Fomalhaut [COMPLETED]

20|| Someone By My Side

"Long time no see, Valentina."

I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to react to him when all he ever brought me was pain? Even right at this moment, all I can see is the source of my suffering. That's what he is: the embodiment of torture. He looks so happy to see me— as if he's looking at the joy of his life.

"Must be nice. Your life nowadays, that is," he says mockingly.

At this point, something flips the switch inside of me and makes me decide to stand up for myself and make him quiver but of course, I don't know how to do that. I am not one to stand up for myself. I never felt the need to in the past 5 years, anyway. All I did was stay guarded behind the protection of my own hard armor—like I was a turtle that simply couldn't survive without its shell. Things weren't looking up for me until now but of course fate had other plans. I know that things are about to go downhill from here.

"What do you want?" I ask annoyed at the sudden interruption and the ruining of my day.

"What, I'm just trying to catch up with what you've been up to, my old friend. I haven't seen you in a while- not since the day my father and I came to your house for a visit," he voices before he pauses tauntingly. "Oh wait, it's not really your house anymore, is it?" he fakes a sympathetic look which I know he feels anything but. I know his ploy: he is trying to infuriate me and make me explode. It's crazy how he's 5 years older than me—an adult— and still acting like the same stuck up brat that he's always been.

I try to remain grounded and calm myself down. This isn't new to me. All the feelings I felt back then come back in full force and I feel as though I'm living that day again—the same day my whole world came crashing down on me. With the recent founding about his father, it is all too much for me to handle that I am not thinking properly. That, of course, doesn't go unnoticed by my now confused friends who look like they are trying their best to judge whether the person in front of them is a bad guy or not.

Alexander looks provoked. He surely doesn't know why I am reacting like this but for some reason, he looks even more angry than me. He looks as if he is ready to land a punch in Lincoln's face but is forced to hold back since he has restrictions when he is out in public.

"May we know who you are?" he asks.

"Hm, may I ask who you are? Last I checked, Vali had no friends. What, are you her boyfriend or something?"

Alexander looks taken aback. Not by the fact that he was called my boyfriend but in question on why this stranger would know that about me. He doesn't seem too pleased with the answer he is given so he asks once again looking angrier than ever.

"Who. Are. You?"

"Aww, did I anger you? Sorry, I'm just an old acquaintance of hers. We go way back in history of being long term friends till this day...or so I think," he smirks as he glances at me with his familiar evil brown eyes before saying the last sentence.

Alexander turns to me who is busy glaring daggers at Lincoln who is looking back at me with that same smirk on his face which doesn't falter from all the glares he is getting from my friends.

Now that they see how I am behaving uncomfortably and how mad Alexander looks as he regards him, they have their answer. This guy isn't good news.

"Last I checked, we were never friends," I tell him.

He feigns a hurt expression on his face. "You break my heart. I always saw you as a close friend of mine regardless of the fact that you threw me away like trash."

I flinch at what he says. We were never friends. In fact, it's hard for a 13 year girl old and an 18 year old boy to have similar interests to bond over.

"What are you saying?" Cassie asks with furrowed eyebrows to hint at her confusion.

"Don't tell me she hasn't told you." He has the audacity to look shocked before he says, "Guess you aren't real friends then."

"What do you mean?" Alexander asks.

He doesn't seem that bothered with what Lincoln has said since he himself hasn't told me much about himself.

"I'm running out of time. Be careful guys because when things don't go her way, she is willing to throw you all away without batting an eyelash if it means she can save herself," he says before he walks off and disappears away from our sight.

There we are, left with nothing but questions running around in our heads. More precisely, their heads. I know that he's only sputtering out bullshit.

"Sorry, I'll leave first. I need some time to myself," I excuse myself as I head towards the gate and leave the mall without a single soul following behind me.

Guess that's the end for us. It was short, but I really did enjoy the time we spent together. I wipe the tears that run down my face before walking around, not caring about the sudden pattering of the rain which will soon make me drip from head to toe.

"Wait," Alexander calls from behind as he catches up with me.

"I guess they don't know whether to trust me anymore," I sniffle.

"No," he denies. "I told them to go and let me talk to you. They don't trust him."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"What do you mean? He looked pretty convincing back there. He always managed to make everyone believe his accusations."

Alexander grabs a hold of my elbow and stops me from walking.

"We are not going to believe a stranger who we just met's words over yours, Tina. And so what if the others don't believe you? I do. That's more than enough," he states with honesty dripping from his words. My face contorts back to its crying expression and I end up bawling even more. Without thinking, I jump into his embrace and wrap my arms around him. He stands still, unsure of what to do at first before he slowly raises his arms and wraps them back around me. I continue soaking his shirt with my tears but he doesn't look like he cares as he continues to compassionately move his hands along my back.

For once in a long year, I feel like I actually have someone by my side.