Chapter 3 -J AYDEN

I stood there, barefoot, clad in loose grey sweatpants, watching her car drive off. I can't explain the numbness or the dull ache I'm suddenly feeling; it feels wrong. Standing there for who knows how long, I finally managed to drag myself back to the room.

Tina was sitting on the windowsill, drinking from a wine glass. She looked at me as I entered the room with a cocky expression.

"Are you done? Chasing after Cinderella, if you are, can we finish what we started?" she says in a flirty tone.

I didn't say anything to her as I just walked straight to the bed and sat down.

What have I done?

Why does it feel so wrong?

I can't figure out why I feel like this; everything feels very sour and bitter. The look on her face seems to be stuck in my head, and I can't get it out.

My chest hurts.

I felt hands on me. I turned back and found Tina behind me. She smiled coyly while her hands kept wandering.

"C'monnn, stop sulking and let's have fun, are we going to let that little minx spoil the day?" she pouts.

My skin crawled where her hands touched so badly that I flung her arms off my body. I stood up, putting some space between us.

"Dress up, we are leaving," I say stiffly.

Tina looked quite offended. "You are not going to leave me hanging just because of her?!"

I sighed, "It's not because of her; I am not just feeling it anymore."

Tina smiled, "I can help put you in the mood. What do you think?"

I watched warily as she got off the bed and walked towards me slowly, her whole body on full display. My eyes were glued to her as she approached me.

"I'll make you forget completely about her," she purrs.

Forget her? Will I be able to?

I stared at Tina's sleeping figure on the bed. She passed out immediately after we were done. The room was a mess, with clothes strewn across the floor. Standing up, I picked up a pair of sweatpants from the mess and put them on.

I found my way through the dark room to the balcony. A lit cigarette in my mouth, I scrolled lazily through my phone until a call came in.

"Jay?"

"Yeah, wassup?" I replied lazily.

"Are you home?"

"No, I'm with Tina," I replied.

"Seriously? I knew you could never settle down, so it was all just a farce."

The noise was causing me a headache; I couldn't help rubbing my temple in annoyance as I let out puffs of smoke.

"Why did you call me?" I asked with irritation in my voice.

"Ah... the guys wanted to know if you would show up at the party."

"No. I'm not feeling it," I said, ending the call.

The questions and noise were getting on my last nerve; my head hurts from everything. My finger hovered over Karina's contact name. Should I call her?

No point.

Even if I do, what am I meant to tell her? I didn't mean to? Even that is a lie. Besides, why do I even feel the need to explain things to her?

Ah, my head hurts.

I can't keep thinking about this; there is no point. It's even better this way, fewer complications and ....

And what?

Ugh!

What's with all these confusing emotions and shit? I can't continue like this.

I need to go to bed.

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ASHELY

I woke up entangled in different sets of limbs, a hand in my mouth, a body half across me. How did we sleep in such a position? Last night's events are a little blurred; all I can remember is Karina crying till her head felt heavy. Dayton also dropped off ice cream for us, but got chased away.

Finally freeing myself from that complicated mess, I got up and got ready for school while the other two slept in. They deserve the extra rest; last night was hectic. Chloe and I spent the whole night trying to cheer Karina up.

Karina, on the other hand, calmed down at some point and then broke down again. Her mom returned from work, confused, and tried calming her down, but Karina lashed out at her. I felt bad, honestly.

Poor Miss Grey.

Jayden is really going to regret messing with my girl. Putting her in such a state, the fact that I have never seen her cry this much since we knew each other makes it all worse.

"Wake up, assholes, we are going to be late," I say, nudging Chloe.

She woke up, her hair looking like it had been through war and back. She seems so lost and confused, it is almost comical; I giggled silently. I just had to take a picture as a keepsake, couldn't help it.

"Is that Karina?" Chloe asks groggily.

I rushed to Karina's side, gently hugging her, "Karina," I call out softly.

She opened her eyes slowly. She stared into space for a good minute before her eyes finally cleared up. She looked at me and Chloe's concerned faces, wondering why we were looking at her like that, as if she wasn't the one who had just literally cried in her sleep.

"Is something wrong?" Karina asks, confused.

Wow.

"You were crying just now in your sleep, and we thought something was wrong," Chloe explained.

"I was?" Karina asks, confused.

She rubbed her cheeks, realizing there were tear stains and wetness on them. She looked at us, more confused than before.

"I didn't know I... never mind, I'm okay now, so let's get ready for school," Karina says.

She got up from the bed, leaving Chloe and me confused and worried. We stared at each other silently, trying to process what had just happened.

Chloe later found Karina in a full mental breakdown with a full-blown panic attack in the bathroom. It took a while for her to calm down and get herself together. Chloe, at some point, ended up crying along with her.

"She's not going to school, she can't," I said firmly.