apart

Apart

In the summer of 2017, a young Gigi moved to town. She was firey and beautiful and had a dark unforgiving past. She ran around with her team making friends and participating in activities. Instantly was a perfect fit for her surroundings. People gravitated towards her. All the boys wanted to love her. 

Krys was the one to capture her heart. When he finally did it seemed like the whole town’s population of bachelors had been defeated. The race had been won. She had only been around town for a few weeks when she was committed to Krys. 

In the next coming months before school, they played and kissed and teased. They had fun and basked in the sun at Gigi’s summer house. They played games and made fun of one another. 

Of course, there were the fights. The arguments and long nights of bickering and wondering about the future. Krys was a senior and after that year of schooling, he would be off to college. While Gigi a sophomore would be stuck at home for another 2 years. This problem was always in the back of their minds and everyone else but no one really said anything. Suddenly June of the next year was there. And it was time for Krys to graduate high school. He walked across that stage and Gigi knew. Her heart lept and sank in the stands as she watched someone she loved to move on to the next phase in their lives. Even if it was without her. She loved him so much that the next month she ended it. 

But Krys was deeply in love with her. They both withstood long nights of talking about what they were going to do. Gigi didn’t want to do anything. She was overwhelmingly sad but she knew what was right. She knew what Krys had to do. He needed to leave her and never look back. 

But that isn’t what happened. August rolled around. The moving day approached. It was time for Krys to leave. Even though he and Gigi were broken up he still went to her house and said goodbye. He gave her a kiss and turned around and walked away. To Gigi, it felt like her soul had been ripped out. He was all she had known for a year. She had met him and fell in love with her first weeks moving here. But she knew. He had to leave. To become anything he had to go and move on and grow without her. It’s just how love goes for highschool kids. High school sweethearts don’t make it. They never do. 

That night Gigi got a call. He had turned around. He was on his way home. She wasn’t happy though. She wanted to be happy but she just couldn’t. This wasn’t right. He was supposed to stay away. He was supposed to go to school to get a degree and have a good life. But no. He was coming back to her. 

When he got home Gigi was there. She embraced him and was so glad he was there even if she knew deep down it was wrong. It wasn’t where he was supposed to be. She took him back. In an instant. The whole town knew why he had come back no matter how much he tried to tell everyone it was a housing issue. He just couldn’t live without her. It was a dangerous thing. How much Krys loved her. He knew he shouldn’t allow himself to feel that kind of devotion. But he couldn’t help it. 

For the next year. Gigi’s Junior year. They continued to play and have fun. No breakups or anything weird. They were fully commuted during this year and so in love. The most in love they had been throughout the whole relationship. Then Gigi’s Senior year came along. 

Something inside of her had changed. Now her ticket out of town was approaching and she was dead set on taking it. She had always wanted to go to college. After 2 years of love, she no longer felt she loved him enough to stay. It was a weird feeling realizing that she didn’t love him enough. They had grown through thick and thin together how could she just decide on year 3 that it wasn’t enough. 

She kept these feelings to herself. She got through her water polo season and her pathway class. All the way up until the letter. She had repressed breaking his heart until there was no other option. The college acceptance letter. The most bittersweet moment of Gigi’s life. She was going to her dream school and accepting a future that did not include Krys. 

She texted him that night. Explained all of her feelings she couldn’t say out loud. And this time. There was no backlash. There were no late-night discussions. He let her go. That was when she realized what love actually was. 2 years ago she had late night talks with him and allowed him to come back because he didn’t love him as he loved her. They grew together and then apart because he loved her enough to set her completely free. 

Gigi understood his sacrifice on an extreme level. She had felt the pain of realizing she would be left. Let alone the pain of giving up your dreams for 2 years of happiness. It made her sad to know she made someone feel how she had felt. But she had grown out of him. She was on her way to being an adult and feeding herself. He just reminded her of football games and eating fast food after practice. She had somehow left him in the dust while he was spiraling in love for her.

They both learned something. Gigi learned that when you love someone you let them go. Like really let them go. While Krys learned that when someone lets you go. Let them. That means its time to go.

This sad story had a good ending. For at least one of them.