𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗦

Distanced heartbeats

Scene: School Hallway

Jasmine is leaning against her locker, absently looking at the books in her hand, her gaze distant and her face tense. Leah approaches her, immediately noticing something is off.

Leah: "Hey, you’ve been so quiet all day. What’s going on?"

Jasmine tries to force a smile but only manages a faint one, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Jasmine: "It’s nothing, just... trying to clear my head."

Leah studies her friend, sensing that Jasmine is hurting but not wanting to push too hard.

Leah: "Is this about... Jaxon?"

Jasmine hesitates, then gives a small nod, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jasmine: "I don’t know, Leah. I just feel like... it’s best if I take a step back. Maybe... maybe we’re just too different."

Leah nods, her hand on Jasmine's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Hey, whatever you decide, I'm here for you."

From a distance, Jaxon watches Jasmine and Leah talking, his face clouded with regret and uncertainty. He sees Jasmine’s downcast expression, and for the first time, a pang of realization hits him. He realizes she’s slipping away, and he might be losing something truly valuable.

As Leah and Jasmine walk away, Jaxon stands there, rooted, silently grappling with his emotions, wondering if he’s gone too far this time.

Jasmine spent the next few days keeping herself busy, attending classes and spending time with Leah and other friends, intentionally avoiding places she knew Jaxon frequented. The sting of his hurtful words replayed in her mind more often than she wanted, but she was determined to move forward, even if it meant stepping back from him. She wanted to rediscover her own strength, her own joy, outside of his shadow.

Every now and then, her phone would buzz with Jaxon’s messages, most of them left unread. Each one brought a wave of mixed emotions—a slight pang of regret, followed by a surge of resilience. She couldn't allow herself to give in too quickly.

Meanwhile, Jaxon found himself increasingly frustrated. He would catch fleeting glimpses of Jasmine in the hallways or at lunch, her laughter and smiles directed at others while he watched from afar. He didn’t expect her distance to affect him so much, yet every time she ignored his messages or left the room when he entered, it ate at him.

The once-confident facade he wore around others began to slip. His friends noticed his silence, his frustration, and teased him about his change of heart. But Jaxon wasn’t laughing. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d done real damage—something deeper than just an argument or a silly misunderstanding.

Alone in his room one night, he finally looked at himself in the mirror, feeling a weight he hadn’t felt before. A part of him still wanted to brush it off, but another part knew he’d crossed a line. The question that haunted him now was whether he could fix things before Jasmine decided she was better off without him for good.