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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44365
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/44365
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

On-again/off-again relationships don't usually have smooth transitions. Especially not for outside observers (and often not for the participants). Add in that this is a teen relationship, and forget about smooth.

Since the relationship is not central to the plot, your narrative can just describe status changes matter of fact and not linger on them. I mean, show the emotions and the problems they have working together while broken up and anything else that you wish to show. But don't explain too much.

Readers understand that relationships don't always have soft and gentle changes. More like a stick thrown into the wheels. People argue, they're upset for a while, they may or may not be able to be around each other, and then, sometimes all of a sudden, everything's cool again.

Some couples talk it out. Some kiss it out. Others slowly hang out more and resume doing relationship things, so there's no clear point where the status changed back. Others just say "we cool?" and then they are.

Breakups are even more volatile. They can happen in under a minute. Or the anger and resentment can build up over time and then the break up happens after a long talk, or with yet another quick argument. Or people can drift apart.

**Just give enough tidbits for your reader to figure it out and don't dwell on it.**

If the work were _about_ the relationship that would be different. But in this case, the relationship is background information and describing it has been slowing down your narrative.

Original score: 4