Tears of July | √

10. Give It All

Chapter 10

First, he told me he cared about me, now he told me he loved me. We were best friends.

The last time Lyle told me he loved me was last Christmas, when I was crying because my parents didn't make it home to celebrate Christmas Eve with me. But back then, it was like a wisp of words, like he meant it because we were best friends. However, at that moment, even though a part of me was confused, I felt as if he did not mean to say it as if we were best friends. I think he meant more than that. But then again, we were best friends. And best friends occasionally say that to each other at times, right?

Right?

"I'm sure he meant it in a friendly way. Isn't that right, Lyle?" Amber said, her voice revealing a hint of impatience and disappointment.

"Of course he did." I croaked as I stood up, Lyle's eyes following me as I made my way to the bathroom.

I needed some time alone. Some time to breathe.

A month ago, I was happy with Lyle as my best friend. Now, a guy I barely knew asked me to prom, and Lyle told me he loved me.

But then, going back to our friendship, it would be natural for him to say that. But why did I feel as if he meant it in the most different way, the opposite way?

"Are you okay?"

I turned away from the mirror and found Amber looking at me with dark eyes, her mascara making her look even more bitchy.

"Uh- yeah. I-I'm okay." I tried not to stutter as I wiped my sweaty hands on my dress.

I didn't have time to react to what was happening.

Amber's fist came flying to my upper right cheek then I felt a stinging pain on my stomach, and on my arm.

I stumbled to the sink, my back digging into the hard, marble counter. I blinked my eyes and saw Amber growling at me, flexing her perfectly manicured fingers in front of me.

Amber just punched me. She just punched me.

Trying not to look like a complete blood thirsty monster, I slapped her hard on the cheek, my hand vibrating in pain.

"What did I ever do to you?" I whispered urgently as she raised her hand to cover her cheek. I was about to kick her on the stomach when she pulled my hair and slammed my body against the wall.

For being such a sassy bitch, she sure was strong. I almost cursed at myself for not learning how to do judo or something that could defend my life. My vision blurred in anger and pain.

"You are a slut!" Amber half screamed as I clutched my head, finding a medium sized bump near my forehead. "You already have Nathan, Cass! But no, you had to make Lyle fall for you too! Why can't you just stay away from him to avoid this?"

I steadied myself on the cold wall and breathed heavily. My brain wasn't functioning properly and my vision was starting to turn in a slurry of images.

"Just stay away from him, Cassandra. You're already killing him by going to prom with Nathan, and he's probably beating himself up now for admitting that he loved you."

I stared at the mirror and saw that there was a small, but hard bruise under my jaw and cheek, and another huge bruise on my arm.

And then I heard the soft slam of the bathroom door.

☂☂☂

After I drove Zara home, Lyle and I went silent as I made my way through the quiet streets. My forehead screamed in pain, and my jaw was aching so painfully I wanted to pee. I glanced at the clock and found out it was almost twelve in the morning. Trying not to cry, I thought about how it would be a huge relief to have the day end already.

"Cass," Lyle's voice was hard and cautious. For a second, my heart thumped beneath my chest as I thought he was about to ask me what happened. I thought he knew about what Amber did to me, but I knew he had no clue about it, and he could never find out about Amber did; not now and not ever.

"Don't go to prom with Nathan. Please." His voice turned pleading as he tried to lock eyes with mine. I turned away from him and stopped in front of his house. A tear dropped down my cheek. I knew I had to stay away from Lyle because of Amber. There was no way I was going to tell Lyle about what happened earlier.

Shaking my head, I pressed open Lyle's door. Sniffing, I gripped on the wheel and tried to look away from him as far as possible.

"Cass, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I messed everything up, I really am. But please, Cass, don't go to prom with Nathan." he said, his voice cracking as he touched my arm lightly that sent sparks down my body. I finally turned to face him, thankful that it was dark inside so he could not see my face clearly.

"I'm sorry too." I stopped, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "But I'm so confused right now, Lyle. I'm really sorry. With everything that's going on, maybe we should just stay away from each other's lives for a while."

My words were forced, of course. There was no way I would be able to say that to Lyle if it wasn't so necessary. His face turned like a child who lost a puppy. He looked crest-fallen, like the whole world was dropped on his shoulders.

"Why?" he said in a quiet whisper as he looked at me in the eye.

I shook my head and leaned in to open his door, wide enough for him to get out. I tried to stop the tears from falling, but I failed.

"I'll see you around, Lyle." I said to him as I leaned back into my seat, hoping the car would swallow me whole for what I was doing. Lyle shook his head silently and looked at me one last time before he went out and shut the door. I was about to close his window because it opened slightly to reveal him looking at me with desperate eyes, eyes that I wanted to drown into forever.

"Cass, wait-" His voice was cut as I quickly closed his window and drove away, wishing for nothing but that stupid, horrible day to end.