The Colors In Her Voice

☆Chapter 44☆

"I like you."

'What a liar!'

That was one of the worst lies I could have ever said in my whole life. I was way past the "like" phase. My like had transpired into love a long time ago and I couldn't find myself getting rid of this emotion any time soon for him. Not that I wanted to anyway.

I could feel my heart clogging up my throat because I didn't even think about the aftermath of my words until I had uttered them out loud. Had I thought about it thoroughly then this wouldn't have happened at all.

With half a heart, I mustered up the courage to finally look at Mason. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his jaw was slackened. I was more than certain that I looked like a constipated goat.

At that particular moment, I did the only thing that I deemed was logical. I fled. Fled from the gym, out of the school gates into the cold winter night. It was still snowing, maybe more so than before. I instantly regretted my impulsive decision because I forgot my fur coat in the school premises itself.

I heard Mason calling out my name but I ignored his shouts. I don't think I could face him but more importantly it was my humiliation that I couldn't face. I had always thought that Mason would be the one to run for the hills when he would hear my confession but I was absolutely wrong. I took my own league. I did what I have always feared that he would do.

As I was sprinting to God knows where, my pretty dress suddenly started suffocating me, my new shoes were biting me and the tight braids were giving me a massive headache. Like someone was pulling them off of my scalp. The make-up I wore wasn't letting me breathe. I was sure that I looked like a mess but what's even more unfortunate was that I felt like one too.

Tears were streaming down my face and at this point, I stopped caring about the mascara smearing across my eyes. It was so dark ahead of me and to make things worse, my vision was blurred because of the unwanted tears. It seemed like I was being sucked inside a deep chasm.

'Why am I even crying?!' I thought, puffing out my cheeks. My legs were groaning in pain while I felt a sharp jab in my stomach so I stopped abruptly. This is what happens when you are thin.

'Why am I crying?' I thought again with the same ferocity. 'Because I am scared.' Answering my own question seemed so preposterous and funny to me.

I supported my weight by putting my hands on my knees. As my ragged breaths regained back to normal, I straightened my back and ran my hands through my now unkempt hair.

'Who'd have thought that my nicely done hair would be ruined because of my own self?' Without even looking in the mirror, I could tell that it resembled nothing less than a bird's nest.

I glanced around me to know my whereabouts and that's when it clicked to me that I was in a park. I could see the snowflakes floating in a small pond right in front of me. Moving toward it, I stared at my reflection and like I'd expected, I looked like a hobo. I felt bad because it had taken Bethany so much effort to make me ready for this event.

"I shouldn't have said that," I whispered lightly.

I gasped in fright when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. Hastily turning around, I saw Mason staring at me with hurt? 'God, I hurt him, didn't I?'

"Why?" A simple yet weighted question, making me confused.

"Wh-what?" I somehow managed to ask him.

"Why shouldn't you have said that?" He was trying to sound indifferent but the emotions on his face were speaking volumes. "That - why'd you run away, Rach?" It was so soft that I could feel my heart breaking just hearing his sad, beautiful voice.