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Sparrow sobbed into Chadwick’s shoulder without returning the hug, mutely nodding and sighing as he said this wasn’t the place or proper or whatever. Of course, of course. She felt dread and exhaustion just at the thought of what another argument in private would be like, but he was kissing her gently, holding her hand and agreeing. They were soulmates. First and true loves. her one and only, her prince in shining armor. Soulmates.

“Wait a few years...because I’m immature and can’t handle the responsibility. ” she repeated. There. That explained everything. He wasn’t denying her the role or anything, just counseling against being hasty. She...She was being overdramatic again. He had said this from the start and she wasn’t listening. Sparrow nodded, crumpling in on herself a little in agreement. “And I need the experience and time of the next few years to grow.”

Usually Sparrow thought Wren was just a jerk, and even thought he had coerced Big Sis Aspen and Yukon-Potato-senpai into giving her a talk about red flags and rose-tinted glasses and giving up who she was in this relationship. But there it was: Chadwick didn’t think she couldn’t do it, it was just he was worried about the timing. He was looking at the big picture: her grades weren’t great, she had so many extra clubs she wanted to do, and he wanted her to have time for him as well. Sparrow knew she simply needed to talk to Chadwick to dispel these apparent flags. Chadwick loved her, and love always won. He always understood and indulged her, even if he was snippy about it at first, he’d come around after a few minutes. She sighed, trying to get her breathing under control. Putting all his arguments together didn’t actually make her feel better this time, but she pulled off a smile.

"However, since you think so much that you're always making mistakes, and that you think I was totally against this, I think it's time we took a break from each other."

He broke up with her.

”NO! No no, Chadwick, please I’ll give up anything, please, no no. ” The crying returned in full force. He said it was so she could have plenty of time to run the club, plenty of time to correct her mistakes, plenty of time to realize that she, as usual, was the one messing up, not understanding his support. She had messed up, again.

In the last seven years, Chadwick had broken up with her plenty of times; Sparrow herself had broken up with him a few times in hysterics when she thought time apart was just how couples solved disagreements. But they never were broken up for long, and they hadn’t broken up in nearly a year. She had tried so, so hard to be the Perfect Girlfriend, put in the work needed: Dress modestly. No flashy colors. Don’t color her hair. Quieter. Not too quiet. Be interested and engaged. Speak only when spoken to. Don’t talk to other boys. Study more. No random bursting into song. No dancing through the hallways. No nicknames. Don’t be girly and babyish. So, so many things she couldn’t quite get perfectly still.

Sparrow stared at Chadwick’s hand in hers and then up at his eyes: gorgeous, sincere eyes that always pulled her back. He broke up with her. Again. Her gaze dropped to the ground, to the lifeless and plain tile of the hallway. Why couldn’t she and Chadwick be effortless? Why did she keep messing up? Weren’t they soulmat--

"And may I suggest to look at what the Prefect Girls and Head Girl are doing with their lives, for a better perspective on how you should act and dress when you're in charge of something?"

Sparrow had always believed in true love winning out, in there being a happy ending to this. Act Five. Forever ever after. She was terrified of losing Chadwick. She guess she lost. But if this was love, it came at much too high a cost.

Sparrow screamed-- a high pitched, blood-curling screaming that rend through the hallway. “No!” Sparrow screeched, her hands curling into fists. “I’m breaking up with you. This is it! No more of this on and off thing. No more of this.”

She reached for the nearest thing and threw a boot after him. ”NO, NO. NO! I have studied every girl in this school and YOU KNOW WHAT? I am NOT even -tempered like Ayaka. I’m not polite and perceptive like Lucia! I am not clever or organized like Shawna or Hailey or Juniper. I’m not Ophelia or Laurel, I’m not Willow, I’m not Eliza Ann, I’m not Talia and I AM NOT Audrey!”

Sparrow ripped the pompoms off her other boot, and threw her hair ties, storming closer. Finally she was out of things to throw and drew her wand. But instead of pointing it at Chadwick, she simply pointed it at her own hair. “Colorvaria.”

Her dark brown hair melted into a bright rainbow, and she let it run free and messy. She wiped her eyes, no longer crying, and took a deep breath. Her voice was even and quiet and her eyes were steady as she leveled them with Chadwick's. “Chadwick. Henry. Adam. Dwight. William. Ignatius. Charles. Knapp. -- We’re done.”

Sparrow turned heel and ran. She had plenty of other things to do.