Allison
I followed Jayden outside, my eyes fixed on the girl standing before him. Yvonne. His supposed girlfriend. Whatever. Anyway, I did feel a pang in my chest as I watched them interact, and despite that, I kept watching them like my life depended on it.
“What are you doing here?” Jayden asked, his tone wary.
Yvonne’s smile faltered for a moment before she replied, “I came to find you. I saw you heading away, and I needed to know where you were going.”
“You mean you were stalking me?” he asked, his frown deepening.
Yvonne’s face flushed, and she protested, “Don’t say it like that! I wasn’t stalking you. I was just trying to know if… if you were cheating on me.”
I felt a surge of discomfort at Yvonne’s words. Cheating? Was she already having her sixth sense working? I mean, would she find out that who he was really cheating on was none other than his sister? I mean, step-sister.
Jayden’s eyes darted to mine, and for a moment, our gazes locked. I quickly looked away, my cheeks burning.
“It’s okay,” Jayden reassured Yvonne. “I came to see my sister. My mom sent me a message to relay to her. That’s what I did.”
Yvonne’s expression seemed to soften, and she smiled, hugging Jayden tightly. “I’m sorry for thinking otherwise.”
“Let’s leave,” he tells her, and she nodded, still smiling.
As they walked away together, Jayden stole a glance back at me. I looked away, my eyes welling up with unshed tears, before quickly turning and disappearing into my room. Why the heck was I getting emotional now? I blame my stupid feelings, really. No matter how I try, it doesn’t seem to falter.
As I entered the room, I was met with Nina’s concerned gaze. She stood facing the door, her arms crossed, and her eyes scanning my face. The moment she saw the tears welling up in my eyes, her expression softened.
“Allison, what’s wrong?” Nina asked, her voice laced with empathy. “Why are you crying?”
I shook my head, trying to brush off the tears. “I’m not crying,” I lied, hastily rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. “I just remembered something, that’s all.”
Nina’s eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing. “Okay, if you say so,” she said, her tone skeptical. “But uh… you can always tell me anything. Don’t want to force it, really.”
As she turned to head to the bathroom, I felt a pang of guilt. She was probably still mad at me, and I couldn’t blame her. I had been foolish, and too preoccupied with my own thoughts.
“Nina, wait,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
She turned to face me, her eyes questioning but refused to utter anything.
“I’m sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my head nervously.
“For what?” she asked, her tone cautious. “Why are you sorry now?”
I took a deep breath, trying to articulate my thoughts. “I’m sorry,” I said, the words tumbling out. “I know I’ve been… different lately. I’m just… dealing with some stuff which I’ll let you know in the nearest future, I promise.”
Nina’s expression softened, her eyes filled with understanding. “I’m not mad at you, Allison,” she said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “And trust me, I’ve accepted your apology a long time ago. Was just trying to forget everything even if it was hard.”
I shook my head, feeling a lump form in my throat. “You are free not to forget about it. It’s my damn fault and I promise, I never threw out your necklace or anything. It’s just that, some dude snatched it on my neck and it ended up breaking. I’m really sorry, Nina.”
With her smile faltering, she took a step closer to me. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said, her voice gentle. “We’ll figure it out together, okay?”
I nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards her, and whispered a soft “thank you.”
“Why should you say thank you? It’s nothing, really.” She smiled warmly. “So, are you still coming to the club next week?”
I nodded again, smiling back at her. “Sure, I will. We’ll go together, right?”
Nina’s smile widened. “Of course, we will. Don’t you worry.”
Soon, she started heading towards the bathroom, saying, “Meanwhile, let me go have a shower.”
“By the way,” I called out quickly. “Where are you coming from? I was actually worried about you. I’m sorry if I’m asking unnecessary questions. You don’t need to reply. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“You talk too much, Allison!” she laughed, turning around, a reassuring smile on her face. “It’s fine, really. I actually went to see my sister. She came back from town, and wanted me to see her.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my goodness, is she back?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I wish you could see her too but since you are coming to the club, you’ll be able to see her. She’s coming too.”
“Yayy!” I giggled, excitedly.
Nina beamed brightly before turning to head into the bathroom.
With that, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me to my thoughts.
I settled onto the bed, phone in hand, and dialed my mom’s number. She answered on the first ring.
“Oh, my goodness, thank God you finally answered,” she exclaimed.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” I asked, curiosity piqued. “Jayden said
“I actually have something to talk to you about,” she said softly. “But firstly, are you alone right now?” Mom asked.
I hesitated, “No, I’m in my room, but my roommate is… can you hold on for a sec?”
“I wish we could even see each other and talk about this,” Mom said wistfully.
“Okay, fine. I’ll be outside in a minute.”
I stood up, phone still pressed to my ear, and stepped out into the hallway. I leaned against the staircase, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Okay, I’m outside right now.”
“Alright,” Mom said, her tone cautious.
“Is it important?” I suddenly asked, my voice tinged with concern. “Is it something we should discuss as a family?”
“No, it’s just…” Her voice trailed off. “I just need to talk to you, Allison. You’re the one I know best, the one who knows me best too.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line before Mom spoke up.
“What are you trying to say, mom?” I asked, steeling myself for the unknown, my heart pounding in my chest.
Mom’s voice cut through the line.
“I think it’s time that I end things with… you fa… I mean, Tom.”