CHARLOTTE

CHAPTER 14

The class goes quite smoothly and it is interesting as usual. Finally, the bell rings and I stand and pack my bag. 

"How do you come to college?" Alvin asks as we walk out of the class.

"I drive" I say.

"Wow that's cool" he says smiling.

"Thanks, how do you come?" I ask.

"I drive as well" he says.

"How was your lunch hour?" he asks again.

"Oh! it was great, the library is huge" I tell him.

"Oh really? I haven't been there yet" he says.

"You can come along tomorrow if you want" I tell him.

"Sure" he says smiling.

We reach my car. 

"Is this yours?" he asks.

"Yes" I say. 

"Porsche, that's cool" he says smiling.

"Thanks" I say returning his smile.

"Where's yours?" I ask.

"That's mine" he says. I follow his hand and it is pointing a white Jaguar.

"Whoa" is all I manage to say.

"You like it?" he asks.

"Yes, my mom has one but I like white more" I say.

"Really?" he asks.

"Yes, I get my interest in cars from her" I say smiling.

"That's nice" he says.

"Okay then see you tomorrow" he says and waves me goodbye and walks towards his car.

I get into my car and start it and drive. I reach home, park my car, grab my bag from the back seat, come out and walk towards the door. I take out the key from the bag and unlock the door. I walk inside and close the door. I sit down on the couch. Alvin reminded me of Cedric. I did not see him in class today.

--------------------------------------

FLASHBACK

I enter the rather deserted class. Cedric is standing near the window. I walk towards him and stand behind him. 

"Cedric, I want to talk to you" I tell him.

He turns around. He seems so different and I can't read his expression. He doesn't say anything, so I continue.

"Why are you ignoring me?" I ask him.

He still doesn't reply and looks out of the window. We have been best friends for nearly 4 years and have known each other since early years at school but due to some stupid and baseless rumors, I can clearly see our 10 years friendship falling apart. I know I like him but our friendship is far more important to me than my feelings.

"If you hate me so much then just tell me to walk away from your life, I will do that" I say, my voice is almost like a whisper and it's shaking because I'm trying to control my tears.

He turns around and looks at me for a while.

"Okay" he says.

I can't believe what he just said. I think I misunderstood. For a while I feel like I should ask him to repeat his statement. He is looking at me and I can see him changing his expression, maybe it's amusement. I don't know and I don't want to know either. I can feel betrayal, pain and my heart breaking. I see our friendship, our bond shattering  and breaking like my heart. I am speechless and I stand there looking at him as tears blur my vision and start rolling down my face but I don't want to cry in front of him. I simply turn around and run. I come inside my class, put my head down and cry. I let go of the pain, the agony I have been feeling for a month. 

We had become really close in last four years. He was my best friend and I trusted him the most. I believed that I knew him the most but today I feel as if I didn't know him at all. I couldn't understand my best friend. He had actually started distancing himself from me since the beginning of this year but I still tried my best.

I would wait for him, my second best friend I had in my entire school life. Many friends came and went by but I had thought that our friendship will last forever.