Mark leads the way up to my room and I follow behind him. I couldn't tell what was going on, but I knew that something was wrong with him. It was odd enough that he was acting this way. He opens my door and heads straight for the chair at my desk, which was strange because he usually likes to lay down on my bed. I close the door behind me and take a seat on my bed. 

Mark sits there silently with his head down. I don't dare ask him any question because seeing him act like this was just....scary? I shift uncomfortably and stare at him until he responds. He finally gazes up and stares at me dead in the eyes.

"Hana.....I'm leaving." He spoke.

I tilt my head and look at him, "Leaving?"

"For college." He finishes off. 

I laugh, "Of course you're leaving for college. Everyone does. I know that."

"No, Hana. That's not what I meant."

I blink and judging from his face, he is serious. But leaving? What does he mean? Why is he so serious? I don't understand. 

He walks forward and comes to sit down on the bed with me. I turn to him, still wondering what he's trying to say. He reaches over and grabs my hand. I don't say a word because something doesn't feel right. I know that there's something wrong. 

"Just listen to what I have to say okay?" He requested.

I nodded and let him continue. He seems hesitant for a moment. He looks as if he doesn't know what to say, but neither do I. My heart races because this isn't good news, judging from the serious and gloomy atmosphere. I look at him nervously before urging him to go on.

"I am leaving." He repeats once more. That single line echoes throughout my head. Leaving. Mark is leaving. Okay, I understand that part. But, why? When? Where? Different scenarios rushes through my mind as I try to keep calm. Things that I can't imagine happening are all suddenly playing out in my head.

"W-wait...are you breaking up with me?" I choke.

"Hana....I...I-."

I withdraw him hand from his grasp and look at him dead serious in the eye. 

"I-I don't get it...."

"Hana, just let me explain everything first okay?" Mark pleads as he takes a hold of my hand once again. 

I furrow my brows as I listen to him.

"I am leaving for college. It's far away from here. Very far. Far enough that I won't be able to see you weekly much less monthly." He explains.

"Wh-what?"

"I didn't expect myself to be here 6 months ago. My parents decided to move on an impulse and they didn't tell me until a week before we had to leave. I had no choice but to follow them here."

He looks at me and I nodded, gesturing him to continue on. I'm not quite sure where the story is going, but I can't help but feel a little sick to the stomach.

"I made plans before I came here. Plans for my future. Where I want to go for college and what I want to do and all that. Or at least, I thought I knew what I was going to do. But when the news of my family moving hit, I had to suddenly change things here and there. I was determined on coming back to my hometown and going to school there. And so with that in mind, I applied to college there. My first choice of college to be exact. I sent them an application and my transcript right before I left. I was planning on finishing high school here and going back there because I liked it better there. It was my home, and it still is. I had friends there and irreplaceable memories. I had no plans on staying here."

“So you knew that you were going to leave this whole time?” I ask, staring at him straight in the eyes.

He sighed and kept his silence. “Yes. I had no intention of staying here nor starting a relationship.”

It broke me when those words came out of his mouth. It was as if he regretted everything. Was that it? Did he regret being in this relationship?

“D-do….do you regret it then?” I ask in a small voice.

“Regret what?”

“Everything. Our whole relationship…..do you regret being with me?”

“Hana, of course not. I never said that. I….I’m just having a really hard time right now. I’m not sure of anything and I’m practically going crazy. I need time to think, I’m trying to juggle everything but I’m failing… I just want to get my life together before I do anything else.”

I withdrew my hand from his grasp and proceeded to fumble around with my fingers. Honestly, my mind was blank too. I didn’t know what to think or how to react. I knew where this might be heading but I was trying my best to block it out because I just didn’t want to accept it.

Was he really going to break up with me?

“What are you thinking? Tell me your solution to this, I have the right to know too Mark.”

Refusing to stare at me, he looked straight ahead. “Let’s just break up.”

“I’m holding you back aren’t I?”

“Hana I…”

“I don’t get it Mark. I don’t know why we can’t just continue our relationship. I’ll wait for you, why do we have to break up? I-….”

“Because I don’t want you to wait for me. I