The awaited chapter ;)
NOTE: swearing!
“No!” The strangled word came from me, and I made to run after Luke, but Ollie held me back.
I yanked my arm away.
“What the fuck was that?” I demanded, furiously.
“What the hell are you on, Delilah?” Ollie snapped back. “You’ve been flirting with me ever since tour started!”
“I have not!” I denied his claim, my hands curling into fists. “I thought we were friends! I’m not such a sick, twisted person that I would cheat on my boyfriend!”
“Hate to break it to you,” Ollie said, his voice cold as ice. “But you just did.”
“Fuck you!” I seethed, shoving him out of the way and sprinting out of his bus, only to be stopped by Jules standing right in front of me, fury written all over her face.
I froze. She glared.
Jules and I were one of those best friends. We were like sisters, teasing and arguing constantly.
We rarely fought, but when we did, it was brutal.
I stared at Jules desperately. “He kissed me! It was a mistake! It was never supposed to happen! I didn’t even know…”
“That’s four of the most cliché, overused excuses in the book.” Jules said, coldly. “I thought you were better then that, Del.”
“I am better! I’m not a cheater!”
Jules folded her arms as she delivered the painful truth. “Yet look what you just did.”
“I’m telling you the truth!”
“Don’t lie to me. I saw what happened.”
“Why don’t you believe me? I’m your best friend!”
“Were.” Jules said, flatly.
I flinched, feeling like I’d been shoved in the chest.
“Jules…”
“I’m not friends with cheaters.”
I clenched my fists, anger fueling my words. “Just because Joey cheated on you doesn’t mean everyone else does!”
“Don’t you dare say his name!” Jules hissed, her cheeks red and her eyes bright. “Don’t you dare bring him up!”
“Then don’t compare me to him!”
We stood in enraged silence for a few seconds, both glaring and both breathing heavily.
Then Jules stepped back, scoffing out a disdainful laugh. “I never thought you’d do this.”
“I thought we promised we’d stand by each other through everything.” I said, quietly. “I thought that meant we trusted each other. You know I wouldn’t lie to you, Jules.”
“I know what I saw in there, Delilah.”
“You saw a mistake! Ollie came onto me! I pushed him off!”
“You hurt the person who cares about you the most in the worst way possible.”
“I didn’t intend on it! Luke means everything to me! I can’t believe you think I’d even consider cheating on him!”
“What are the rest of us supposed to do now, huh?” Jules snapped. “Take sides? No matter how much they love you, the boys will side with Luke. Stella’s going to follow Michael’s direction. Em will be torn completely, but she’ll choose you and then she’ll lose Calum. Same with Ashton and I. And I am done with fighting your battles for you, Delilah Cook.”
“What have you fought for me?” I spat.
“You didn’t see Luke after you left! You didn’t have to deal with him moping and upset, and Calum and Michael had no idea what was going on! He ran away, Del! He ran away the night you left to look for you! The police found him the next morning at your house. He stopped playing music. Alison cheated on him. He lost everything when you left! They all avoided me. He must have told them what happened, and I was ignored. I had to find new friends! I had to change my entire life because you were too selfish to tell anyone the truth! I shut down any gossip from the kids at school! I supported you over the phone! I talked you through boy troubles! I got you through the whole Kyle situation! I have been there for you every single step of the way through your pathetic life, at the risk of my own! You weren’t the only one hurt, Del! You weren’t the only one whose life changed!”
“My mum died!” I screamed.
“We know!” Jules shouted back. “But that was years ago! Move on, Delilah! You can’t play the sympathy card forever!”
Her cruelty however unintentional it may have been in the heat of the moment, made me freeze. I never thought she’d go that far.
Tears stung my eyes as I took a step back. “Obviously you have never lost someone that close to you. You still have your mum. You still have someone to tell you it’s going to be all right. You still have two parents. You can’t say a word to me about moving on. When you lose someone, when you feel a part of you, the part that was exclusively theirs, die, don’t come running to me. I hope it hurts.”
Jules’ lips thinned. “Whatever, Delilah. Do whatever the hell you want. I’m done.”
Then she stormed away, leaving me alone in the carpark with tears running down my face.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do.
I ran.
I sprinted through the gates of the arena and kept running blindly until I hit Hyde Park.
Then I stopped, completely out of breath, and sank down into the lush grass, sobbing.
How much had changed since that New Year’s Eve show here so long ago?
In essence, so much but yet I was still the same as I was then.
A coward.