Chapter 3: Broken Trust

Faele stood at the edge of the school parking lot, her heart racing as she scanned the crowd for a familiar face. It had been a few weeks since she moved in with Cassandra, and each day felt heavier than the last. The laughter of her classmates echoed around her, but it felt like a distant memory—one she could no longer reach.

Just then, she spotted him: Vince Frost Carter. He was leaning against his car, chatting animatedly with a group of friends. With tousled dark hair and a charming smile that could light up any room, Vince had a magnetic presence that drew people in. Faele had known him since middle school; he was the boy who had always made her laugh, who had promised to be there for her through thick and thin.

As she approached, Vince looked up and his eyes brightened. “Faele! Hey!” he called out, pushing himself off the car to greet her.

“Hey,” she replied, forcing a smile despite the weight in her chest.

Vince stepped closer, his expression shifting to one of concern. “How are you holding up? I know things have been rough.”

“I’m managing,” Faele said, though the words felt hollow. She wanted to confide in him about her struggles—about how lonely it felt living with Cassandra—but she hesitated. Would he understand? Would he even care?

“Good,” Vince said, his voice warm and reassuring. “If you ever need to talk or hang out, I’m here.”

Faele felt a flicker of hope ignited within her. Maybe things could get better. Maybe she could lean on Vince like she used to before everything changed. “Thanks,” she said softly.

As they chatted, Faele found herself laughing at Vince’s jokes, momentarily forgetting the heaviness of her situation. They made plans to meet up later that week—just like old times. It felt like a promise—a promise that things would return to normal.

But as the days passed, that promise began to unravel.

Vince was often busy with his friends or caught up in his own world. Texts went unanswered for hours or even days. When they did hang out, it felt different—like he was holding back, keeping something from her. Faele tried to brush it off; maybe he was just dealing with his own issues.

Then came the day that shattered everything.

Faele arrived at school one afternoon, excited for their planned outing after class. She spotted Stella in the hallway and waved her over. “Have you seen Vince?” she asked eagerly.

Stella’s expression shifted; something flickered in her eyes that made Faele’s stomach drop.

“He’s… with someone else,” Stella said hesitantly.

“What do you mean?” Faele asked, confusion clouding her mind.

Stella glanced away, biting her lip as if struggling to find the right words. “I saw him with another girl… they were really close.”

A cold wave washed over Faele as dread settled in her chest. “Who?”

“Just some girl from his math class,” Stella replied softly.

Faele’s heart raced as she pushed past Stella and headed toward the cafeteria where Vince usually hung out with his friends. As she entered the bustling room, her eyes searched frantically for him—and then she saw: Vince laughing and leaning against a table with a girl Faele didn’t recognize, their hands brushing against each other casually as if they were more than just friends.

The sight pierced through Faele like a dagger; betrayal flooded her senses as anger bubbled beneath the surface. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the cafeteria, tears threatening to spill over.

“Faele! Wait!” Stella called after her but Faele didn’t stop.

Outside, she leaned against the cool brick wall of the school building, trying to catch her breath as emotions swirled inside her—hurt mingled with anger and disbelief. How could he do this? How could he break their promise so easily?

Moments later, Vince appeared outside, concerned etched across his face as he approached cautiously. “Faele! What’s wrong?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know!” she snapped, feeling fire ignite within her.

“What do you mean?” He looked genuinely confused.

“I saw you with that girl! You didn’t even bother to tell me!” Her voice trembled with hurt.

Vince ran a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. “It’s not what it looks like! We were just talking!”

“Talking?” Faele echoed incredulously. “It looked pretty cozy to me!”

“I swear! I didn’t mean for you to see that,” he said desperately. “I thought we were taking things slow.”

“Taking things slow?” Faele laughed bitterly through tears. “You’re dating someone else while I’m left here waiting for you?”

“Wait! That’s not fair!” Vince exclaimed, stepping closer but stopping short when Faele flinched away from him.

“Fair? You think this is fair?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You promised me we’d figure this out together!”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice. “I thought you needed space after everything that happened.”

“Space?” Faele scoffed bitterly. “You think ignoring me is giving me space? You’re just making it worse!”

Vince opened his mouth to respond but faltered; words failed him as realization dawned on his face—the weight of broken trust hung heavily between them.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said softly, but it felt inadequate—too a little too late.

Faele took a step back, shaking her head as tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked now. “You’ve broken my trust… and our promise.”

With those words hanging in the air like an unbreakable chain binding them together in pain and disappointment, Faele turned away from him—her heart shattered into pieces as she walked away from what once felt like love but now only resembled betrayal.

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