When She Gets Burned

Darkness Part 2

Alani allowed the tears to cascade down her cheeks, forming a pool in the middle of the chaotic mess that was her apartment. Her rage had been developed into a childlike tantrum, echoing in the depth of her loneliness. Despite the intense hatred she harboured for Ezra, a nagging thought lingered – a fragile hope that, somewhere in the vast expanse of time, on a day less miserable, their paths may cross again.

Her existence felt like an endless loop of remorse, wrong choices, and irreversible mistakes. The haunting notion that she was squandering her life cast a shadow over every moment. As if to drown out the cacophony of regrets in her mind, she reached for the bottle of wine and poured herself another drink, seeking solace in the numbness that alcohol could provide.

A sudden, persistent knock disrupted the silence, forcing her to grapple with the mess surrounding her while attempting to regain composure.

"Fucking wait." She shouted at the unseen visitor, the urgency in her voice betraying the fragility of her emotional state. The knocks persisted, and Alani's agitation grew. Finally, she swung the door open to reveal Odessa, standing on the other side with a mix of worry and sadness etched across her face. Without a word, Odessa entered, taking in the disarray that mirrored Alani's inner chaos. She approached, wrapping Alani in a hesitant hug. The embrace was met with reluctant reciprocation. As they pulled away, Odessa confronted the unspoken question that hung in the air, demanding an explanation for Alani's disappearance from calls, work and even their friendship.

Alani evaded the question, "I am sorry." she couldn't find the words to convey the weight of her struggles, the depth of the darkness she had been battling.

Odessa's eyes softened as Alani apologised, her words trailing the weight of her pain. "You don't have to be sorry, Alani," Odessa gently reassured her friend. "It just aches to see you like this."

"Well, what's hurting you hurts me more," she confessed, as if misery was a contagious affliction, she wanted to shield Odessa from. "I just want to be left tin my own absurdity."

Odessa shook her head, her concern undiminished. "Keeping all this to yourself, it's a dangerous game, Alani. You're going to explode."

In a reluctant admission, Odessa broached a sensitive subject, her voice tentative. "Have you heard anything about Ezra lately?" The question lingered in the air, an Alani wearied by her own turmoil, could only respond with a simple "No."

Odessa hesitated, her eyes betraying the revelation she was about to share. "I didn't want to be the one to unveil this, but I'd rather you find out under safer circumstances when I am here," she confessed, concern etching the lines of her face.

Alani's confusion and anger surged. What could Odessa possibly be alluding to about Ezra? Was he okay? Alani's impatience reached its peak as she urged Odessa to spit it out, her nerves frayed by the impending news.

Odessa took a deep before revealing the news. "Ezra... he left the university. He is working at a senior school across town now."

Alani's confusion deepened. "What are you saying?" she pressed further, her tone laced with urgency.

Struggling with her words, Odessa chose them carefully. "I heard from Owen that around uni it has been said Ezra was charged with sexual assault yesterday," she finally disclosed, her voice weighed by the gravity of the information. "And the case, it involves a minor, a student from the school he's working at now."

Alani stood there, a solitary figure in her own small universe, with a body that seemed to betray her and a will that refused to be her saviour. Odessa's words hung heavy in the air, revealing the truth Alani refused to see. He had truly done it, and she, in all her love and devotion, was never enough for him, never young enough.