Chapter 13

Arya Stark POV

Sansa is having Myrcella over tonight, it'll be nice to hang out with them and finally be around another friend again. Sansa has cheer practice until 4, she's picking up Myrcella on her way home. I had fencing until 2, but I'm home now. It was nice to finally go back to fencing, it had been a while since I had a fencing lesson and it really helped take my mind off things.

I'm chilling in my room when I get a call from Gendry. He better not be calling to try to get back with me. I say that, but I know I'd say yes and do it if he was calling for that reason.

"Hello?" I say, as if I don't know who it is.

"Arya?" Gendry says. "It's me, how are you?"

"I'm fine," I say. I'm a little confused, he wouldn't be calling me if he just wanted casual conversation. "How are you?"

"I've been better," he says. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened between us."

"I'll be fine, just still very confused," I say. "Did you want something in particular?"

"I still care about you," he says. "I don't want you to think I just dropped you and don't give a shit anymore."

"I don't think that." It's true, I could never hate him or think badly of him even if I wanted to.

"I also just really wanted to hear your voice," he says. "I understand why you're confused, but I really think this will be better for you in the long run."

"Why are you making that choice for me?" I ask. "Especially if you're going to call me anyway just to hear my voice."

"I'm not trying to make your decisions for you," he says. "I just don't want to do anything to contribute to you being hurt. You may not understand it now, but you will when you're older."

I hate when he talks to me like that, and he knows it. He says he sees me as equal in maturity, yet he still treats me like a child and tries to make decisions on my behalf. It doesn't make any sense.

"I don't think we should talk anymore," I say. "I'm sorry, I just don't think it's a good idea for either of us."

There's a pause, I can tell that isn't something Gendry wanted to hear.

"Are you sure?" He finally asks.

"Yes," I say. "You're the one who didn't want to stay friends the first time we broke up, why would that change now."

"You're right," he says after a long pause. "I'm sorry, Ary." I hate that he just called me that, we're not together anymore. He has no right to call me that.

"It's okay," I say. "I wish you the best, and maybe we can be friends in a year or so. Just not right now." I'm not sure we could ever be friends, but I don't want to sound like a complete jerk.

"I'm still sorry," he says. "I wish you the best, too."

"Thanks," I say. "Goodbye."

"Bye."

We hang up and my eyes start to tear up. I miss him so much. I loved being his friend before we started dating, and the spark is definitely still there. I can't imagine the spark ever going away with him.

This is so much messier than I ever wanted it to be. One of the reasons I was okay with dating Gendry was because he's so laid-back, I thought a relationship with him wouldn't be stressful. This just proves that all dating is pretty stressful, I'm starting to think like Sansa and not want any part of it.

Gendry Baratheon POV

Maybe it was a stupid idea to call Arya. Actually, I know it was. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. If she's feeling even half of what I'm feeling right now, I know she's not okay and I just wanted to check on her. I was really distraught the first time we broke up, and I am now too. I just wanted to make sure she was coping decently.

After I get off the phone with Arya and I'm sitting on my bed, Myrcella walks out of her and Podrick's room. She has a bag with her.

"Where are you going?" I ask her.

"Sansa's picking me up, I'm staying at her house tonight," she says. That's good. I was worried she was going back home to stay with Shireen. "Are you okay?"

"I just got off the phone with Arya," I say. "She said we probably shouldn't talk anymore."

Myrcella walks in and sits on the bed next to me. "That might be best," She says. "I wouldn't want my ex calling me, especially if there were still feelings there."

"She seemed upset with me," I say. "She said she was confused about everything."

"Why did you call her?"

"I wanted to make sure she was okay," I say. "I know when we broke up the first time I really wasn't doing well, and I'm definitely not doing well with it this time. I also just really wanted to hear her voice."

"Gendry," she says compassionately. "I think you know that isn't a good idea."

"I know," I say. "I just miss her, and I'm starting to wonder if I made a horrible mistake."

"You broke up with her because her parents didn't approve, right?"

"Yeah," I say. "She wanted to keep sneaking around, but I didn't want to keep getting her in trouble."

"That makes you an amazing guy," she says. "I hope you know that."

"I don't know, I don't feel amazing."

"You left the girl you love because you knew it would be better for her in the long run," Myrcella says. "That shows you really love her, you didn't choose the selfish option."

"Podrick said the same thing," I say. "It's just that she finally gave me another chance. That's all I was hoping for the first time we broke up, I never thought I'd be the one to push it away."

"If your gut told you that was the right choice, it probably was," she says. "But I know that doesn't make it hurt less."

"I still appreciate you talking to me about it," I say. "Especially since you have way more important things to worry about than my love life."

"I really don't mind," she says. "It's nice to talk about something else, when basically all I do is worry about Shireen."

"I hope she'll be okay," Gendry says. "I worry about her too."

"I think she will be," Myrcella's phone buzzes as she finishes her sentence. She checks her phone. "That's Sansa, I guess she's here."

"Have fun," I say. "Be careful." I chuckle, I trust Sansa and I know they won't get too crazy."

"Thanks," Myrcella says. "Hang in there."

She leaves my room and closes the door behind her. I'm glad we had this talk, she's always so considerate and compassionate. The discussion we had did make me feel better. Her and Podrick had a similar response to my situation, which shows how good they are for each other. They're both so compassionate and empathetic.

I still feel really down about breaking up with Arya, but I do believe we'll find each other again when she's older if it's meant to be. I don't want her to hate me, but I think she'll eventually understand why I did what I did when she's older. I really hope she does.

Sansa Stark POV

I pull up to Gendry and Podrick's place to pick up Myrcella. I would go in, but I'm not sure if it'll be awkward to see Gendry. Plus, it's just easier for me to text her and let her know I'm here. A couple minutes after I text her, she walks out and gets in the passenger's seat.

"Thanks for picking me up," she says. "I definitely need this friend time tonight."

"Is everything okay?" I ask her as we start driving to my place.

"Yeah, I just need a break from the boys," she says. "I love them, but they obviously live very differently than me."

"Boys are definitely gross, I get it."

We pull up to my place and head to my room. Arya is there when we walk in. "Hi Arya," Myrcella says as I close the door behind us. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Arya says. "How about you?"

"Things are better now that I live with Podrick," Myrcella says. "It's weird living with my boyfriend, though. We can basically do whatever we want."

"And I bet you do," I say, chuckling. "If you know what I mean."

"Sometimes," Myrcella says, blushing. "But that's not exactly what I meant."

"Is it weird living with Gendry?" Arya asks. Myrcella pauses, I think she's surprised Arya brought him up.

"Not really," she says. "I just hope he can't hear me and Podrick when we do start doing stuff."

"He probably can," I say. "It's not that big of an apartment." Myrcella blushes at the thought of that, it's cute how innocent she still is.

"Are you doing okay?" She asks, turning to Arya and quickly changing the subject. "I know you and Gendry broke up."

"We did, but I'm alright," Arya says. "He just called me before you guys got here."

"Yeah, I know," Myrcella says. "He and I talked about it."

"Hold on, what?" I ask. "He called? And you knew?"

"Yeah, he had just gotten off the phone right before you picked me up," Myrcella says. "He was pretty upset, so we talked about it."

"What did he say?" Arya asks.

"He said he really cares about you and loves you," Myrcella says. "He said he's worried he made a huge mistake."

"What did you say to that?" I ask.

"I said that makes him selfless because he cares about Arya more than getting what he wants," she says. "He's an amazing guy, I've always thought so."

"I just wish people would stop making my choices for me," Arya says. "I'm not a baby anymore."

"I think it's a little bit more complicated than that," Myrcella says. "But I understand why you feel that way."

Arya pauses and her expression softens. Maybe she's finally starting to see things from a different perspective, I hope so.

"How is Shireen?" I ask to change the subject after a long and awkward pause. "Have you been seeing her much?"

"She's actually going to stay with my uncle Stannis," Myrcella says. "They've always been close."

"How does your dad feel about that?" I ask.

"He wasn't for it at first, but he agreed after Shireen begged him," Myrcella says. "I hate that he's letting his sons drive his daughters out of the house and that he's protecting them and not us."

"That's only going to hurt Joffrey and Tommen in the long run," I say. "It doesn't help them for your dad to favor them."

"Did things get that bad at home for Shireen too?" Arya asks.

"Yeah," Myrcella says. "Joffrey and Tommen both were being assholes to her."

"Tommen too?" I ask.

"It's more that Joffrey rubbed off on him," Myrcella says. "He's a good kid, I hope he grows out of this phase."

"Do you think Joffrey will?" I ask.

"No," Myrcella says, immediately shaking her head. "I can hope so, but I think he's too far gone."

Unfortunately, I agree. I'm glad Myrcella has a place to go with Podrick, he's such a savior for her. I'm glad she and Shireen both have people who love them and are willing to take them away from a toxic situation. I just wish her dad would do something about it.

"How is it being cheer captain?" Myrcella asks me after a long pause. I think she wants to talk about something more lighthearted, and I don't blame her.

"It's going well," I say. "It's honestly so much fun, I would've been devastated if someone else got it."

"No one else would have," Myrcella says. "You're the only one who was good enough."

I smile. "Thank you."

"So do you like any guys this year?" Myrcella asks me.

"Are you kidding?" Arya says jokingly. "Didn't you hear that Sansa's sworn off boys forever?"

"Not forever," I say. "Just at least until after I finish high school."

"Oh, really?" Myrcella asks. "Any particular reason?"

"Can you blame me?" I ask. "After what I went through with Joffrey and my ex Ramsay?"

"Oh, right," Myrcella says. "I guess I do understand that, then. I just wouldn't want you to miss out on anything."

"I don't feel like I am," I say. "If I meet someone, that's awesome. But I want to focus on hanging out with my friends and having a good senior year more than anything."

"That makes sense," Myrcella says. "Just promise me you'll tell me if you meet someone."

"I promise."

I'm not sure why Arya and Myrcella are so focused on me having a boyfriend or a love interest. I thought Arya couldn't care less, but I guess experiencing love herself has given her a different viewpoint. I know I said I'm open to dating if I meet someone, but I honestly don't see that happening. I think I've been through too much to date again anytime soon.