Chapter 3 - Troubled

*Sydney Roswell's POV*

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"Sydney? Are you there?" Vidia asked when she heard no response from me.

I am just shocked as heck with this horrible news that I am watching. How could that bitch be in an accident? What a damn reckless creature! But maybe it's not her fault. Of course, it's a damn accident—the hell with that particular deadly crossing, and the hell with that truck driver!

"Syd? Are you watching it?" She asked again, and I answered, "Yeah. I'm on it."

"Well, the bad news is... She's still alive and was hurried to the hospital. Critical condition, though." My best friend uttered that made me feel angry, mixed with too much worry.

"What? Why the hell would you wish that she'd be dead?" I thundered as I was mad at her remark about the situation of the girl. Yeah, they surely know that I hate her, but I don't despise her truly. It's just for a damn show!

"Hey, relax, Syd. I thought you'd be glad about the news. Karma's a b*tch, you know? And that was quick and way too damn worse." She replied, and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to control my anger.

Then, I just hung up without saying anything.

"F*ck." I cursed under my breath as I threw my phone on the couch.

Am I that awful towards OJ that they would think that I would be happy knowing that she is in bad condition, or worse, dead? I don't even know what to think if something bad happens to her. Hopefully, she will be okay.

"What's the matter, Syd?" Wendy asked me as she had seen me troubled while staring intently at the TV.

"Nothing. It is just... News." I answered, and I didn't notice that a tear had escaped my left eye. And I wiped it with the back of my left hand. This is what happens if I get too mad about something big, I need to cry it out.

"What's in the news? Oh, another car accident in that crossing. That's some shitty killer part of the highway. It took so many lives --- oops! I'm so sorry, Syd." She asked and apologized when she mentioned something sensitive. It's about my parents who both died in that place.

"It's okay, Wen. I'll start cooking pasta now." I replied and turned the TV off as another news flashed, then I walked to the kitchen.

---

An hour has passed, and I am currently facing my dinner all alone at the dining area while the couple is having their garden romantic Valentine's Day dinner date.

It's been a couple of minutes since I began staring at nowhere while my mind runs like a rollercoaster. I haven't touched my food because I don't have the appetite to put anything in my system. I am overthinking everything that I should not think about at all.

This is all bullshit. Why the heck would she drive if she is not feeling well? She was mad, and maybe broken-hearted, too. Or perhaps she was driving with tears in her eyes. She could have also driven while drunk. But it's an accident. No one would expect that to happen. Just... Damn it!

As I really can't take this burden in my mind anymore, I decided to keep some food in food containers to bring them somewhere.

---

After giving some dog food dinner to Kitty, my German Shepherd at her dog house beside the garage, I went straight to our next-door neighbor.

Three knocks only, I mean, three loud bangs on the door after ringing the doorbell like twenty times and yelling her name not just once, the door finally opened, revealing a grinning girl wrapped in a pink towel with her red hair dripping wet.

"Hello! Who's there? What's the business? Oh, Syd! Hi! What are you here for?" She greeted and cheerily asked me.

"Are you really opening a damn door even if you don't know who has been knocking while you are just in a freaking towel with nothing else under it?" I told her and sounded a bit mad, but she's used to it. Then she just looked at me with her blinking eyes that I really want to poke.

"Oh, that... I am wearing something under it. Tada! See? Not totally nakey nakey." She let out merrily while unwrapping the towel and showing me her almost naked body confidently, which made my eyes widened in complete shock.

What a damn eyesore! For this homo's sake, she's just in her pink undies! Yes, I do get uncomfortable seeing women showing too much skin. I just wanna be decent; come on!

"Anyways, thanks for the concern, Syd, but I guess no one would be knocking on my door that would take advantage of my womanhood and if there is... Thank goodness! Thank heavens! Finally!" She added while covering her nudeness, and I just shook my head as I let out a sigh of frustration when she rejoiced like a total moron. Why am I even acquainting myself with this kind of person?

"Yeah, hopefully, they won't be bringing knives or guns," I replied, which made the girl laugh like hell.

"Oh, I am gonna be loving their guns, you know? Especially the big---" She answered dreamily, and I cut her off belting, "Shut the f*ck up, Emma! Are you letting me in your house or not? I will just go back home."

"Hey, of course! Come in. I'm sorry. Feel at home, Syd. What brought you here?" She said and asked, ushering me to get in, and locked the door.

"Are your parents home?" I asked her as we walked to the living room, and she turned to look at me.

"Nope. It's Valentine's Day, Syd! Of course, they ain't home! Prolly, they'll be home tomorrow, and Mom is surely gonna be pregnant." She answered, and I sat on the couch after putting the thing in my hold on the glass table that she had glued her eyes on, and a vast grin slowly formed on her face.

"Okay. Don't you have a date with someone yourself?" I replied and asked her as I grabbed a blue couch pillow to put it on my lap.

She giggled an evil-sounding one and turned her knowing gaze on me, which made me feel bad about what her response would be. It's creepy.

"Well... About that... Now that you are here, Sydney. Are we gonna have this, you know, date? You brought food, I have drinks in my father's minibar, and we could have the lights turn dimmer, while we will have a great romantic time together. So...? What do you say?" She said as she slowly walked near me, while I just looked at her in horror.

"Are you f**king listening to yourself?" I asked her with my face in disbelief, and she went to sit down beside me, to which I quickly moved away from her. Well, I guess if you would be the one who will knock on her door, you'll be the one that would be taken advantage of.

"Uh-huh. I could be bi, right? I mean, people have the freedom to adore whoever they want, regardless of their gender. Pride, come on, Sydney!" She replied, and I stood up while tightly hugging the pillow on my chest. I am having a bad feeling right now. Well, all I know is this bitch is as straight as the light emitted by a flashlight. Is she really coming out just like that? While me? I have been in the closet for more than a decade!

"Come on, Syd. Don't be so homophobic. I'm just kidding. Well, it's up to you if you are gonna take it seriously. By the way, I've been single for the last seventeen years of my life. Anyway, it's just a joke. You know me. I know you. We knew each other. Come on, sit down, silly. But if you are gonna leave, please, don't bring back the food with you, would you? I haven't eaten dinner." She let out and crossed her legs, then looked at me with her pleading face.

"You are spooking the heck out of me. Why don't you just get dressed already?" I told her as I went back to sit down on the other edge of the couch and away from her.

"Okay. But seriously, Syd... Leave the food. Thanks a lot, by the way." She replied, standing up, and pointed to the most valuable thing for her ever since.

"Just go!" I belted and took out my phone from my short shorts' left front pocket.

Finally, the annoying redhead left.

Why am I hanging out with her? It's because, duh, we're neighbors. Also, she owes me something big- her life. It was a long time before my brother and I moved in next door. I was with my close relatives, my brother, Kevin, and Vidia celebrating my twelfth birthday at a swimming pool resort when there's this reckless girl swimming and not knowing that she's about to have cramps and drowned. Yep, it's Emma York. And I saved her from her end. Then a year after that incident, we became neighbors, which she was so happy knowing that it was me, her young hero. Well, she's so annoying but nice at times— another piece of idiot to the idiots that I have had with me since forever. It's quite fun being with them, though.

I looked at my phone that I had turned to its silent mode, and saw that my best friend and Kevin had called me so many times. I am just not in the mood to talk to any of them because it will be about OJ again. I don't wanna hear anything about her for now. Her situation is driving me insane.

When I received a new message from Vidia, I gulped as I began reading it. "Syd, answer your damn phone. I know you don't want to hear anything about Hunters right now. But you need to hear it. It's very important."

No. I don't wanna hear it. I can't take it if it's gonna be some more horrendous news than what I knew about OJ's condition. I'm scared.