Ana del Valle

​It had been nine months since the break-up.

To tell you the truth, when CS walked out on me and left Laurels, it blew me sideways and hit me on the temple like a two-ton fist. But as painful as that sounds, I learned to live with it. The misery had become comforting, consoling, a negotiation of a cloudy understanding I had made with myself—with my broken heart, that is.

Maybe a corrupt way to live, but it was my way, and my way, I was always good with.

But what I was not okay with, not even a little, was to tell you, or anyone else, the reason why CS had left me. Because, most of all, it was embarrassing. I was embarrassed that I had fallen into such a stupid trap. The kind of trap that you always asked yourself how it happened to others because surely, it would never happen to you. You would never make such a stupid mistake.  KEEP READING

“Will you guys please, just leave me alone?” I said jumping into my bed and hoping they would close the door on their way out.

“Myla, you cannot continue skipping school and acting as if you are emancipated. You are throwing your life away. Your mother and I are not going to stand for this.” He wasn’t yelling. He never did no matter how much I tested them. But I knew dad was at his end with me. “If you continue to disrespect our house rules, your mother and I will have no choice but to send you to boarding school.”

I stared out the window. I didn’t want to look at them. I had seen this picture a billion times and frankly, it was boring me to tears: Dad reprimanded while Mom cried a little. She never said much except that she loved me, and if I would just focus my energy on something positive I could get far in life, be anything I wanted. I was focusing on being left alone, but apparently, it wasn’t working. I knew I was being difficult, and that I was probably wrong in all of this, but who cared? I didn’t. My parents couldn’t control me no matter how hard they tried. I did what I wanted. When I wanted.
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