Dante

Everything in life happens for the first time. People can betray, abandon, cheat, or let you down. In this story, one of these events happened to you.

You are an 11th grade student and your academic performance leaves much to be desired. The reason for this is your boyfriend. You have been dating for three years, since the 9th grade. Your mother is categorically against your communication because of your academic performance and his unusual behavior. He often misses school, sometimes being absent for two or three days. He explains his absences to you by saying that he is helping his sick grandmother. Lately, he has started to behave strangely: he stopped calling, talking even at school, and if you went for a walk, he did not even pay for himself.

You decided to check his phone while he was out getting the ice cream you gave him money for. You found a text message with a girl asking him to break up with you and be with him. Your boyfriend approaches you, looking at his phone that you are holding in your hands. He throws one ice cream on the pavement and another on your sweater as he runs up to you. He then snatches the phone and tells you that you should have broken up a long time ago because you always interfere in things that aren’t yours. He leaves, and the rain starts to fall on you, and you didn’t even bring a jacket, although it should have been obvious. You sat there crying, realizing how much energy and nerves this relationship took from you.

Fifteen minutes later, a young man with caramel hair and swamp-colored eyes that sparkled with sympathy walks past you. He comes over and opens an umbrella over you to protect you from the rain, and looks at you intently.

• Girl, why are you sitting here and crying? What is your name? My name is Dante