The Ex Chronicles

14: Dylan's Role in All These

Arnold and I stopped talking after that morning. We acted as if we were not together anymore. It's like my first few days in the Two-Storey. I sleep, go to work, eat alone, and do errands by myself.

I have been crying myself to sleep because I know that Arnold won't take me back. Who in their right mind would do that anyway?

The house feels empty without him. It was quiet and lonely.

I contemplated on whether to go home to my parents' house or stay in the Two-Storey. I was thinking that perhaps he'd go home if I wasn't around.

I received a phone call from one of Arnold's colleagues who told me where Arnold was. 

Apparently, he's been drinking in the same bar since we fought.

"What are you doing here?" He said coldly as I approached him.

"I came here to see you," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you."

"There's nothing to talk about, Hana." He said as he turned his back on me. "Go home. I don't want to see you."

"Arnold..." I called him as his words pierced like a dagger into my heart.

"Don't make a scene here." He warned.

I sat next to him even as my tears roll down my face.

"Go home with me," I told him.

"I'll go home whenever I want." He said.

"Please don't do this to me," I begged him.

"And you have the gall to say that? You did this to me." He reminded me.

"And I am really sorry," I told him.

"The damage has been done. You lost me as you chose him. Why don't you come back to him and leave me alone."

I wiped my tears and told him, "For the last time... I didn't choose him. I chose you. That's why I'm here. That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"So you could lie to me again? So that you can use me as your rebound from every guy out there that you've been involved with? If I had known that I would fall in love with you, I shouldn't have agreed to Dylan's request."

"You weren't a re-... What did you say?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You heard me." He said.

I should have just let Arnold drink and driven him home. I should have stopped myself from forcing him to forgive me. He's just drunk. He doesn't know what he's saying.

"You're just drunk," I said.

"I did everything Dylan told me to do. Everything was planned, Hana. Dylan asked me to take care of you. Before I transferred to another school."

Before he changed. Before he started to ignore me.

"Why? Why did you agree with that? Why did you have to drag me into this?" I went near him and shouted at him. I was trying to knock some sense into him.

"Dylan..." he said and passed out.

"Arnold!" I woke him up but he's too drunk.

I called Hero because I can't bring Arnold to his car by myself. It's a good thing that I got my driver's license a few months ago. However, I can't take care of him while I'm driving. When Hero arrived, he was confused. "What's going on?"