Not Who I Use To Know

They started as best friend bonds. They both had very similar personalities and we're both incredibly smart, which they took great pride in. After being together for so long, it was hard to imagine not knowing anything about the other.

One thing led to another. Within two months of each other starting college, they were dating.

And then one day, they started dating each other. It was easy at first. They talked every day and they spent almost all their time together.

That was until he went away to university and she returned home.

He was always so busy when she came back from school. She knew this would be a problem. She never saw him without work. He didn't know how to balance his life with her needs, which was why she tried to get out of bed early.

She couldn't sleep that night, no matter what she did or how many times she turned over and tried to find the right position.

The next morning when he finally arrived home for lunch, after a long weekend working, she was still sitting on the couch trying to fall asleep. He gave her a funny look when he noticed the way her head was dropped down.

“Hey. You ok?” he asked softly.

Her eyes snapped open. “I'm fine. Why are you asking?” she said defensively. His eyebrows raised at her tone of voice and she could feel her cheeks heating up again, even though there wasn't much light in the room.

“Your hair,” he mumbled. She looked up and followed his gaze. Her dark hair was sticking to the side of her face and she realized with a start that there was makeup smudged across her cheekbones and down her neck. She hadn't even realized that she'd gotten into bed without her makeup. When she touched her face she felt sticky and wet. She grimaced slightly but brushed herself off.

“I think I must have had some weird dream last night,” she muttered.

“You mean, about… what happened?”

“Yeah...” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged, pretending that it had nothing to do with her.

“Did you want something to eat? Do you want me to call my mom?” he suggested. She nodded and stood up slowly, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions.

After dinner, he called his mother and told her about the late hour he stayed up, but said that he loved her more than anything and she was welcome to stop by any time if she needed to talk. After she hung up, he sat down next to her on the couch and she buried her head in his shoulder. She felt his hand run through her hair gently and she sighed quietly, enjoying the sensation. For a moment, she thought about telling him everything, but it seemed easier to just say it in her mind rather than out loud.

So instead, she whispered, “I don't like it here.” It sounded strange when she was saying it out loud. She knew he probably heard it because his hand stopped moving and she felt his body stiffen against hers.

“What's wrong?” he asked softly. She sighed and pulled her head back to look him in the eye.

“You need to leave,” she whispered. There was a flash of anger behind his eyes and she shrunk back a bit.

“How dare you suggest such a thing?” he growled.

“It isn't fair to you!” she cried, tears forming in her eyes. “I hate my dad! We fight constantly! And every time I go out, he yells! I want us to be happy.”

He glared at her. “So do I! But we don't have enough money anymore, so it's difficult to make ends meet! I've worked twice as much as I should have and it's getting harder to get decent food. What makes you think I enjoy this?” she couldn't understand why he was yelling at her. Sure, he was angry sometimes and sometimes he yelled at her, but she didn't expect this. She was used to his calm voice. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath until her chest hurt. “I'm going upstairs now,” he grumbled before disappearing around the corner.

For hours, she sat on the couch and stared blankly at the wall. Eventually, she got up and began to pack her bag saying to herself "He is not who I used to know".