Why Did It Happen?

(11)

The day after Charles and Dan had brought Mary back home, Dan woke up with a severe headache. I went to see him after my first class in the morning, but he rebuked me and said, “Come on Scarlette. Don’t worry yourself on such trivial matters. It’s just a slight headache. I’ll come tomorrow.” Has he got himself a haircut?

“Well, if it is a ‘slight’ headache, then why didn’t you come today?” I asked with my hands folded across my chest.

“You don’t have to hunt up all the technical mistakes in whatever I say. I’m telling you, I’ll come tomorrow. Now go and study. Don’t miss your classes because of me.” With that, he pushed me out of his room and closed the door. That’s weird. Is he avoiding me? I thought.  

In the evening, I messaged him on WhatsApp asking about his health, to which he did not reply.

I met him at around 1:00 pm the next day. He was sitting near one of the gardens, reading something on his laptop. As he saw me coming, he quickly shut his laptop and sat up straight.

“Hey! How are you today?” I asked and sat next to him.

“I am com-com-completely alright now”, he replied, fumbling a lot in the last three words. “I have to go. I have got some unfinished job to complete. I’ll see you later. Bye.”

“Oh okay. Bye.”

While standing, his legs got entwined. He lost his balance and fell down.

“Careful!” I exclaimed and helped me to his feet. What IS it with him? Why is he behaving so strange? When he had regained his balance, he forcefully withdrew his hand and walked away. He did not even thank me. Hmm! I thought angrily. The following day, I went to his room in the evening. He was sitting on his couch and was reading a book by John Grisham. I stood in front of him and stomped my foot angrily. How did his hair grow back so fast? I thought to myself.

“What is it?” he asked in a bored and drawling tone.

“You did not thank me yesterday.”

“For?”

“Helping you stand up.”

He stared at me for a few seconds and then stood with a jerk, throwing his book at the wall.

“Is that why you have come here? To beg me for a ‘thank you’? Alright Scarlette, thank you so much. I wouldn’t have been able to stand up without your help.”

“Okay, that’s enough of sarcasm and yelling. I just wanted to TALK to you. That is why I have come here. Not because I wanted to be yelled at by my friend”, I retorted.

“What do you want to talk about? My dead mother or my severely injured and wounded sister? Have you ever considered my feelings? NO! NEVER! You friend zoned me when I told you about my feelings towards you. I had no one to share my grief with when Ma died. Where were you then? Why didn’t you talk to me when I needed you the most? I don’t want to look at you for another second. You are just a self-centred, spoilt girl who has no regard for others’ feelings.” With that, he stormed out. It’s not that I couldn’t have answered him back. I was just dumbstruck. I was appalled by the allegations he had thrown at me. What was he saying? Why did he talk to me like that? ME of all people. There’s got to be a reason behind this.

The following week, I kept my ego aside, and tried to get the reason for such an abhorrent behaviour out of him, but in vain. He did not open up even a little bit. Then one day, we were in the college campus, when:

“Hey Dan!” I called him out. He had dropped a photo of his family.

“What IS IT??” he asked, irritated.

“Actually you...”

“Oh shut up!! Will you stop following me everywhere? Are you my wife or what? Did I not tell you that day that I don’t want to LOOK at you? Yet, you are following me. How thick-skinned ARE you?” all this while he was screaming at me, a considerable amount of people had gathered around us.

“Stop screaming! What do you think of yourself? A VIP, or the Prime Minister of this country? I don’t give anyone the right to yell at me whenever they feel like. Just because I’m being thoughtful...” He cut me off.

“Thoughtful?? When were you ever thoughtful? You did not think once before punching John, I mean, what IS the big deal about flirting?? You did not think once before hitting Shawn when he said that we were a couple. And just for the record, his claims were absolutely RIGHT!”

“That’s enough! I will NOT tolerate being humiliated in front of so many people. Dan, did you not tell me about that boy who used to trouble your sister, and how you and Charles had beaten him up? Boys can flirt with your girlfriends, but not with your sister? Why is it so? And I clearly remember that day near the river, so put an end to your crap RIGHT NOW!” I was infuriated by Dan’s questions and his abominable assertion that we were a couple.

“Fine. If you think this is all crap, then let’s put a full stop. Let’s put ‘an end’ to our FRIENDSHIP.” He was towering over me when he said this. I could see anger boiling in his eyes, but there was a certain affliction too. As if he didn’t mean any of that; as if it was a compulsion.

“If that’s what you want.” With that, we went our separate ways.

Hiii!! Well, has Scarlette's and Dan's friendship really ended?? What do you think?? Why is Dan behaving like this??
Let me know what you think... And don't forget to like and comment ;)
The next chapter will be updated soon... Until then, byee!!