18 And Ruined Novels & Stories

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything.” I stood there, my body trembling, waiting for him to decide my fate. I wanted to say I could do better, that I could be stronger next time, but even I didn’t believe it. Then, as quickly as his anger had risen, it seemed to fade. He took a step back, his face smoothing into that unreadable mask again. “I won’t kill you. Not yet.” Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. His voice was cold, almost disinterested, as he continued. “You’re useful to me, and I don’t waste useful things. But know this, Elena—there won’t be another failure.”

"Or maybe he looks at me and it doesn't matter how strong I've become, because some wounds don't heal just because the person who caused them is sorry." "You don't know that's what would happen." "I don't know anything," Mira said. "That's the problem. Three years I trained myself not to need certainty about anything except a fight. This—" she gestured vaguely, uselessly, at the space between them, at the whole tangled mess of the last two days "—this isn't a fight I know how to win."

“Want to talk about it?” He hesitated, then said quietly, “Naomi has a crush. A boy. Marcus. She’s seventeen. And I can’t stop seeing myself in her. Seventeen was when I ruined everything.” Elena tilted her head, her gaze steady. “You didn’t ruin everything. You lived. You loved. You made mistakes, yes. But Naomi isn’t you. She’s her own person.”

“he was unstoppable I tell you. Almost ruined me for other men. Almost.” “Of course he was unstoppable. He probably gets hard from a stiff breeze.” Eva snorted. “I think you mean thirteen not twenty three.” Sana said. “they’re honestly all the same. Anything below thirty feels young to me.” I said. Eva raised her glass to me. “preach, girl.” I clicked my glass to hers a little too hard. There was a cracking sound before my glass shattered in my hand, alcohol spilling over my hand and dress. “Oh no. Are you okay?” I asked Eva, staring at the mess I had made of her couch, carpet and dress.

"You ruined everything for me once. I'm not letting you do it again." "I don't understand. What did I do?" "Middle school. You rejected me in front of everyone and laughed about it with your friends. Remember that?" Her face went pale. "Nate, I was twelve. We were kids." "My mom died that year," I said and my voice came out rough. "She died watching me fail everything because I was too messed up to care anymore. Because of you." Tears filled her eyes but I forced myself not to care. "I didn't know," she whispered. "Nate, I'm so sorry."

"But… Victoria doesn't seem to like me. She's upset that I wore her wedding dress, but I was really careful with it. I only tried it on for a photo—" Heartbroken, Zachary pulled some pieces of candy out of his bag and offered them to her. "Don't cry, Mary. She's just being unreasonable. You'll feel better after having something sweet. I brought this imported candy just for you." My heart sank as I watched him take out the candy and hand it over so naturally. Back when we were young and in love, I used to get dizzy from low blood sugar all the time. Sometimes, I'd just collapse out of nowhere while walking down the street.

“Check your account ms hart, we’ve successfully shifted all the funds back to you.” Micheal said from the other end of the phone. I took a deep breath, finally that part was over, now I had to strike the final blow The drive to trust groups was unusually fast, I guess cause I no longer want to be in that space. “just a little more time and I would no longer have to come here.” I reassured myself. I was about walking into the boardroom when them.

Not even Zara. I tore it open, and the photo inside made the air vanish from my lungs. “My God…what the hell?” The whisper scraped out of me. This could not be happening. It was me. Me at 18 — standing in front of the rusted blue mailbox in the old neighborhood. Hair shorter. Eyes hollow. A smile that wasn’t real. A version of myself I buried like a corpse. I swore no one had this picture. I’d thrown every copy away. Burned one. Shredded another. Hidden the last where even memory couldn’t reach it.

“They called me a slut. Said I was a prostitute. Said I couldn’t have kids. And that they were happy about it.” Rue turned to me slowly, pulled off his glasses, and locked eyes with mine. Then he said in the calmest, most dangerous voice I’d ever heard— “I can’t wait to ruin these people’s lives with you.”

I think he’s done talking about that but he whispers, “I’ll never truly be happy knowing what I did. I may have ruined your chance at happiness, Catherine. I should have given him a chance to talk. Both of you. I need to make it right.” The rest of his words fly over my head. My mind zeroes in on—ruin, echoing the word over and over again in my head that I fear it will explode. The only person who ruined anything was Mr Dissick. He ruined my life with his empty promises. “You didn’t ruin anything. You took me to the hospital, not him. You’ve been here for me every step of the way, not him. So, you didn’t ruin anything. And that’s that, Dad.”