Love between identities

Forgiveness

Chapter 19

Estella Jones, she had bright blue eyes that were stale, her face it was so devoid of emotions. She did not greet Calum or me when we entered, she just stared at us with a blank look on her face.

"Hey sis! This is the girl I've talked to you about. Alexia White."

She slowly turned to face me. "Hi."

My chest felt heavy, was this the result of Talia's actions? This pretty girl once filled with zest and life, had everything sucked out of her. Leaving her with nothing but an empty shell of despair and affliction.

I hate this feeling. I hate guilt.

After the whole meeting and the unsuccessful attempts to engage her in our conversations, we left. I knew this was the moment, to confess but I could not bring myself to. We have three more weeks before summer ends.

"I'm sorry about your sister..."

"Nah it's fine, those girls in my school. Those cheerleaders are to blame. All of them."

I cringed, I had to defend myself when I was not part of it. "Some of them could be innocent? Not all have to be involved, plus it's been so long. Ever thought about forgiving?"

"Alexia, they killed her. They spread those rumors about her. She attempted suicide, took sleeping pills. It's hard to forgive them."

My stomach churned uncomfortably, it was not Talia's nature to do such things, she was not that mean. 

I clutched Calum's hand and told him to get into the passenger seat, I was going to drive him somewhere else. I was going to bring him to the peak of the hill, he had kept those gnawing resentment inside of him.

It all takes a little scream to release it.

Throughout the drive to Honey Peak, Calum kept whining for me to tell him where we were going, he tried to jab me but I was already immune to all those attacks. He tried playing with my hair, but it did not affect me that much. "Stop, your attempts are going down the drain," I stated. "We're almost there anyway." I pulled into the parking lot of Honey Peak.

"Start climbing punk." I said to him as I got out of the car.

When we reached the peak, of the mountain, I explained my purpose of bringing him here. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "I'm not going to forgive them." He said stubbornly. I groaned in frustration, why was he being so difficult? 

"Please, it's not good to keep it inside of you," I pleaded, I gave him a small peck on the cheeks and pouted my lips, hoping that he would soften. 

He gave a resigned sigh, "Fine buttercup, Fine." Calum stood at the edge of the hill, he puts his hand in a prayer like position, rested his chin on his thumb and spoke into his palm before he screamed to the world.

He screamed at the world for being unfair, he blamed the lord for being blind, he resented those who extricate every thing out of his sister, he released the flood of anger and hatred he had locked in his heart for as long as he could remember. 

He looks at me, his eyes were glinting under the stars. "I forgive them," he says, with a smile, not a single shred of anger was visible.

• • •

Those three weeks passed quickly, and very soon, it was the last day of summer, the last day of my identity, the last day I get to call Calum my property. But on the bright side, we did not have work since it was the last day of summer. Calum had booked me the whole day for our last date.

In the morning, he brought me to the treehouse, where we talked about everything under the sun. When I decided to clear a growing doubt I had always wanted to ask him.

"Was I your first crush or love or whatever you call it?"

He looks at me, he bit his lips. "Uhm no..." He trailed off. "But in my defense I was a freshman, there was this girl that confessed to me and I thought it would be fun to like be together with her and it lasted for one week so."

I burst out laughing, he was so naive in freshman year, and a relationship for a week? I was enlivened. "Who was she?" I choked out in between laughter.

He played with the love of his ear and managed to squeak. "Monroe Willows, but I didn't like her okay!"

I froze, Monroe liked Calum? I felt my stomach twist, I bite my tongue to prevent it from blabbering out my secret. I felt sick, my heart was heavy and honestly filled with doubts, I felt the weight of my queasiness squash down on me. I felt bilious. 

Why did she keep it from me?

Calum must had seen me turn green, he came closer beside me and held me in his arms, "Hey, hey. Don't be affected alright, she is nothing to me," he soothes. I placed my ear right at his heart, I could feel the way it pumped with vigor, it seems to murmur the words 'I love you' to me. 

Last day, I want it to be the best.

In the afternoon, I forced Calum to bring me to Karla Mall so I could get my hair color back. 

What's my excuse? 

I wanted to try out blonde, when I'm done. I hear Calum gasp, "You're legit a carbon copy of Chloe Reyes I swear." I rolled my eyes at him, if only he knew. We spent the whole of the afternoon visiting those food shops hopefully we can take their free samples. That was our lunch, free and assorted range of cuisines.

It was the last lap of the day, the last run. We laid on the grassy plains, of my secret hideout. 

We took in the scent of fresh lavenders that just bloomed. We laid in the opens, staring at the dark blanket with tiny sparkles scattered throughout, I was leaning against his body.

"You're so different..." He suddenly speaks up. "It's like you've this special power in you, you seem to have the will to make people smile and laugh. Your eyes, they seem so bright, it's like you've seen this world in a variety of horizons and the sunsets in every light. You seem to have love a thousand eyes and you seem to express it all through your voice, your smile. I'm hopelessly smitten with you."

I kissed him, it would be the last gift and the last of his breath I could get.

He walked me home that night, his hand refusing to let go of mine. He looks at me, his eyes filled with sadness. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

• • •

My alarm rang, it was the first day back in school. I got up and started on my eyeliner before getting frustrated over which outfit to wear and the heels that made me fall. The sickening routine of being the classical A class prep. 

Talia was giving Monroe a lift to school so that means I am going to school alone.

When I stepped into the school compounds, there were hush whispers, people were pointing at me and muttering to themselves. I held my head high and confidently stride down the hallway, when I reached my locker, I saw Calum standing there, I was taken aback but his presence but I pretended it had to pretend that it did not bother me bother me.

"What's the meaning of this?" He asked through gritted teeth. His hand clutching in to the crumpled schools newsletter. 

The headlines roared: "CHLOE REYES A.K.A ALEXIA WHITE? SCANDALOUS PICTURES OF THEIR MUSHY DECEIVING ROMANCE"

By Talia Fox

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Authors note: okay okay I know this chapter is exceptionally long and I have to end the summer abruptly if not it'll be too long winded. Hope you like this chapter! :-)