Replay {Skephalo}

30 | Cheater

It all makes sense.

I can't believe I didn't realise it sooner. Can't believe I let Vincent feed me those lies, it was so obvious! Vincent's hanahaki isn't because he has a crush on Clay, it's because he has a crush on someone else.

Me.

~~~

My head protests as I change at super speed and fly out of my house down the street, right in the direction to on of Northbrookes. I don't care that I've missed the bus, I don't have to be on time anyway.

After about twenty minutes of nonstop running, I make it to the front gates. The bus pulled in about five minutes ago, and all the kids turn their heads in my direction. They yell one word at me, the same one plastered all over every social media along with that video.

Cheater.

I run to the student dorms, up the stairs and down the hall in the direction of Darryl's dorm. The hallway is buzzing with people, all staring at me. I don't care about them, I know why Darryl has blocked me and I need to clear it up. It wasn't a mistake after all.

"Darryl! Darryl!" I bang on the door a couple times before realising there's a note stuck to it.

The note reads:

'Zak,
I'm no longer going to be your tutor. You are expected back at class at normal time. They'll find you another one.
I don't want to talk to you. Don't try calling or texting me. I know what you've done. I can't believe you'd do this to me.
To us.
Please leave your door key with Callahan, you won't be needing it anymore. I've left your things you'd left here with him too.
Darryl.'

Before I know it tears are rolling down my face. The people around me are shouting things like 'serves you right cheater!' and 'can't believe you'd do that!' as they watch me break down in tears. Wiping my eyes on my sleeves, I turn to the door behind me and knock three times. It's answered almost instantly, as if they were expecting me. "Zak Carder. I was expecting you. Here are your things." Callahan pushes my duffel bag with my baseball kit in it towards me. He outstretches his hand. "The key" he mutters.

"Callahan wait! This is all a-"

"Save it Carder. You've broken Darryl's heart. He loved you, he truly did. And you took advantage of him. I told him not to hang around with kids like you, but he did it anyway. I thought you'd changed Zak."

Changed. I thought I'd changed too. I've tired so hard to break the cycle...

NO! This isn't my fault!

"Calla-"

Callahan reaches towards me, snatching Darryl's spare keys he gave me out of my hand. He shoves my bag out of the doorway, slamming the door behind him.

The tears keep coming, and I can't push them away. Darryl thinks I cheated on him. He won't answer me, and Callahan won't listen.

I turn back to banging on Darryl's door, begging for an answer. Callahan returns after a few minutes. "Zak Carder!" he fumes. "Get the hell out of here! Darryl doesn't want to see you. Him and I went to the party last night to find you. He was worried sick about you. We saw it happen first hand, you can't hide it."

That last sentence makes me run away. Grab my stuff from the floor and just run, as fast and as far away as possible. My head is still pounding and I'm still out of breath, so I only make it to outside the dorms. I collapse against the side of the building, openly crying like nobody's watching. But they are, I can feel everyone watching. They're shouting at me.