I walked out of the change room and towards my car, that was parked in it's usual spot.

"Hey babe." Kent jogged over to me, and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey." I smiled up at him.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you, if you want to go to dinner tomorrow night?" He scratched the back of his neck and his cheeks and the tips of his ears turned pink.

"Of course I would." I tapped his nose with my finger, and smirked at him.

Opening up my car door for me, he smiled and gave me another quick kiss.

"Okay I'll pick you up at five then." He told me before running off to his truck.

I'm not exactly sure what part of my consciousness told me this; but I didn't want to go to dinner with Kent.

I've been sorta uneasy about our relationship lately.

Which is absolutely absurd, because we've barely been together for two weeks.

I'm not exactly sure what a healthy relationship is supposed to be, because I've never been in one before. But I'm pretty damned sure Kent and I have a healthy relationship.

I ignored these strange thoughts, and focused on the freeway ahead of me.

I was just about to switch lanes so I could pull off on to my street, when the car in front of my slammed on the breaks.

In a panic to not rear-end the car I also it the breaks.

Great, a traffic jam.

I put my vehicle in park, and sat back in my seat.

Looking around me I realized that the Starbucks cups that Kassie and I had drank out of this morning were still in my cup holders.

I'd completely forgot to bring them inside and throw them away.

I'd normally never leave trash in my car.

The sound of sirens approaching brought my attention to my window.

Two ambulances and three police cars speed by.

Damn. Must be a car crash. That's never good.

Just as I was preparing myself to sit and wait for a while, the traffic started moving again.

I started my car, and switched lanes. And I was about to turn off the freeway, I noticed that the police were redirecting the traffic.

I also caught a glimpse of the crash.

A silver Jeep had rear-ended a black Jeep.

Jeez, I hope no one got hurt.

A few moments later I pulled in to my driveway and parked my car.

Caiden's Hummer wasn't there yet. And neither was Case's car. Caiden's probably stuck in the traffic still. And Case might be too. Although it I'm not sure if he's at work or a lecture today.

His schedule seems so hectic.

But I did notice that my father's BMW wasn't there either. This would be normal if my dad still had his job. But he didn't anymore.

I walked through the door, and saw my mother preparing vegetables for dinner.

"Well you're a little later than normal." She remarked as I placed my bags on the base of the staircase.

"Good to see you too." I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, and continued cutting the red peppers.

"There was an accident on the freeway." I told her, as I washed my hands, and dried them.

Ray nodded his head. "So that's where Caiden probably is."

"Mom, where's dad?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He's at a job interview." My mother smiled at me.

"That's great." I replied, as I chopped up some carrots.

Maybe things were starting to look up.

###

I looked myself over in my mirror.

I think I look great.

My black halter crop top, black ripped jeans, and grey cardigan went together perfectly.

And neutral makeup, with my hair braided, just added to it.

But despite the fact that I looked good, I definitely didn't feel good.

I wasn't ready to tell Kent what I had too.

But I don't think I'll ever be ready. It's like ripping off a bandaid. You just gotta do and get it over with.

I grabbed my purse off my bed and walked downstairs.

Caiden sat on the couch, his homework opened in front of him. He looked up when I walked in, his lips parted, leaving his mouth agape. He closed it and swallowed, eyes still trained on me.

"You look really pretty." He told me.

"Thank you." I laughed lightly.

I saw Kent pull in to the driveway, so I quickly pulled on my black vans and ran out the door, leaving Caiden starring after me.

Kent smiled and opened the passenger door. But not before kissing me.

"You look so gorgeous." He said, sliding into his side of the truck.

I giggled. "You don't look bad yourself.

It wasn't a lie. But it didn't exactly feel like I was telling the truth either.

The ride to the restaurant was pleasant. We talked about everything and nothing at the same time.

But the thought of what I'd have to do was still in the back of my mind.

Kent had brought me to a really nice sit-down place, just outside of L.A.

He even got a reservation.

He really was amazing. Which is why I was starting to second guess my choice.

But I knew that I'd have to do it eventually, and that it was better than leading him on.

So when we had finished our delicious dinner, and split the check -after a lot of begging from me- I was ready to tell him.

We stood outside on the patio, watching the sunset.

"Kent," I sigh. "I-I think that we should, um, break up."

I swallowed and looked at him.

His expression was unreadable. But his eyes flashed with disappointment for a moment.

"Okay." He spoke after a long pause. "Ashlyn you're absolutely amazing, and I'm definitely not happy that you're dumping me." I mentally cringed at how he said I dumped him. It was true, but it sounded so terrible. "But there's not really anything I can do to stop you."

"I'm sorry." I held his hand and squeezed, and to my satisfaction he squeezed it back.

"It's okay, I guess. I'll get over it eventually."

And I knew I would too.

A/N:
Okay please don't come for me. I know how cute they are but, I had to do it.

I'm really sorry, I am. But don't worry because this isn't the end of their relationship, because maybe they're better off as friends.

Let me know what you think.

-Grace 🍒