PIERRA'S POV

Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. Those were just a few of the adjectives that could be used to describe how I was feeling. It had been more than sixty hours after our date and I was still waiting on Andrew to call or text as he had promised. My mind kept replaying what could have gone wrong to make him not to contact me. The date had gone perfectly, we had even kissed and he had been all smiles when he left. I had waited for his text that night but nothing came so I assumed his phone had gone off or something. The next day still nothing from him and so did the day that followed.

It was Tuesday and I was waiting for him in class so he could give me an explanation as to what went wrong. He didn't get to just ghost me, I deserved better than that. If he didn't want to go out with me anymore he could have just manned up and told me himself instead of just hanging me out to dry. Why would he ask me out on a date in the first place if he was just going to bail after?

That question let all the insecurities I had kept buried deep down to rise to the surface. Maybe I hadn't been good enough for him, maybe I had said something wrong during the date, hadn't looked good enough or the worst of all, he had been using all along as a dare or to settle a score with my brother. Why bail after the first date though? He could have stuck around and waited until we had sex at least. Maybe then he'd have something to actually brag about. All those thoughts were driving me crazy and making me more hungry so I grabbed another packet of corn from the pack blasted some cool music as I waited for Andrew to arrive so he could give me an explanation.

Ten minutes later his three friends walked into class with no Andrew in sight. All their eyes darted to me at once in a creepy kind of way before Cass hit their heads and they looked away. They hurried past me and took their seats. The weird thing was that they all looked scared of me. Well they had reason to be if Andrew didn't show up, they would receive my wrath on his behalf. The lecturer walked in with Bishop behind him. He grinned when he saw me as he went through his usual routine but I moved away just in time before he could ruffle my hair. I'd spent more than half an hour on it perfecting two messy buns just to look good for Andrew and I didn't want Bishop mess it up. Maybe I should have let him mess it up, I was already giving up on Andrew coming to class anyway.

"Morning sis, wake up well?"Bishop asked with a smile that I found peculiar.

He was usually less chatty and more hangover on Tuesday mornings. Why was he so chipper?

"No but it looks like you certainly did."I replied and leaned over to get a whiff of his cologne.

When I was hit with the smell of something fruity I immediately knew the reason for his mood.

"You got laid just before you came to class. No wonder you're so happy, your pumped full of endorphins."I commented.

"No I didn't."He denied making a poor job of it.

"Yes you did. I can smell Whitney all over you."I stated as a matter of fact.

"Okay fine I got laid but what's wrong with wanting to have some fun before class?"He asked with a chuckle and I resisted the urge to punch him.

He didn't get to be so happy while I was drowning in misery. His messed up relationship didn't get to actually beat my non existent one with Andrew. Before I could rip him a new one, the lecturer who's name I never bothered to catch spoke up saving Bishop from getting a piece of my mind.

"Okay class enough chitchat. You had a free period last week but not this time around. Take out your notebooks, there's going to be lots of writing today."He demanded and everyone groaned.

Bishop looked at me pleadingly and I immediately knew what he wanted.

"NO!"I whisper yelled and turned away from him.

No way I was writing notes for him when he was the one swimming in happiness. Time for him to dilute some of that pleasure with some real work.

I looked over to where Andrew always sat through the window and his seat was still empty. I frowned because he never missed class, he had always been there. I started to get worried. What if something had happened to him? But I would have already heard about it, news travelled fast around campus so if anything had happened to him, I would have already known. Besides all his friends knew we had been on a date so they would have told me but instead they acted as if they were afraid of me.

"Hey,"Bishop whispered tapping my hand with his pen to get my attention "You okay?"He asked looking worried.

I hadn't told Bishop about the date, not only would he freak out but I'd be putting Andrews life in danger so I kept everything to myself. He'd eventually get to find out when Andrew and I went public but there was still a long way to go before that so I had time to figure out how to make Bishop behave. Maybe there wouldn't be anything to say considering the whereabouts of the man in question were still unknown to me.

"Yeah I'm fine, just tired. Long weekend."I replied exempting the real real for me looking like death.

Bishop nodded in understanding before resuming his note taking and I turned my gaze back to the window outside out of habit. I got disappointed again when the seat was still empty.

I spent the rest of the class listening to music and letting then calm voice of Selena Gomez soothe me. When class ended I immediately grabbed my bag whose color was a dark purple to represent the dark mood I was in. I said goodbye to Bishop and didn't wait for his reply as I stalked towards the three musketeers who looked like they wanted to leave but couldn't as they still had another class.

"Where is he?"I asked foregoing pleasantries and going straight to the point.

"Who?"

"Don't act dumb Cliff, it doesn't suit you so tell me where Andrew is?"I questioned my tone getting more demanding.

"We don't know, haven't seen him all weekend."Cass replied with a shrug and I immediately knew he was lying as he was avoiding eye contact with me.

The two best friends had a bond so Cass would not betray Andrew if he knew his whereabouts. The two other musketeers would never talk either not wanting to loose their friendship.

"So you're all in this together well here is a message for Andrew. Tell him that he can run but he can't hide. I will find him and when I do he will wish he didn't know me. He doesn't get to ghost me. I will have the last word."I declared and before either of them could reply I walked out of class.

I had another class so I didn't have time to go in search of Andrew, my classes came first above all else. My degree is what brought me to campus in the first place not stupid boys who thought it was okay to leave me hanging. I'd pass by Andrew's place after class to see why he was hiding from me. I hope he didn't think I'd forgotten his address because I intended to find him and get some answers. Nobody made a fool out of me and got to walk away scottfree. I was after all my brothers sister and I knew how to hold a grudge.

When I got to Andrew's hostel
building later that evening I was tired and at the end of my rope but I couldn't go home without getting some answers. I trudged up the stairs cursing each and every single step as my body complained of the torture. Arriving at his door I took a minute to compose myself, gather my thoughts and make sure I looked presentable. But how much more presentable could one look after three, two hour classes back to back.

I took a deep breath and knocked on his door. Dead silence. I repeated the knock after a minute and there was till no answer. Maybe he had found out I was coming and was ignoring me. I put my ear in the door to listen in and there was absolutely no activity on the other side of the door. I was about to knock again, more like bang because there was no way I was leaving without talking to him when the door opposite his opened and a cloud of smoke wafted out. Looks like someone was having a party. A head peaked out from the smoke revealing a red eyed, shirtless man who was definitely high as a kite.

"Andy is not in so please stop with all the knocking. You're ruining my buzz."He complained.

"Do you know where he is or when he's coming back?"I asked.

"What do I look like? His mother?"He retorted before re-entering the room and slamming his door.

Feeling tired and drained I slid down the door and sat on the dirty floor not caring about soiling my clothes. Andrew was definitely doing a good job at hiding himself but the university was only so big, I would find him sooner or later. Unless he decided to change apartments I would be back everyday until he answered the damn door and faced me like a man. When I'd gained enough energy I got off the the floor, dusted myself and with one last angry kick to the door I left.

I came back the next day, the one after that and the following two weeks until the weed smoker next door took my number and promised to call me if Andrew showed up. He got tired of all my banging and knocking. Andrew still wasn't going to class. As the days wore by with no news from him my resolve at getting answers dwindled and when one month passed I gave up and continued with my life. It's like Andrew had vanished from the face of the earth and there was no way to find him. I didn't care anyway, I was already past angry and just wanted peace of mind. Andrew wanted nothing to do with me and I had to accept that. I stopped going to the morning Tuesday class and for the first time I got to sleep in on Tuesday mornings which I absolutely loved.

Bishop being himself got tired of my moping around and invited me to lunch. I didn't want to go as always but he promised me that there would be no Whitney. I only agreed because his birthday was coming up and I wanted him to tell me what he wanted for a gift. Why bother buying him something he wouldn't use? I preferred him telling me what he wanted so I could get it for him.

He'd asked me to wait for him outside his favorite tattoo parlor so I made my way there. When I arrived the door was open and I caught a glimpse of a very familiar body sprawled on the sofa sleeping without a care in the world. Anger and hurt washed over me and I found myself storming in there. All activity and conversation in the parlor stopped immediately I stalked in as their eyes all trailed to me. I was a woman on a mission and if anyone dared stop me they'd be on the receiving end of my wrath.

Cass who was seated on the armchair next to sleeping beauty shook him awake and his droopy eyes fluttered open and immediately met my rage filled ones. He jumped up and almost fell off the sofa.

"Well well well, if it isn't Harry Houdini himself."I laughed sarcastically when I got to him my hand crossed over my chest as I tapped my foot impatiently.

Andrew looked surprised to see me but not as surprised as I was. He looked the same to me except for his overgrown beard and shaggy hair. His eyes also looked tired like he hadn't had a good sleep in weeks, well that made two of us. Other than that he looked pretty normal to me.

"Pierra?!"He choked out phrasing it like a question as if he didn't believe it was me.

"Oh so you do remember my name."I replied getting the overwhelming urge to get closer and slap the demons out of him.

I had texted the fool, called him, visited his house, questioned his friends and even gone as far as going to the Dean's office to make sure he hadn't transferred or something yet he was around the whole time. Anger wouldn't get me the answers I needed so I shoved them down and approached him in the calmest manner I could muster.

"Before I unleash the anger bottled in me or jump into conclusions would you care to please explain to me why you ghosted me for over a month and went missing?"I asked looking at him.

He shook his head without replying.

"Use your words dammit." I demanded angrily.

"I have nothing to say to you. I thought you took the hint that I wanted nothing to do with you and left me alone."He spoke up and I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.

The Andrew saying all those words was not the same one I had gone on a date with. He was detached, talking in monotone and couldn't maintain eye contact with me. We'd had such a great date and even made plans for a second and third date so what happened when he left my hostel to make him act like he was.

"Did Bishop get to you?"I asked knowing it was a possibility but I had to ask first.

I would totally understand why he ghosted me if Bishop got to him but I didn't what to assume anything

"No."He muttered getting up so that we were standing toe to toe.

He towered over me but I didn't let that intimidate me.

"Are you sure because if he did I can talk to him?"I assured him.

I still really liked Andrew and even if he had been a dick. I'd give him a chance if it was Bishops doing. I could not hold him accountable for my brothers deeds.

"No it wasn't Bishop, he had nothing to do with this."Andrew assured me hands crossed over his chest just like mine were.

"I don't believe you. We had a great time so something must have happened. Tell me and I'll fix it."I requested reducing myself to pleading.

Having a crush on the guy and actually developing feelings for him had reduced me to a wuss.

"There's nothing to fix Pierra. What don't you understand? I don't like you and the date was a mistake."He shouted and I took a step back as if he had slapped me.

"You mean that?"I whispered feeling my heart break.

"Yes."He replied and I dropped my hands feeling all the weight of the previous weeks wash over me.

"Okay thank you for letting me know. It would have been easier to hear that a month ago but still thanks. Have a nice life Andrew."I muttered before turning on my heel and storming out of there feeling my heart shatter with every step I took say from him.

I should have said no to that first date and just continued to crush on him from a far then I wouldn't have gotten my heart broken. I walked past my brother ignoring his calls as I rushed home wanting to curl to my bed and never show my face again to the world. Fuck Andrew and my stupid crush on him. 

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