SINS (Completed)

(CAN'T) FORGIVE & FORGET

I walk down the hallway with Clarisse beside me, who's doing final checks for props and costumes. It has been a whole week since Hardin had come down to my apartment, and we haven't had any communication after that.

All the times that I spot him in college, he avoids so much as looking at me, and doesn't even try to be subtle about it.

"And what about the costumes that came in yesterday, anything that needs changing there?" Clarisse asks casually, and I shake my head with a frown.

"Yeah, the gown for Desdemona, it has some really flashy frills at the sleeve, it looks horrendous, can we do something with that please?"

She chuckles nodding, writing something down in her diary, and I tilt my head to peek into it. There's a list of items for all the characters in alphabetical order, and my OCD goddess bows down to her in delight. I go over it to see if I missed something out.

"Oh and that, her handkerchief, it should be-" I pause, the talking and the walking, as I come face to face with Sofia Richman standing before me.

I knew she would be back, but I didn't think that we would even have to meet. But now that we have, just looking at her brings back the entire episode like a thunderstorm, and I remember everything that I had felt, in the minutest of details.

She stands looking at me awkwardly, while I just think if I should pass her and leave.

"Do you have a minute?" She says gravely, with a contrite face, and her eyes flicker to Clarisse.

Slowly, I turn to her who is looking between me and Sofia and I nod to her saying I'll join her shortly. She nods back, and walks off to what I assume is the auditorium, and I look back at Sofia waiting for her to speak up.

"I- I rejoined today." She mumbles quietly.

"So I can see."

"Tessa, you, I mean we- what I did last year was kinda bad and-"

"Kinda?" I cut her in, scowling. Bad. She doesn't even have an idea.

"No, like really bad, and I'm just saying I'm- sorry, can we just let it be in the past- or how about we become friends?" She looks down at her hands momentarily before looking up again with a small smile as she finishes.

I take a minute to assess her face closely, searching for signs and I can tell someone has put her up to this. Probably Ms. Xavier or Dean Brandon.

"No, we can't. Sofia if you feel sorry then it's good to know you still have a heart. And if you're really regretful then okay, I will let the past be in the past. But we, cannot be friends. It's too much too soon." I tell her calmly and gently, because even if someone did ask her to do this, a least she's doing it, and without being bitchy.

But I cannot be friends with someone who every time I look at, would send their voice shoving a sex tape in my face in front of the whole student population, in my head.

I move past her, to go to the auditorium.

"You can be friends with him, but not me?"

I stop in my tracks and turn to see her facing me, with a confused look on her face as she speaks in an aggravated voice.

"Hardin and I are not friends, Sofia. And that's diff-"

"You do remember that it was all him, right? He was the one who made the tape. Yet you're with him, like nothing ever happened. I bet he wouldn't have even apologized for it, has he?" She takes a step towards me, speaking with her frown persisting.