My senior year was turning out to be nothing but dramatic, I wanted to quietly graduate and enter into college but here I was pulling Kelly furiously by her hair.

“How could you? I trusted you, we were best friends for heaven’s sake” I screamed angrily, a huge crowd was gathering around us in the hallway.

“Calm down Paige” Casper tried to pull me back but someone held him back.

“Let them sort it out themselves” someone advised him, and he loosened his grip.

“Just don’t let them kill each other or in better terms don’t let Paige kill her” he added.

And then I calmed down and stopped terrorizing Kelly by her hair, “I'm so sorry Paige” she looked like a mess, the black left eye could tell the story to any stranger, I never knew I had that much rage within me.

“We were best friends Kelly, best friends — do you have any idea what that means?”

“I know” she nodded, blood dripping from her injured jaw. “And I know I can never make it up to you but am sorry”

I hesitated for a while, I loved Kelly and no matter how mad I was couldn’t continue to hurt her, and I couldn’t continue to break her, no not like this. We needed to talk it out, that was the right thing to do.

I drew closer to an injured Kelly and stared into her charming eyes, the distance between us was so little and the crowd was still gathering. “I'm sorry” I sighed, “I had no idea what had gotten into me, I guess I was just mad” she admitted and tried to apologize to Kelly.

“I guess you do have the right to be mad” Kelly tried her best to flash me a forgiving smile even in her agonizing pain.
Suddenly I turned to the crowd. “Alright people the show over, I need to talk to my best friend alone” I announced dismissing the large crowd.

“You still call her your best friend after that” someone voiced out.

“That’s my business buddy, now scram” I screamed, and they all began to walk away until only Casper and Ella were left.

“You sure you’re okay?” Ella asked her face filled with concern.

“Yeah don’t worry Ella am alright” I assured her.

“Just try not to strangle each other” Ella grinned and patted my shoulder softly before she disappeared out of sight. And then it was all left with Casper.

“You too” I pointed at him “you need to leave”

“I guessed you would say that” he smirked and pecked my cheeks. “Alright” he raised his hands in the air for surrender.

“I'm really sorry Casper” Kelly voiced out, her voice sounded hoarse maybe due to difficulty to speak due to the pain, her hands had been on her ribs for a while now.

He froze for almost a second then just walked away in silence, it seemed like Casper held more resentment bottled in than even I.

“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” Kelly asked and broke down to the ground where she rested her head in frustration.

“It may take time, yes — but one day he has too” I tried to encourage her and joined her on the ground, people passed us by, but they learned to mind their business but it didn’t stop the whispers but at least no outburst of annoying comments.

“But I'm still trying to understand it, why did you do it? We were friends”
“I really don’t know what came over me Paige I guess I was just consumed with anger”.

“Why?”

“Do you have any idea who I asked out for prom?”
Now that she mentioned it I really didn’t know, I was too busy worrying about myself that I forgot about what Kelly may be going through.

“Sadly I don’t” I answered disappointed.

“Well it was Brandon” and then that was another shocker, I never imagined Brandon as her type of guy — well I guess she was attracted to bad boys, just take a look at Jeremy the perfect example of a delinquent.

“And guess what he said” she sighed and with that I could sense a sad story coming along. “He turned me down, said prom was crap, and he wasn’t interested, he told me to look for someone better” she paused,

“I was sad at first, wanted to run into your arms and cry but you were having cold feet about Casper, I would have never done something so terrible to you I was really about to look for someone else but then I saw the letter Brandon slipped into your locker and everything changed.

I really never had an idea Brandon had done such; he never glanced at me until now.

“He was asking you out for prom, and I was furious, I was mad, I was angry and when Casper came knocking on your door with flowers and a charming smile I couldn’t take it anymore, I couldn’t imagine you got your date and mine too, so I blew up — decided that since I couldn’t have mine you can’t have yours. I know it was terrible of me” she wept, “but that was all I could think of and now I feel so miserable about it”.

I remained in silence for a few minutes trying to grasp the story, I never wanted Brandon, and I never had even an infatuation for him so how could she do this to me? How could she hurt me so badly? I was hurt — I truly was.

“But I don’t get it, prom’s a one-day stuff why did you have to make up the lie about your aunt and leave school?”

“I guess love makes you do crazy things” she smiled and then I understood everything, I didn't need her to tell me more, during the span of her deception she actually fell for him — fell for her best friends crush. There was no way our friendship would ever be the same.

“I'm really sorry Paige” she pleaded, her eyes were red, her soul was pure but this wasn’t some kind of movie it was reality and in reality no matter what forgiveness doesn’t just waltz in so easily.

“I know Kelly, but it’s not that easy, how do you want me to ever trust you again? How can I when your mind is really so twisted”.

“…Paige, please” she cried on my arm.

“But you were dating Jeremy?” I added.

Kelly sniffed.

“Nah that was all a lie, he was just helping me cover up and I told Casper never to tell you because I felt awkward dating him with you being my best friend, I guess knowing Casper he didn't object he just remained by my side and all I did was pay him with deception.” She cried.

“Maybe one day Kelly, maybe one day I can look at you without regret, maybe one I can stare into your eyes without resentment, maybe one day I can call your name without the bitter taste of vinegar, maybe one day I can hug you so tight without tears but one thing I’ll never be able to do is forget…”

“… Please” she sobbed.

“I'm sorry Kelly” I loosened her grip, “I'm sorry but I don’t think our friendship can ever be the same again” and then I walked away, never glancing back — it was best that way, to keep our distance, that was no one could get hurt

And as I walked away in tears and silence that was the end of Kelly’s chapter in my life, I didn’t hate her and I didn’t love her either I guess it’s just complicated.

***
I finally got back home, Casper dropped me off. We were finally getting close but I couldn’t look him in the eyes without so much flooding guilt over powering me, so much had happened in a flash and my whole world was trembling, practically breaking down. I walked into the house hoping for some shut-eye but I got something else.

“Dad” I exclaimed with a smile, I was so glad to see him I guess things weren’t as bad as I thought but I swallowed my words back when I saw her — my dad’s soon to be mistress or as I liked to address her — the other woman. She was already looking comfy on the couch with her head held high… she had the look of someone who had just won a trophy and I hated her more for the intimidating look she gave my mom.

“Paige”
“What’s she doing here?” I cut him off.

“… Paige” he tried to approach me but I stepped back “Answer me dad”.

“Come on give your dad a break” the other woman said and I didn’t hold back my glares.
“She’s my daughter Amanda” dad fired.
“And am what? Your mistress!”

“Technically” I smirked, and she glared at me …if looks could kill.
“Dad you promised you’ll come back”
“And I did” he opened his arms wide

“This wasn’t how I wanted it… not with her”

“I'm sorry baby but there’s no hope for your mom and I any more” he sighed and I could see the sting of pain on mom’s face.

“There’s always hoped, you just don’t want to give it a chance — mom still loves you, it’s not too late”

“But what about me Paige, have you ever asked me if I still loved her, “it had ended a long time ago Paige everything changed when Toby died”

Toby, that was another sensitive topic to me, it continued to play in my head again and again, the scene of how I lost my older brother, how our whole world came crashing down in one night.

“It ended since then Paige, I’ve been having hope, having hope it would get better but it didn’t it only got worst… it got your mom so traumatized I tried to help her, tried to be there for her, endured all the terrible meals cause the doctor said it was part of the trauma, but I can’t do it any more Paige and am so sorry but I can’t” tears rolled down dad’s cheek and for the first time I almost felt his pain.

“I can change hank” mom wept.

“I'm sorry but it’s too late for that” Amanda spoke and mom searched desperately into dad’s eyes but nothing, he concurred to Amanda, it was too late for a second chance, and with that mom broke into tears running for her room, this was a trauma she wouldn’t be able to get over so easily, she may even have to start seeing her therapist again and I have no idea how she was going to handle it.

“So why did you come here today dad, aside from breaking my mom’s heart?”

“I wanted you to accept Amanda” he sighed.

I chuckled in disbelief. “Dad you know that’s impossible, I can’t betray my own mother in the eyes of us she remains the enemy” I answered not once glancing at Amanda; she deserved no remorse or consideration.

“You can’t blame an old man for trying” dad sighed disappointed.

“Well I think you guys should go, you’ve caused enough harm” I directed them to the door; dad still looked like he had a hope for a hug, but he didn’t get one and I closed the door sadly behind them.

***
“Mom” I called out to her as I peered into her room, but she was flowing in tears, everything was too much for her to bear… the death of Toby, the divorce, it was all hard.

Toby had died from food poisoning it was obvious why she hated cooking a decent meal, she made terrible stuffs so no one would take a bite, she couldn’t bear having another death on her head.

Mom had been through a lot and I expected dad to understand but the truth was he did, he just hoped time would help mom heal but it didn’t.

“I'm sorry Paige… I broke our family apart” she sobbed hard, her breath was so heavy that I was even scared she was going to pass out, her eyes were like blood stained eyes, like they were bleeding tears.

“You don’t need to be sorry for anything” I held her tight, consoling her all through the night.

The next morning my eyes were suffering from dark circles and eye bags by the time I got to school there was a large crowd and police cars everywhere, it was then that I had realized another tragedy had happened once more, Kelly was found this morning floating in a pool of blood in the swimming pool — dead.

A/N: pls don't forget to click the cute star and leave your comments below❤