Love Pretends -Summers Brothers

CHAPTER 24 IN FACE OF ADVERSITIES

Xiennah's POV

I'm in a not so interesting class with a very traditional professor who did nothing but made us memorize all the contents of our book. He's quite plain and monotonous. He reminds me of my life- dull and empty. Well, it was... until I met him. But it's been a week and I never got a glimpse of him. I don't have any idea why he was absent for almost a week now. I tried contacting him but he kept on ignoring me. It hurts knowing that he's possibly avoiding me because of her. I sat in the last row looking outside the window. I thought it's amusing but I thought wrong. The peaceful quite scenery of the school grounds only show how discipline students were to attend their class diligently but it only reminds me of my loneliness. My phone vibrated and I read Ashe's message. "Wait for me at the school's entrance. I'll pick you up at 5:00 sharp- Ashe." I've got a lot of problems as usual to deal with and that jerk was always messing everything up. He's a walking disaster! Every time he's around, my day would get completely ruined. I sighed in exhaustion as I deleted his message. How did he get my number anyway? Well, as if I've got another choice. It would surely be an agonizingly long night.

We were dismissed earlier and I decided to wait for Ashe in the nearest bench to our school's gate entrance. I was reading my favorite romance English novel when someone covered my eyes. "The heck you moron! I've already agreed to this f*cking date so please don't make it any worse!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Students were staring at me but the heck I care! Damn them all, I don't care at all. "Whoa! Easy there tiger; I'm just kidding," he sat beside me. I really thought I would see his annoying smirk but I saw him smiling genuinely instead. He looked happy. "You know what, I've been in countless dates before but I never felt this happy. I wonder why." He looked at me straight to my eyes and I saw the sincerity there. He leaned closer merely an inch to my face and touched my cheeks. "You looked really pretty. Why couldn't he see that?" He whispered. I felt his warm fresh breath touched my face and I should've pushed him away but I couldn't. Maybe I missed Chole so much that I desperately wanted to believe that I'm actually facing Chole and not this jerk. Yes, I badly wanted to pretend that he's Chole and he's taking me out for a date. "I'm not him," Ashe whispered obviously well-aware of what I'm doing. And that made me jerk away from him and there I noticed the real Chole just behind him staring coldly at us. I walked fast toward him in panic. "It's not what you think. I... uh... just..." "Why are you explaining things?" "I thought you're angry Chole. And just so you know, I don't like him. Anyways, why were you absent for the last whole week?" "It's not of your concern," he turned his back from me and was about to walk away when I grabbed his arm and faced him again. "I'm worried about you Chole." "Don't be." "But I couldn't help it. I love you and its only natural for me to act this way." "Acting like a girlfriend now, are we?" I was surprised by his cold attitude. He was so sarcastic! He's as if he was a totally different person. "What's the matter Chole? I'm just worried that you've got health issues that's why you're absent for a whole damn week. Besides if you're angry about what happened awhile ago, don't be. You just misinterpreted things a bit between me and your twin." "I guess you're the one misinterpreting things Xiennah. I'm not jealous. Why would I be when I came here for Rhaine?" "What?" I felt as if something was stuck in my throat that I sounded very pathetic as I suppressed my damn tears to spill shamelessly in front of him. "I thought you're courting me." "I'm sorry, Xiennah. But I just realized that I still love her." "But you said..." I was planning to hug him but Ashe grabbed me away from him. "Xiennah, let's go. Don't talk to that asshole. He doesn't deserve you." "But he's just confused! Please Ashe, I have to talk to him!" "Look around you Xiennah! People are staring! Don't you have any self-pride left?" he shouted out of frustration. And there I noticed people actually looking at me with pure disgust in their faces. But I don't care. What's the difference anyway? People always looked at me like that. Others whispered gossips obviously about me since they're pointing at me as they talk. I even heard some hurtful words but not to me. I'm used to it anyway. Slut... Gold digger... Whore... I even heard someone shouted. "You think you're pretty because they're fighting over you? Well, you're not bitch!" "At least two hot guys were fighting over me. I'm that pretty. How about you? Insecure much bitch?" I shouted back at her. "Hey don't make a scene here. You're just humiliating yourself, Xiennah," Chole scolded me. I'm happy that he's still concerned about me but I was shocked by what he said next. "How could I ever think I could love a war-freak, liberated girl like you? I'm just glad I realized it so soon. Yes, you're right Xiennah. I'm just confused. I thought I'm starting to like you more than a friend but I was wrong. You're my friend and I don't want to lose you. But I love her. I still do." "No you don't! Chole!" He walked away and I planned to follow him around but Ashe lifted me over his shoulder. "Stop it Xiennah. We still have our date." "Let go me, you jerk!" I punched him and I kicked him and I wriggled myself out from his grasp but he just easily held me in place. "I said stop it Xiennah. You'll hurt yourself." "What's the big deal? I'm already hurting!" And before I knew it, I felt my tears shamelessly falling down my cheeks. I saw people looking at me. They showed various emotions but never sympathy. It's my first time to be seen crying in public. It's my first time to be seen so vulnerable. I hate to get pitied and gladly I never get one. Because no one ever showed sympathy, pity nor even compassion for me in that very moment, it was in fact quite the opposite. And for the first time I wondered. What did I ever do to these people to hate me this much? What did I ever do to ever deserve this so messed up and hopeless life? I've got nothing to lose here. I've been known at my worst already. So I guess being a bitch would make no difference. I'll take you back Chole even if it means I have to play the villain here. But wait! I just remembered. I was already a villain since the very beginning and I will still be... if it means getting you back, if it means you'll love me this time, I'll do everything it takes to have you. That this time, for the first time, someone I love will love me back as much. And that would be you Chole. That would only be you...