𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅| 3

7: Blackhole

"All my grief says the same thing:
This isn't how it's supposed to be
This isn't how it's supposed to be
And the world laughs
Holds my hope by the throat
Says:
But this is how it is."

-Fortesa Latifi
*

Kam

Haliya stretched out on my bed like a landscape. Rifts and valleys etched into her silhouette.

I was used to her revealing, almost see-through nightdress, that she walked around the house with, not caring about the glaring scars, decorating her arm.

I watched her as she stared at the screen with an unimpressed scowl.

"This." She muttered quietly, not looking up at me. "This was why she broke up with you." She pinched the screen, probably minimizing or enlarging something and peered at it in annoyance.

I sighed heavily from where I sat at the desk, tapping my hands impatiently on my thighs. "For the third time, Liya, yes." I groaned in exasperation.

She shook her head, choked out a laugh that poked at my soul. In the background, Psycho by Post Malone was crooning out of the speakers, further dulling the lazy Sunday afternoon. "Kam, what's your hair colour?"

I touched my hair, looked at her puzzled. "It's brown."

"Fool." She muttered under her breath. "You're such an idiot."

"Haliya-" I groaned.

"Kam, your hair is black here."

I stood up and strode towards her, crashing onto the space beside her.

"Do you even remember what you wore to meet this Ariel girl?" Haliya asked again, taking the phone from me.

I touched my temple, squeezed my eyes shut and tried to remember, apprehension and something thicker, lumping my throat until it felt like I'd choke on my emotions. "I... I don't remember."

Haliya hissed, placed the phone in my laps and stretched out on the bed, yawning peacefully to herself. "That isn't you, Kam. The person in that video isn't you."

Yes. Yes, it's possible to die from migraine and confusion.

"I mean, she tried. I have to give her that. She got a good stunt double. He even walks like you. Your accent, your voice. But that's not you. I know you."

She turned on her left side, away from me.

"I don't understand." I looked at the video again, something I had not been able to do since I transferred it to my phone. Since Ariel had sent it to everyone in the gang group chat. "Why would she do this? Why would she do this to me?"

"You're asking me." It wasn't a question. She turned to look at me now, with a raised eyebrow. "Is she not your friend? I should be the one asking you."

She turned on her left side again and within seconds, I heard her snoring softly, fast asleep.

It was peaceful and quiet in the room. In my head, bottles were breaking and windows were shattering and why why why? Why did Ariel do this to me?

__

Ariel came on time. Even earlier than I did.

I stepped into the air conditioned restaurant, cold, cradling my bones, and navigated towards her.

She had already ordered her food and was eating from her plate, an expensive bottle of wine was afloat in the bucket of ice on the table. I sat across from her. In front of me was an empty plate of fine china.