First Term Love Story

Chapter 21: Dream Or Reality

I answer my phone as I go up the stairs, it is a call from dad.

"Hello!"

"How is my daughter?"

"Good, how are things at home?"

"Everything's fine, just thought that I'll call my daughter to check on her."

"Aww...."

"How's school, have you been studying?"

"Yup, school's been getting on fine,"

"Good, how's your brother, can I talk to him?"

"He's still at class, he'll be done in about an hour."

"Okay, call us if you need anything!"

"Yes dad, bye!"

He ends the call and I go into my room, I go to the bathroom to wash my face when I hear my phone go off again. Dad?

I pick it up but instead of dad's voice, I hear Josh's.

"Hey babe,"

"Hi,"

The call goes silent for a while before he speaks again.

"You sure you don't want to go to the party tonight?"

"I'm not going,"

"Okay, do you remember our promise,"

"Of course Josh, how could I forget."

"I'll come over on Friday, okay?"

"Okay, Josh."

*****

"Alright, everyone get in," Nowell calls to Cameron, Trent, Malcolm as the get into the car.

Alan, Wilfred, Tony, Norris and Oliver also get into the car, all the guys are going to the party, all except Eugene.

"Why aren't you going to the party?"

"Well, we can't leave a girl alone in a mansion all alone now can we? Besides, I don't like partying on weekdays, except for Fridays of course," he explained.

The rest of them drove off to the party so Eugene and I went back into the house and decided to chill at the recreational room.

We settle down on the couch and I start using my phone.

"Let's play a game," Eugene says out of the blue as he grabs the stack of cards from the table.

" I don't really play card games though,"

"It's alright, I'll teach you, it will be fun."

"Okay... What game are we playing?"

"I think its called speed." He says, "So, we each get half a stack of cards. We place five in front of us, and two in the centre."

"So first, let's flip open the cards." He says and we flip open the cards.

"We will place cards from our deck on top of these, but we can only place cards that are one more or one lesser in value."

"So, if the card is six, we can place five or seven on top of it?"

"Yup,"

"Why is it called speed though?"

"Well, for one, to win, you need to clear your deck of cards the fastest, secondly, you must place your cards quickly and if the two cards here are the same, you'll shout speed and the cards at the bottom will be given to the other player."

"Alright, I think I got it."

"Ready to play?"

"Yup."

"Okay. 3,2,1,go."

Needless to say, the game was stressful but so very fun, I never played card games prior to this because I thought that card games were boring but who would have thought that they were so fun.

"Want to go again?" he asks as he takes the cards and shuffles them.

I am about to answer when I receive a message, from Josh.

Josh: I'm done with her

Me: what? Who are you talking about?

Josh: Camilla

What on earth is happening? I feel my breath hitch in my throat, my eyes starting to burn and my nose getting stuffy.

"I think I'll go to my room first," I say softly and quickly before getting up and rushing up to my room.

I drop my phone on my bed before going to my bathroom, splashing cold water on my face and trying to pull myself together. He probably didn't mean that, he is just really drunk, right?

I go back to my phone to see three new messages from him.

Josh: I never liked her

Josh: never loved her

Josh: never cared about her

Me: then why?

Josh: You know why, because I wanted to get back at Cameron. He said I was a play boy so now I'll give it to him. I'm a play boy now and I played his sister. I will be done by Friday, then, I can dump her and we can be together again

Josh: You were never my ex and never will be

How could I have forgiven him. What did I think he was going to do? He never liked me, never even cared for me. All that was in his heart was her. I feel hot tears streaming down my face, I burry my face into my pillow. Why did I even bother giving him a second chance, why was I so stupid.

I hear the door creek open and I burry my face in my pillow even more. Why is Eugene always the one to see me cry?

"Camilla?," I hear him say next to me but it's as if he's miles away.

I don't know where I am anymore.

I feel Eugene tug on my shoulder and pull me up from my pillow.

"You don't need him." He says softly, and gives me a tight hug.

He smoothes out my hair and wipes away the tears. He puts me to bed but before he leaves, I hear him say, "You don't need him, because you have me," but I don't know if it was my in a dream or in reality.

*****

I wake up the next day feeling tired even though I just woke up but the sadness on my shoulders are heavier. My natural instinct was to pick up my phone, I wanted to see the messages gone, that last night was not real but they are still there accompanied by a few new messages.

Josh: Babe, I didn't mean any of that

Josh: I was so drunk I couldn't think straight

Josh: the promise still goes, yeah?

Me: you know what Josh, I'll play a game with you

Me: 3 truths and 1 lie

Me: I hate you, I hate you, I hate you

Me: no fourth because there is nothing, about my feelings towards you, that I will lie about