" In which I get my heart broken by the player "
* * *
Blake Harper doesn't do love. He's rude, quiet, brooding, and prefers to be alone. Like all bad boys, he's untamable and unclaimed, but he isn't sure what to do when the girl he sets his eyes on...
Storming out of there, I could hardly grasp a single breath as vomit climbed up my throat. Horror strikes when I see my friend group standing there, waiting for me. Shit. Oh god. Not now. My hands are trembling when I run them through my hair.
I'm repulsed by myself, shuddering and gagging as I set my target on the bathroom. I need to get out of here. Oh god. I was sexually harassed by my professor. Sweat breaks loose when the aroma of vomit invades my mouth.
" Catalina! Where are you going!? "
I advance to a sprint.
He touched me. Why? Why me? I can feel his lips, his spit. I shiver and come to a halt when vomit rushes into my mouth. I swallow and start to cry.
" Catalina! "
No. Don't come near me. Don't touch me.
I push through the door and hurry to a toilet, emptying my insides.
Wiping the sweat from my eyes, I kick close the door and lock it. I cradle my legs and rock my body, dreading any kind of comfort.
His hands. His lips. His spit.
I dig my nails into my neck and scratch the spot over and over. Everything about him is printed in my brain: his scent, the smell of his breath, everything.
Stupid me. Stupid. How couldn't I see? His kind words, his unnatural determination to score me good grades, his smile, his soft eyes--vomit topples out of my mouth and I was nearly too late to make it to the toilet.
" Catalina! Open this door! "
" Go away, " I hissed, pinching my eyes shut when pain pierced through my stomach, causing me to gag air.
" What happened? Blake said Professor Thompson wanted to discuss something with you after your class. Did something happen? "
The mention of him made my skin crawl with utter repulsion and made me cough up dry air, paining my stomach.
If anyone finds out, I'll guarantee your expulsion.
I purse my lips to silence my cries.
" Catalina? Please open the door so that I can look at you. Come on, I'll buy you your weird latte. "
Numb. My head shuts down and I cut off my emotions. In the silence, there is a calmness that soothes my distress. I close my eyes, drained.
How can I face them like this? So not put together. I scoff, wincing at the pinch in my chest. I thought life already put me through this challenge. Why does it have to happen again?
Burying my face, I drown in my ocean of absolute misery.
" I'll be back, babe. I need to go get Gabriel and the others. "
Panic shoots straight through me, jerking me alive.
" No! No, Avalon, don't do that. Please, don't. I beg you, " I stammer, eyes heating with tears.
" Then, please, Catalina, open the door. "
I shake my head and start to weep again, my emotions clutching onto my chest like claws.
" I don't want you to see me like this. "
" Oh, Catalina, I don't care about how you look. All I worry about is you. Please, open the door. "
I nod, trying to put meaning to her words to ease my heart. Wetting my lips, I wipe off my tears and flush the vomit before rising, hindering, and opening the door to a worried best friend. I couldn't stop the turmoil of emotions that hit me at once, the sight of my best friend encouraging fat tears. She scans my appearance and becomes distressed, engulfing my body in her arms. And just like that, I cling onto her clothes and sob into her shoulder.
I feel a piece of me has been chipped away. Like my existence has been tainted by his dirty hands and lips. I tense.
" It's okay, it's okay, " she mumbles non-stop, rubbing my back in comfort.
" He touched me, Avalon, " I cry out in a struggle.
Her body stiffens and all movements come to a halt.
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