It Started With a Dare

Chapter 24

(Edited - 11/28/2016)

Again, please don't kill me (for both the late update and the chapter itself). I know I said I'd update on schedule, but my laptop got sick and caught a bad case of virus and malware. (Moment of silence. Sad music plays.) So it took me a while to finish the chapter (and handle the emotional breakdown I had in the process of writing it).

So... Enjoy, loves!

Chapter 24

~

"Annie-chan—"

"Don't you dare call me that," I said, my voice soft that it was almost a whisper. I was breathing heavily, and I had to close my eyes for a few seconds several times, trying to make everything be just a nightmare.

"Okay, Anna," Alex rephrased, "let me just explain."

"What is there to explain?" I laughed shakily. "You have a girlfriend."

"Yes," Alex nodded. "She's been my girlfriend since the beginning of December."

"B-but Christmas Eve..." I stuttered. I wanted to tell him more.

"She knows what I wanted to do," Alex shrugged. By then, he looked relaxed. As if he never regretted a single thing he did. "Isla's okay with it. She had a suggestion, and I wanted to prove something," he said. Then he narrowed his eyes at me, "I thought you said that weren't going to make that kiss such a big deal."

I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him that I didn't. The kiss wasn't a big deal, but it was the fact that he kissed me while he had a girlfriend and that he just used my trust in him so he — as he put it — wanted to prove something. I want tell him that, but I was having trouble getting the words out as it is.

"So, you played me?" I asked slowly. "All our talks, our conversations, she knew? Both of you... played me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to prove that you're still mad about me. It's a guy thing. You won't get it," Alex said, and it hurt.

"I don't get it, but she does?" I said. "My issues with my parents, my loneliness, my sickness, you told her everything?" Alex's silence meant yes. "Why? I trusted you. You knew that."

That seemed to have hit Alex. He faltered a little bit, but he was still every ounce of the jerk he was. "You shouldn't take it that harsh," he said. "If the kiss really didn't mean anything and if you really didn't have feelings for me, you shouldn't act like you became a side chick, because you aren't." He laughed haughtily.

"Get out."

"What?" Alex looked perplexed.

"Get out!" I yelled, my voice taking on a shrill, ear-piercing tone. Puppy Alex sensed my distress and began growling menacingly at Alex. Alex then seemed to have gotten the message and briskly made his way out of my flat.

It hurt. It hurt so much. I still didn't know what Alex meant to me. Did I like him romantically? Or did I just trust him too much? I don't know. The pain was too much that I couldn't cry.

I just stood there in the same position with my head hung low. I didn't even move a muscle during and after my confrontation with Alex. It felt like I was frozen, like I was chained, like before...

This pain happened before.

It may not have happened under the same circumstance, but it happened before. I just needed to remember, but I can't. There was too much pain to go digging inside my head.

Remember. I need to remember.

"Look out!"

What happened before?