Vivid Memories

Chapter 16

I FaceTimed my dad when I got home. He was just about to go sleep and I told him everything about what happened during Christmas. I'm just happy he's happy. He's gone through a lot, and I know I'll make him proud. For his sake.

It's hard to be a single parent. I wouldn't know personally, but I've been my dad stressed out often. Somehow, I'll be successful in the scientific community to ensure he never has to be stressed out.

During the grey zone between Christmas and New Year, I worked on my chemistry report and biology report. 70% is a lot, but since I always get 90% consistently, this shouldn't be too hard. I have no idea what the hell GPA is, but it doesn't concern me.

I've been texting Penny, Cait ad, Dante, often. I have other friends besides them, but those three are my closest friends. I've grown quite fond of Dante and I think he feels the same way. It's funny how he's been to England and all and now I'm in his turf. I wish we could have met, but I guess it doesn't matter since we're here.

"So, how was your Christmas?" Caitlyn and I were calling each other to do our Chemistry coursework. Truth be told, we just wanted company.

"It was... surprisingly better than I thought it would be," I replied, typing more information down from my Mac. "I had fun."

"Fun? By yourself?" She scoffed, which was a natural reaction. People don't often have fun on their own.

"Ah, no I actually stayed over at a friend's place," I replied, chuckling softly. "I forgot to say that."

"Oh, who's place did you stay at?"

"It's uh... well..."

"Dante's..." She sighed. I could tell she was either disappointed or upset with my answer. "How are Michelle and Alfonso?"

"Mr. and Mrs. LaVine is doing well," I replied. I'm pretty sure his parents know what she did to him, so I personally don't believe she has the right to sound as if they're close. "Dante's fine too."

"... He hasn't spoken to me at all," There was despair in her voice. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. He told you that we used to date right?"

"Yeah," I replied awkwardly. God, it sounds as if this was way too personal. "He, uh, told me it didn't go so well."

"He's right, you know? I did betray him, turned everyone against him," What a fucking bitch. "You're probably wondering why right? Simply... I wanted him to forget me, I think. I didn't want to be branded as this... fucking loser anymore. My group was a bunch of losers and I wanted to change that, but having Dante around... god I thought I could change him but I couldn't."

"You're a fucking asshole you know that right!?" I shouted at my phone. "You don't know what you did to him! You don't know how fucked you made his life."

"He managed," She gave zero fucks about his wellbeing. Jesus Christ. I never knew how devilish Caitlyn was. "I did love him... but when he was going to move and never changed... I knew he had to be different, one way or another. Now, look at him... I bet you didn't even know he was part of a popular online group back in England. He became someone so... so likeable. He's more of a man now than he was before. Dante used to be so fucking pathetic."

"The worse part about you Caitlyn is that you tell yourself you loved him when you never did," God she was pissing me the fuck off. "What you had was nothing more than a lie. Dante... he deserves better than you."

"I loved him once, in the beginning, but when the world continued pushing at us, he pushed back as hard as he could. In the end, I got crushed but he kept fighting on," There was a deep sigh and I heard a slam on the desk. "I should have kept fighting. But no. I pushed him when he tried his best to keep going. You don't know what's it like, Avalon, to be branded as a loser. I tried to get us out. It worked, for us. Not him."

"I respect you as a friend Caitlyn, but what you did was wrong. I'm glad Dante rejected you at the club," I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. She made the whole situation like a child stepping on one ant.

"... you heard that?"

"I did because good lord you don't love him because you love him. You love what he brings you,"

"No, I actually do love him," She sighed happily, but it just annoyed me. "He's just changed the way I wanted him to, that's all. Have you seen him? Have you ever noticed how more confident he is? I must admit, you did well with him, boosting his confidence and all. Now he's a man you wouldn't mind dating. I loved his smiles and it's great to see him smile more often. His eyes too... they're like—"

"Didn't you call him a monster?!"

"I did," This bitch. "Because it was freaky. He was a depressed human, and his barriers made his eyes even more sinister. But if you tear down those barriers... it made it as if he's so... so uniquely human. I—"

"Caitlyn, Caitlyn, fucking Caitlyn," Man, I had just about enough. "Okay. Listen here. I'm not going to let you anywhere near close to dating Dante. I'll make sure of it."

"Please, you don't even know what Dante likes and what he doesn't like," There was a condescending scoff through the video. "You call yourself a friend? It'll be a matter of time until we're a thing again."

"It's not going to happen,"

"You don't know Dante as much as you think you know him. He follows his emotions, not his logical thinking. I know he might hate me still... but if I spend enough time with him, I'll be able to remind him of the good times. I couldn't do that before. I couldn't get anywhere near him. Now, he's more friendly with everyone, thanks to you. So, honestly, this was your undoing. Anyways, I've got to finish working. Thanks for all your hard work on Dante."

She hung up.

What a fucking bitch.