Sophia's POV

Unbelievable. I told Noah to meet me here at 8 pm, and obviously he's 20 minutes late. That's it, I'm giving him until 8:30, and then I'm done. I mean it.

I'm not worried about anyone seeing us; I made sure to choose a somewhat private spot. But it was hard getting away from Allison and Britt. I told them that I was meeting up with my parents for dinner, which was a lie, because I told my parents the reverse.

I take a good look around the area, when I finally notice the shadow of a tall body approaching the boardwalk. From afar, it looks like Noah, but I'm not 100-percent sure.

He finally gets closer, and I'm shocked to find what I see. It's definitely Noah, but his face is battered up in bruises and his lip is split.

"Noah, what the hell happened?" I run up to him and ask. It takes everything in me not to reach for his face.

"I'm fine. I'm just so sorry that I'm late, Fee."

"Noah, you're not fine," I tell him as I touch his cheek. So much for holding back. I just can't help myself. "You're bleeding," I say as I move my fingers to his lips. "Who did this to you?"

"I got involved with the wrong guys, that's all. But I'm fine...really. I'm just mad at myself for making you wait out here." I give him a look like I know he's lying, but he disregards it. "I don't want to waste any more time talking about some bullshit fight that shouldn't have even happened in the first place."

It's clear that he's not going to tell me what happened, so I accept what he says and release my fingers from his lips before taking several steps back.

How does he do it? How does he make me feel this way without even trying? To this day, he gives me butterflies. You know the kind you get on the first day of school when your crush walks into class? Innocent, yet so overpowering. My heart is racing, not out of nervousness, but out of excitement that he's near me.

"Why are you here, Noah?"

"I needed to see you," he begins. I can tell that he's trying to figure out my feelings, but I don't give him any kind of hint. "I'm sorry, Fee. I'm so sorry. I know that you've heard me say that before, and I'm not expecting one word to excuse my actions, but you have to believe that what I did, I did for you. You have to see where I'm coming from. Yes, I'll admit, when you told me about Jacob and Sarah, I freaked out, and yes, that played a huge part in me taking you to the airport, but it was more than that. Our conversation that night was an eye-opener. It was a reminder that we are two totally different people. And you know it. I'll never be able to give you what you want. I'll never be able to be the guy who gets a college degree and has some fancy job making shitloads of money. I'll never be enough for you. The only thing that I can guarantee you is my love. What I've come to realize over the past few days is that, maybe, that's enough. I might not be the smartest or purest guy out there, but I'll always protect you. You'll never have to doubt that with me."

I wish Noah would understand that those things — the money, the education, all of that extra stuff — don't mean anything to me. All that does is his love. I hate hearing how little he thinks of himself because I see his potential. I know he has the ability to go places.

I let a deep breath out before beginning. "You had my heart this summer, Noah. You held it so tightly and you didn't even know it because if you did you wouldn't have let me go. Yes, we're from two different upbringings, and yes, we disagree on a lot of things, but the one thing that we shared was our love for each other, and you doubted that. You doubted that for the things that I told you didn't mean anything to me. You didn't trust me. You didn't trust me when I told you that I would've fought for us. I would've done whatever it took so that it was me and you at the end of this." I pause for a few seconds before continuing. "But I can't give you my trust anymore, Noah. And I can't give you my heart. I've thought about it, and I want to, trust me, I want to, but I have nothing left to give. I'm completely empty inside. All I have left is heartbreak, and it's time for me to move on. You, too. You're better off without me...you'll see."

"No," he says. "I won't. How could you even say that?"

"Because it's the truth."

He looks around the boardwalk, waiting for me to change my mind.

"So, that's it then?" he asks once I don't say anything.

I bite down on my lip, thinking about whether or not I'm making the right choice. To be honest, I don't know that I am, and it almost doesn't feel right, but sometimes 'feeling right' isn't enough. Sometimes, it needs to be more.

"I'm done fighting for us," I drop my shoulders and tell him, and he sees it in my eyes that it's time to back down. It's time for the both of us to surrender. For good.

He presses his lips together and nods his head at me, accepting the fact that there's nothing more that he can do or say to change my mind.

He takes one last look at me before walking away. The farther he gets from me, the more I feel it. Sadness. Loneliness. Emptiness. But I don't stop it. I let these emotions consume my body the way that they need to.

I notice Noah stop before reaching the front of the boardwalk. He walks back over to me, and part of me thinks — or at least hopes — that he's going to grab my face and just kiss me. But instead, he hands me the bag that I just realized he's carrying across his shoulders.

Wait, a minute. Is that my backpack?

"I think this belongs to you," he says as he hands it to me. "You left it at my house."

I take it from his grip, and he walks away again. This time, he doesn't come back.