Page 78 of Halloween Town

Break-up.

Poppy pushed her hands into her hair and tugged. All she’d asked for was space to grow. She’d expected to have to persuade him or have a discussion, possibly even an argument. Instead, he’d drawn a line in the sand.

A simple, I can’t do that.

It wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to lose him; she just wanted the opportunity to become someone strong enough, worthy enough, to stand by his side.

Thom continued to walk away and Poppy realized he wasn’t turning back, wasn’t returning for round two. She started to run to him, stopped, bent over, and closed her eyes. He hadn’t listened to her before; why would he now? Maybe it would be better if she allowed him some time to calm down.

She wasn’t good at confrontation: she got tongue-tied, and her words came out wrong, often making things worse. The more she loved a person—and she loved Thom more than anyone, she always had—the worse she was at getting her point across. Especially when he was rattled and upset.

But she couldn’t let him walk away without trying.

“Thom!” she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. He braked, linked his hands behind his head, and Poppy waited, expecting him to turn around. When he did, she’d run to him, hug him, apologize, explain. They’d be okay. They had to be okay. She couldn’t lose him again.

Once was more than enough.

But Thom straightened, dropped his arms, and jogged over to the porch. Taking the steps in two strides, he disappeared into the house, and her last little bit of hope evaporated. He wasn’t going to come back to her, wasn’t prepared talk to her, or to try sort this out.

Hello, rejection, my old friend. Poppy dropped to her haunches and stretched out her arms, dropping her head between them. Why won’t he fight for me? Why won’t he budge? Try to accommodate me?

She was trying to do the right thing, trying to be better, trying not to repeat past mistakes. Trying to find herself. Wasn’t that a good thing? But instead of supporting her, it felt like she’d disappointed him for wanting to strike out on her own.

It was the last she thing expected, especially from him, and it made her want to doubt herself.

Poppy stood up and slowly straightened her spine. She had to stop with the second-guessing. That’s what she always did, she swayed with the wind. Part of the reason she wanted to move out was to find her voice, what was right and wrong for her. What made sense to her. To stop looking at the world through other people’s lenses. She’d been made to feel small by her family, had only been accepted when she danced to their tune. She’d bought into that false narrative and nearly married a fuckwit. She was allowed—she had to be allowed—to find herself, to stand on her own two feet, to work out how to love herself.

Because until she did, she couldn’t love Thom the way he deserved to be loved.

Poppy stared at the front door, her heart falling in on itself. He expected her to leave, yet she hadn’t had a chance to explain her feelings, what she wanted to do, to make it crystal clear that she never intended to walk away from him. He thought she wanted to leave him, when all she wanted to do was leave herself, her old self, behind.

She knew that moving out was essential to her growth and independence, but she also accepted that, by doing so, she’d broken what they had. Destroyed the potential of what they could be.

It had never been her intention, but she’d still managed to do it. Wiping away her tears with the ball of her hands, she hauled in some air, told herself she couldn’t fall apart, not just yet. She had to wait until she got to Wren’s or Luna’s before she allowed herself to dissolve, to buckle under the assault of heartbreak.

Because she still had to leave Solstice Deep. She had to prove, if only to herself, that she could stand on her own, be on her own, accept and love herself for what she was and what she could be.

Because even if there was a sliver of a chance of them being together in the future, she needed to be better. Stronger. She deserved it; he deserved it; their future deserved it.

Ruby

“She’s amazing,” Ruby whispered as Poppy picked up her suitcase and carried it down the stairs to the hallway.

Lila and Naomi stood next to her as she slowly made her way down the stairs. “Where is she going to go?” Naomi asked, looking worried. “Wren’s house is too small, and Luna still has guests.”

Ruby stared at Poppy’s small back. She was impressed by her fortitude, her quest to be more than she was taught, and that she was standing on her own two feet, choosing herself. But she also felt overwhelming sadness. What was that about?

“I heard her on the phone. She’s going to stay with Hayes and Hadley for a week or ten days, just until after Halloween. After Halloween, the town empties and rentals become available and she’ll pick one up then.”

“Hayes and Thom are best friends,” Lila said, worried.

“Hayes and Poppy are very close, too,” Naomi pointed out. That was the problem when you slept with people in your friend group; it all became complicated when relationships fell apart.

The trio glided down the hallway after Poppy, and when the hallway door opened, they sucked in a quick breath. Thom stood in the doorway to his study, his hair a mess and his expression remote. She could see, hell, she could feel the pain rolling off him, sensed how much he was holding back. This was killing him…

It was killing Poppy, too.

Ugh, love. More hassle than it was worth.