Just For A Day

The Truth Hurts

1st November 2014.

"Thanks for the ride, Em," I thanked Emily as I got out of her car.

"Okay!" she cried when I walked up onto the porch of my house and unlocked the door with the keys I had in the pocket of my denim jacket.

The grey clouds gathered and began to pour down the raindrops and damping the land. The storm was rumbling in the sky. I didn't know for what reasons I disliked the rain. It took away the rays of the sunlight and darkened the blue sky.

When I was about to make myself away into the house, a four-wheeled drive vehicle came appeared in front of my house.

Tristan turned off the ignition then ran towards the porch of my house to protect himself from geting soaked by the heavy rainfall.

"Wow, I'd never thought that you would come anyway," I faked a smile.

"I'd do anything," he shrugged nonchalantly. "So, what's up?"

I surveyed around before gesturing him to take a sit on the vintage white oak chair. Then, we both were sitting across from each other with a circle-shaped birchwood table in between.

I gazed at him straight in the eyes."I have something to tell you...about us," I began reluctantly.

"What's wrong with us?" He shifted himself in his seat and leant closer with his hands on the table.

"I found it weird for the both of us to have this kind of relationship..." he nodded. "How about we just be what we were and not to continue to be what we are?"

Tristan frowned. "What do you mean?"

I bit my lips. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I felt guilty for doing this. But I knew myself I had to. If we continued to live this way, eventually, when we broke up, our friendship would be forgotten and we'd be acting awkwardly towards each other.

However, in this circumstance, at least I had the chance to save our friendship...

...perhaps.

Again, sighing.

"Let's just be friends, shall we?" I gulped.

"What?" He scoffed in disbelief then suddenly laughed.

Although the storm was rumbling for a couple of times loudly, I could still hear that it was a fake laugh.

"What, are you pulling out one of your April Fool pranks? 'Cause it's not funny at all and we're in November month now," he said in all seriousness.

"I'm sorry, Tristan. I just-"

"Are you serious?" His expression said it all. He was furiously hurt.

"It's for the-"

"For several months I've been holding the urge to confess and this is what I get? How loveable," Tristan angered.

My mouth was opened but nothing came out. Not even a word.

"Why, Gwen? I mean, why do you want to do this? Did I do something wrong to you?" The pain in his eyes made me feel even guilty.

I looked down to my shoes, not brave enough to gaze him in the eyes anymore.

Not when they were glinted with sadness and pain.

"I'm sorry, it's-" I looked back up at him.

"All I want to do is to be with you for the rest of my life. Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Because you're my friend! I don't want our friendship to be ruined by broken hearts. It's for the best!"

He snorted, glancing away.

Then, his grey eyes stared back at mine.

"The best? What is there so much to do with the best when one of us already had a broken heart?"

"You should think before you could open your mouth," I retorted.

He huffed. "So you're blaming me on this?"

"I didn't say it's your fault! I respect your boldness to have the guts to tell me what you feel. And I think you should be respecting my opinion as well and let's just be friends," I blurted everything out.

Yet, he just stared at me cholerically before he rose onto his feet then made his way back to his car, fuming over the quarrel.

"Tristan!" I chased after him but unfortunately he was one step ahead of me. He pulled out of the driveway and went to his destination.

He left me standing in the rain, soaked and showered, added with the merciless tempestuous wind that kept on blowing inexorably.

The truth hurt. But the lies are painfully hurt.

****

I didn't come to the school for three days now because I was running out of the temperature and the cold I caught the last time I took a shower outdoors on a rainy day.

But today, my temperature was sadly decreasing. I just wanted to lay down on my comfy bed, staring nothing at the ceiling and ate junk foods with TV on demand.

"So aren't you going to tell us about the whole thing?" Zyana sank into the bean bag while eating the potato chips.

"What thing?" Bethany queried.

"Is there something you're not telling us that we should be concerned about it?" Jules' brows corrugated.

"I obviously have nothing to tell," I put an emphasis and glared at Zyana whom was grinning.

"I don't get what you're talking about," Emily puzzled.

"You don't have to. Because there's clearly nothing to get about," I devoured the last piece of blueberry pie that mom left in the refrigerator. "Let's forget about that and let's enjoy the movies we're going to watch."

"Today's your turn to pick a movie," Jules pointed out.

"Right, I forgot," I stood up and tried to find where did I put all of the CDs. "Umm, where did I-"

"The CDs are in there, granny," Emily pointed at the box on the left side of the table underneath the flat screen TV that was affixed onto the wall.

"Yeah, I forgot. Well, what can I say, the 82 years old woman with grizzled hair can't find her own CDs," then, lethargically I lugged the box and placed it down on the coffee table. "Now, let's see..."

I let my forefinger slid through the stack of CDS and eventually, I pulled out 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and put it on the DVD player.

As the hours passed by, crumpled tissues were everywhere on the coffee table also on the loveseat I was sitting on.

I cried, watching the ending of the movie. And sadly, I was the only one who created a lake in this family's room. The girls kept glancing at me with their brows furrowed.

Maybe, it was only me who really felt what Tom Hansen feels about Summer Finn.

I bear all of the quotes of the movie in my head.

"There's no such thing as love. It's fantasy."