Obsession

12

Disclaimer: graphic content ahead.

Recap: Jason just told Taylor about Rhian's feelings for her.

I couldn't look her in the eye. I couldn't look any of them in the eye. My head was bowed in shame and my eyes were fixated on the ground. How would I explain that I had tried to tell her several times? What did this mean for the friendship I had grown to be so dependent on?

"Well, answer me," she demanded, a hint of frustration in her voice.

I finally looked up. My gaze first landed on Jason, and I could immediately see the regret in his eyes. He had betrayed me, and he knew it. I smiled reassuringly, as if to tell him that it was alright. I didn't really blame him. She was bound to find out sooner or later. I just wished she would have heard it from me instead of him. Then again, if it were left to me, she would never know. I wasn't willing to risk our friendship for the sake of my feelings.

Tyrone looked unconcerned for the most part, but if you searched his face will enough, you would find that little hint of worry in his calm expression. He was more concerned about what was to come than what had already happened.

Reluctantly, my gaze shifted to Taylor, and I wished I had kept my head down. I had expected to find an emotion of some sort in her expression, but she was not welcoming. She did not seem shocked or angry or even slightly perturbed. All I found in her eyes was an icy, rejecting stare, reminding me of a distant memory. I knew I had seen that expression before, I just did not remember where or who it was. Regardless of where I had encountered that look before, it certainly didn't hurt as much as it did now.

"Taylor, I'm sorry," I began, staring deeply into her eyes one last time, hoping I could inquire into her soul and find emotions of any sort, but the warm, captivating eyes that had once drew me in, were shutting me out.

"Save it," she replied, a little bored now. "I guess I've always known, but somewhere inside of me I hoped I was wrong. Anyways, I don't know if we're gonna work out, and I don't think I'm ready to find out. Sorry, bud," she finished, giving me a light tap on the shoulders as she did so. She gave the guys an awkward smile, and walked away without another word.

"Rhian I-"

"It's okay, Jason. I know you mean well," I said, smiling again. At that point, I wasn't upset or disappointed. Everything had happened so fast, I had no time to process it. I only felt suffocated, like I was drowning in my own reality. I needed to clear my head.

"Ty?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you bring Lucinda?"

"Yes. Also, no."

"Dude!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No reason, just no."

"You guys just practically turned my life upside down. It's the least you could do."

"That was Jason, not me."

"Who sent the text that started all this?" Jason shot back.

"Fair, but I'm warning you, if anything happens to her..." he threatened.

Lucinda was the name Ty had given to his second-hand convertible, a car he had somehow scraped the money for by himself. He was very proud of it, and as a consequence of him buying it himself, very overprotective as well. He had several ridiculous rules concerning his car, and one of them was the fact that only he could drive it. On this occasion, he was willing to make an exception for me, but not before he had given me several instructions and had threatened me as well.