When I Stop Needing Him

After graduation, I post something online without really thinking about it. "Does not relying on you anymore count as growing up?" My childhood friend's comment pops up almost instantly. "That's cause for celebration." I don't understand, so I send him a question mark. After a while, his reply comes through. "Mara, do you know everyone says you're like a leech I can't shake off? "School's over. You don't need to be stuck to me every day. "Learn to stand on your own. No one in college is going to put up with a big baby." Then, without missing a beat, he sends me a download link. "Got a question? Ask AI. It's more useful than relying on me." Just like that, the boy who has looked after me for 12 years hands me off to an AI app. I sit there stunned for a long time, then quietly download it. Chapter 1 In the days after I stopped relying on Brett Carver, I chose to run everything by AI instead. But something about it always felt different from other chatbots. There was an unsettling, almost human quality to the way it responded. The day before I left for Briar Island, I decided to test it. "I'll be kind of lonely watching the ocean by myself. Can you come with me?" "Are you sure about that?" My fingers froze above the keyboard. Since when did an AI ask questions like that back? But it quickly changed its tone. "I'm right here. I won't hide, I won't back away, and I won't run. I've got you." I let out a long breath, gave up on trying to figure it out, and went to pack my bags. What I didn't expect was running into Brett at the airport the next day. We lived in the same neighborhood, but it had been ten days since I'd last seen him. I'd taken his words to heart and stopped clinging to him like I used to, trying to be more considerate of how he felt. I hadn't planned on saying hi, either. Then our high school classmate, Tiana Griffin, came bounding out from behind him. "Mara!" I froze and turned around stiffly. The moment my eyes met Brett's, I caught the flash of irritation in them. He was carrying Tiana's luggage. It looked like they were going on a graduation trip together. Something bitter twisted inside me, but I kept my face blank and looked away. Tiana dragged him over to me. "What a coincidence! What are you doing at the airport?" She turned and gave Brett a playful, reproachful look. "Mara's flying out the same day as me, and you didn't even come see her off? Some childhood friend you are. That's cold." The more I listened, the more uncomfortable I got. But that was just how Tiana was, blunt and carefree, so I let it go. I just wanted to get out of this awkward situation as fast as I could. But then Brett said with a frown, "Mara, you really didn't need to follow me all the way here." His voice was impatient in a way I'd never heard before, and he didn't give me a chance to explain. "It's been, what, a few days? And you're already back to your old ways? I promised your mom I'd look after you, but I need my own space too." I closed my eyes for a second and held up a hand to cut him off. "You think I came here because of you?" That seemed to throw him off. He blinked. "Then why else?" I let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. "I'm flying to Briar Island today." I then tapped my watch. "I'm on a schedule. Anything else?" After a moment of silence, Brett studied me with an unreadable expression, and it seemed to finally dawn on him. I'd dyed my hair a new color. I was dressed in a completely different style. And I'd planned an entire graduation trip to Briar Island without once pestering him about it the way I would have before. When he spoke again, his voice came out slightly off. "How come you didn't tell me?" Chapter 2 My face said it all. Was Brett being serious? He was the one who'd suddenly laid it all out that day, telling me he didn't like how I was always clinging to him, relying on him for everything. He was the one who'd tossed me some random AI app out of nowhere. "Why would I need to tell you?" I asked. Brett didn't have a comeback for that, and his expression darkened. "Would your parents really be okay with you going alone?" For some reason, the AI on my phone popped into my head. "Who said I'm going alone?" Brett scoffed. "I know you better than anyone. You can't even go to the convenience store downstairs without me tagging along. Who else would go with you? Even if your parents are fine with it, my mom would still—" Before he could finish, his phone rang. It was his mother, Sally Gilbert. My hearing wasn't great, and even with my hearing aids, I couldn't make out what they were saying. But watching Brett's expression grow more and more irritated, I could guess that Sally was telling him to go to Briar Island with me. He could have said no. But after he hung up, he let out a long sigh. "I really can't get rid of you, can I?" I stood there, frozen. I understood why his mother did it. When I was little, my hearing problems hadn't been as bad. One day, Brett had been acting like a brat and grabbed a toy horn, screaming my name right into my ear. I'd clapped my hands over my ears and burst into tears. My parents had rushed me to the hospital, and the results hadn't been good. I would probably need hearing aids for the rest of my life just to function normally. My parents hadn't said much about it, but Sally had been furious. She'd beat Brett within an inch of his life and made him kneel in front of me and swear an oath. "Brett Carver swears he'll take care of Mara Kessler forever, be good to her, and never bully her again." Little Brett cried so hard his shoulders shook. He'd been too young to understand what responsibility even meant. But to everyone's surprise, he'd actually kept that promise. From the time we were six until we were 18, he was the one I leaned on. He was the kind of person who understood what I meant without me having to say a word. So I'd always known that Brett had probably started to develop feelings for Tiana. It was around three months before graduation, I think. Tiana, the class slacker who was always dead last in the rankings, had suddenly started studying. Brett had been dismissive. He'd peeled an egg for me while muttering under his breath. "So she's done messing around, and now she regrets it. Does she really think three months can make up for three years of everyone else's hard work? I can't stand people like that." He really had disliked Tiana because she was always late, always skipping class, always causing disruptions. But that changed the day he ran into her on a stairwell landing. The practice exams she'd been carrying tumbled out of her arms and scattered across the floor, and Brett saw the pages covered edge to edge in handwritten notes. From that day on, he started getting closer to her. A month before graduation, he pulled Tiana into our study group to help her pass. And he started overlooking me. So it made sense that he wanted to draw a line between us. I thought about it for a moment and took a deep breath. "You don't have to come. I'll smooth things over with your mom for you." Brett gave a bitter half-smile and pulled a plane ticket out of his pocket. Then he turned to Tiana. "I was on the fence about going with you, but now it looks like I don't have a choice." They looked at each other and smiled. I quietly opened my AI app. "I think I just became a prop in their little game." "That's rough." Chapter 3 The whole flight, Brett sat between me and Tiana. She was the one chattering away with him now, while I sat in silence, half-heartedly texting the AI. "Will you really show up?" "If you want me to, I'll be there." My heart skipped a beat, and my face began to heat up. Brett's voice came from beside me. "Why is your face so red? You'd better not be getting a fever again. That's the last thing I need." He started rummaging through his bag for something, but quickly realized he hadn't brought any luggage with him, including the medicine he always carried for me. "Stop looking. I don't have a fever. And you don't need to bring that stuff for me anymore." Brett opened his mouth to say something, but Tiana pulled his attention away. She'd spilled her drink on herself, and I watched as he patiently dabbed at the wet spot on her leg with a napkin without a single word of complaint. That stung. But then, for some reason, Tiana turned to me. "Mara, Brett used to take care of you like this, right? I feel kind of bad being the third wheel between you two." I had no idea why Tiana always had this uncanny ability to make things painfully awkward. I smiled without answering and stood up to go to the restroom. That was when the plane hit a patch of turbulence. I lost my balance, and my body tipped straight backward. A ringing filled my ears, and just as I thought I was going to hit the floor, a pair of strong hands caught me. In that split second, the AI's words flashed through my mind. "I'm right here. I won't hide, I won't back away, and I won't run. I've got you." But when I turned my head, all I saw was the shiny bald head of a man who looked about 50. "Careful there, sweetheart." I scrambled to my feet. "Thank you, thank you so much, sir." The next second, someone grabbed my wrist. It was Brett, and he didn't look pleased. "Mara, you're not a little kid anymore. Are you seriously pulling stunts like this just to get my attention?" I was still drowning in embarrassment from what had just happened, and hearing Brett scold me on top of it made me feel even worse. "Brett, what are you even talking about?" He didn't care that I'd almost fallen. "What I'm saying is, can you stop acting so helpless? Would it kill you to not depend on me?" He looked completely serious. If he could say something that harsh, he really didn't care about me at all anymore. I sniffled and muttered, "Got it." Then I turned and walked straight into the restroom without looking back. I locked myself in and sat there in silence for ten minutes. By the time I came out, I'd made up my mind. I was done having feelings for Brett. Chapter 4 An hour later, we got off the plane. On the way to the hotel, Brett and I didn't say a single word to each other. I hauled my luggage into the elevator alone, rode up alone, and ate lunch alone. Brett said he'd come on this trip for me, but in reality, he spent every minute with Tiana. And I figured that was fine. After all, I had my AI. The AI had my itinerary for the next few days organized down to the last detail, laid out in a neat little chart. But halfway through reading it, someone snatched my phone out of my hands. I looked up and saw Tiana, grinning smugly. "Wow, this itinerary is so detailed. Brett, you definitely made this for Mara, right?" I frowned and reached to take my phone back, but Brett had already taken it from Tiana. He glanced at it and frowned. "I didn't make this." Then he looked up at me. "You don't have the patience for something like this, and I would know. Who made this for you?" I took my phone back, annoyed, and ignored the flicker of unease I'd caught in his eyes. "That's none of your business. But do you think it's okay to just grab someone's phone and look through it without permission?" I honestly hadn't meant anything by it. Anyone who'd had those two in their ear the whole trip would've been in a bad mood. But Tiana took it the wrong way. She stepped back, her eyes welling up. "Brett, Mara, do you guys just not want me here? I get it. The smart kids only want to hang out with other smart kids. Someone like me, who could barely pass a test, isn't good enough." She wiped at her tears and turned to leave. Brett stopped her and looked back at me with barely contained rage. "Mara, don't you think that was a bit much? It's just a stupid itinerary. Was it really worth getting mad over?" I stared at the two of them, baffled. Then it hit me that Tiana actually had a point. "Yeah, it was worth it. Even if it's just a 'stupid' itinerary, someone still put time and effort into making it for me. I'll go on my own. You two do whatever you want." I picked up my things and walked past Brett without stopping. I'd planned to come by myself in the first place. Brett was right. It was time for me to grow up. I didn't hesitate. I followed the route the AI had mapped out for me, and after about an hour, I found the beach on my own. The ocean was beautiful. It made me think of the very first time the idea of seeing it had crossed my mind. I'd caught a faint scent on Brett and asked him what it was. He tried to play it cool, but the tips of his ears turned red. "It's what the ocean breeze smells like. Mara, after we graduate, do you want to go see the ocean with me?" I'd been so happy that day. But now, the only person who'd actually shown up to see the ocean was me. I snapped a quick photo and sent it to the AI. His reply was instant. "Turn around." My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I spun around, but my view was blocked by two figures, Brett and Tiana. I got to my feet and looked past them desperately. There was nothing there. Chapter 5 The disappointment on my face must have been obvious, because Brett sighed. "Mara, when are you ever going to grow up?" As he spoke, he draped his shirt over my shoulders. I finally snapped out of my thought, pulled his shirt off, and shoved it back into his hands. "I don't need it." Something in Brett's eyes darkened. "Tiana, let's go. She's just ungrateful." He stormed off without looking back. Tiana didn't follow him. I was staring at my chat with the AI, too out of it to notice what Tiana was doing. "Mara, I'm trying to apologize to you. Are you even listening?" I felt someone touch my hearing aid and jerked my head up. "What are you doing?" But I flinched back too hard, and Tiana ripped the hearing aid right out of my ear. A sharp pain shot through my inner ear, and I stared at her in shock. "Hey, give that back!" But Tiana's expression changed. A smug, amused smile appeared on her face. "Forgive me first, and I'll give it back." In that moment, I finally understood why so many people couldn't stand Tiana. I had no reason to play nice with her, and I kept my face serious. "My hearing aid is expensive. If you break it, you can't afford to replace it. Give it back right now." But Tiana glanced over her shoulder at Brett's retreating figure, and the smugness in her eyes only deepened. "Drop the act, Mara. I don't blame Brett for getting sick of you. You really are pathetic." As she spoke, she raised her arm and dangled my hearing aid in the air. Then she opened her hand. I watched helplessly as it fell into the sand and was swept away by the waves. "What the hell is wrong with you, Tiana?" I rushed into the water without thinking, desperate to get it back. That was when someone appeared beside me and pushed me back toward the shore. "It's too dangerous. Let me look for it." Through my blurred vision, I was sure of one thing. It wasn't Brett.