Follow the Arrow

Chapter 18

"You. Little. Troll!"

I walk way, furious at what he had done, furious at what both of them had done! I've just found out that the two most important men in my life are complete jerks! I didn't see either coming, which makes this so much worse.

I caught the first one bragging about the girl he had wrapped around his finger. The girl who asks how high? when he says jump. The pathetic girl who did anything to please him because she thought the reason he asked her to do everything for him was because she was the only person he trusted to do it.

Maybe I'm paraphrasing, but that's what I got from the conversation, but since I'm that girl, I have every right to do that!

The only good thing to come from that is the spell he had over me has finally broken.

But then the one person I thought I could trust, the man I knew for sure would never let me down, came and found me. I was expecting him to be his quirky self and say something sweet or awkward. I was expecting him to hug me for comfort, or to tell me to cry it out if I wanted to, or any other form of sympathy. I was counting on that.

But when I see his face… he's grinning!

To be perfectly honest, his betrayal hurts a lot more than the other I suffered through today.

"Orchid! Orchid, wait up!"

"Stay away from me!"

"I'm truly sorry for my behavior! I don't know what came over me!"

"What, do you get some sort of satisfaction from my misery?! Does my broken heart make you happy for some sick reason?!"

"Of course not! I hate that you're so hurt! But didn't you say yourself that you're not so much heartbroken as you are angry with yourself?"

I stop in my tracks and turn on my heel to face him. I had said that. And it's true. I feel so naive for not picking up on it for so long. Zane catches up and reaches his hands to my shoulders, but he hesitates before actually placing them on me. But after a minute the anger comes back.

"So you like seeing me angry, huh?!" I march off again.

"No, Orchid. Please, come back."

"A friend wouldn't do that!"

"I know I'm a horrible friend for doing that, okay? I admit it was a terrible thing to do at the worst time. But please forgive me. I beg of you."

"Name one reason!" But again, I stop in my tracks. That was stupid to say. He stops in front of me, but doesn't make a move to grab me or touch me. "Okay," I mumble. "Horrible friends don't risk their lives to save you." I sigh with a small smile. "I forgive you. Of course I forgive you. Just… try not to smile next time I pour out my heart to you."

"No guarantees," he teases. I roll my eyes. "I'll certainly try my hardest."

I begin to walk off again. "You're such a good friend, Blue."

"I try." Suddenly, I have to yawn and I cover my mouth and turn away. "Let's get you into bed and you can forget all about this."

I bite back a teasing grin then turn back around, quirking an eyebrow. "Oh, so you think seducing me and getting me into bed with you is going to make up for your blunder, Blue?"

"What?!" he gasps, eyes wide with shock, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He begins stammering and stuttering. "Orchid, I'd never in my wildest dreams– Not–not that I wouldn't want to because you're– But I didn't mean–"