CHAPTER 5

“Hello Mrs Elena, is Lucy home?” I asked Lucy's Aunty who I had met gardening right outside their house.

I had come to tell my best friend that I was leaving.

Ever since that incident in school, Lucy had refused to talk to me and I was not surprised when she did not come to look for me even when I had not showed up to school in days.

So here I was trying to mend broken fences before I left and once again I was met with her absence.

“No honey, she went out with that naughty boy again. After messing my sheets up, they leave my house in a mess. Once that stubborn girl comes home she’ll clean this house spotless like a maid. She just gets me mad all the time” Elena said furiously, digging away at the soil.

The naughty boy in question: Caine Creek.

But I could care less about him now, he no longer mattered to me.

"Do you know where she went to?" I asked her, helping her with her water can for her garden.

“Thank you sweetie. Well, Lucy wouldn't tell me where they were headed but I heard the boy saying he was taking her to the small diner in town” Elena said and I thanked her before walking away.

But I stopped and turned to "Mrs Landers" . I called her "I'm leaving," I told her, shifting on one foot, waiting to see her reaction.

She smiled and took off her hat before taking off her gloves and coming to meet me where I stood.

"I heard about what happened honey. Though life has a way of playing tricks with us, he's a fool for leaving your mother like that" she said and pulled me in for a hug.

"Tell Amanda I'm sending my love to her. But we'll meet tonight anyway. And you, keep being a good girl baby, and never be like Lucy." She said and broke the hug before we both laughed at her small joke.

"I wonder what you saw in her anyways, when she has always been a horrible person to you" she said and touched my face.

I could not accept any slander on my friend, so I cleared my throat and that signaled my wish to leave.

"Bye baby" Elena bidded.

When I got to the diner, Lucy and Caine were nowhere to be found, so I walked inside looking for them.

I saw a full table with familiar faces, ones who disliked me.

But I needed to see Lucy before I left so I chalked up the courage to go and ask about her.

“Have you seen Luce?” I said to the table and suddenly their conversation died.

“Get away from our table nanny McPhee, can’t you see we’re eating?” Imani said loudly gathering more attention from other diners around.

“Sorry” I looked around in embarrassment

“You arrogant half baked rat” Spencer cussed at me and I started to walk away.

“I’m sorry, I was just looking for Lucy. I don’t want any trouble, I ….” I didn't look behind me to see Harper had set his leg out for me.

I tripped on his leg and landed on the floor with my butt on the wet mop that had been there.

They all burst out laughing and pointing fingers at me.

“Are you okay honey?” Maria, the owner of the diner came up behind me and they all kept quiet and faced their food like they had not been the reason I just got disgraced.

"Caine said not to touch her" Tatiana whispered and I heard them snicker silently.

“I’m okay Maria, I just slipped” I told Maria who helped me up.

“I’m sorry, here’s a towel. Don’t pay any attention to those dumbass kids who are empty heads, all they know how to do is be mean and party. Go clean up in the restroom” Maria said and I took the towel.

“Thank you” stuck in my throat after remembering what Caine had told me about that word.

“How’s your mum? It’s been a long time since I saw her” Maria asked.

“She’s great” I replied quickly and wanting to change the conversation “Have you seen Lucy?”

Maria looked around for a while.

“Yeah, last I saw her was in the stalls with that good for nothing Alpha’s son” Maria pointed to the restroom.

Lucy and Caine alone? Together? In the toilets?

I knew I was not supposed to be bothered by them but hearing them together triggered a certain hurt inside of me.

“Oh” I said weakly.

“You might meet her there, that is if they’ve not gone out through the window” Maria said.

“Thank you Maria”

“Anytime honey, come back for some free fries on your way out. I’d like to send some things to your mother”

I nodded and went to the restroom.

“Luce?” I called her name softly as I got into the restroom, looking around for her but I heard moans and grunts instead.

I wanted to call her name again but the next words I heard stopped me.

“Caine don’t stop!”

That was Lucy.

“Stop yelling”

Caine's voice.

“Ahhh, shit” Lucy moaned.

That was it, it was the last straw.

Caine and Lucy were having sex.

Lucy said they were dating so I should be expecting such but this just raised a whole new level of pain.

There was no way I could recover from this, I really did like him and I was not yet over him.

I wiped my tears as I ran out of the toilet but I bumped into Maria as I got out of the restroom.

“Honey is everything…. Oh boy” Maria said in a very calm voice as she stared at the door of the restroom.

She held my shoulders and led me to the empty chairs where my bullies had been sitting a while ago.

They left already.

“Those tears, they’re ones of heartbreak. I’ve seen them countless times before, I’ll tell you. I’ve felt them myself” Maria rubbed my shoulders.

I was still crying heavily.

“That little shit, she’s not even supposed to be doing that. She’s just seventeen!” She yelled towards the restroom hoping they would hear her loud voice.

“Lord knows I don’t make that much to put up with the crazy shit that goes on here everyday” Maria said with a big sigh as she shook her head.

“I like him” I cried as I talked to her with teary eyes and a heaving chest.

“Oh”

“Yeah” I nodded.

“Honey” Maria kissed my head.

“She knows you like him?” She asked me again.

“Yes” I nodded as I whimpered and laid my head on the table. 

“That’s a horrible friend Jaz, you should cut ties with her” Maria said as she caressed my shoulders.

“What does it matter now Maria, we’re leaving” I sobbed.

“Leaving? Where to?” She asked me with wide eyes.

“My parents just got divorced” I announced to her.

“Oh boy” she whistled.

She stood up with a sigh, placed her cardigan on me before moving out.

Maria came back with enough fries, burgers and drinks for us while we sat down and talked into the night.

Lucy never came out through the front door and Maria told me they might've gone out through the window.

After she had lifted my spirits and made me forget about the boy who had broken my heart without even knowing he did, she sent me home later that evening with enough goodies.

“I’ll deal with Lucy and that boy for you. Go home and give your

mama a kiss for me” she said and left me off at the door.

I walked home feeling empty and remorseful that I have an eye for my best friend's boyfriend.