Chapter 14 - It's time to breakup with her (J)
I was watching ‘Noah’ in my laptop when I heard noises coming from the receiver setup on my study table. Closing the laptop, I went to sit at the table to hear what’s happening at Emily’s place.
“What’s happening? Why are the girls in our house?” I heard Anna ask in a confused tone.
“Shush. I invited them for a girls’ night out. You were late every day, so I forgot to tell you” Em said.
“Fine. But why did you pull me here when everyone’s downstairs?”
“I wanted to talk to you, about Jason” Emily talked in almost a whisper that I could barely hear.
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked coolly as if she’s not angry at me hours ago.
“Umm.. Are you angry at Jason? Because I can assure you---”
Cutting her off, Anna replied “Why would I be angry at him? He’s my friend Em, my best friend. I was just upset at that time”
“Oh. You just seemed angry at him in the morning. So I thought of telling you the truth. He came to see you yesterday and waited hours for you to come home but you were late.”
“He did?” she chirped.
“Yeah, he did. I wanted to tell you since you misunderstood him. He really cares for you Anna” There was awkward silence for few seconds before I heard Emily speak again “Ok enough of Jason now; since everyone’s home let’s get ready” There were shuffling sounds at the other end for a while followed by something that sounded like zipping or unzipping of a dress.
Jesus. They’re changing clothes. I quickly pulled off some random wire not wanting to be a pervert. What was I thinking putting a microphone in my friend’s room who happens to be a girl. What would she think of me if she knew what I had done.
Screw the plan. I don’t want to know what they’ll be doing if I get to hear awkward things such as this. As much as I wanted to know what their idea of fun is, I don’t want to be a pervert than I already was.
Plucking all the wires and putting the equipment safely in a card board box, I went to sleep.
*******
School started the following Monday and I was very eager to meet my friends; okay fine I was eager to meet Anna since I haven’t seen her after our little fight. I went early to my trig class hoping to have a conversation with her if she gets early but was disappointed when she turned up just as Mr. James walked into the class. However I was surprised seeing her in a different style; she still wasn’t wearing specs and her hair was let down covering one half of her face.
I waited the next hour patiently for the class to end so that I’d get to talk to her. But she left the room immediately after the class ended and didn’t come to the next class until the teacher came. The same thing happened for the next classes too; she disappeared once the class ended and didn’t turn up until the teacher walked into the class. Surprised by her actions I decided to meet her during lunch but when I reached our table she wasn’t sitting there either.
“Where is Anna?” I asked Emily who was sitting alone at one end of the table.
“I—I don’t know” she said not meeting my eyes.
I need not be a genius to figure out she’s lying. But, what is she hiding from me?
“What happened Em? Why isn’t she here?” I said trying to sound calm.
“I don’t know. She told me not to wait for her”
I didn’t persuade her to answer truthfully since I already knew she isn’t going to tell any further. Emily can never hide things from her friends but if she is does, then she is definitely not going to open up.
Sighing, I dumped the food tray in the bin not feeling hungry anymore. I walked in the almost empty corridors searching for Anna until I found her sitting alone behind a tree little far from the parking lot.
Why the hell is she sitting alone??
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in the cafeteria?” I snapped unable to control my anger.
She didn’t say a word and got up to leave without meeting my eyes before I snatched her wrist and turned to her side “Why are you avoiding me?”
“I am not” she replied in almost a whisper not lifting her head.
“Yes. You are. I was trying to talk to you since first class but you were----” I snapped my eyes shut trying to control the fury and anger building up within me as I said as calmly as I could “What happened? This is so not you”
I tilted her chin up and was shocked to see a bruise on her cheek which was not visible until now with her hair covering her face. So this is why she let her hair down; to cover her bruise which was almost healed and invisible and I wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t this close to her.
She cleared her throat snapping me out of my thoughts and said in a serious tone “I wanted to be alone, like I always was”
I left her hand shocked by her words and croaked “Why?”
“I--- I don’t want to have fr—friends any more. I want to be alone”
Heartbroken by her words I stood rooted to the spot while she left me without saying a word. Did she really say what I thought she said? She said she doesn’t want friends; meaning she doesn’t want me.
But why? I am not stupid to think she said those words actually meaning them. Something big happened, definitely. I remember every word she said to Em, if I haven’t heard their conversation I would’ve thought she is still angry at me. But since she is not, I know something happened and Emily knows about it. Why aren’t they telling me and what the hell happened to her face?
*****
Ever since Anna stopped coming to our table at lunch I found it hard to sit at our spot with my other friends. That’s when I realized I missed her way too much; even her silence had been comfortable to me. Except Gabe and Elle no one really cared why she is not sitting with us though everyone asked where she is. She is still not talking to me and Emily isn’t helping either.
“I wonder why Anna is not sitting with us” Elle asked the same question again, two weeks after she left.
“We don’t know Elle. Please stop asking the same question, again and again” Gabe said irritated.
“I’m just curious Gabe. Don’t you care about her?” she said with a worried look on her face.
“I do. In fact I talked to her a couple of times but she isn’t answering me why she left”
She is talking to him? That means she is only avoiding me. She isn’t coming here only because she doesn’t want to face me? But why? I haven’t done anything to hurt her.
“Can you please stop talking about her?” Cheryl asked with an irritated look on her face.
“Why? What’s your problem?” Elle scowled.
“She left, okay? Now get over it”
“She is our friend. We care about her and want to know the reason. What’s it to you?”
“We only know her for three months. Three fu**ing months. Why do you people behave like she’s your long lost friend? ”
“She’s been a friend to us these three months than you’ve ever been” Elle replied glaring at her.
“Like I ever wanted to be your friend” She said rolling her eyes and continued “Look, she doesn’t belong to our group. She’s a no body, so just stop fussing over her”
“I don’t know what your problem with her is but she’s ten times the person you are. And just to remind you, you were nothing until you started dating Jason and it was me who got you into the cheerleading team. So quit insulting others and mind your own business”
Saying that Elle left, snapping her chair to the table with a loud thud followed by Kyle, Blaise and Hunter. Few more minutes passed and Cheryl left with Megan at her side.
“I thought Elle’s going to kill her” Gabe whispered beside me.
“Shut up”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened?” I asked Emily who is sitting alone.
“Nothing happened Jason” She said giving me the usual answer.
******
One week left for Christmas holidays and I already managed to get gifts for everyone. It’s Saturday night and I am surprised how I managed to buy all the gifts in one day; today to be exact.
All the gifts were scattered on my bed, few packed while few yet to be gift wrapped. I just hope everyone like my gifts. With that thought in my mind I continued gift wrapping the presents until I heard a knock on my door. “Come in” I yelled.
“Hi Jason” Cheryl chirped with a seductive smile.
“Hey” I replied surprised by her sudden arrival.
“You’ve already shopped for Christmas? Wow” she cheered, her eyes glowing with a sparkle.
“Yup. I don’t want to rush at the last minute”
“Whoa. IPhone? You got an IPhone? Is that for me?” she said with a grin eyeing the iPhone 6 plus box that’s resting beside my pillow.
“No, it’s not for you. I’ve already wrapped your present” I said giving her a sexy smile that she can’t resist but sadly she didn’t buy it this time.
“Whom did you buy it for?” she asked with a curious expression, her grin long gone.
“Umm.. It’s for Anna”
“You got the latest IPhone for her?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, she doesn’t have a phone. So I thought of getting one for her” I replied scratching my head.
“You can just get a cheaper one. What did you buy for me?” she asked seriously.
“I’ve already packed yours. You’ll know what you get on Christmas” I replied giving her a wink.
“No. I want to know it now”
“You can find it out on Christmas.”
“I. Want. To. Know. Now” she said through gritted teeth.
I handed over her present not wanting to argue anymore. She pulled out the gift wrapping with two violent strokes and opened the box.
She gasped “You got me tickets?”
“Yup. One direction’s next concert tickets. Do you like it?”
“You got me fu**ing tickets?”
“Yeah. You always wanted to go for One D’s live concert, right? So I thought you would like it” I replied.
“You got her IPhone and you got me effing tickets?” she glowered.
“What’s your problem Cheryl? I got you what I thought you might like”
“But you got her a fu**ing IPhone” She retorted.
“Because I thought she might like it” I snapped.
“But she’s not your friend anymore. Is she?” she glared.
“Of course she is” I grunted in annoyance. What’s her problem really?
“Oh. So you are still with her. Both of you are lying to me, aren’t you? Stupid bitch didn’t learn her lesson. Did she?”
“What are you talking about?” I spat angrily.
“Stop acting Jason. I know the truth now; you both are seeing each other behind my back. She didn’t stop talking to you, did she? She didn’t change her ways even after she got the much deserved slap”
“What are you talking abou---?? ----- You slapped her?” I glowered towering her while she moved away panicking a bit.
So, that’s what happened. Cheryl told Anna to stay away from me and slapped her; that explains the bruise on her cheek. When did this happen?
The girls’ night out.
“How dare you?? How da---” I turned away not able to control my anger. Snapping my eyes shut and pinching the bridge of my nose I clutched my hand shut trying to restrain myself from hitting her.
“That’s what she gets for trying to steal my boyfriend” She said giving me a wicked smile.
“Get. Out” I snapped at her.
“But I thought of having fun----”
“Leave, before I decide on how to kill you” I said glaring at her giving my most serious look.
Giving me one last deathly glare she left the room snapping the door shut with a loud thud that could’ve woken up the whole neighborhood if it is night. Minutes after she left, I ran to the driveway quickly racing to Anna’s house hoping she is home but luck isn’t my side when I found she still didn’t return from work.
“Hey” Emily greeted giving me a slight smile.
“Tell me what happened that night”
Her smile faded and she stiffened but she tried to cover it saying “What night?”
“Stop playing dumb. I knew Cheryl slapped Anna”
“H-How?” she asked with a shocked look on her face.
“I just know. Now tell me, I want to know everything”
Sighing, she started “That day when I invited Cheryl and Megan to our home, Anna didn’t really want to hang out with us. But I pleaded her to get along with everyone since they’re my friends as well and she agreed unwillingly. Everything started going downhill when Cheryl was drunk and called her friends to play Truth or Dare. Few girls from our school including Beth came and started the game”
“Anna wasn’t interested and said she’d sleep but Cheryl and her friends didn’t let her go. So she played along with all of us not wanting to create a scene”
“However when it was her turn, Anna chose Truth and grabbing the opportunity Cheryl asked her since when she’s sleeping with her boyfriend. Anna denied saying she never slept with you but that didn’t stop Cheryl from asking stupid questions like ‘When was the first time Jason kissed you’, ‘How was he in bed with you’, ‘Does he kiss you like how he kisses me’”
“Things went out of our hands when she started accusing of stealing her boyfriend calling her colorful names. How much ever I tried to cool her down, she didn’t listen and walked up to a leaving Anna and slapped her. She warned her to stay away from you and threatened to kill her if she doesn’t. She also accused Anna for her unstable relationship with you”
“Even after Anna left, she didn’t stop bad mouthing her in front of her friends. I told her to shut up but she wouldn’t. So I did the only thing that I should’ve done long back and threw her out of the house”
“That’s what happened Jason”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked calmly.
“Anna told me not to. She made me promise not to tell you. I had to Jason” She said and continued when I nodded “She didn’t want you to breakup with Cheryl because of her. I told her that you’re not in a serious relationship and you deserve to know the truth but she refused to tell you”
“I am sorry Jason. I really am” She muttered lowering her head in shame.
“I understand Em. I am sorry too. I should’ve guessed seeing the bruise on her face. God, I was stupid”
“So, you forgive me?” she said giving me a tired smile to which I replied “Yes. I do forgive you”
After waiting for two more hours which I spent watching TV in their living room, Anna finally came home. Seeing me she immediately shifted her gaze and sprinted upstairs to her room. I followed her and quickly caught her wrist before she can open her bedroom door.
“Leave me” She mumbled trying to snatch her hand out of my grip.
“I won’t. I promised I’ll never leave you and I am keeping my promise”
She looked at me with admiration as she slowly mumbled “But you have to. I don’t need you”
“Your expression says otherwise; like you want me” I said lazily giving her a sly grin like I’ve finally figured out something.
She looked taken back but quickly tried to cover it saying “No. I want nothing from you”
“I know the truth. Stop lying to me Anns” I replied giving a sad smile.
“W-what truth?” she stuttered.
I gave her a look which shut her up as tears filled her eyes.
Taking her face in between both of my hands I said “I am sorry Anns. I am so sorry I couldn’t do anything. I am sorry for not realizing what happened to you”
“That’s ok. You didn’t know” She replied sadly with unshed tears.
“I was an idiot and I am sorry for that” I said kissing her forehead while she wrapped her arms around my neck and I removed my hands off her face just as she placed her head on my shoulder.
“That’s ok. You did nothing wrong”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her close “Why do you hug me Anna? Not that I don’t want you to because I do”
She chuckled softly “I don’t know why but I feel safe and protected being with you like this; like you care about me and won’t let anything happen to me”
“I care about you and won’t let anything happen to you” I promised.
“So---- Why did you ask that? Y-You don’t like hugging me?” she asked doubtfully.
“Umm… Surprisingly, I do. That’s what I am worried about.”
Pulling out of my arms she raised her eye brows with a questioning look “What’s there to be worried?”
“I’ve never hugged anyone apart from my sister”
“Should I be worried that you compared me with your sister?” she asked with a scoff.
“Why, you wanted to be anything else?” I smirked.
She blushed instantly and I chuckled at her embarrassment. God, I love the way she blushes.
We stood facing each other in silence when she suddenly turned sad “You can’t be with me Jason. You have to stay away from me, that’s best for both of us”
“I can’t stay away from you Anns.”
“You have to Jace” she replied painfully like she didn’t want to lose me.
“Say again. Just my name” I whispered in her ear pulling her into my arms again. She stiffened and I could feel the shivers running down her spine as she said “Jace”
“Say again” I mumbled like I was trapped in a trance and all I wanted to do is hear her call my name.
“Jace------ Jace------- Jace---------”
God, I love it when she calls me that. It’s almost a turn on.
“You have to leave now. It’s late” She mumbled after few minutes of silence.
“I don’t want to. Can I stay here, please?” I whined.
“No. You’re in a relationship, Jason. What would she think if you stay here? She is your girlfriend and has every right to be upset about us. How would you feel if she’s with some other guy even if he is a friend”
Honestly, I don’t care. I thought of telling her that but decided against it. If she’s supporting the woman who hit her, what would she say to me?
“Please, I will tell her something. Let me stay, please” I said giving her puppy dog eyes look that generally always worked with her including now.
“Fine. But you have to ask Lily first and then have dinner with me. Is it ok?”
“Are you asking me on a date?” she gave a puzzled look and I added “You told me to have dinner with you. So, is that a date?”
She blushed again “Stop playing with me Jace. I said is it ok?”
“Whatever you say ma’am” I replied giving her a salute as we walked downstairs together to tell Lily and Em that I am staying for the night.
Sadly I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to convince Lily; she told me to come tomorrow morning if I wanted to hang out with her, however she asked me to have dinner with them. So after dinner with The Parkers and Anna, my best friend accompanied me outside to bid good bye. “I am sorry Jason” she said while I was getting into the car.
“Why?” I asked confused on why she is apologizing me.
“For pushing you away and lying to you”
“You’ve done nothing wrong. It was my mistake” my mistake for dating a woman like Cheryl “Promise you’ll never lie to me again. Promise you’ll standup for yourself when someone like her tries to control your life”
“I promise” she said giving me a weak smile and I drove back home thinking about my mixed feelings and the decision I have to make.
Staying away from Anna for two weeks made one thing clear. I like her very much and I just can’t stay away from her, how much ever I tried to.
She’s become a very important person in my life and I intend to keep it that way. And knowing what Cheryl did to her, I realized it’s time to move on. It’s time to stop feeling guilty for not being able to love her back when she did horrible things in the name of love.
I realized it’s time to break up with her.
---
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Please share it with your friends if you liked the story; as promised I'll complete before this year end, most probably mid december.
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- Janaki
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