How did it end by Taylor Swift

We were blind to unforeseen circumstances, we learned the right steps to different dances, and fell victim to interlopers' glances, lost the game of chance, what are the chances?

Pacing my bedroom floor yet again I try to piece together the clues, alining them with the things I know to be true.

"Hey, Rooney.. you in there?" Rachel's voice asks softly. I tense up, checking through the peep hole anxiously. There are two people behind her, both talking to each other in hushed whispers, but Rachel's head is blocking their faces.

"Who's behind you?" I demand. I watch her sigh, glancing up to the peep hole.

To my great surprise, Jameson Hawthorne turns around sharply, scanning the door and all around to see how I knew she wasn't alone.

It's him. He's stalking me. And he's working with Rachel. And they're here to kill me.

"She installed it herself." Rachel murmurs to them. The girl and Jameson share a 'this is bad' look and she finally steps around Rachel. It's Avery. 

Not surprising, but still unsettling that my own sister is the one behind this all. The pairing of the three is peculiar, but I think they made a good team. 

"What do you want?" I speak sternly.

Rachel looks to both of them, giving a brief nod, and then she walks back in the direction of her room, where Hayden, Wyatt and Maddie all huddle around to watch.

"Hey, Pear? We're here to visit you." Avery smiles sweetly, trying to act casual.

"Empty your pockets." I reply sharply. They glance to each other with alarm. Jameson carefully raises his hands in defence. "C'mon Paris. We're your family." He tells me. That words strikes me. We. Not she. 

"If you even try to hurt me I have weapons all around this room." I warn coldly. "Got it." He sighs in defeat, emptying his pockets anyway.

Nothing too suspicious, but he places the items on the floor far from the door for my comfort. Avery shakes her head in refusal, but he shares a look with her and takes her belongings out for her. Yet again nothing suspicious.

"One minute." I begrudgingly say. I step back from the door, grabbing a blanket from my shelf and tossing it over my suspect board. If it is them, I don't need them seeing my theories — even though they in theory could see my whole room anyway.

"Take all the time you need." Avery calls out timidly. "Don't tell me what to do!" I bark back. "Got it." She sighs.

I make sure the gun under my pillow is loaded, and the blade in my sock is still there.

I start to click open all the locks and carefully pry the door open.

Avery looks shocked to see me so dishevelled, visibly affected. Jameson is taken aback, but doesn't let himself falter for longer than a second.

"Can we come in?" He suggests gently. "Slowly." I warn with gritting teeth.

They nod and step inside slowly, shutting the door behind them. I take a tentative step back, unsure if I should be threatened or not, but making sure I'm close to my gun.

"How you been?" Avery offers up the question as if it isn't abundantly clear how I've been.

"Fine. You?" I speak calmly, watching their every move.

"Is that true?" Jameson raises a brow. I nod. "We've been good." Avery answers instead, knowing interrogating me won't work.

"Your roommates tell us you got cast in the Christmas Show case again? That's three for three.. gotta be some kinda record, huh?" Avery laughs with a small smile.

"Mmh." I just reply, not actually speaking words. "Congrats." Jameson smiles. I nod, not verbally thanking him.

"I really like what you've done with your hair.. I mean not many people can pull off the 'not brushed in a month' look." Avery jokes. I don't laugh. Jameson gives a little chuckle so the room isn't completely silent.

"So what's been going on with you lately?" Jameson subtly slips in. "Not much." I instantly reply.

The question spirals through my mind. I know. But do they know? Do they know I know? I know they know I know. So does that mean they know I know they know I know. Or are they completely oblivious to what's going on, because they aren't my stalkers?

"I hear you and Grayson had a fight.. is that what's been going on?" Avery hums, reaching out to caress my shoulder, I slap her wrist away, making Jameson step forward, ready to interfere.

"Wasn't aware we had a fight." I state plainly. I am aware we had a fight.

"Really? Grayson said something about you guys arguing and then you brought up his Father.." Jameson states, trying to be subtle and pretend he didn't hear the whole story from Grayson.

"I don't recall." I hum in thought. 

"He's worried about you. It's been over a month since your fight and he hasn't heard from you since. None of us have." Avery interjects, ignoring my denial.

"My phones fucked." I deadpan. "I'll get you a new one." Avery states. "It's just throw it out if you did." I say.

"I don't like you being out here on your own without even a phone." Jameson shakes his head.

"I'm safer without." I stare daggers at him.

"At least call Grayson on one of our phones just to let him know you're all good." Avery bargains. 

"Or maybe I could just not do that?" I shrug delicately. "No. Do it." Jameson doesn't argue, just states facts. He tosses me his phone. I contemplate just crushing it, but then I remember that if they are my stalkers, they wouldn't be happy about that. 

"Paris I know you're mad at Gray but he's worried about you, you gotta call him." Jameson says sincerely. 

I blink, he carefully approaches my side, pulling up Grayson's number on his phone and hitting call when I don't.

It rings for less than a second before he picks up. I bring the phone to my ear.

"Is she there? Do you have her?" Grayson instantly speaks strongly.

Do you have her? Does that mean what I think, or am I being paranoid.

"Grayson?" I force the word out, the word feeling heavy on my tongue. 

I hear him sigh with relief.

The voice in my head eggs me on to just break up with him altogether. If he's the stalker, he's a danger to me. If he's not, I'm a danger to him. It's best for all of us.

"P? Thank God.. I was so worried. You don't know how good it is to hear your voice. Your roommates called us and said you were 'losing it' I honestly felt sick-"

"I'm breaking up with you." 

Jameson and Avery audibly gasp, glancing to each other unsurely.

I hear Libby gasp, and Nash try to say something. Everyone's listening. Of course they are. 

Grayson clearly stands, exiting the room and presumably taking the phone of speaker mode. "What?" He asks.

"I said I'm breaking up with-" I repeat simply. "No I heard. What do you mean you're breaking up with me?" He asks.

My fear is too high right now to even process what I'm doing. I know I have to, but I can't find it in me to feel anything other than numb. And I like it that way. Numb is safer. 

"It means, we are no longer in a relationship. Jesus.. no wonder you dropped out of Harvard." I snark. If he's the stalker, I hope that stung. But if he's not, I hope it didn't hurt too much.

"Paris what are you-" he begins. "It's over." I interrupt.

"Are you being threatened? Is someone putting you up to this?" He orders firmly. "Nope." I state. 

He's always been strong, but he sometimes lets me see him cry. And I can always see him falter. But right now he's too shocked to feel anything.

"Why then?" Grayson asks. "Sometimes things just don't work out. People go separate ways. It's normal. Just let it go." I shrug, trying to force a single emotion into me.

"I'll move to Massachusetts. I'll move in with you. If it's long distance that's the problem, I'll move." He's so quick to offer, and it almost makes me wonder if this would be happening even if I wasn't being stalked.

He's so quick to quit his life just to be with me. Were we toxic all along? Or am I just trying to mediate.

"Please just tell me what I need to do to fix this." Grayson begs, a slight hint of vulnerability slipping out his throat in the form of a voice crack.

"Nothing." I tell him. Before he can get another word out I just hang up.

Avery and Jameson are both thoroughly stunned. They don't speak a word.

"You guys should go." I smile politely, urging them towards the door. They try to argue, "Paris what the hell was that?" Avery demands.

"We weren't working out. Just leave it." I growl. "No! You are treading a dangerous line right now. There's something seriously wrong with you and you can't even see it. Pear, you need to stop pretending everything is okay." Avery yells at me. 

I slap her across the face. Jameson instantly jumps in, pulling Avery's back flat against his chest, shaking his head at me to say 'give it a rest' and then starts walking her out my bedroom, rubbing her cheek carefully.

"I'm fine!" I yell shakily, slamming the door shut and popping in all three locks. 

I uncover my mystery board once again and get started on adding every clue I can think of. I don't even cry. A year and a half together. And not one tear.

(a/n. Merry Christmas! This is my gift to you!! Do you like it?? On the first day of May-mas my true love gave to me, a Graris breakup.. Anyway thanks for 160k reads. Thanks for all the kind comments about my knee surgery. I'm all good now thankfully. I have some Christmas oneshots coming soon, make sure to keep an eye on my Inheritance Games Oneshot book 'Hawthorne'. Hope you all have a great Christmas, Tis the Damn Season <333)