Day Five Of The Silent Treatment

Synopsis

On the fifth day of my silent treatment with Ryan Brooks, I got knocked down by an e-bike. Both the bike and I ended up sprawled on the ground, surrounded by students coming and going between classes. April Simmons, the one who ran into me, teared up right away and kept apologizing. Then Ryan showed up. And right in front of me, he handed April a tissue and said all kinds of comforting words. I had never seen him like that before. When he finally looked my way, his eyes were so unfamiliar it felt like we were strangers. He said he'd get a friend to take me to the campus clinic, and then he rushed off with April. In that moment, all the tangled feelings I had whenever I saw Ryan finally faded away. There was still a sting of regret, still a bit of reluctance, but I knew—this time, we were truly done.