Absent

Chapter 24: Not-so-welcoming news

My eyes scan the airport, seeking my friends' faces. Finally, I hear someone calling my name, and I turn around to receive Vicky's embrace. Jimmy and Chester are also here, talking about stuff so quickly it's hard for me to follow along their updates. But they really didn't say much. 'Galileo's with Lindsey, he'll meet with us later...

School's boring. We talked to Javier; he got a new job and couldn't come today. Your mom's been asking us for news about you; we only mentioned that Lindsey's progress was escalating quickly.'

Jimmy drives me to my house and they're still chatting about stuff, but I can only notice one thing missing. "How's Alex?"

Vicky presses her lips together and Jimmy pretends not to have heard me because of all the traffic. Chester stares at me with compassion. "He's been... you know, acting all couple with Gissele. He's been seriously ignoring us, like we're not cool enough to hang out with him."

"He's a dick." Vicky murmurs, and Jimmy glances at her in surprise. "I told you, Heather. He's a damn player, and that's just how he beats the game. Give him one reason to forget you and he will move on. Just like that; no hard feelings, only because he doesn't feel anything at all."

I try to answer, but no sound will come out of my mouth. I remain silent until I arrive home, and dad's the first human being to greet me home. "Oh, Heather. Hello." And he leaves.

I sigh and walk directly to my room, hoping Mary won't be around... for the rest of my life.
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I go straight to my locker and avoid bumping into anyone. That anyone could be Gissele and Alex. In my first classroom, I pick a seat at the darkest corner and try to sink in my History II book.

Someone sits behind me and lowers my book. She smiles at me with such innocence I can't relate her physical image to her shitty personality. "I thought you were going to be away for six months."

"I thought it was none of your business."

"Hey, I just wanted to know."

"As far as I know, we're not friends, Gissele."

"That's right. You're just my boyfriend's ex."

She smiles victoriously and walks away. I roll my eyes and try with all my might not to be affected by her. I succeed until my last class, when I bump into Alex. His eyes widen and his skin turns pale. "Heather..."

"Fuck you."

"No, wait. Heather." He insists, grabbing my arm to hold me back. "I'm glad you made it back. It's only been 4 months; that's good news, right?"

"Yeah, I've got good news. What about you? How much has changed lately?"

He runs his hand through his hair and looks troubled. I try to break myself free from his grip, but instead he drags me to an empty classroom and kisses me. Partly because it took me by surprise, and partly because I'm angry at him, I stop him immediately and place my hands on my hips. "Don't do that."

"I just... I missed you so damn much."

"Is that why Gissele calls you 'boyfriend'?" I reply, calculating my escape.

"I didn't know you were coming back so early."

"Well, if you had listened to Jimmy and Vicky a little more, they could've told that Lindsey and I made a deal so she would do excellent on this program and then do whatever the hell she wants in Bellavista." I confront him. "But you have been avoiding them, right? Or is it that your new girlfriend has kept you too-?" I'm interrupted by another kiss, this one lasting longer than the last one. He places his hand on my shoulder, bringing back to reality.

I break apart and slap him. "What the hell?"

"Just don't think I've stopped loving you." He says, shy of making eye contact.

"And this is how you demonstrate love." I snap at him and exit the room, finishing my day with a mix of hate and love.
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"So you two aren't talking to each other." Vicky says, right after Alex and I stared at each other for 5 minutes.

"Not after he kissed me."

Vicky spits her food. She coughs and finishes her juice, still with an expression of shock. "And why the hell do you keep this away from me for so long?" She demands with a raspy voice.

"It doesn't make any difference."

"It makes a hell of a difference. One thing is to ignore each other's existence. Another is to kiss in secret and without being together." She corrects me indignantly. "So don't just tell me parts of it; tell me everything."

"What is there to tell? He said that he hasn't stopped loving me. But if it's true, why on Earth is he with that slut?"

"Hasn't he explained it to you?"

"To be fair, I haven't given him the chance... Hey, you told me before that you and Alex used to date. What happened, precisely?" I change the subject a little.

"It was nothing serious for him, but it was for me. It was on my first year in High School, and I didn't have much self-esteem back then. But he said I was pretty, and blah blah blah, we were together for a while. It was nice. Until I saw him flirting with this chick and when I confronted him, he claimed that I was too jealous and that was it."

"Just like that."

"Just like that." Vicky confirms. "But now I have Jimmy, and sincerely, I don't need to be jealous. I have full trust on him, and I have never loved anyone so much on my entire life."

"Now I'm jealous of you." I admit, and she laughs. I glance at Alex's table. Does he expect me to believe that his smile is forced? Or that he's suffering inside? We make eye contact, and we don't move. The joy fades away from his face and misery begins to reflect on his exterior. He mouths something; I love you.

Like shit you do.

I look at his friends; the guys he was with when I first saw him. They're his real family. I'm in nothing like them; I've got no chains on me like Lindsey's, or piercings, or any totally black outfits. I just can't blend with them, and Alex must've noticed.

I look back at Alex and mouth something too; Good to know.

I motion Vicky for us to move somewhere else than the cafeteria. We're walking down a hallway when Alex races in front of us. "I need to talk to you." He says to me, not aware of Vicky glaring at him.

"Like hell you're going anywhere with her." She replies. Alex takes no notice and leads me to our small secret door, into the alley where his motorcycle is.

"I'm not going with you." I state, placing my foot firmly on the ground.

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are." He lifts me up and drags me to the motorcycle. I try to fight him but it's useless. He's stronger than me in every way. I recognize defeat and jump in behind him.

We enter the bakery shop and I take a sit on a random table reluctantly. Alex breathes deeply and sits on the other side. "At least, I need to explain everything to you."

"No, you don't. This is uncalled for."

"It is called for. You deserve to know why I'm acting like a-"

"-dick." I finish his sentence. "Vicky's words."

"Right. Heather, I love you."

"Here we go." I murmur, sighing loudly.

"Hear me out. I do love you. But I also love Gissele." He explains, catching me off guard. "I've always felt something for her, but it wasn't until you were gone and I heartbroken that we got to talk. She might not be perfect, but it's hard for me to let go of her. She was my childhood crush."

"What was I?" I interrupt him, already numb. "Something to distract you while you figured how to win her back?"

"Shit no, Heather. You were just-"

"-Were. That's all I needed to hear." I interrupt, standing up and leaving without a doubt of how furious I am at him.