Scarred Beauty [Completed]

Chapter Twenty Six

It's been two weeks..

Two weeks passed ever since Alex and Bri told me about the special training school in England. That was halfway across the world! Alex had said he was planning it about a few days ago, and he never told me anything. Felicity knew, Kevin knew, Jen knew, and even the neighbors knew! But I wasn't given any warning until Bri had opened her mouth and told me.

At the dance, after Alex told me, I just stayed frozen in my spot. Nothing in my body could be moved, and Alex tried to snap me out of my daze. I was.. puzzled. Confused. And felt like I was betrayed. I was the only one.. left exposed to the cold. It took me a few moments to react. My first reaction was clutching my skirt, and tears streamed down my face after that. I turned around and ran away.

I ran.. away.

"When are you getting out of that room?" Jen asked softly, knocking on the door.

I was stuffed underneath my blanket, binge-watching random shows (mostly anime) while stuffing my face with food. It was winter break, and apparently, on my birthday, Alex was leaving. He was leaving me here. I spared a glance at the door, hesitating for a second, but looked back at my computer.

I puffed my cheeks out stubbornly as I shouted, "I'm not leaving this room!"

I shut my laptop closed and put it on my desk. I rolled over and looked at the door, trying to burn a hole into it. I heard Jen sigh as she trudged down the stairs, informing Alex and his family about my response. I wanted to talk to them, but I didn't at the same time. They could've at least informed me about it! But they didn't. Now I knew that a week from now, Alex was leaving with Bri to a special training school.

Alex.. and Bri.

I shook my head and pulled my blanket over the bottom half of my face. I felt sick just thinking of it. I can't be jealous. Bri is just another friend. How long was I going to convince myself that? My eyes lowered their gaze. She's just.. a friend. I let out a huff. I hadn't gotten out of my bed in a few hours. Though it was a Sunday, I felt like I couldn't sense the time anymore. I got up with a small blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, standing up.

I should at least have one breakfast with them, right? Be mature about this, I guess. I opened the door and strolled downstairs slowly, only to see Felicity cooking some pancakes. Jen was beside her, helping her with the food. She was here to monitor me. Kevin was at the dining table, and Alex was just sitting across from him, picking at his food. When they heard me come down, they all looked in my direction. Felicity smiled, like she was relieved from all the stress I had given her. I'm so sorry.

"Would you like chocolate pancakes?" She asked in a soft voice.

I nodded lightly, and without uttering a word, I walked towards the dining table and sat as far as I could from both Alex and Kevin. I never realized how pale and weak I turned. My skin was almost white, and my bones felt like breaking any second now. I usually went downstairs to grab a granola bar for breakfast, and that was basically all.

Felicity put down a plate of pancakes in front of me, drenched in syrup just like I liked it, and Jen sat down next to me. We stayed quiet for a while, until Jen decided to break the uncomfortable silence with a question.

"Should we go to the beach today?" She suggested. She smiled brightly, "I heard the temperature today is going to be perfect for swimming."

Felicity smiled, "I can drive you there. Besides, I have a day off from my part-time job today."

"Sure," Kevin shrugged, trying to lift the mood.

Anyone could tell that those three were trying to get both Alex and me to start a conversation with each other. We both remained silent, not replying to Jen's suggestion. I didn't feel like going to the beach, not that I even had a swimsuit either. But if Jen wanted to go, I guess I could for her.

I mumbled quietly, "I'll go... but I don't think I'll swim."

All that was left was for Alex to answer. Jen and Kevin looked at him, and even Felicity seemed interested in his response. He didn't say anything at first, just staring at the empty plate in front of him. I ate the last bit of my pancake and pushed the plate back. Once again, we were silent. It was weird and awkward since he announced his secret, so this was so often that I was used to the tension.

Alex then asked, "Can we invite Bri too?"

I didn't want to admit it, but when he said her name, I jolted a little. She's just a friend. He just wants someone else to talk to. I kept on scolding myself for feeling a little broken. Jen spared a glance at me, as did Felicity. I bet they could sense how much I was mentally hurting myself on the inside because of this. I could understand how they knew, since my frown had deepened.

Jen replied, "I actually.. kind of wanted just us to go. For old times' sake, before you leave..."

Alex stood up from his seat and muttered quietly, "Oh. Sure, okay."

Then, he left up the stairs. They're just friends. They're just.. friends. Once we heard him close the door, they all turned to me to see if I was alright, okay. I looked up at them and shrugged, hiding my pain.

"What?" I questioned, my voice clearly shaking. "I don't care. Not like I control his life."

Felicity cleared her throat to interrupt the moment of silence. "We'll leave an hour from now, since the beach is three hours away."

I nodded and headed up to my room.

~~~

We were in Felicity's van, a comfy black van with clear windows. Jen and I decided to sit in the back while Alex and Kevin sat in front of us. Felicity was in the driver's seat, a few towels and a basket of food in the passenger seat. In the trunk was an umbrella and a beach volleyball. There was also a few bottles of sunblock, some water, and some spare games.

I was wearing evergreen shorts and a soft purple shirt made of silk, one side hanging off my left shoulder with a black tank top underneath. On my feet were red flip-flops. Jen was wearing a yellow sundress and white shorts, her feet snug in yellow flip flops. Both the boys, not interested in fashion, were wearing plain t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops as well. Felicity looked at all of us through the rear view mirror.

"Is everyone ready?" She asked.

Jen gave her a thumbs up, "Yup!"

She started the engine, and off we drove. Just a few minutes after listening to music on the radio and eating some snacks, a notification popped up in my head. I opened it.

Text From: Jen Wafers 😎
Are you okay? You seem down..

I turned to her, seeing her looking back at me with a worried gaze. She had her phone in her hands, and she looked super tired, her eyes worn out. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"Wanna play UNO?" She asked.

My enthusiasm immediately shot up. I gave her a determined look, "Fight me!"

We both giggled. I could sense Felicity smile at the front of the van. It was amazing how drastically my mood could change when I was with Jen. But, I guess that was why she was my best friend. Well, one of my best friends. But she was now my top best friend. Does that make even, at all, any sense? I doubted it.

So, as we drove to the beach, I wasn't aware of the blue eyes staring aimlessly at me.