Her Human Prince

The Choice

**edited: 12/19/2017**

Brian tossed and turned on his bed but sleep didn't seem to be on his side at the moment. He was bugged by different kinds of emotions but regret was dominant above all. He could still feel Keira against his skin. He could see her whenever he closed his eyes. The events of the day flashing through his mind. Her pain had pierced him. The crack in her voice as she pleaded for him to understand, he could still hear.

Brian harshly ran his fingers through his hair then slammed a pillow over his face. 'Ughhh! Never mind. I bet she'll be her old irritating self tomorrow when we meet.' But still he laid on the bed, feeling restless. 'What should I do then? Huh?!'

With a defeated sigh, he moved to grab his jacket and walked out the door. His keys made a jingling sound in his hand as he walked to his car. He was about to insert the key but stopped mid air. Pairs of glowing eyes caught his attention. They were just where the woods started in their backyard. He squinted his eyes and took a few steps forward, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. A loud crash pulled him out of his trance and just like that they were gone. He rubbed his eyes then looked at the spot but none. He dismissed it as his imagination then walked back to the car.

Brian was seated, keys in the ignition. 'What the hell am I even doing?! I don't even know where she lives!' He slammed his fists on the steering wheel. He began to walk back to his house, resigning himself to just apologize to Keira first thing in the morning. Yet there was still an uneasiness bubbling in the pits of his stomach, guilt aside. 'I'll apologize first thing tomorrow.' Like a mantra, he repeated this until sleep took over.

Morning came sooner than Brian liked. His eyes felt heavy and his muscles ached all over. Did he even sleep at all? Why did it feel like he was rammed by a truck instead of feeling recharged? Brian pushed himself off of the bed then headed for the bathroom. He turned the shower knob then stood under the cold running water in hopes to numb his aching body. He didn't even bother to strip, his shoulders ached too much.

Half an hour later, dressed up and tired, Brian was walking through the halls of the school building. He made his way to the lockers to get his books for the first class with slumped shoulders. 'Could this day get any worse?' He slammed his locker shut after ensuring he had everything he needed but something stopped him in his tracks.

There was no one beside the door to his locker. There was not the cheery 'hi' from a certain raven-haired girl. No one dragging him to class because they did not want to be late. Then flashes from yesterday's events crossed his mind. His lips pressed into a thin line and his fists clenched tightly around the straps of his bag. There was a pang on Brian's chest. The guilt seeping through his every pore. 

Brian only shook his head. He walked to his class expecting to see her, only to be even more disappointed. Keira was nowhere to be seen. As the day progressed, Brian couldn't help but feel Keira's absence even more. 'Did she skip because of me?'

It was finally the last subject. Brian was on his usual seat trying to keep himself busy with... uh... staring out into space. He was only pulled back from his thoughts when the chair beside him made a screeching sound. He looked up expecting the raven-haired nuisance but he was greeted by blonde hair and green eyes.

"I see your guard dog's absent." Leila's statement made a vein pop on Brian's forehead. He was on the verge of saying something he'd regret but he managed to swallow it down. He cleared his throat then sat back properly facing the board.

Leila realizing that that she had been ignored opened her mouth once again. "You know, the first time I saw that girl I knew she would only cause trouble. She's loud and ill tempered. Remember she almost hit me?! Twice?!" Leila launched herself in a barrage of insults and complaints against Keira. She was resolved to make her look bad in Brian's eyes.

Brian sank back to his seat, trying his very best to tune out Leila's voice. His temper was rising by the second but the blabbering female remained oblivious. Keira was this. Keira was that. If she was so irritated with her then why talk about her in the first place?

Brian couldn't believe he was living this Keira free day, thinking and hearing things about her. 'Was this some kind of curse?' He pulled a notebook from underneath his desk then began scribbling and doodling. Brian's hand stopped mid air and his pencil fell with the next words that came out of Leila's mouth. "I wish she'd just die and rot in hell."

Then, bam! The chair Brian was sitting on fell backwards. His fists were connected on the desk he just slammed them on. His eyes were narrowed at nothing in particular and his breath came out heavy. He didn't dare throw a glance at the startled girl beside him. He couldn't or else he might lose it. He was raised not to raise a hand at a woman.

Brian quietly stalked out of the room with numerous pairs of eyes following his every move. He decided he was going home. He couldn't stay any longer.

'What if she won't talk to me again?' This ran through Brian's mind over and over again as he drove to school the next day. He was positive Keira would show up now. "I mean... She wouldn't skip for long because of something like that right?"

When Brian arrived at the campus, he took his sweet time walking through the parking lot and the crowded halls. He waited by the lockers until the bell rang and a little more after. 'How long will it take her to arrive?' He waited with the little glimmer of hope slowly fading from his eyes.

"A few more minutes," Brian told himself as he scanned the now deserted hallway but there was still no Keira. He walked to his first class, defeated. He was already late but he couldn't care less. He was still waiting, slowing his pace down in hopes she would walk past him in a hurry to class.

Guilt was already eating him up. He could barely sleep and almost did not eat every time. Brian knew he had hurt her but never to this extent. Had he been so harsh? What did he even say for things to end up this way?

Keira occupied Brian's mind in the weeks that passed. He even thought he saw her a few times around the campus. He saw her in the crowded halls, in his house, in the bedroom, in the back of his mind. She was everywhere and he was starting to lose it. He had never told anyone about these feelings overwhelming him. Not that there was anyone he could tell it to anyway.

Leila was hanging around with another group of friends since the day he snapped at her. She was his only close friend in the campus being a transferee and all that. But the day she wished for Keira to die and rot in hell was it. Snap! He tolerated everything until he no longer could.

Jacob's absence added even more frustration to his already frustrated self. Keira was nowhere to be found and so was he. Are they together? His mind started playing tricks on him. He began getting angry at the simplest things... at everything and nothing.

Keira was messing up his system. She was making him think up was down and left was right. He was right all along, falling in love just leaves a person exposed and vulnerable. It just makes the heart more fragile than glass in the hands of the object of one's affection.

Brian was surprised. His heart started to beat erratically at the thought that crossed his mind. Wasn't he just guilty because he had hurt her? That was what he reasoned the past weeks. Was it, in some way, wrong? Right! He just wanted to apologize. That's all. He wasn't in love with her. But what if she already decided that she was done? What if she already left? How could he say sorry?

These thoughts sent Brian into a panic. 'No! No! She cannot leave just like that. My conscience won't let me be at peace. She can't go. She can't leave.'

Brian was fidgeting and his body was in cold sweat. He needed to do something. And he needed to do it fast. But where will he find her? Where will he even look? He didn't know the answer. He stood up with renewed vigor. He was lost but he didn't care. Three weeks was already long enough. It was time to make a move.