Heartless (Completed)

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The whirlwind of events seemed almost surreal. I couldn't quite grasp how I made it home; all I knew was that I was dizzy and disoriented from everything that happened at Tamara's place. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, but I'll text her and apologize.

Was I so drunk that I thought Art was in America? Or was Art's presence just so consuming in my mind these past few days that I ended up in this state? Is it still affecting you, Eliann? For heaven's sake, move on! The man is getting married!

Cliff and Tamara kept texting me, checking if I was alright. Naturally, I responded. I told them I was fine.

Cliff:

Are you okay? I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean to.

And I kept replying that it was alright. It was fine because, deep down, I knew I was at fault. I had wanted it to happen, mistaking him for Art. I wanted it because of my own madness. It was frustrating. I was angry with myself because no matter what I did, I couldn't forget him. I was infuriated with myself for accepting that it was okay for him to move on while I, here I was, unable to forget him. Even though we never were anything, and we never could be. It was all so frustrating.

I decided to sleep off everything and tried to push it out of my mind. I threw myself into studying, spending all my time buried in books. I hardly went out of the hotel anymore to party; I was simply too busy now. Not like before. It was also a relief that Cliff wasn't hounding me too much since he was also caught up in his studies and band. One day, I went to see Cliff's school and watched him and his band perform. He truly was talented; I couldn't deny it. If they ever performed in the Philippines, I was sure they would be met with the same frenzy as Art's band.

Again, Eliann!

I barely had a moment to myself, just one free day in an entire month with all the projects I needed to finish in a single day. Not to mention the reports I had to prepare for my morning presentations. I hardly saw my friends anymore, but I hoped they understood, as we were all just as busy as each other.

One day, I finally found the time to call my friends back in the Philippines.

"Eliann!" they all shouted as soon as they saw me through the video call.

"Wow! Your complexion looks amazing! Staying in America must really be doing wonders for you," Desiree remarked. I couldn't help but smile at her comment. I brushed off her praise and quickly shifted the topic.

"How is everyone over there?" I asked. I was in my room at the time. Actually, I was buried under a pile of homework, but I decided to ignore it for a while. I missed my friends terribly. It had been nearly two months since I last spoke with them.

"We're good!" Gino chimed in.

"Hey, we're actually on a trip right now. We're in Palawan," Mikaela added.

"Wow, really? That's so enviable. I wish I could go there too!" I exclaimed. I pouted as I noticed I wasn't in any of their pictures. I missed them so much.

"Have you not seen my post on Instagram? You've been tagged there. You're in it, but your face is just a drawing," Desiree said with a laugh. It wasn't a funny laugh, though. It was the kind of laugh that made it clear she knew she'd done something less than kind.

"Wait a second," I said. I hurriedly grabbed my phone and checked the post Desiree mentioned. I refreshed my feed and, sure enough, found Desiree's post. I pouted again when I saw the drawing of myself. It wasn't my face—it was just a crude sketch.

"How infuriating," I said, frowning as I scrolled through the other pictures.

"So frustrating! Ugh, Desiree!" I exclaimed. The drawing was like something a child would create—just a stick figure with a round head and scribbled hair. And to top it off, my name was scrawled above the drawing. All I could do was face-palm while watching them laugh heartily on the screen.