Again (PUBLISHED!)

Chapter 24.

When I sat down with Stef, Adam and Josh at the canteen, neither of them looked at me. They behaved like they didn't want me there and wanted me to leave.

"What happened to you guys? Why are you being so cold to me?" I asked anxiously.

"I didn't know you were such a bitch, Eleanor! You cheated on Luke with Devon!" Stef spat in disgust

I was aghast hearing that. "I-I...."

"Don't even try to deny that you were alone with Parker last night at the party," Josh cut in. "I saw you heatedly making out with him in the kitchen area. "

"Guys, please let me exp---"

"Please Eleanor! No more lies," said Adam in a tone full of hatred. "You can only talk big words like commitment and loyalty and then you shamelessly throw yourself on someone else. Such a hypocrite and a shallow person you are! Now we know Luke was committed to you. He truly liked you a lot and you hurt him."

"And you were lying to us all this while that you hate Devon when in reality you've been getting cozy with him? That's so disgusting!" criticized Stef. "You very well know Devon is not someone to be trusted on. He has been arrested! He is trouble and yet you're foolish enough to spoil your life by going after him?"

"Guys, please listen," I pleaded in despair, too numb to say anything else.

"We won't," said Josh flatly. "We've already heard a lot from you and everything turned out to be bullshit. You're a fake person, Eleanor!"

"And we're still sensible enough to not call a liar our friend," spewed Adam, as the three of them rose to their feet.

"NO!! Wait!! Stef, Adam, Josh!! Come back!! Don't leave me like that! Please, come back!" I ran behind them but the faster I ran, the farther they went from me. And they were gone. All three of them. My best friends had abandoned me...

I sat up on the bed with a start covered with sweat and breathing heavily, my heart was pounding hard in fear and despair.

It was a nightmare, not reality, I told myself trying calm down.

It was the middle of the night outside my window. I got out of my bed, put on my slippers and dragged my exhausted self downstairs to the kitchen. I opened the freezer, took out a box of chilled Ferrero Rocher chocolates and sat at the counter to have it.

If my friends decide to leave me, I will demand a refund for all the chocolates they have robbed from me. I'll make sure the bill runs into millions of dollars so that they consider sticking to me as the safer option, I giggled thinking that.

I had a very tough time next morning dealing with the redness and the swollen bags below my eyes. But finally I was able to shed my sleepless zombie appearance.

After a good shower, I slipped into a pair of black colored skinny jeans and a black and white striped full sleeves top for school.

I couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare dreading every passing moment for it to come true. I must have taken countless number of deep breaths but damn that didn't work at all. So when I was stood at my gates waiting for my friends and they didn't turn up at their usual time, my hands and feet ran cold and my heart began to thud loudly in despair. Had my nightmare come true? Won't they ever talk to me again? Did they abandon me?

I was this close to having a panic attack when they turned up in Adam's car. But too late, I was already in tears.

"Eleanor, what's wrong?!!"

"Why are you crying?!!"

"What happened?!!"

They all jumped out of the car and rushed to me. Rubbing my eyes clear, I spoke in a shriveled tone, "I-I had a bad dream last night....you guys had abandoned me...I had called you so many times but you didn't listen...."

"Relax, Eleanor, it was just dream. We would never ever do that for all," Stef spoke softly.

"Exactly." The boys nodded.

"Do you promise that you wouldn't leave me? Do you promise that nothing will happen to the friendship that the four of us share come what may?" I asked anxiously.

"Ofcourse," said Adam. "Nothing can ever separate the four of us. We've always had each other's backs and that will never change."

The four of us had a group hug and Josh cracked a silly joke which made us laugh. After that we walked to the car. I was just about to get in the backseat when Devon stepped out of the front gates of his house. Our eyes met. Memories of last night flashed in my head. I saw the edges of his lips curl into a roughish smile and the intensity of his orbs were blinding. I looked away and got inside the car but couldn't stop my heart from missing a beat.

***

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