Proxy

Seven

Clay's POV

"Yow, Man. Come on. Tell her." Troy urged me to talk but I couldn't. I was still in shock at my hidden discovery.

All this time Troy liked her and I made her life a living hell?! I'm such a f*cked up bastard of a friend!

How can Troy stay by my side and watch me doing those things to her?!

"He came to apologize... for everything. But it looks like karma's biting him now in the rear." Troy joked.

I glared at him, trying to manage my discomfort and sat back, relaxing myself. I looked at her straight into the eye.

"I'm sorry." I said to her.

"It's okay." Was her reply.

That's the Harley I know. Too forgiving for her own good. "If there's anything you need. Anything at all, don't hesitate to call me. I know this isn't enough for I did to you 10 years ago.

She winced for a little like she tore open a sewn wound in her chest.

"It's fine, Marksons. It's all in the past now. You weren't the one who attacked me that night, anyway." She said rather comfortably.

"Wait, so you aren't afraid of him anymore???" Troy grinned excitedly. The shock in his face looked priceless.

"A little. But I'm beginning to warm up a little if you manage to smile even once in a while." She said.

"The pleasure is mine." I said, showing her my forced smile.

"So are you guys friends now? 'Cause I know that it's gonna be weird and all because you never seem to have any healthy relationship in the past and-."

"Geez! Move on already!" We both said to Troy in different tones.

"Okay." He replied. Then the three of us laughed like he just said the most funniest thing in the world.

"So... so, if Clay wasn't the one who attacked you then who did?" Troy asked. His questions made my stomach plummet, begging to be punched.

Harley paled and she shook her head quickly, refusing to answer him. My expression became serious and Troy's face switched from being funny into something dangerous.

"Let's go out and celebrate this moment then!" She changed the topic immediately, hoping Troy would buy it.

My bestfriend just beamed at her but when his eyebrows furrowed, I know there's something going on in that simple mind of his.

Troy's POV

My hands balled into fists the moment she told us that it really wasn't Clay who attacked her and left her to starve in the Janitor's closet.

It must be someone who hated her. Obviously, everyone would blame Clay because he's openly bullying her in front of everyone but I'm sure there are others as well.

After the court ruling, I was upset at Clay. I never talked to him until our graduation day when he talked to me first and we vowed to never let him harm another helpless person again.

I stayed with him until then even if I still had my doubts about him. But now that I heard the very words coming from Harley's mouth that it wasn't Barclay (Clay), I'm finally relieved.

All these years, I've been suspecting my own best buddy of a crime he didn't commit. I feel ashamed of myself afterwards but it's not time for me to think about it.

I need to find out the real culprit.

Clay parked the car in the next building and we went inside The Ritz. I saw Harley's eyes go wide with anticipation when our food arrived.

She's like a kid trapped in an oversized T-shirt and a black pair of leggings and a white converse.

We made her order everything and all that's left for us was to pay for it. We managed to feel a couple of people starring at us, giving us weird looks.

Her cheeks turned crimson and, for a moment there, I thought she's gonna dash onto the bathroom like most girls usually do, but Harley shrugged her shoulders and ignored the other customers as she happily eats her desert.

That's what happens when you see a woman eating without a care in the world with two dressed up guys eating silently in front of her.

I guess some things never change for the better.

After catching up, we dropped her off back to her building and we drove immediately to my place. Even if Clay already got married, he still acts like he's still in his Bachelor days because his bride, Savannah, was out in the other side of the world doing business deals.

"Are you sure with your 'wife' roaming all over the globe without me?" I laughed.

"Of course. The more women we could sleep with, right?" Clay snickers. Hours later, the both of us are headed out for a boys night out with girls clinging to us on our sides.