Lexi's In A New City

Chapter 33

Lexi wasn't too keen on leaving the comfort of her dorm to go grocery shopping. She'd spent most of her morning sleeping in and chatting with Nikita once the two had finally woken. Nikita had realized that she'd forgotten to get groceries the previous Friday, leaving her cupboards and her side of the fridge mostly empty. Lexi noticed that she was close to facing the same situation, so she had to tag along.

At least I can spend the rest of the day relaxing once this is over, she thought as the two students exited their dorm.

The pair made it out of their dormitory when Nikita suddenly stopped in place. A curse escaped her mouth, confusing Lexi.

"I forgot my wallet," Nikita explained. "Fuck, I think I'm still a tad hungover."

"Jesus, no wonder," Lexi laughed. "Go grab it. I'll stay here."

Nikita hustled back into the dormitory without saying another word. Lexi loitered in front of the building, pulling out her phone to scroll through social media. She heard footsteps coming towards her a minute later and looked up, thinking it was her roommate. Instead, she saw a red-faced Isaac hurrying out. He spotted Lexi staring at him, and let out a hollow laugh.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. She dropped her phone into her purse and gave him a concerned look.

"Cassie and I broke up."

"Holy shit. I'd ask if you're serious, but you clearly are."

Isaac slowly nodded. "I just can't do it anymore. We're fighting constantly about a lot of stuff, and it's frustrating. I don't love her. I don't feel anything for Cassie. A part of me wants to, but I feel nothing for her anymore. I don't hate her, but I also don't love her."

Tears filled his eyes once more, so Lexi pulled him into a massive hug. A couple tears managed to trickle down his cheeks. He accepted the hug to find some comfort amidst his despair and heartbreak.

Lexi pulled away and gave her friend a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry. Do you need anything right now?"

"Yeah, to be alone," Isaac said. He paused to bite his lip with regret. "Sorry, that came off rude."

"No, don't worry about it. I know the feeling, believe me."

"Thanks, Lexi."

"You're welcome. If you need to talk to someone at some point, please give me a call. I have no issue lending an ear."

"I appreciate it. Thanks again."

Isaac walked away a moment later, no doubt returning to his dorm to lay low for the rest of the day. This caused Lexi to be left to absorb the shock of the news outside her dormitory. She didn't think Isaac would break up with Cassie; it had sounded like he'd wanted to continue fighting for their relationship when they'd spoken last night at the party. She didn't want to think that something she'd said last night had made him change his mind. She wanted to ask him if that was the case, but decided against it almost immediately. It wasn't her business to know and he was distraught right now, so she didn't want to upset him further.

"Yoo-hoo, earth to Lexi!"

Lexi snapped out of her thoughts to find Nikita standing in front of her, waving her wallet at her.

"Damn, you were so out of it! I've been standing here for a little bit, and you didn't even notice me!" she exclaimed. "Anyways, let's go now!"

"Wait— did you see Isaac a few minutes ago?" Lexi asked.

"Isaac? No, I haven't seen him since last night. Why?"

"I was just talking to him, 'cause he was coming from Cassie's dorm. He just told me that they broke up!"

Nikita's eyes went wide in an instant. "No!"

"Do you seriously think I'd lie about that?"

"No, but...holy fuck. I never thought that would happen! They were together for so long that I thought they'd managed to finally fix their relationship."

Lexi nodded. "I'm shocked, too. Isaac, however, is devastated. I'm pretty sure he was crying."

"Makes sense," Nikita said as the roommates began their trek to the grocery store.

"I'm also worried about how Cassie took the break-up," Lexi added. "I'm willing to bet that she blames me for the break-up. If she doesn't now, then she will later. If she tries to keep making my life hell, I have no clue how to handle it."

"We can only wait and see what stunt she pulls next," Nikita remarked.

***

Cassie was an utter mess. She hadn't been able to stop crying on the main room floor, where she sat in a crumpled heap. Tears flowed freely and sobs left her body in heaves. She wasn't alone anymore; Mariana had returned home only minutes later to find her best friend sobbing uncontrollably. Cassie managed to spit out the news that she and Isaac had broken up before dissolving into tears once again. Mariana hugged her and tried to comfort her, but knew that it wasn't going to fix everything. Her best friend and roommate wasn't going to recover from this overnight.

"It hurts so much," Cassie muttered. "It hurts so fucking much."

"I know it does, sweetie."

"I gave him so much...my time, my love, my attention...and now it's over. It's all over."

"I'm so, sosorry. I wish it hadn't happened."

"But if I'm being honest, I kinda knew this was coming."

Mariana's eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. "What?!"

"Isaac's reasons for breaking up weren't bullshit," Cassie explained. She looked up and wiped away some tears. "He was right— we don't get along anymore. College changed us both, but not for the better. We were fighting so much over a lot of different stuff, and it was exhausting."

"Sounds like it."

"It still hurts a lot, don't get me wrong. It's not like it makes it all better. But I see why he ended things."

"No, I get that. I wish there was something I could do so you didn't feel so shitty."

"I'm gonna sound like a cliché, but...I'm in the mood for some ice cream while we binge watch our favourite shows," Cassie confessed. "What do you say?"

Mariana couldn't help but giggle at the suggestion. "Oh, I'm so down for that."

"Thanks, girl."

"Anytime. And please know that I'll be here if you ever need a shoulder to cry on."

For the first time that afternoon, Cassie grinned ever so slightly. "You're the best, Mariana. Thank you so much for being here for me."