Chapter 33: The past 3
The next two weeks went normally. But that wasn't the case for Emily.
So about three weeks ago, Chris confessed that he liked her. Although he never officially asked her to be his girlfriend, she never really bothered about it. They're relationship was going smoothly and at a steady pace, at least to her. She thought that everything was perfect. But guess she was wrong.
It's been a week that she hasn't heard from Chris. He never replied to any of her calls or texts. And she hasn't seen him at school. This made her extremely worried.
She thought of going to his place but she decided not to. It's not like anyone knew about their relationship. So it was not wise to just pop at his house. She decided to wait painfully, hoping he was alright.
"Emily, why are you so bothered about this? He'll show up."
"I don't know. He always replies to my texts almost immediately. But now I haven't heard anything from him for a week." Of course she had to be worried.
"I understand, but this is just too much. You might see him tomorrow at school. You'll find out what happened." Courtney said as she rolled around in Emily's bed comforter.
"Yeah. You're probably right."
"I'm always right. Now it's time to ravage your fridge." She jumped off the bed and ran out of the door, going down the stairs to the kitchen. Emily smiled but her smile wasn't true. She picked up her phone and dialled his number again, but it never went through. She then decided to follow her friend's advice.
"Tomorrow is Monday, he should be at school. If he's ok. I just hope he's ok." she muttered.
The next day;
Emily's first class was chemistry. Sitting on an empty seat at the back, she waited patiently expecting to see Chris walk through that door. And later he did! Relief washed over her. He was alive.
He sat in the only seat next to her. She was expecting him to say something but he didn't. Ok now she's curious. What the hell was going on.
"Hey."
"Hey." He said back. It was much different than how he usually spoke to her. Her brows furrowed in a frown.
"You missed school throughout last week. Is everything ok?"
"I was just busy." He said again. Now she knew that something was up. She was about to ask what was up with him when their teacher arrived. So she just kept her mouth shut.
When the class ended, she tried to catch up with him.
"Hold on!"
"Not now Emily, I have to go."
"What's wrong with you? Did I do something?" He frowned slightly.
"Not now." And then he left. Emily felt a tight pain in her chest. His tone was cold. That wasn't the Chris she knew. She sighed, wondering what was wrong.
During lunch, Emily had lunch all alone because Courtney was having a mock-up test. She ate her food quietly, wondering what could be wrong with Chris.
She thought about everything that happened before all of this. She never did anything wrong, nor did she say anything. So what could make him act this way?
She looked up from her meal and seated thirty feet away from her was Chris, holding hands with some girl. Emily felt her heart rate speed up.
Who is she? And why is Chris holding her hand? But she got her answer when the girl got up from her seat to leave, but not before stealing a peck from him! She felt her heart break into uncountable pieces. Her appetite vanished, a scowl forming on her pretty face.
'I'm so dumb.' She said to herself. Losing the will to watch him, she stood up and left the cafeteria. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind as she wondered what went wrong.
"Was it all a lie? Everything he had told her. He had seemed so honest. How could she have been so gullible! She tried not to get too worked up.
But what if all of this was just a misunderstanding? But the girl kissed him. That was no trick of the light. She decided to calm her racing heart.
"I'll just talk to him later. I need to know the truth."
After school, Emily decided to confront Chris. She needed to know what happened at the cafeteria. She went up to him before he could leave.
"Chris! What's wrong with you? You went missing for a week and never picked up your calls. You didn't even reply to one text. And what about that girl at the cafeteria? Who is she?" Emily had a brave face on, but internally she was crumbling. He groaned, the corners of his eyes rough.
"You want to hear it, fine. I don't want this anymore. You bore and exhaust me Emily."
She stared at him, slightly shocked. She didn't expect what he had just said.
"You're a sweetheart, but I just can't be with you. And apart from that. I can't be with a girl who won't fulfil my needs."
She laughed bitterly. "So that's what it's about uhh? Is that all you ever wanted? That girl has probably given it to you a couple of times, right? You're such a filthy bastard! How did I not see this? It was so damn obvious."
"Please, I don't like much drama. And that girl's name is Michelle. And she's way prettier and considerate than you are."
"You…you're talking about being considerate?! Why didn't you consider me? I told you I wasn't ready." She could feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. There were a few stares, but they probably couldn't overhear their conversation. In fact, she doesn't care if they do.
"And I've left you to be by yourself. You were just a seat warmer. Something to pass my time. I wanted to try something different, and I saw you. Don't take it personally, ok?"
And that did it. The tears started to fall freely.
"You're nothing but a dirtbag! Go screw yourself you pig!" She ran off to where her bike was parked, trying not to break into a sob. She hopped onto her bike and rode off, tears slightly blurring her sight.