Unlucky: Luxury And a Lies

Chapter 19: Broken Bonds 2POV's: This Is Classy Asf

Today should be a day to enjoy, yet I find myself preoccupied with thoughts of "her." She's called me three nights in a row, but I've been trying to ignore the fact that she's reaching out. I'm attempting to move on, but I can't escape the relentless cycle of my own actions. It's a disheartening realization.

As I run in endless circles, I can't help but reflect on the mess I've made. She's become a hot mess herself. It's evident in her appearance – the dark circles under her eyes, her lack of appetite, and the pervasive loneliness that seems to surround her. She's trapped in a world filled with ghosts, who claim to be her friends. But there's a growing chasm between us.

I attempt to talk to her when she's alone, which leads me to the school field during our track practice. The anticipation of our encounter weighs on me, and I finally muster the courage to call out to her. "Dani," I say, tapping her gently on the shoulder. She turns around, and the expression on her face twists into one of disgust.

"Are you okay?" I inquire, my voice tinged with concern. She snarls in response, "Am I okay?" Her voice drips with bitterness. "You called my parents, Minji. You don't think I'm in hell right now?" Her words pierce through me, and I can't help but pout.

"I didn't know what else to do," I mumble, my voice filled with remorse. She doesn't seem convinced. "Go after me, that's what you should do, not betray my trust," she retorts. Her words resonate within me, and I want to explain, to say, 'but I always chase you.'

"Look, I'm sorry," I manage to say, my words carrying the weight of my guilt. But her response is stern and unforgiving. "Don't ever talk to me again," she declares, and with that, she walks away, leaving me with a sense of profound regret and a heavy heart.

I walk away, trying my best not to dwell on the painful encounter with Dani. It stings, because our friendship has always revolved around me coming to her rescue, and her repeating the same mistakes. But now, I've crossed a line, and it seems I don't deserve to have her as a friend anymore. I hope she can find her way on her own, because I'm not sure if I can be convinced to be her friend again.

I bend down to tie my shoelaces, trying to divert my thoughts, and then I start running. I soon catch up with Hanni, who's running at a steady pace. "Hey, you're fast," I comment, watching her effortlessly maintain her speed. I heave slightly, attempting to mask my effort.

"Thank you," she responds, looking up at the clear but chilly sky. It mirrors my emotions, appearing sunny on the surface but harboring a sense of underlying coldness and sadness.

As we continue running, I suddenly hear her voice. "Your laces are undone." I come to a halt, realizing that my shoelaces are indeed untied. Hanni has already moved ahead, and I was just about to trip over them. "Dang it," I mumble in frustration.

"Want some help?" I hear her offer from a few meters away.

"Yes, please," I reply as Mia offers to help with my untied shoelaces. She smiles and bends over to tie them. "I can do a butterfly knot," she mentions as her fingers work deftly. I can't help but smile at her skills. "That's fucking awesome," I compliment her.

Mia finishes with my left foot, and then I switch to my right for her to complete the task. As she stands up, I look down at my securely tied shoelaces. "You're the best," I utter my gratitude.

She chuckles and gestures for me to continue running. "Come on," she says, jogging ahead, and I quickly catch up, matching her pace as we continue our run together.

-

The rest of the week passed quietly, and I kept to my usual circle of friends. With a bit more free time on my hands, I've been getting to know Hanni better. She's turned out to be really cool, and we've found a lot of common ground. It's Friday, and we're sitting with the jocks because, surprisingly, they're not as bad as I initially thought.

Jack mentions, "There's no other reason to celebrate," while Stephan groans, "I just wanna party." I can't help but raise a curious eyebrow. "What's the urgency?" I ask, genuinely wondering.

James looks at me and shrugs. "Does there have to be one?" he replies.

I hold my hands up in defense, acknowledging that he has a point. Perez joins our table, and there's a moment of silence as he digs into his food. Then, an idea strikes me.

"How about I ask Hanni? She has connections, and if there's something nearby, we can all go, just us," I suggest. Stephan raises his head from the table, looking surprised. "You'd do that?" he asks. I nod, not seeing it as a big deal. He reaches out, taking my gloved hands. "You are the goat," he says emotionally. I nod, a bit weirded out by his sudden display of gratitude. I pull out my phone and send a text to Hanni.

-

As we were gearing up for another party, I decided to put in some extra effort this time. I called Perez over, and he sat in my mostly black room, lounging casually. He took a drag from his blunt, and I began discussing my dilemma.

"Just wear a dress," he suggested, exhaling a puff of smoke. I couldn't help but smile at the idea. "Funny you think I even own a dress," I teased him.

Perez groaned, clearly impatient. "I could be there by now," he said, his tone filled with mild annoyance.

I continued to tease him, "Hey, you don't want to be fashionably late?" I quipped.

He sighed, realizing he was stuck with my playful banter. "Looks like I will be," he admitted. I picked out an outfit and quickly changed into it. "Okay, let's go," I announced, and Perez got up, finally ready to head to the party.

-

Watching Minji take an eternity to decide what to wear always amused me. It was a rare sight, to say the least. But beneath the amusement, there was a sense of worry. Every girl Minji seemed to be interested in, even if she vehemently denied it, had a tendency to lead her on or make her change her true self. This time, I hoped it would be different. This girl better not mess up.

As we arrived at the party, we were in for a surprise. It was a lot classier than we expected. While our group had opted for the casual jeans and crop tops, the other partygoers were dressed in dresses and some even in suits. James couldn't help but mutter, "Are we in the right place?"

I put my drink down and replied warily, "I hope so." Minji was quickly swept away by Hanni, Stephan seemed to find solace in the fridge, and Jack, in his usual charismatic way, went off to mingle and make friends. This left just James and me standing there.

James turned to me, his cheeks reddening, and asked, "Do you reckon they have nicer rooms upstairs?"

I couldn't help but smile mischievously. "I don't know. Let's find out," I suggested as we decided to explore the rest of the party, leaving behind the unexpected aura of class and elegance in search of new adventures.