𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀.ᐟ 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀

'she hates me'

"But I don't, not anymore." She lied. "In fact, the sight of you makes me sick."

"You don't mean that-"

"Adam, don't!" Vera snapped as tears pelted down her cheeks when he took a step towards her. "If you come any closer, if you touch me or anything, I think I'll scream."

And the look on his face made her want to curl up and die. She watched miserably as he brought his eyes to the floor with a tight jaw. No words were exchanged as he stepped off the porch and walked towards his car; not a thought of looking back.

Vera bit down hard on her bottom lip, almost drawing blood as she watched him start the car.

"I hate you!"

She screamed it without thinking.

The porch light flickered above her as her painful words hung in the air. Her heart was racing as she desperately tried to catch her breath. She wanted to chase after him, to explain that she didn't mean it and that they shouldn't leave it like this.

But, he beat her to it.

"Good."

And he was gone, just like that.

Nothing is right. Everything has changed, and it's scary and painful.

-

VERA SAT ON A curb in the Westbrook parking lot without an idea how she'd gotten there. Everything had been a blur since that horrific moment at the party. She couldn't remember if she went to find Julie, or if she even went back into the house at all.

With tear stained cheeks and stinging eyes, the brunette tried her hardest to recollect the memories as she dug her nails into her arms.

What happened after? What was she doing before?

Did all of that truly happen?

Was she drunk? Maybe that was the reason she felt that all of this was one big nightmare.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's it." She said aloud, absentmindedly nodding her head.

Though, suddenly, the doubt came wandering back into her mind. Vera pushed herself up from the curb and took a few strides ahead of her, then back. She continued to pace and bite her nails as the weight of it became too much.

There was a whimper, then a raw, gut-wrenching scream. She let everything out.

All the pent-up frustration and heartache.

Why did she let him go? Why did she push him away? Why didn't she hear him out?

And even if he had been with Cher that night, she knew it wasn't right to lash out at him like that. She didn't own him. They weren't together.

Yet, she still managed to loose him. One of the only good things looking up for her — gone.

"Vera?"

She turned around. There was a group of three boys standing there with concerned expressions on their faces. It was Hayden and his two friends coming back from the party.