MAD LOVE

Chapter 17

Alana

Present day, Boston 

I didn't expect to see such luxury in a student's apartment. Amanda did a great job for her posterity. The studio was elongated, but spacious enough. It was done in the modern classic style in light tones, with some contrasting elements. The white-gray interior with a similarly shades parquet floor delighted me. Am I really going to live here? I stood in the doorway, too afraid to move, and completely forgot what brought me here.

A white built-in kitchen with an expensive wooden finish and black track lighting flowed smoothly into the living room, separated by a high bar counter. The main room was furnished simply and tastefully. Near an electric fireplace framed by moldings, decorated with candles and house plants, a comfortable dark-colored sofa stood. A huge painting in pastel tones covering half of one wall gave the room an incredible coziness. A soft light carpet and a glass coffee table completed the scene.

The ceiling was quite high, so they divided other end of the apartment into two parts. There was a large double bed upstairs and a small dressing room with a curtained window below.

The effect worn off after a while, giving a way to the inner turmoil that evening caused.

The calming fragrance of brewing herbs drifted toward me, but scenes from my run-in with Mark kept flashing before my eyes. His touch, his voice. How he lied about his feelings. Above all, his crazy, psychopathic expression. A fresh wave of terror engulfed me – people like him do not show up for no reason.

Amanda sat down next to me and poured tea into a mug, which I took with gratitude.

"Honey, you need to get out of this mental state," said the woman, stroking my cheek. "What's bothering you? How can I help?"

"Thank you for your concern, but nothing can be changed. This is a part of my life, and I need to learn how to deal with it. I just can't do it yet." My voice trembled, and tears tried to stream anew down my face.

"I would really like to share your grief. Perhaps talking about it will relieve some of the pain. I'm not pushing you. I just want you to know that if you ever want to vent, I'll always be here." She hugged my trembling body sincerely and began to sway from side to side slightly. In such a peaceful atmosphere, I finally relaxed and opened up.

"You're right. I want to tell you what led to my downfall. I'll start from the beginning." Turning the mug in my hands, I took a couple of sips and continued. "I grew up in a very simple family, with love and care. Like a normal girl, I studied at a regular school. I had my own social circle, but I didn't make any close friends. Mom was a foreign languages tutor, so it's easy for me to learn them. And Dad was a surgeon at a local hospital in New York. There was always enough money to get by on, because our family wasn't very demanding. One day, after a terrible accident, my father had to operate on a guy. He was very young, and Dad literally snatched him from the jaws of death, forcing him to live. The young man turned out to be the only son of some influential person who was also the head of an elite school uptown. As a thank you, they transferred me there to the senior class for free. My parents believed I deserved only the best and wished me happiness, but that place didn't bring me any joy."

Taking a breath, I kept telling the story, staring off into space. Amanda did not interrupt me, but just stroked my palm with her thumb.

"At the new school, I quickly became an outcast. People shied away from me as if I was a leper, because of my lower social status. But one day, a guy sat down next to me and started talking as if nothing was wrong. He was the star of the senior class, the most handsome young man of the school." My lips started trembling and my eyes no longer saw anything. "Tall, dark, fox-eyed. He was every girl's dream boy. Quickly, he won me over and suggested we date, and I, like a complete fool, fell in love. Naively I thought that the feeling was mutual, not noticing elementary things like his behavior and the ridicule from friends and others at the school. Everyone knew what was happening except me." I fell silent, trying not to cry. The resentment was overwhelming.