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Chapter 3
“She’s pissed. Bailey’s pissed at me because I knew. Look at her! She’s going to castrate me!” waved the frantic blonde. “We’ve made dumb pacts before, but this one cuts the cake... Are you even listening to me, Kyle?”
Without taking his eyes off the backside of the one person he ever loved, Kyle nodded ever so slightly in hopes of placating his best friend. As he nodded, his body seemed numb and his limbs felt heavy with guilt. Not because he placed Jacob in a position where he would probably have to face the wrath of his psychotic girlfriend, but because he shattered the heart of Tessalyn Kirk; the girl who still had his heart.
“Dude, you’re not even listeni-…” Jacob trailed off as he turned to Kyle, only to face an empty shell of his best friend. “Kyle?”
Deaf to his friend’s words, Kyle’s mouth was held agape as his eyes captured grey ones for a few fleeting moments. It was only then when she turned to face him that he realized what he had done… She looked like she had gone to Hell and back… all because of him.
The look in her eyes was enough to make him want to scoop her back into his arms and apologize a million times over. If he could, he would have absorbed all her pain so she wouldn’t have to feel any at all. He wanted to kiss her eyelids that were swollen from her tears and put the happiness back into her eyes. Most of all, he wished he could turn back time and take back what he had done.
But he couldn’t do that, and he wouldn’t. If he wanted to protect her, this was what he had to do… he had to push her away. He had done it once before, and he could do it again. So he broke whatever connection they were having and faced his best friend who had concern etched into his features.
“I said it before, and I’ll say it again… This thing you’re doing is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Jacob said with a frown. “This isn’t the best solution to any of this. I don’t understand why you have to break her heart and torture yourself at the same time. It just isn’t right.”
Flicking their eyes back to the subject of their conversation, they watched as Tessa retreated with hunched shoulders into the washroom with her best friend shooting them death glares.
“It just… had to be done,” he murmured quietly, his voice void of any life it used to have.
“Kyle, you love her and she loves you… That’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone or anything tell you otherwise. I know this shit is rough on you, but your mom has to realize that Tessa makes you happy… You should do what you want, not what she wants, because in the end, you’re going to regret this for the rest of your life.”
Turning his gaze away from the bathroom door, Kyle took in the expression of his best friend. He had known Jacob for years, and there had only been a handful of times in which he had turned into a whole different person in order to help Kyle… And like all the other times, he was grateful that he had a best friend who could make him laugh and also give him great advice.
But unlike all the other times, he couldn’t take Jacob’s advice. This time… This time it was different. This was the only way, despite what Jacob thought.
Running a hand through his unruly brown hair, Kyle let out a frustrated sigh. “Jake, it’s a lose-lose situation. Even if I hadn’t done this, I’d still regret it for the rest of my life.”
With a nod, Jacob clapped his hand on Kyle’s shoulder in sympathy and gave it a squeeze. “I gotta get to class. Call me if you need to talk.”
Nodding back, Kyle muttered a thanks and turned around to retrieve the books from his locker. Tugging it open, his eyes were met with photos and memoirs of Tessa taped to the inside of his locker. A wave of guilt washed over him as he gazed at the photos of them together.
His eyes were drawn to one particular photo that was taped crookedly in the back of his locker. It was a full-length picture of them together at one of his church functions. Perhaps not one of their happiest times together, but a memorable time nonetheless.
The day that the picture had been taken, his church congregation had been throwing a luncheon inside the church in celebration of Easter. He could remember how concentrated Tessa was in trying to understand the service, yet not knowing how to interpret the Pastor’s words. And as the Lord’s Prayer was being chanted throughout the pews, Tessa simply sat there with her ears perked to every word that was being emitted out of the people’s mouths around her. He remembered her telling him that she was trying to be like a sponge, absorbing the Lord’s Prayer into her mind for the next time… So that maybe the next time, she’d be able to recite the words with the congregation instead of sitting there like an idiot.
But though it was unspoken, Kyle knew that she wasn’t just memorizing the words to join in with the congregation, but rather to impress his mother. He knew that his mother’s words had hit home when she had called Tessa out on being an atheist. Even he had heard the contempt in her voice and the disapproval that came with it.
To Tessa, his mother was telling her to back off… And to Kyle, she was telling him to stay away.
And sadly enough, for weeks, Kyle did stay away. The fact of the matter was that his mother was all he had left. He wasn’t going to push her away for a girl. Especially a girl that may not even be his supposed star-crossed lover. So, instead of rebelling against his mother like any other teenage boy, Kyle ignored Tessa. He slowly cut off his ties with her, ignoring her phone calls, ducking into classrooms when he saw her come down the hallways, and even joining clubs after school to avoid having free time.
But the days turned into weeks, and the more and more that he tried to push Tessa away, the more he knew that he couldn’t do it any longer. Before he had introduced her to his mother, their lives seemed to be so in sync. During all their dates, he felt an undeniable attraction to her. The way she could hold a conversation with him without his attention waning was refreshing. Nothing between them was forced. She kept him on his toes, while he found himself doing surprising things to impress her. And after a few weeks away from their give-take relationship, he began to miss spending time with her.
So, he did the one thing he didn’t think he would do. He groveled. He actually went back to Tessa and apologized profusely for pushing her away. He even went as far as to drop onto his knees and give her his best impression of a pair of cute puppy eyes. Whether his puppy eyes were good enough or if she just took pity on him, he didn’t know.
Of course, it took days for her to forgive him, but he did his best to get back in to her good graces. Though, when they did get back together, she seemed different. As if she was determined to change his mother’s opinion of her.
Staring at that picture, he could see the forced smile on Tessa’s face from that day. And with a frown, Kyle narrowed his eyes at the unfocused but familiar figure in the background; his mother, tight-lipped and frowning.
He was leaning in closer to get a better look at the picture when the door of his locker banged shut, making him jump in surprise and out of his reverie. Confused, he quickly turned his attention to the short figure standing at his side before raising his brows up into his forehead.
“You,” she said softly. “I want answers.”
Lastly, thanks to the reviewers!