Chapter 001: The Break-Up

Hayley.

It’s my eighteenth birthday and I should be in a celebratory mood. But as I sit at the diner with my boyfriend, Theo, it doesn’t feel that way.

He sits across from me and his eyes hold a mix of quiet pain, frustration, and a kind of weariness I rarely see in him.

I’ve only seen him wear this look when the Greystone Silverbacks lose a game. And that almost never happens.

I reach across the table, gently taking his hand. “Theo, what’s wrong? You look—”

He slowly pulls his hand away, cutting my words short. I watch his eyes fall to the table for a moment before lifting to meet mine again.

“I don’t think we can keep doing this, Hayley,” he says quietly. “I want to break up.”

The words hang in the air for what feels like hours and I don’t say anything right away. I can’t. Not with the way my brain struggles to make sense of what I've just heard.

This can’t be happening. Not with Theo. Not after everything.

A breath escapes him as he leans forward, clearly exasperated. “Say something, Hayley.”

Only then do I realize he’s serious. The air in the diner starts to grow thick and I feel my throat constrict as I try to muster words.

“Theo, I… we can’t…” I stammer as my voice trembles. “What are you saying?” The words barely make it out in a whisper.

He looks at me, and for the first time, there’s no affection in his eyes, or warmth in his words. Just a cold, distant stare.

“I can’t do this..” he says plainly, motioning between us with a flick of his fingers. “Not anymore.”

His words are plain, matter-of-factly, and they cut deeper than I expect. He speaks like I’m some piece of ware he’s done with. Slowly, I feel a weight building in my chest.

“But why?” I manage, my voice cracking as a single tear slides down my cheek.

“Did I do something wrong?” I ask, louder now. A few heads turn toward our booth, idle ears catching the shift in my voice.

“Look, Hayley, I know—”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my throat tightening. The tears start to fall faster. “I’m sorry for whatever I did. Just—”

“Stop,” Theo snaps in a firm voice, visibly embarrassed with the scene I'm causing.

And just like that, I feel everything inside me begin to break.

He runs a hand through his thick ginger hair and exhales. “Look,” he says, “I know this is hard for you. Trust me, it’s not easy for me either.”

But as I watch him, nothing about his expression says this is hard. In fact, he looks almost… relieved. Like I’ve been a weight he’s finally allowed himself to put down.

“I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, Hayley. From school, to being captain of the team, and…” His voice fades, like he’s about to say more but holds it back.

I lean in slightly, picking up on what he isn’t saying. “Is it your dad again? Is that what this is?” I sniff, part of me still aching with sympathy for him despite everything.

His face darkens. “No. It’s not about him.”

He avoids my eyes, and I know—deep down—that I might be right. Perhaps it’s not entirely about his dad, but he’s definitely a part of this.

Since his mom passed from cancer a year ago, Theo’s been living alone with his dad. While he managed to cope with her demise, his father crumbled, drowning his grief in alcohol. It didn’t take long for Mr Thompson to spiral, turning into a full-blown alcoholic—a fact that’s always driven Theo up the wall, leading to altercations and arguments between them every now and again.

Yet even with all of that, Theo always found his way to me. I was his safe place. We talked about everything; from his absent father, to my always-traveling one. That shared loneliness had bound us tighter than anything else.

And now, he’s sitting here, just throwing it all away? Like none of it mattered?

The longer I sit across from him, the deeper the hurt burrows. And what makes it worse is the cold, detached look on his face. Almost like he's never felt any ounce of emotion for me.

He stands from the booth and I scramble up after him, grabbing his wrist in a desperate attempt to cling to the only love I've ever known.

“Theo, please. We can't just end like this…” My voice shakes as I search his eyes for something—anything. A hint of doubt, or even a trace of regret. But there's nothing. Just silence.

“We made plans,” I say, almost in a whisper. “College together, building a life... we—”

Theo cuts me off with a look. One I’ve never seen from him before—disbelief. Almost mockery.

“Hayley, I’ll probably get into college on a soccer scholarship. And once I’m there, I’ll be... popular.” His voice sharpens as he arches an eyebrow. “You didn’t actually think we’d still be together then, did you?”

My heart drops.

Then, quietly, he leans in and whispers, “I'm sorry, but I deserve better.”

He slips free from my grip and walks out, leaving me there, shattered.

I don’t try to hold it back anymore. The tears come fast, like a dam has just burst open inside me. I bury my face in my palms as my body trembles with each broken sob. A few people glance over with quiet sympathy, but I can’t bring myself to care as I’m drowning in too much hurt.

When I finally lift my face, I head for the exit and make the slow walk home. My arms wrap tightly around my body, trying to hold myself together as a sharp gust of wind slices through the air. I glance upward through swollen eyes and the sky is painted in shades of gray, with the clouds rolled into each other now, dark and heavy.

A storm is coming.

By the time I reach home and climb the stairs to my room, silently avoiding my mom’s curious glances, the rain begins to fall. First in a soft drizzle, and then in heavy sheets, pounding against the roof.

It’s the first rainstorm in months, and as I sit by my window watching streaks of raindrops slide down the glass, I let the cold settle into my bones. It feels fitting as I try to pull my thoughts away from the ache inside me.

Curled up in bed, a memory drifts into my mind. An old saying here in our small town: “When the skies open in Greystone and the rain pours, it brings something new home.”

I’ve never been one for folklore, but something about those words clings to me tonight. Maybe, just maybe, they’re true. Because right now, I need something new—new hopes, new plans for the future.

Maybe even a new chance at love.

But the thought doesn’t stay for long as I'm lulled to sleep by the soft patter of rain on the rooftops above me.

*******

Deep into the night, a thunderclap jolts me awake. I’m shaking all over as I sit up and it's not from the cold.

It’s fear. Raw, intense fear.

Because for the first time in a long while, I’ve had a nightmare.

As I stare out into the darkness beyond my window, one image burns in my mind from my dream: a creature, crouched in the shadows, its eyes glowing a deep, unnatural gold.

I rub my temples slowly and tell myself it was just a dream. Just my mind dredging up scary thoughts in the wake of the breakup.

But even as I try to fall back asleep, I can’t shake the feeling of how vivid it was. How real it felt.

A soft breeze slips through the room, and for a fleeting moment, something deep inside me whispers that the dream might’ve been more than just that—even if I don’t understand it yet.