how a relationship built on three people could ever work. It wasn’t until Alanna and her brother showed up that I realized the question that tortured me for so long actually had a very simple answer.”

Logan’s face drained of all color, and he took a sharp, shaky breath. “Enough, let’s stop here for tonight. We all need to go to bed.”

Seeing his desperate attempt to escape, I stood my ground to lay everything out on the table.

“I don’t know if you two overcomplicated our relationship the way I did, but meeting Waylon made me realize something. What I felt for you was only ever dependency. It was never… love.”

“I said we’re all too tired tonight. Go home and sleep!” Logan’s voice snapped, rising sharply.

Charles stood there with a deathly pale face, remaining completely silent.

“When you two abandoned me for someone else, all I felt was slighted. But tonight, when I thought Waylon only came here for Alanna, my chest actually ached.”

The redness in Logan’s eyes was terrifying. “So? Are you saying you fell for a guy you’ve known for less than two weeks, and now you’re cutting us off completely?”

I honestly thought there was something wrong with him. He was incredibly quick to flip the blame on me, but I was entirely too exhausted to argue.

“If that’s how you see it.” I shrugged.

Logan ground his teeth so hard his jaw clenched. “So all those times you said you liked me, all those promises to stay together forever—none of it meant anything?”

The bright lights of Charles’s room cast a harsh glow over Logan’s pale profile.

I let out a soft, mocking laugh. “You’ve made those same empty promises too.”

Logan’s lips trembled for a long moment. A second before his tears could fall, he turned and stormed out.

I turned to leave as well, but a hand suddenly clamped around my wrist.

I looked down to see Charles. The alcohol seemed to finally be hitting him hard. He slumped onto the floor, looking up at me miserably.

“Paisley, he’s the one who said we’re done. I never said that.” His eyes were full of grievance. “We’re still friends, right? Even if it’s just friends, I still want to stay by your side…”

I actually wanted to call Charles out. Maybe he meant what he said, but he had a way of always casting himself as the wronged protector,