All Chapters of We Broke Up Over Milk: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Over one cup of milk? Is that really necessary, Adam?"So which of my accounts are you blocking this time? Instagram? My number? Fine, go ahead. I'll be waiting. Give it a few days, and you'll be begging to add me back."Lisa Witherspoon's voice carried its usual mocking edge. She even turned to roll her eyes at Freddy Bateman and the friends who'd just walked up behind her, mouthing "throwing a fit again" without bothering to hide it.Freddy cradled the steaming cup of milk in both hands, sipping at it slowly, his eyes flicking between the two of us with a faint, satisfied gleam.I looked at the girl I'd liked for three years, chased for three years, and built an entire future around.The cramp in my stomach and the heaviness in my chest twisted together into something else entirely: a cold, clear-headed calm.I didn't look at either of them again. I just turned and walked away.My stomach still ached, but for some reason, my steps felt lighter than they had in a long time.O

Chapter 2

Someone off to the side laughed. "Don't get too confident. Adam's sharp enough that there's no shortage of girls chasing him. What if he gets into somewhere even better than us?"Lisa let out a scornful little laugh, her tone careless. "Even better. Some peace and quiet for once. Let him go bang his head against a wall and figure out reality. Who does he think he is, reaching that high?"Then came the line I'd heard a hundred times before. "He's always so petty. Is Freddy's stuff really worth making such a big deal over?"The camera shifted slightly and caught Freddy in the frame.He pouted, his voice dripping with familiar, needy affection. "Exactly! The second you get a boyfriend, you forget all about me! Years of our families being close, and you don't even care about me anymore!"That got a laugh out of everyone standing around.Someone compared me to Freddy, calling me the "academic type" and him the "social type."I knew exactly what that meant: that I was too uptight, too

Chapter 3

Seeing me and the oversized box in my arms, the two of them both stopped in their tracks.Lisa's eyes landed on the box. She froze for a second, then that familiar, knowing smirk crept back onto her face.She let out a scornful laugh. "Seriously, Adam? You're actually going through with this?"Her tone was maddeningly certain. "Come on, stop it. Just hang onto that stuff and use it. If you hand it back now and then come crawling back once you've cooled off, you'll just have to take it all back again anyway. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."It was like she thought she already knew exactly how this was going to play out, like I was just following a she'd already written.Before I could get a word in, Freddy stepped forward and gave Lisa's arm an affectionate pat, chiding her. "Come on, don't talk to him like that."Then he turned to me, his expression a careful mix of helpless and innocent. "Adam, don't be mad, okay? This is on me. Is it because I kept having Lisa sa

Chapter 4

I'd voiced my frustration before, about how hurt I'd felt.Lisa always had the same explanation. "Freddy's parents specifically asked me to look out for him; he's basically like a little brother to me. Adam, can you just be a little more understanding about this?"Eventually she stopped bothering to explain at all. She'd handle whatever Freddy needed first, as a matter of habit, then get around to smoothing things over with me afterward, almost as an afterthought.And somehow, every single time, I talked myself into accepting that twisted set of priorities.Until the day it rained.It was the deadline for forming project teams for a major assignment in our major, the kind that could make or break a semester. Lisa and I had agreed weeks earlier that we'd team up, and we needed to finalize and submit before the cutoff.But that afternoon, I couldn't reach her no matter what I tried. Her phone went straight to voicemail. She never answered a single message.Terrified something

Chapter 5

I calmly looked away, packed my laptop and papers into my bag, and left through a different exit.I didn't glance back at either of them the whole way out.That night, someone posted a photo on a popular campus forum thread, a candid shot of me studying in the library, head down, completely absorbed in my book.The caption gushed: [There's something about a guy who studies this hard. Anyone know what class he's from? Is he single?]Someone else replied underneath with my class and my name.I happened to see it and replied without thinking much of it. [Thanks, but I'm focused on school right now. No other plans.]Somehow that one reply struck a nerve with Lisa.She got a new number and sent me a message, her tone carrying that same lecturing, placating edge she always fell back on. "Had enough yet? I saw what you posted on the forum. Let's cut it out and actually talk about winter break. My mom's asked about you a few times, and she wants us to come home together and visit."

Chapter 6

My composure seemed to unnerve Lisa more than anything. "But Adam, you're my boyfriend! I just need you to be a little more understanding. Once things calm down...""Lisa," I cut her off again. I'd heard the same tired excuses too many times to sit through another round. "We already broke up. Your responsibilities, your 'family', none of that has anything to do with me anymore."I stepped around her and kept walking.Even after I'd gone some distance, I could still faintly hear Freddy whining behind me and Lisa's irritated attempts to calm him down.Later, I heard through a friend that Lisa had posted something on social media about how hard it was to communicate with people, and that when she was out drinking with friends, she still insisted, "He's just sulking. He'll be fine once graduate school applications are over."She was still living inside a story she'd written for herself, and she never actually woke up from it.A day later, I went to the registrar's office for my tra

Chapter 7

I cut her off, cold. "Because you have to go look after Freddy again, right?"Lisa faltered for a second, then admitted it, though she immediately started making excuses again. "I do have a responsibility to look after him! Our families have been close for generations. I can't just ignore that bond! "Adam, why can't you just have a little sympathy for how hard this is for me? I always thought you understood me better than anyone. How did we get here? I am so exhausted."Same , every time. Responsibility, old family ties, sympathy, how hard it was for her, how tired she was.As if she were the one who'd spent this whole relationship holding it together, constantly compromising, constantly getting overlooked.I didn't want to have another pointless argument with her. It wasn't going anywhere, and it was draining me for nothing."You're right, you are tired." I nodded. "So you don't have to be, not anymore. Goodbye."When she saw I was still walking away, something in her finall

Chapter 8

Just then, a loud crash rang out in the background, like a chair had been kicked over, followed by the sharp sound of a glass shattering and a chorus of panicked shouting."Lisa!""Lisa, are you okay?!"Chaos erupted on the other end of the line.I hung up without a flicker of expression, then blocked that number too, just as cleanly as all the others.About two hours later, an announcement came over the loudspeaker calling my flight to board.I took a deep breath and headed toward security.I made it through without any trouble and started walking toward my gate.Behind me, the sound of frantic running and someone shouting my name shattered the airport's relative calm."Adam! Adam, stop!"I froze. The voice was so familiar, and yet so distorted with strain that it almost didn't sound like her at all.I turned around and saw Lisa barreling across the terminal with complete disregard for anyone around her, hair a mess, eyes rimmed red, her coat hanging open. She looked utte

Chapter 9

Not long after I sent it, I got a long reply from her.Every line was steeped in despair, resentment, pain, and disbelief.She kept asking why, over and over, why "one cup of milk" and "a few times of feeling overlooked" could make me throw away three years of a relationship and everything we'd planned together, so completely and so coldly.She dredged up all the good memories from the past, brought up our shared plans again and again, and there was even something close to begging in her words.I read through the whole thing and sent back a short reply.[What I needed was equal respect and to actually come first sometimes, not to always be ranked behind someone else. We want different futures. I chose the path that's right for me. That's all there is to it. Take care, and please don't reply.]She wrote back again almost immediately, her words spiraling into accusations, calling me "cold," "heartless," someone who'd "planned this all along."I didn't open it.…The workload at

Chapter 10

A deep exhaustion washed over me. I didn't want to waste another word on this.That's when a cool, even voice cut in. "Adam, need a hand?"Nancy had just stepped out of the building, a folder tucked under her arm, clearly on her way to the lab.She walked over, glanced past Lisa with total indifference, then looked at me. "There's an issue with the project data. We need to go over it now."Her timing was perfect, her tone so natural it was like we'd planned this in advance.I turned to Lisa. "I have somewhere to be. You should head back."Then I fell into step beside Nancy and headed toward the lab.Lisa stood frozen in place, watching me walk off with another girl, disbelief written all over her face.Her expression cycled through shock, resentment, and finally something like recognition, the realization that I truly had left her world behind for good.After that, Lisa seemed to show up near campus once or twice more, briefly.But I ignored her completely.My life filled up

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