Cruel Stakes High Roller

Deceiving Truth

[12] Deceiving Truth 

When I got home, all I could think about was how I was going to make amends with Felice. I picked up the phone and started dialing immediately. I politely asked for Felice when someone answered. As the receiver asked who I was, I told the person that it was Justin who's calling her.

I knew she was mad at me, or rather, I assumed that she was.

"Justin! Yes, what is it?" She seemed so excited to talk to him. Not that I could compare, they were in good terms... and we were just... well, "Justin?" She probed when no one answered her.

"Hey there" I said slowly calculating the possibility of her slamming the phone shut.

"Uhm, Justin, what happened to your voice?" She said this as I heard a faint sound of a door being shut close in the background. I guess she totally didn't recognize my voice.

"I'm not Justin. It's Anthony... the person earlier must've not heard me correctly." I said lamely.

"Oh, well I'm quite... ah," She paused and I figured that she must be thinking of how she was to avoid me. Well not tonight, not when she hasn't heard me yet.

"Just listen to me, please! Felice, you have to. Come on." I pleaded and thought of a good explanation of what she had found out. But first, how much did she know? "Felice?"

"You haven't answered my question." She replied curtly.

"What question?" I said with a silent sigh.

Thinking that she was actually contemplating to give me a chance, I started walking up to my room to make our conversation more private. I didn't want any eavesdroppers—though there aren't many in this house—to hear anything that I was about to say.

"That morning, I asked you if it was true." She pressed

"Oh that... well, that depends on what you heard." I said smartly. Maybe I could change the gravity of the situation or something... It isn't much of a lie anyway...

She paused for a while and sighed. "Trish said that you are only being nice to me because of a bet. It's for uhm... Karla? Or Karen? I couldn't remember the name. So everything that you're doing, being nice and friendly is just to get this girl. This Karla?" She sounded so pissed.

I can imagine her chubby little cheeks starting to color and her eyes that might have scrunched up underneath her big square glasses... "Anthony! ANSWER ME!" And she starts crying.

"Felice, don't cry please," I begged her. I can't take crying girls. My heart aches, my stomach lurches... "Please, don't cry." I closed my eyes and tried to think of a way to approach this. "I'm sorry."

She sobbed harder and I could hear the muffled sniffles and really pitiful sounds that I despised hearing. The worst part of it all, it was my fault.

"It was a challenge. It wasn't much of a bet. They were teasing me because I couldn't stop looking at you. I was so very aware of your presence and it really bothered me." I stopped and I knew she was listening. "Felice, they thought I would rather die than make friends with you, so I went to prove to them that I can. I went to prove to them that I could make friends with you and not mind at all... but I was wrong."

"Oh, then well... I'm sorry for being such a distraction. I'm sorry for being so distasteful." She muttered bitterly.

"Please listen to what I'm telling you, Felice. I didn't say those things. You did." I told her. I closed my eyes as my breathing became really heavy. "After that day, when you walked away from me so many times... I couldn't stay away anymore."