Teresa clutches Brenda's sleeve, tears rolling down her face like a waterfall, dripping water cascading down rocks, tumbling and never ceasing to end.
"Brenda, you can't leave me. Please, don't leave. We can—"
"No, Resa—" Brenda interrupts, snatching her sweater out of Teresa's grip and whirling around to see her, jutting her chin out stubbornly, her eyes glassy with unshed droplets.
"Teresa," Brenda recovers, using her full name, and it feels like a stab to the heart for Teresa. "We're through. We weren't meant to work out."
"No, we can still make this work!" Teresa pleads, rushing forward, and they're suddenly face to face, but Brenda surprisingly doesn't step away.
"I'm done trying." Brenda utters, and the other girl can feel her heart shatter into, and the worst part is that Teresa has seen this coming for a while now.
Brenda pauses, and Teresa can see her lower lip tremble before she turns and briskly walks away.
"I can lose fucking everything. But not you. Oh, god. Not you." She begs, falling to her knees and pounding the pavement with her fists bitterly.
Teresa sits down next to Brenda, and there's pure silence. It's uncomfortable and suffocating, and she wants to break something, cry, and scream all at once.
Neither of them move, each glancing at each other form the corners of their eyes, breathing soft and almost inaudible.
"How have you been?" Teresa asks finally, and she hates the way her voice cracks, turning to her girlfriend and hoping she doesn't notice her shaking.
"Good." Brenda says quietly, staring blankly into the space in front of her. "Perfect."
Teresa stares for a couple moments, shifting closer and then resting her head on Brenda's shoulder.
Brenda flinches.
Teresa's heart pangs every time she sees Brenda, but she can't quite place the feeling. She suspects it might be jealousy, because now Brenda doesn't spend as much time with her, choosing to spend hours a day with her best friend Thomas, but she's not completely sure that's it.
It's not something that she's allowed herself to dwell on before, and the subject leaves a burning pit in her stomach. She watches from afar behind the safety of a book, her dark eyes peeking over the rim of the pages when she senses movement.
Brenda walks in, hand in hand with Thomas, throwing her head back and laughing at something he said. Thomas looks bewildered, but he looks at her like she's everything he's ever wanted.
Teresa stands up and leaves the library before they notice, and Brenda spends all but ten minutes looking for her girlfriend, deciding to spend the rest of the day with Thomas in an instant.
When they pass in the halls, it's all brief kisses, sometimes pecks on the cheeks or the lips. They meet each other's sparkling eyes with mirth, as if both holding a shared secret, though it only lasts for a little while before they go their separate ways.
Teresa turns to catch Brenda's eyes over her shoulder, but to her dismay, her girlfriend doesn't turn around.
Giggles echo around the room in between enclosed walls, fingers interlaced and legs tangled underneath comforters. Lips are pressed to each other's lips, and Teresa slings an arm around Brenda's waist.
Brenda snuggles closer, whispering sweet promises against her neck.
Teresa swears to hold her forever, mumbling words she knows she can keep. "I can lose fucking everything. But not you. Oh, god. Not you."