Chapter 3
I stared at the person in front of me, watching him blur and separate from the shadow in my memories.[]
Lennon had always been like a little sun. A kid raised on pure love, radiating light wherever he went, naturally the center of
attention.
When I was ten, my world collapsed. Dad cheated, the house filled with screaming matches.
I’d hide in my room crying, and young Lennon would sneak through my window, holding me tight:[]
“Don’t cry, Noa. You’ve got me.“[]
He’d clumsily wipe away my tears with his small hands, making me pinky promise:[]
“When we grow up, I’m gonna marry you, Noa. I’ll never cheat, never betray you! Cross my heart, hope to die.“[]
Later, the Westbrook family business exploded, and they moved into this massive estate while Mom and I stayed in our cramped worker housing complex.
She became a different person–killing herself at work, coming home exhausted. The only time her eyes lit up was when I’d show her another perfect test score.]
I got quieter, burying myself in books, while Lennon grew wild–loud music, extreme sports, always dragging his crew on some adventure.]
Love letters and adoring stares followed him from middle school on, but he’d always pull me close and announce:]
“See her? That’s my Noa. Been mine since we were kids!“]
When college acceptance letters came, I got into Boston University, and Lennon landed at Berklee just across town.]
Move–in day, he was dragging two suitcases, talking a mile a minute:[]
“Noa, look! Our schools are literally one street apart!”
“Four years of dating, then straight to marriage!“[]
He painted our future with such genuine, burning hope.[]
When did it all start rotting? Maybe when “this super cool bassist in our band” started dominating every conversation. The selfies on his phone I’d never seen before–him and Nina goofing around between rehearsals. Or when he started complaining: “You’re always buried in books. When I talk about band stuff, you don’t even get it“-that subtle distance creeping into his voice.
Or maybe it was earlier.
When he’d be blazing under stage lights, soaking up screams and applause, while I sat quietly in the back, looking up at him from the shadows. Our worlds had already split apart without us noticing.
And now here he was, standing across from me, eyes full of irritation and exhaustion.[]
In that moment, I felt… done.[]
“Yeah. We’re breaking up,” I said.[]
Genius Ex–Girlfriend Era: I Chose My Academic Glory Over Your Rockstar Fantasy
1.9%
Chapter 3
Lennon froze. He probably never imagined that quiet little Noa–the one who always trailed behind him, who gave him everything he wanted–would actually nod, would actually say those words.[]
Suddenly Nina burst into tears:]
“Why are you guys doing this? You’re breaking up because of me? Lennon and I are totally innocent!“]
She grabbed at Lennon’s sleeve frantically.[]
“Tell her! Explain it to Noa! It’s all my fault, okay? I’m sorry! Please don’t do this! Don’t break up because of me–I can’t live with that!“]
Lennon snapped back to reality, staring at me hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing:[]
“Fine. You said it.”
I smiled:
“Yeah. I said it.”
I turned around and pushed through the heavy door.[]
This time, I didn’t look back.[]
