Chapter 50: No Means No
The halls between classes buzzed with chatter and the shuffle of students moving in every direction. Del slipped out of her lecture room, hugging her books close and already thinking about her next class. She kept her head down, hoping to move through unnoticed.
But she didn’t make it far.
Toby stepped right into her path, blocking her with a look that hovered between sulking and indignation.
“You overreacted, and you know you didn’t have to insult me like that,” he said, folding his arms. “I went out of my way to plan tonight, to make it special for you, and somehow that turns into me being the bad guy? All you wanted was coffee, sure—but instead of appreciating that I tried to give us more than that, you decided to call me a liar. Do you hear how ungrateful that sounds?”
“Toby, leave me alone.” Del stopped, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder.
“And then you walked out,” Toby added, his voice sulky. “You embarrassed me, Del. Everyone saw it. I was sitting there like an idiot.”
“I didn’t insult you,” she said evenly. “I just didn’t want to be there.”
“That’s the same thing,” Toby shot back, his voice rising in frustration. “You made me look stupid. Do you have any idea how much effort I put into that night? I was trying to make it amazing for you, and you didn’t even give it a chance.”
Del’s mouth tightened. “You don’t get it. You weren’t just pushing dinner—I could’ve let that slide. You started asking things you had no right to. About my parents. About what happened.” Her throat felt tight, but she kept her voice steady. “And you brushed it off like it was nothing. Like losing them was some old scar that doesn’t matter anymore. That’s why I left.”
Toby blinked, as though she was exaggerating. “Del, that was years ago. I was just trying to understand you better.”
“No,” she said flatly. “You were trying to pick me apart.”
His arms flung out, his frustration plain. “So now I can’t even ask about your life? I was just trying to get to know you. Isn’t that what people do on dates?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be a date!” Del’s patience snapped. “And you don’t get to decide what’s okay for me to talk about. If you really wanted to know me, you’d respect the boundaries I set instead of trampling over them because you think you know best.”
He let out a short laugh. “Wow. So I try, and that’s still wrong. What do you even want from me, Del?”
“Nothing,” she said, her voice firm now. “I already tried being civil with you. It’s not working. Enough, Toby. Leave me alone.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am dead serious.” Del raised an eyebrow. “And I never agreed to dinner. You asked me for coffee, and somehow that turned into a reservation I didn’t know about. That’s not effort, Toby. That’s tricking me into something I didn’t want.”
His mouth opened, then closed, like he couldn’t quite decide which complaint to land on. “It wasn’t a trick. It was a surprise. A nice one. Normal people would’ve appreciated it.”
“Normal people,” Del echoed, unimpressed. “Or people who like you back the way you want them to. Which I don’t.”
That seemed to sting more than anything else she’d said, and Toby’s shoulders slumped. “So that’s it? After everything? You’re just… not even willing to try and make it up to me?”
“There’s nothing to try again,” Del replied plainly. “And I don’t want to make it up to you because I know I don’t have to, and I don’t like you like that, and lying about plans isn’t going to change it. You don’t get to decide what I should appreciate.”
He shifted his weight, scowling. “You didn’t even give me a chance.”
“I already gave you my answer,” she said, moving past him without a glance. “You just refuse to accept it. If you’d respected what we agreed on, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Toby’s tone turned defensive. “So it’s my fault?” he demanded.
Del didn’t bother arguing further. She turned to leave, but he followed after her, still pushing.
“You make it sound like I tricked you,” he said, his words coming quicker now. “I was trying to do something thoughtful, Del. That’s what people do when they like someone. They plan things, and they put in effort. But you—you just ran off like I was some creep.”
Del stopped again, facing him squarely. “You weren’t thoughtful, Toby. You were pushy. There’s a difference. You can’t call it effort if it ignores what I wanted.”
“That’s not fair,” he muttered, his jaw tightening. “You didn’t even try to see it from my side.”
“I didn’t need to,” she said, calm but firm. “Because it wasn’t about your side. It was about mine. And I told you what I wanted.”
For a moment, Toby just stood there, hands shoved in his pockets, his sulk plain. “So that’s it then. You’re just done with me.”
“I was never with you,” Del replied. She adjusted her bag and started walking again. “So yes, that’s it.”
He didn’t follow this time. His muttered words trailed after her, low and sulky. “You’ll regret this. You’ll see what you walked away from.”
She didn’t bother answering and looked him squarely in the eye. She told him she had already tried to be civil and tried not to be harsh with him, but it wasn’t working. Enough was enough.
“Leave me alone, Toby,” she said before walking away, determined not to let him drag her back into an argument she didn’t want.
She slipped into the flow of students heading down the hall, her pace steady. The irritation from the encounter lingered, but underneath it was relief, too. She had said exactly what she needed to, and for once, she didn’t feel like second-guessing herself.
And he called her name once more, but she didn’t turn back. By the time she reached her next class, all that was left was the faint annoyance of wasted energy—and the quiet satisfaction of having said exactly what needed to be said.