Rejecting Alexander

Chapter Eight

The sound of the classroom's door slamming shut rang through the empty room. Andrea gulped and turned around.

Alexander was leaning against the door, his intense gaze fixed on her. His stance might have looked relaxed if it hadn't been for his clenched fists.

Andrea wanted to run away because she knew that a confrontation was coming and she knew just how intense it could be. This was bad, this was very bad, this was Trump bad. An ordinary Alexander was scary, but an angry Alexander was downright frightening.

"Just friends?" Alexander asked twisting the words around and making them sound like venom. "I didn't know that friends can be so intimate. You and Josh must be very close."

Andrea stayed silent.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Come on, Andrea. Why don't you tell me about you and Josh? I'm sure he is a great friend." He said sarcastically.

He suddenly grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall.

"I am done with this bullshit, Andrea. Tell me what this is all fucking about." His voice was unnervingly calm. "Tell me!" He shouted.

"Stop!" Her tone matched his.

The dreaded claws of guilt started scratching at her heart. She always felt too much when it came to Alexander. And now it was too much regret, too much sadness, too much fear.

"Please, just stop. I told you what you need to know. I'm not leading you on, I'm not giving you false hope. Just leave things the way they are, Alexander." Tears were streaming down her face, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

"I have never given you a reason to not trust me. So, trust me when I tell you now that this is for the best."

Alexander passed a hand down his face.

"Just tell me what you are going through. I can help you—"

"How? By beating up by best friend? By kidnapping me? I'm hurting too, Alex."

"You can change that. If you just tell me!"

"I can't fucking tell you anything! Just leave me alone!"

Her voice echoed in the empty classroom. Her eyes burned and her head felt heavy. It was like everything that had happened in the past year was finally catching up to her and she could barely breathe.

"Is that what you want?" His voice was a whisper now, but his eyes were speaking volumes about his pain.

Andrea wanted to scream. Of course, that was not what she wanted. Everything in her craved him. Her life was empty without him. For a year now, she was only surviving while waiting for something to miraculously fill the void.

She couldn't look at him anymore. She couldn't answer him because the lie would taste to bitter in her mouth.

She rubbed her eyes and turned around, hoping that the force around her heart would lessen.

"Andrea," His hand was on her shoulder, as light as a feather, "Is that what you want?" He asked again.

"Please..." The word was a mere gasp, but it was enough to make him hug her tightly, his forehead resting on her shoulder.

For the first time in a year, time had finally stopped, and Andrea felt like she could breathe again, but she knew it wasn't for long.

"We can't keep doing this anymore, Alexander," She whispered.

There was silence, then the coldness of Alexander letting go, followed by the sound of the door slamming shut.

* * * * * *

Ariel Rivera observed the full moon from the backseat of her parents' car. She felt drowsy and her eyes were closing involuntarily. It was way past her bed time and her ten-year-old self wasn't used to staying up late.

The door on the driver's side of the car opened and her father stuck his head in.

"We'll just load the groceries in the trunk and go home, okay kiddo?" He said.

Ariel nodded, and her father closed the door again. She was never going to go grocery shopping again, not only did her feet ache, but her mother had the unnecessary need to buy everything and anything.

The faint sound of her mother and father talking caught her ears like a lullaby. Ariel wanted nothing more than to curl up in her warm bed.

She closed her eyes. The compelling darkness of sleep was almost there when the she heard the first scream.

Her head jerked up and she turned behind to look at the back of the car.

The glass was covered with a slimy red liquid that was being washed away by the rain. When had it started to rain? Her mother was still screaming her lungs out but there was no one there to help.

Ariel could see a dark silhouette approaching her mother, she wanted to scream too but her voice was caught up in her throat.

She didn't see what happened, but her mother's screams stopped, and more blood splattered on the window.

Silent tears fell from Ariel's eyes, the dark silhouette started walking towards her door, every minute seemed to agonizingly drag on. The dark shape was now standing outside her door, she couldn't see every detail, but she did see one thing. Red eyes.

Ariel heard her heart beating in her ears, her hands were trembling with fear, she was going to die next.

Then everything went black.