My Hater, My Lover (Book One)

Chapter 26 - Witches from the past (Miguel)

I woke up with a start, and I gasped for air. I felt my hands and forehead were wet with sweat.

I looked around me, and the rising run caught my eyes. I squinted. Was I in a car?...

 It was very early in the morning, perhaps 4am or 5am and the sun was just coming out. I looked around me. Eron was asleep beside me, his jacket baring covering him like a blanket.

I had no memory of how I got here.

I leaned over and poked Eron.

Eron moaned slightly and his eyes barely opened. "...I was sleeping..."he said slowly.

I felt guilty for waking him. "How did I get here?" I asked.

Eron yawned, stretched and took off the jacket. 

"I should be asking you that," Eron said sleepily but annoyance was obvious in his tone.

 "I..." I started but Eron cut me off.

"What were you thinking, shooting up? Did she put you up to this? I leave you alone for one moment and you pull this kind of sh*t," Eron said angrily.

I remembered back to Charlotte and I last night. We went and got take out from the Korean shop close to her house. She told me the food would taste better if we hit up. I thought that I had to do because I didn't want to keep rocking the boat between her and I.

 "It's a long story, I don't want to get into it," I rolled over in the seat. It was early morning and I felt hungry.

 "I'm going to let it go this once. You're smarter than this, Miguel," he said. "Let's go eat," he said when he heard my stomach grumble.

He drove to an Timmies and we went inside and got coffee. He sat opposite to me. I drank my coffee, feeling a bit sick from the night before.

 "Where did you go yesterday?" I asked, casually, trying to change the subject.

Eron didn't reply. "I'm gonna get you a cellphone," he said. He was avoiding my question. Was he hiding something? Now I was paranoid.

 "That didn't answer my question," I said deadpan. 

 "That way, you can call me or I can call you," he said.

 "Don't bother, it's expensive," I replied. "Why don't you wanna tell me where you were?"

 Eron looked away from me and I could tell he was thinking. "I went home," he finally said.

Did he think I was stupid?

 "You went home," I repeated.

He looked relived when it looked like I believe him.

 "Yes, I went home," he repeated.

"Liar. Why wouldn't you tell me where you went if you had just gone home?" I dug.

He looked a bit nervous and that set off red flags in my head. I suddenly remembered Robert's voice in my head. "When he messes you up, you only have yourself to blame."

 Eron was visibly shifting in his seat. I could feel the fear and paranoia raising in my heart.

"Eron?" I heard a girl's voice. Both Eron and I turned around. It was Tesha. My heart started to beat harder. This was downright an awful day.

 Eron looked just as surprised to see her as she did us.

 "Hey, Tesha, long time no see," he said brightly, switching his personality, just like that. I glared darkly. I hated that he could do that.

Tesha smiled as she saw Eron smile at her. 

"Wow, I didn't know if it was really you or not, you know, because your hair wasn't blond anymore....Oh, and hi...Micheal, was it?" she asked, her disdain in her voice creeping in.

"It's Miguel..." I said quietly, but I'm sure she wasn't listening. Eron looked concerned at me for a moment but his mask quickly moved in.

There was no way Eron didn't also hear her disdain but he chose to pretend he didn't hear it.

"You look great!" Eron laughed. He stood up and faced her.

"Yah, well, I started working out," she said, giggling and the two of them started to talk as if I didn't exist.

I sat there, feeling the biggest idiot in the world. I had half a mind to get up and leave, except that I didn't know where I was, since I drove here with Eron.

I started at Tesha and remembered I hated her the most. She was really short but she was mean. She was always the one to start calling me names or start the bullying. She was nasty and I hated her.

I couldn't stand it anymore, and I stood up from my chair.

 "Oh and, um, yeah...this is Miguel, um...well, you remember him, right?" Eron laughed awkwardly. Eron could be such an ass sometimes.

I glared at Eron as well.

I glared down at Tesha. While Tesha might have slimmed down from working out, she didn't get any taller. Still a midget at barely 5'3. I towered over her and it felt great.

I'm sure she could tell I was scowling like my life depended on it.

Even though I had changed, and I wasn't the same person I used to, a year ago, in that moment, looking at Tesha standing next to Eron, I felt transported back to those dark days.

 "Yes, I remember Miguel," she said dully. Her eyes glossed over and I could tell she was just as displeased to see me as I was her.

 "Excuse me, but I gotta get going," I said, turning and walking off. I expected Eron would excuse himself as well and follow me back to the car but he didn't.

I exited the Timmies and I continued to walk. I walked past Eron's car and I continued to walk. My feet felt numb and they kept going.

My throat felt strange, like it was too thick, and I realized I was trying to hold back my choking tears.