Facade

Chapter 24

Karen's pov

I sat on a bench under a tree thinking about my life. Or the pathetic excuse of a life. I ditched class and I didn't care one bit. It's not as if I have anyone to worry about me. My mum tells me to do whatever I want. As for my dad, he was the only one who showed an atom of discipline, I don't even know where he is. The one person who had always cared about me, my health, my education was Mia and she too has left me. Rather I pushed her away for my selfish heart. And I regretted it the moment she caught Aiden and I together in bed. My affair with Aiden started long before he even met Mia. We were secretly together. Though there was no love from him, at least he was consistent with me. Then he met Mia and I seized to exist to him. He went behind my back to court her and ask her out. When Mia told me about him, she was just so happy that I couldn't bear to tell her the truth about him. I told her she's free to date whoever she wants. Big mistake. Deep down I was heartbroken so I couldn't be bothered to think of the repercussions it'll have on Mia when she finds out who Aiden truly is. I confronted him of course and he told me I was nothing more than a good fuck to him. I cursed him out and broke it off with him immediately. Things went like that for a while until one night, Aiden called me, he was drunk and needed a ride home. I should have ignored him but I was thought I was in love. I went and picked him up from the party. When I dropped him at his house, he begged me to stay. One thing led to the other and we had sex. I regretted it the moment it happened and when I realised Aiden wanted to keep me on the side while still dating Mia. I didn't want that. I wanted him all to myself, even if it hurt Mia. So I made sure I forgot my cell phone that day. I made sure the password was something Mia could easily guess. And she did. Mia caught us in the act together. I was thrilled that things were working my way for once. But it didn't go as planned. Aiden still ran after Mia. He shoved me aside and kept chasing her. I was devastated. In a bid to bring him closer to me, I began to dress more revealing than before. I began to sleep around thinking it'll make him jealous. But Aiden never cared. It just made me what I've always hated. A slut. But I continued since I enjoyed the attention. Men came to me and I gladly opened my legs. After a while, it became unpleasant, annoying. And for the first time in years, I began to question myself. Is this how I'm meant to live? What's my aim in life? I did everything I could to get Aiden but it was useless. He was hung up on Mia. And she didn't seem interested. I wasted my time pinning for him. I never meant to hurt Mia. Infact it nearly killed me when she looked at me with so much hurt and betrayal after she caught Aiden and I in the act. But I told myself it had to be done. My heart breaks every time I see her. Knowing that I'm the reason she changed from her once cheerful, kind and caring nature to a bitter, cold and vengeful person. I did that to her. I forced Mia to change from who she was into this stranger. It's all my fault. And I hated myself for it. I acted brave, mean and callous. All for what? For a boy who barely acknowledges my existence. A tear dropped from my eyelids and I made no move to wipe it off. What's the point? More will just replace it. I wept for what I lost and might never gain again. I hated this rift between us. My pride never let me show it to her. And I was scared Aiden will abandon me for her. So I acted out. I warned her to stay away from Aiden, I did everything to separate them. And it worked. They got separated. But it didn't bring Aiden to me like I expected. Instead it pushed him farther away from me.
Screams broke me away from my thoughts. But one voice in particular made me stand up from the bench I was seating. I walked over to the parking lot in time to see Aiden shove Mia into the trunk of his car. I quickly hid behind the tree. A gasp escaped me and I covered my mouth with my hands to muffle the sound. I watched as Aiden quickly looked around, probably checking if anyone was around. When he was sure no one was watching him, he entered into his car and drove off. Immediately he was out of sight, I came out of my hiding place. I paced the parking lot, thinking about what to do. Should I call the police? No someone must have, judging from the siren I heard in a distance. Time to be a hero and probably win my best friend back. I ran to my car and followed after Aiden. I trailed behind Aiden carefully, keeping my car a reasonable distance away from him so he won't notice me following him. He drove for a while taking so many turns that it was almost too hard to keep up. After he while, He turned into a deserted street. I looked ahead and saw a run down shack. Probably his destination. Aiden stopped and parked his car. I angled my car into a nearby bush and parked. I made sure there were enough trees around to keep my car hidden from sight. I took off my shoes and kept them in the car. In case I need to run, I don't wanna break my neck trying to run in heels. I came out of the car barefoot and followed Aiden quietly. When he turned to my direction, i quickly ducked behind a huge boulder. I peeked at him from behind the boulder. I watched Aiden open the trunk and drag out a screaming Mia. She was glaring daggers at him and he seemed unaffected. He dragged her to an abandoned shack. Aiden held Mia while he opened the door with a key he took from his pocket. Aiden shoved Mia into the shack and followed her in. Hope he isn't going to rape her? I thought to myself. I waited behind the boulder for a while. I began to feel agitated when there was no screaming coming from the shack. She'll scream if he's raping her right? I asked myself. Quietly I tiptoed to the back of the shack and peeked from a tiny crack in the wall. Mia was tied up on a chair. Aiden stood in front of her saying something. The walls were too thick so I couldn't hear anything. After a while, Aiden said something to Mia and came out of the shack. I pressed my body to the side so he wouldn't see me. He entered into his car and drove off. Immediately he was out of sight, I came out of my hiding place. I ran to the door and tried to open it. It didn't bulge. Aiden must have locked it.
"Damn it" I cursed under my breath. Mia must have heard me and she screamed out
"Is anybody there? Help!"
I kept trying to open the door but it was futile. I heard Mia sobbing
"Hold on Mia, I'll get you out" I called out to assure her. The sobbing subsided to sniffles when she heard my voice. I guess I was the least person she expected to hear from.
"Karen?" Mia asked, uncertainty clear in her voice. I rolled my eyes
"Who else? The pope? Now shut up while I work" I yelled out to her, my voice laced with sarcasm. Mia giggled.
"I've gotten the rope off my hands. I'm untying my legs now" she said to me.
"Good girl" I said to her encouragingly. I was looking around for something to break the door down when I heard the sound of a car approaching. I looked up to see Aiden's car approaching from a distance.
"Shit. Aiden is back Mia. I gotta hide" I whispered to her. I didn't listen for a reply. I quickly hid behind the shack.

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Mia's pov

I was shocked to hear Karen's voice. She's the last person I expected here and to be helping me. Though we've had our differences, I almost wept in relief when I heard her voice. And the fact that she was helping me too was like icing on a cake. Immediately she told me Aiden was coming, I increased my pace. I had already untied my hands so I bent down to work on the ropes on my legs. Seconds later, I untied my legs. I stood up and stretched out my stiff muscles. I heard the jiggling of the doorknob and realised Aiden was unlocking the door. Without thinking, I picked up the chair I was tied on and hid behind the door. Though my arms ached, I ignored the pain and raised the chair high prepared to strike immediately the door opens. The door opened and Aiden strolled in with a carton of pizza on one hand and drinks on the other.
"Baby I got - - - -" Aiden was saying as he stepped through the door. I wasted no time. With as much force I could muster up, I hit his head with the chair. He groaned and crumbled slowly to the ground. I didn't bother checking if he was alive or not. I dumped the chair and ran out of the shack. I ran towards the direction I heard his car drive in. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Aiden hot in pursuit. He was cradling his bleeding head with one hand. I picked up my pace and ran with everything I've got. Suddenly a car drove and parked in front of me. I stood staring wide-eyed at the car. My first thought was Aiden had driven up to catch up with me. My breath came out in relief when I heard the voice.
"Get in mia" Karen called out. I didn't bother opening the door. I dove into the car through the passenger window. Karen pressed on the gas and sped off with my legs hanging out the window. In other instance, I would have found it extremely funny. But right now, as relief course through my veins, I just laid there panting. After a while, I gathered enough strength to adjust my position and sit properly. I jumped on Karen who was driving and hugged her. She hugged me back with one hand while handling the steering with the other hand.
"Thank you! Thank you so much" I breathed into her ear.

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