Happy Everly After

Chapter 19

The weight of my heartache hung heavy on me as I moped around for the rest of the day. My face was red and puffy from all the crying I did in that small cubicle. Surprisingly, I didn't feel dehydrated despite the amount of tears that fell. Avoiding any place where I might bump into Owen became my main objective, and so far, my plan had worked. That is, until I received a text from Charlotte asking to meet after school. But I didn't want company. Misery did not need company. All I wanted was a self-pity party for one.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Apparently, Owen was avoiding me too, as we hadn't crossed paths in days. I forced myself to focus on my schoolwork. It felt like it was all a dream, a brief taste of having them both back, before it was snatched away and back to reality. At least I still had Charlotte, and for that, I was grateful. She had been my rock through all of this.

I knew she had given Owen a stern talking-to about what he said, even though I tried to take the blame for pushing him to it. In all our years of friendship, there were only a handful of times when Owen and I had fallen out. He usually acted as the go-between for me and Charlotte.

It was finishing time on Friday, I felt a sense of relief. Finally, the weekend had arrived, and I could hole up in my room with my favourite snacks and binge-watch trashy TV.

As people hurriedly pushed past me, lost in their own plans for the weekend, I couldn't help but glance around and wonder if anyone else was feeling as miserable as me. And then, that's when I saw them – he had his back to me, and she was on her tiptoes, her arms wrapped around his neck as she nestled into his hair. They were kissing passionately, not caring who might see them. And it seemed that no one else did care, except for me. Fresh tears threatened to fall from my eyes as I turned and quickly made a break for the door, hoping they didn't see me staring at them like some sort of weird voyeur.

That was it – I thought I had lost him forever.

My mum could sense that something was wrong, but she didn't push when I told her it was nothing. She knew that if she pressed me, I would just close up like a clam. We ate our dinner mostly in silence, and when she offered to watch something together, I declined. I made sure to thank her for the offer but lied and said I wasn't feeling well. Alone in my room, I checked my phone for what felt like the thousandth time.

"He's not going to message you, Everly", I murmured to myself as I bit my lip nervously.

And just as expected, my phone vibrated with a notification. But it wasn't from him. It was from Charlotte, of course.

You're going to say no, and I'm not accepting it, the message read. We're going shopping tomorrow, or you can borrow something of mine. Isaiah is having a party tomorrow and we are going.

"No", I grumbled to myself as I fell back onto my bed.

I was in no mood for a party. What I really wanted was for Charlotte to suggest coming over so we could mope together. Not that it would be fun for her or anything, but at least I would have some company. Selfish, I know. Charlotte had always had a huge crush on Isaiah and wouldn't pass up any opportunity to be in his company. And honestly, I couldn't blame her. He was tall with smooth, mocha-coloured skin, mesmerizing brown eyes, and thick lashes that were wasted on him. He was popular but down-to-earth – getting along with everyone.

I had always secretly hoped that they would get together. So I was happy to hear that she hadn't been talking to Riley much and had pretty much given up on pursuing that doomed relationship. In the end, I decided to go to the party. If it meant that Charlotte would be distracted from Riley, then I was all for it.

Already anticipating my next text, she added one last thing:

By the way Owen and Cassie won't be there.

A heavy sigh escaped from my lips, a mixture of relief and anxiety. The mere thought of Owen kissing Cassie... or worse, made my stomach coil into tight knots. Why did we have to cross that line? If we had never shared that one kiss, I wouldn't be feeling this way. But then again, maybe I would. Everything was so uncertain now. All I knew was that I had always harboured some kind of feelings for Owen, burying them deep inside me. Now those emotions were refusing to stay hidden.

In an attempt to distract myself, I switched on my favourite classic rock station and turned off my phone. I needed to rest and quiet my mind. Slowly, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

But it was all too good to be true. In the midst of a pleasant dream, I suddenly jolted awake with a sharp cry of pain. My forehead was covered in sweat and my breathing was strained. As I frantically looked around the darkness, I fumbled for the light switch, thankful when the gentle glow flooded the room. It was just a dream... no, more like a nightmare.

In the vivid imagery that still lingered in my mind, there were three figures standing at the edge of a cliff: Owen, Charlotte, and myself. Our voices were raised in a heated argument over something that seemed insignificant now. And then they were gone, vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, I was face to face with Cassie - but not the Cassie I knew. She had transformed into some kind of demonic witch with fiery red eyes filled with pure hatred. Without hesitation, she charged towards me at full speed, her arms outstretched as if to push me off the edge of the cliff. Before I could even react, her forceful shove sent me hurtling through the air and plummeting towards the jagged rocks below.

My screams echoed in my ears as I desperately reached out for something, anything to grab onto and pull myself back up. It must have been the shock that woke me up before I could experience the impact of hitting the ground below.