Beneath The Mask

100. I Am Not A Lovesick Puppy Dog, I Am A Damn Wolverine!

I would like to dedicate this week's chapter to
Just-cool
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Cath's POV:

I washed my face with the cold water flowing from the tap and stared at my own reflection in the mirror in front of me. I didn't know who she was but she looked different, quite different from the girl I used to know but for the first time in forever I felt proud of her for standing up for herself.

I smiled at my reflection. She was pale skinned with dark circles surrounding her eye lids. I looked apt to star in a zombie movie with the state I was in. A part of me felt guilty for avoiding Daniel. Like I said, he was the best brother that a girl could ask for and I didn't want to burden him anymore. His forgiving nature made me feel better, but only slightly.

"Who are you?" I whispered at my own reflection with the smile still intact on my face. James thought that I was a lovesick puppy who was yearning for his love and as he would put it, 'guidance'. "I feel like a fool now." I sighed and turned around to leave the bathroom but then I remembered the thing in my pocket, the reason for my miserable state.

My heart began palpitating immediately. I still hadn't seen the text but I didn't want to repeat the same mistake again. Having to watch two of the best people in my life, be in a life threatening situation once was more than enough for me. I usually would have felt powerless and resigned to my room, locking myself up from the rest of the world; like I did till this morning, but I was not going to be that girl anymore. I was more than that. Harry taught me so. His words ran inside my mind.

Nobody can hurt you without your permission.

Well technically it was said by Gandhi, but Harry was the one who taught me how true it was. Running away from this problem would only be insulting to everything he helped me with. It was the least I could do and in a way I felt like I owed it to myself to take the right action this time. I've been neglecting myself for too long, going after people who thought that I was nothing but an animal wagging its annoying tail behind them.

With a new found determination I walked out of the bathroom. Daniel still had his back towards me, watching them play. I slipped out of the bowling alley and into the cold dark night. If I were to do this, I needed to do this alone. I didn't want to pull Daniel into this. He would probably try to grab the matters into his own hands if he saw me nervous with the phone in my hand.

Once I was out, I leant myself against a pillar and pulled out my cell phone from my pocket. My hands began shaking at the prospect of what the message could be, but what if he had planned to do something already since I still hadn't opened the text yet.

That thought alone was enough to make me take action and open the message box. It was Daniel. There was no other message in the inbox. I sighed in relief and opened the text from Daniel.

'We need to talk.' It read.

My body immediately froze. Daniel must have sensed that I broke down because of the text that I received. He was right next to me in the theatre and he already had a doubt on me that something was going on with my phone. What do I tell him now? I can't lie to him. That's the reason I avoided him in the first place.

Sighing, I looked at the dark night sky filled with tiny bright stars and a few thick grey clouds that looked like they were going to pour down any minute. "What am I going to do?" I muttered and proceeded to go back inside when I was pulled to the side of the building by a familiar hand.

I didn't scream. I would know that hand anywhere and that disgusted me now. "What do you want James?"

He seemed surprised but then composed himself. "That's not the question Cathy. What do you want? That's the question that needs answering."