Chapter Twenty-Seven - Cat
Betrayed. That was the one word that summarised her emotions right now. As Cat ran through every moment in her brain, the feeling kept coming back, punching her in the face. Trusting Aaron had become second nature to her, so much so that she never stopped to think that he could betray that trust at any second.
What an idiot she was, she kept telling herself. How could she ever let someone get so close to her?
Currently, Cat wouldn't leave her room. The only place she was comfortable in was underneath her bed sheet; although with the summer heat, it seemed crazy to hide underneath something so warm and fuzzy, she was protected. Henry had tried to talk to her but she would only give a few short replies. No matter what happened between the two of them, she could never truly shut him out - he did keep her secret and keep her safe for the past ten or so years. Her mother, on the other hand, she couldn't even listen to. It wasn't because she liked her any less, it was just because Aaron's actions were down to her ignorance.
Cat closed her eyes - not that it made any difference The feeling of closing her eyelids did relax her slightly, letting her muscles go limp from her all her tossing and turning, yet it did nothing to block out the thoughts that continued to consume her. Trying to block them out was not even an option anymore, not with the pitter-patter of rain becoming boring to listen to after a few minutes.
Her problem was that Aaron was nagging at her mind like a woodpecker, loud and repetitive. He was good to her - a knight in shining armour - but the problem with a knight was that, as much as fairy tales had them believe they were victorious, they did lose some battles. This was Aaron's battle to lose and in doing so, he had lost her.
Then again, Aaron Heathcliff was not supposed to be her knight in shining armour. He was supposed to be a hypocrite, devious but a coward. That was how her Heathcliff was supposed to be and the more Cat kept reliving his actions, the more she realised that he was exactly that. Sure, he had his good side but didn't Heathcliff when Cathy had first met him? Maybe this was Aaron's true persona.
But then, why did she still love him?
Cat cried out, hitting her head against the edge of the cushioned headboard. Love was difficult, to say the least. It was highly possible that she had rushed into loving Aaron like she had done with Mickey in the past, yet at the same time, Cat was conflicted - her love for Aaron was nothing like her infatuation for Mickey. Everything about Aaron tingled her body, made her smile so much that her dimples were on the verge of becoming permanent creases whereas Mickey, it was just an escape. At the time, he had been the only boy to ever take notice of her.
Groaning, she kicked the bed sheet away. Her body tossed and turned once again, crying out at the discomfort. No matter what, she didn't want to leave her bed, even if it was for food. She had an emergency supply for whenever she confined herself. It was a must. Nonetheless, although her stomach was full of food, it was in pain.
It had made her more susceptible to her emotions. She could define each individual part of the train wreck that had hit her, yet couldn't do anything to stop it, not even keeping the room in darkness.
However, the root for her confusion was not because of her roller coaster of emotions. It was just inevitable. Lately, Mickey had been coming round to comfort her. She hadn't asked him to, but he knew she needed someone other than her family. Having him around again somewhat rekindled a spark - similar to how witnessing a shooting star should feel. That was one reason why she had been ignoring all of Aaron's phone calls. The other needed no explanation.
