Chapter 21

Alex had been given the day off and decided to go against Evelyn’s wishes. He wanted a last face-to-face with Kate so they could get closure. Needing a ride, he thought of Maddie but rejected her for this. If what Zac said was true, and Maddie was selected as his next girlfriend, then she must know about it. It felt wrong to ask her to drive him to see his current girlfriend.

“Hey, I need your help,” Alex said.

“We staking out a bad guy or something?” Dawn asked.

“I need to say goodbye to Kate. I want to catch her before she leaves.”

“Goodbye?”

“Yeah. Kate’s mom took a job in Tampa. Her grandmother called and broke up for her over the phone. She thought it would be less painful,” Alex said.

“For who? Kate?” Dawn asked.

“That’s what she said.”

Dawn let out a long sigh.

“Part of the first love experience is when it ends. Granted, it is total suckage, but just acting like your relationship never happened never works. I agree with you wanting to talk to her. I’ll be over in a few,” Dawn said.

Alex debated whether to message Kate and warn her he was coming but decided against it. He didn’t want her mom or, worse, her grandmother keeping him from talking to her.

Alex appreciated that Dawn pulled up in her dad’s SUV. He didn’t feel like kissing his knees the whole trip. Her clown car was fine for quick outings around town, but this would be a couple of hours of riding, and the SUV’s comfort was appreciated.

When he got in, Dawn caught him off guard when she reached over and hugged him.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?” Alex asked.

“Several things.”

“Like?”

“We’ll talk about it when we drive back. Do you know what you’re going to say?” Dawn asked.

He had no answer, so he gave Dawn Kate’s address so she could input it into her NAV system. Once done, they were on their way.

Dawn left Alex to his own thoughts for half the drive.

“Have you figured out how you want this to go down?”

Alex turned from looking out the side window. She knew he’d been lost in thought because there wasn’t much of interest to see driving down an Oklahoma highway.

“I don’t know, really. I’ve never had to plan for something like this.”

“This isn’t one of your jobs, but I get it. Saying goodbye to a relationship is hard. Did you guys ... you know?” Dawn asked.

“No. Kate wasn’t ready. To be honest, it didn’t feel right to me, either. I think we both knew this had a shelf life, though I hoped it would last through the summer. I figured once she returned to school in the fall, some guy would realize what a great girl she was and steal her away.”

“Yeah, I worry about the same thing. If I start anything my senior year, how will it survive after graduation?” Dawn asked.

“I don’t think of it that way,” Alex said. “Granted, I never thought anything would come of Kate and me when her grandmother set us up. But I’m glad she did and that we made the most of it. I’m grateful for the time we had.”

“I’m glad it was good for you. It was nice to see outgoing Alex. You seemed happy.”

“I was. Kate surprised me. I’m not sure how I really feel about her, but it was more than like. If we lived near each other, it could’ve been a lot more,” Alex admitted.

Dawn reached over and grabbed his hand. Alex turned his palm up and laced his fingers with hers. They held hands, quietly letting the miles pass by. When they reached Kate’s exit, Alex released her hand and looked out the side window again.

Dawn found Kate’s house and pulled into the driveway. A half-loaded U-Haul truck was parked in front of the garage. Kate came out carrying a box.

“Wish me luck,” Alex said.

“You’ll find the right words. I’ll be here when you’re done,” Dawn said.

She watched Alex get out. Kate set her box down and rushed into his arms.

Was it wrong for her to wish it was her in Kate’s place?

Kate had been in a daze since her mother told her they were moving. Then she forbade Kate from calling Alex.

Her grandmother came over and said she’d broken up with him for Kate. Gran said this way, Kate could focus on a new life in Florida. Gran explained that Alex was okay with not having to say goodbye because he didn’t want to cause Kate any pain and that he wished her luck and wanted her to be happy.

Kate had kept it together until she could be alone, and then cried. She couldn’t believe Alex didn’t care enough to call or message her. It was like she hadn’t really mattered to him.

When she saw him, the dam broke, and all the emotions of their relationship ending came rushing out. She wrapped him in a fierce hug and let the tears flow, getting his t-shirt wet.

He just held her and let her get it all out. Finally, she was able to get herself under control.

“I couldn’t do what your grandmother asked. I had to say goodbye in person,” Alex said.

Kate had been sure it was Alex who wanted a clean break.

“I’m glad you didn’t listen to her. Let’s go for a walk and talk.”

“Let’s,” Alex said.

They’d gone to a park near Kate’s house and found a quiet bench.

It allowed them to say what each of them needed for closure. It was apparent that they were too young to survive Kate’s move to Tampa. They decided it was best to make a clean break of it and just be friends.

Fortunately, their relationship hadn’t progressed, or this could’ve been worse. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Alex would miss Kate, but he was okay with letting go by the time they left the park.

Back at her house, he gave her one last kiss goodbye. They exchanged empty promises that they would keep in touch, but he knew it wouldn’t last.

As they pulled out of the driveway, he turned to Dawn.