Chapter 4 Ch - 4

"You - how could you?" Her lips trembled. Autumn whispered as tears escaped her eyes, "It was just for a bet- " She couldn't hold back her sobs any longer. She shouldn't cry before him, but she was devastated.

However, Franklin didn't let her talk in the presence of his friends.

He took long strides to her, grabbed his assignment copies that she dropped on the ground. He wrapped his hand around her forearm firmly and said, "We should talk somewhere else,"

He didn't give her time to deny it before he began dragging her out of the boy's playroom.

There has a classroom not even in five steps distance from the playroom. Not seeing anyone present in that classroom, Franklin pushed her inside and closed the door walking in after her.

Autumn would have fallen on her face it wasn't for that chair before her. Her left arm was burning in pain in the way he held it a moment ago. Supporting that chair with her hands, she faced him again, whimpered out as he sneered with his dark eyes gazing at her dangerously, "You can't do one thing right, can you, Autumn? It was our canteen where I told you to wait for me, but you come here to evaporate us!"

"Is this all you care?" Her heart ached to see the accusation in his eyes for her. Even after what he did to her, how could he still stay unfazed? "I won't beg you to stay. I - I only want to know what my fault is."

"What do you mean?"

She gazed at his chest, murmured, "You lied to me. You cheated on me and now bet! What have I ever done to deserve these?" She broke down, "Why are you quiet? Say something. Admit that everything was a lie. Everything was to hurt me because I am naive too even believe you are any different than the others,"

She smiled through her tears, tilted her head to see him for the last time.

He was beautiful and handsome. All tall, sharp, and dangerous just the way a bad boy looked. But his look never scared her. His green eyes were attractive always reminded her of that geographical topical island in Madagascar she cut from their newspaper to glue that on her diary to visit there someday with him. His brown curls were soft and smelled earthy like the first drop of rain touched the soil. What she liked more was his smile. His dimple makes him look more young and lively. And the way he talks with his eyes shines brightly, makes her feel like she has seen and known everything about the world from him.

He became a world to her where she wanted to live forever. Maybe she was wrong. She wasn't aware she built her world with glasses and thorns instead of her love and red roses. She waited for him to say something, at least. But she heard nothing came from him. Maybe he has never seen her worthy enough.

She wiped her tears, decided to leave.

As she took steps to the door, she halted her step to hear him, asking, "If I tell you that I didn't cheat on you, will you believe in me?" She raised her head, looked at him in confusion. He looked genuine to her as he said, "If I tell you that bet means nothing to me, will you again believe in me, Dahlia?"

Her eyes enlarged. He was the only one who called her by her middle name.

Her heart skipped a beat. Hope rose in her heart again. She still wanted to believe in him. She has seen him for four years, was in a relationship for nearly a year. How could she be so wrong about him?

She asked, "Then what about that phone call? I - "

"Here,"

"What is it?" She gazed at his, confused. She couldn't get why he suddenly placed his cell in her hand.

He looked indifferent to her. "See it. This will explain everything,"

She was in denial whether to believe in him, and watch that video clip, or leave without wasting a single word. However, when she tapped on his phone screen and played the video, her nose scrunched in disgust to see a naked girl crying his name when a naked guy was on top of her! She tossed his cell to him, looked at him in rage. "What is wrong with you?" She felt tainted, a dirty girl who sinned to see that video clip.

"I show you the truth." Her expression changed to hear him. "You know me, yet you don't trust me. Before you judge me, I should tell you whatever I have done that night is different than what you and everyone assumed. The guys think they know me. But there has only one person who knows me well, is you,"

"My cousin is home. I have told you before what kind of guy he is."

Autumn looked at him thoroughly. She asked, "Did you record it? But I have heard you - how did you - ?"

It was getting hard for her not to believe in him, but she needed to know the whole truth. Besides, that was unforgivable if it turned out Franklin was the one who recorded it for the wrong purpose.

"She did it to blackmail me. The guys believed in her, and now, I am pissed." He almost snapped, made her heart trembled. She saw his knuckles whitening of his fists, his eyes darkening, the vein throbbing on his forehead, and his tickled jaw. His expression was way too frightening. "When they bring your matter there, I - it was hard for me to control myself there, and I ended up saying something that I didn't mean,"

"That bet meant nothing to me, Dahlia. All I wanted to do was to keep you out of guys' sight." Autumn saw him slowly taking steps to her, saying, "They all counted on you, prepared in courting you. They all are seeing you as fresh meat that one of them wants to devour first so that they can move to the juniors,"

Autumn blinked hard. It took a while for her to read between the line. Her nose scrunched again. She shuddered and got goosebumps on her skin. She looked at him, horrified, saying, "They want my vi- "

Before she could say it, Franklin's cold voice cut her off, "I won't let them get you,"

Her eyes dulled.

She shouldn't have judged him like that. "Then why didn't you call me for once, Franklin? I wanted you there, but- " She fixed her gaze at his chest again. "I still have faith in you that you can never do something which may cause me pain. I waited for your call. I would have believed in you, but you didn't call me."

He slowly pulled her to his embrace that she didn't protest. She pressed her face on his chest, felt a kiss plant on the hair. "I am sorry, Dahlia. I never meant to hurt you. I should have been there with you, but I didn't find it in me to face you after all of the things you have heard in the call. Please forgive me, Dahlia."

"You are stupid," Autumn fisted his shirt, sobbed, and shook her head in denial. She punched on his chest, repeated, "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Can you get it? You make it more complicated for not calling me back,"

"I am sorry, Dahlia," Autumn scoffed hear him. Suddenly Franklin bent down and pulled her in his arms.

She shrieked and held his shoulder for support. "What are you doing? Put me down now,"

"I know how to make you smile again, Dahlia," Franklin firmed his hold around her waist and her legs. He walked out of that classroom with her in his arms.

All eyes were on them. Some looked shocked, most of the girls gazed in envy, and the teachers and staff just shook their head, muttering, "Kids these days," "I don't know what they will go in college,"

Autumn hid her face on his chest, felt mortified to hear them commenting on their antics. But what was he doing? Their school was not aware of their relationship. Wouldn't they gossip about it after that?

It didn't take time for them to reach the canteen.

He placed her sit on one of the popular student's seats before taking out a box filled with her favorite gooseberries with spicy salt and chillis. The sight was enough to make her mouth watered. Her eyes widened to see a blueberry muffin placed beside them. She glanced at him shyly, saw him sitting beside her, staring at her so hard like he was trying to read her mind. She was in awe as he said, "I know what I did was wrong. Before anyone dares to say something about us, I want everyone to know you are mine,"

Her heart skipped a beat again. Everything worked fine between them again, but how long will it last? Trusting someone doesn't make you a clown. But the one who plays with it for sure is one of them.

Autumn didn't tell Franklin that she was no longer a student at their school. That transfer certificate was with her in her bag still. She wanted to tell it to him, but something in her stopped her.

She didn't know why, but her mind wasn't agreeing with her heart. It still doubted Franklin with reason.

She returned home as she promised to Violin. The way her sister greeted her was kind of awkward...?

Violin's face was pale. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess. Her eyes were bloodshot but had a smile in them that frightened Autumn to her core. Her sweater was wet, and a rope tied around it!

"V...Vi?"

Autumn's voice trembled. "D...did you - perhaps - ugh! I mean, areyouokay?" She asked in one breath.