You Live And Learn

23 | changes and communication

Alonzo POV

I miss her. Yet, every time I think of her, all that comes up is the pain. I thought she was the best for me. It turns out that she was the poison after all.

I hate her, but I hate Mitchell even more. I just want to punch his smug face into the ground. It's pissing me off. He always finds a way to ruin stuff for other people. I'm in the middle of a game when I get a knock at the door. I can't be bothered to see who it is.

"Come in!" I yell. The door opens, and Taylor appears. In his hands and bag are some snacks and drinks.

"What's up, bro?" he calls out as he rests the bags down. I don't answer because I'm too invested in this match. While I'm playing, I hear another knock on the door. "Don't worry, I'll get the door."

Camille POV

My heart is skipping multiple beats. My hands tremble when I raise it to knock on the door. After two minutes of debating, I gently knock. A minute later, the door opens, and it's not the love of my life answering. It's Taylor, his best friend. The same one who gave me a death stare last time I saw him. Immediately, his face morphs into a pissed-off expression. He's about to close the door, but I position my foot to stop it. I came all this way to see him, and I'm not leaving here empty-handed.

"Lo, I'm stepping out for a bit," he calls out to him.

"Aight," I hear my baby say to him. Just hearing his voice melts my heart. Taylor closes the door and guides me to the front of the house, near the road.

"Just exactly what you're doing here, Camille?" he asks angrily. It's rare to see Taylor this upset, but it is warranted in this situation.

"I came here to see him," I murmur.

"See him? After what you did to him?" he borderline yells.

"I know what I did, and I'm sorry. So sorry. I want to apologize to Alonzo."

"You think your apology going to fix everything? Camille, you literally broke my best friend. He had on a crush on you since forever and a decade, and he finally got you. I still remember the joy on his face when he told me you two were together. I know for a fact that was probably one of the happiest days of his life. I was rooting for you guys. My happiness levels were through the roof because Alonzo finally had some life to his face, but just as soon as it was there, it vanished. And you were the reason because of it." Hearing that last part brings tears to my eyes.

"No, no, don't start crying yet. You didn't even hear the worse of it. Alonzo only ate three times in the last seventy-two hours. This is the same guy who eats at least three times a day. I saw him break down more times than I would like to admit. And guess who was there to console him. Not you, that's for sure." He finishes his rant. At this point, the tears are flowing uncontrollably.

I broke him.

Just the thought of him crying makes my heart ache in pain.

"Please, Taylor," I choke out. "Let me see him, so I can apologize."

"No can do. As his best friend, he's not in the mental space to see you."

"You don't understand, Tay. You don't think this hurts me too? I love him," Taylor rolled his eyes when I said that. "You may think I'm lying, but it's true. Out of all the people I've dated, Alonzo is the only one who makes me feel like this."

He raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure that you're not talking about Mitchell?"

Ouch. That one hurt. "No, not even Mitchell. To be honest with you, I wasn't in love with Mitchell. I was just obsessed with him because of..." flashbacks of my childhood flood my mind, "personal issues. The point is, Alonzo took me to a different realm of love I never knew existed. I want the best for him."

"So, you think being humiliated in front of the entire school and getting jumped is what's best for him?"

"Tay, come on, you know that's not what I meant."

"I know, and personally, I don't care. I can't speak for Lonzo, so I don't know how he'll react if he sees you right now. He could get even sadder or angry; there's no telling what will happen. All I know, it won't be good for anyone. So, Camille, just leave. You're not seeing him today, or for a while, if I had anything to do with it. It's not fair to him for you to decide that you love him after you went after him solely to get back with Mitchell."

"Taylor, you don't know how sorry I am. I should have talked to him without any ulterior motives."

"But you didn't, and here we are. Now leave. You look out of it and not your usual self," I can tell by Taylor's tone he's serious and won't let up. I sigh and turn to walk to my car.

"Bye, Taylor," I dismiss myself while walking.

"Bye, Camille, drive safe and don't do anything reckless." He waits for me to get in my car, then enters the house, closing the door behind him. After crying for five minutes in my car, I wipe the tears and begin driving home.

Alonzo POV

Just as my game finishes, Taylor comes back into the house.

"Hey, who was that?" I ask him.

"No one important, just a friend we knew, they were wondering if you're okay. That reminds me, are you feeling better?"

I take a deep breath, "Honestly, I miss her. At the same time, it still pains me to remember what she did, you know? Like at the start, it wasn't genuine. But something tells me that it wasn't just a prank, bro. It couldn't be." Tay walks over and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Listen, bro, I know it hurts. I get that, but you need time for yourself to heal. Don't worry about her. Just focus on you."

"I can't stop thinking about her. She was my everything."

"You can't keep living in the past Zo," he sighs. "But I understand. This is your true first heartbreak. I'll be there to help you throughout," Tay rubs my shoulder. One tear escaped my left eye. "Don't worry, bro, we got this."

I hope so.