Chapter twenty one: An intoxicated nightWe kept talking about several things until the sun casted a golden hue over the landscape. As the sky painted itself in hues of orange and pink, we fell into a comfortable silence. As the final remnants of daylight disappeared from the sky, Scott turned to me with a smile plastered on his face. “We should do this again," he suggested. "Another date, perhaps?"Feeling a surge of spontaneity, I couldn't resist the urge to suggest something bold. "Why wait?" I proposed eagerly. "Let's seize the moment and head to a party right now. A friend of mine is throwing one tonight."Without hesitation, we gathered our belongings and set off into the night. When we arrived at the party, I said to Scott, “I’m gonna go find my best friend, Rachel. Just wait for me here.”I left to find Rachel amidst a sea of people.“Ahhhhhhh!!! You came!” Rachel screamed excitedly when she caught sight of me. With a delighted squeal, she enveloped me in a tight embrace, and
Chapter twenty two: The end of a love that never startedMany weeks after that night, Rachel would not stop disturbing me. “Won’t you tell me about your mystery man?” She asked over and over again. Her persistence was like a pesky mosquito buzzing in my ear, relentless and kinda irritating. No matter how many times I swatted her inquiries away, she kept coming back for more. I felt my patience wearing thinner than a strand of spaghetti. But I understood that she was just a caring best friend, always concerned about me."It's not that big of a deal," I repeated, hoping to deflect her curiosity like a pro. But Rachel was like a detective on a mission, refusing to let go of her interrogation tactics."But you sounded so excited last night. You seem different now," she prodded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.I sighed.“Who is he and what did he do to you? If he broke your heart, he’ll have me to deal with," Rachel declared, her protective instincts kicking into high gear.I waved her of
Chapter twenty three: David versus Goliath.I continued walking, but he hurried after me. He raised his hand, and I instinctively flinched, thinking he was going to hit me again.“I was not going to hit you. I wanted to swat a mosquito that kept hovering around,” Scott explained."I'm not sure whether or not I believe him," I thought to myself, eyeing him cautiously. His hand was still raised against me.Out of nowhere, a hand held back Scott’s. "What the hell is going on here?" The deep voice demanded. I felt another airy rush of deja vu. It reminded of when David defended me from Penelope. And here he was, defending me once more from another bully.I stepped forward, trying to regain composure. “David, I can handle this. You don’t have to fight my battles for me.”He flashed me a quick genuine smile. “I know you can handle yourself. Just let me help you this one time.”“Hey, hey, who do you think you are? Mind you business, man!” Scott barked. His body tensed in a hint of aggressio
Chapter twenty four: Bernita Drama The next day, I was just about to clock out of work when Bernita stormed in with indescribable fury. Her outfit was a clash of colors straight out of a fashion disaster, with hues of blue, pink, and red fighting for attention. Her hair was a tangled mess; strands were flying in all directions. Streaks of black mascara were dripping down her cheeks. Her makeup was totally smudged. Because I had distanced myself from my double life, I had been avoiding Bernita and hadn’t even seen her in weeks. I was tempted to run away but I just couldn’t in good conscience leave her in such a terrible condition. Could I turn a blind eye to her obvious distress?I hesitated for a moment because I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with any Bernita Drama. With a resigned sigh, I approached her cautiously. "Bernita, what's wrong? You look like you've been through a hurricane," I said, trying to mask my reluctance with concern.She shot me a venomous glare before unlea
Chapter twenty five: Walking on hot coals On getting home, I fell face flat on my bed and screamed into my pillow. I was so conflicted because I felt guilty. Sure, Bernita wasn't exactly my closest friend, more like an acquaintance, but that didn't make what happened any less complicated. I mean, was it really against the girl code to have feelings for a boy who was previously in a relationship with a girl you know? And our meeting at the park – was it truly just a friendly rendezvous, not a date? Or was I trying to convince myself that I wasn't crossing any lines?There, I fell asleep, still wearing my clothes and shoes. I woke up the next morning to the ringing of a call blaring from my phone. My ringtone was my favorite song in the entire world. “I’m walking on sunshine, ooohhh. And don’t it feel good!!”"Walking on sunshine? More like screaming on burning hot coals," I grumbled groggily. I was not a morning person.“Who in their right mind calls at 7 am on a Saturday?" I said
Chapter twenty six(1): BloodhoundsLife sucked! As I walked back after my humiliating day at work, the birds chirping in the sky seemed to be talking to me. They were saying, "Jessica, your life freaking sucks." And they were right. The harder I worked, the more I hurt. Why the hell do I try anyways? These thoughts raced through my mind as I headed towards my mom's fruit shop.She appeared lost in her own thoughts, a tinge of sadness evident on her face. "Hey, best mom in the world," I greeted, attempting to lift her spirits despite my own struggles.She glanced up, her tired eyes softening at the sight of me. "Hey, sweetheart," she replied, mustering a faint smile. I reached out to help her with arranging the fruits on the display. She studied me for a moment. "Oh, baby," she sighed, her voice tinged with concern. "You don't have to pretend for me. I can see something's bothering you."I forced a half-hearted smile. "It's nothing, Mom. Just a rough day at work, you know how it is."
Chapter twenty six:I watched as the masked figure, the mysterious fighter who had intervened to save us from harm, slowly removed his mask, revealing the face beneath. As the fabric fell away, a gasp escaped my lips, as we beheld the identity of our unexpected savior. It was Scott. He greeted my mom and asked to speak with me. I followed him to a quiet corner and waited for him to talk. "Look, I know what I did was wrong. I should never have laid a hand on you. It was out of line, and I regret it more than you'll ever know. I let my temper get the best of me. There's no excuse for violence, especially towards someone I care about."He paused for a moment waiting for a reply but I didn't say anything. But Scott wasn't finished. He took a step closer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he were approaching a wounded animal."I've been doing a lot of thinking since then, replaying the moment in my head over and over again. I understand if you never want to speak to me again but
Chapter twenty seven: Warmth on a cold rooftop Instead of going home, I went to the roof top of a building. I always went there to think whenever life got too hard. It was my favorite place in the world. But that day, I found someone was already there. A solitary figure stood silhouetted against the morning sky. I had a clear view of his back.“Do you come here to think too?” I asked.As if awoken from a dream, the man turned towards me in surprise. We both recognized each other at the same time. “You!” we exclaimed.It was Senators Sanders again. We had met once before on my first day working at Karnegie Country Club. I remember he gave me a tissue to clean my tears and comforted me. “Your name is Jessica, isn’t it?” He inquired."Yes, sir," I replied respectfully.“I'm gonna assume you know who I am?" he asked with a hint of amusement."I do, sir," I confirmed.“You’ve gotta stop with the ‘sir’ like I’m some old man. I’m only forty five years young. Call me senator,” he teased, fl