His eyes were filled with hurricanes. I turned away quickly. Owen didn't need to see me crying. I rushed out of the bowling alley. Once I reached the sidewalk, someone firmly grabbed my elbow, pulling me back.
"Stella," he said.
"What do you want now Shawn? Isn't cheating on me enough to fuel your evilness?" I said as I turned around. I tried to blink away the tears.
The agony of this situation is causing a tear in my heart. And Shawn chasing after me after all that he's done will completely rip my heart. He cheated on me, yet he's here for redemption. This is torture.
"Let me explain. I'm sorry Stella, I really am."
"You're not sorry. If you were sorry, you would have broken up with me instead of going behind my back. If you didn't love me, you could have just said, that would have hurt less."
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"That's bullshit, and just because you didn't mean to, doesn't mean it hurts any less." I bit my lip for I felt the urge to burst in tears.
"I know. Stella, please let me explain. I want you to understand." He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes. He was searching for a hint of remorse, but my eyes were filled with nothing but anger, sadness and tears.
"Leave me alone Shawn," I said as I tried to wriggle free from his grasp.
"Stella please."
"Let go of-"
"I think she told you to let go of her," a voice emerged from behind. It was Owen.
"Owen," Shawn and I said in unison.
"Stay out of this De Luca. This doesn't involve you," Shawn warned, but he let go of my shoulders anyway.
"Yeah, it does because Stella here is my friend. We invited her to come bowling with us."
Shawn chuckled, "and how did Stella even meet you?"
"Stella do you want to answer or shall I?"
Shawn glared at me, "I met Owen at the Pizzeria, Beach Party and-"
"And when she left your house," Owen continued. I was about to mention the Fire and Ice Ball, but then I remembered he crashed the party.
"That doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't be interfering with a conversation between a couple," Shawn said.
Now it was my turn to laugh. "Last time I checked we broke up because you cheated on me."
I didn't expect this to happen, but Owen punched Shawn in the jaw. Shawn stumbled backwards. He was about to punch back, but Owen grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me into a navy blue van. He slid open the back door.
"Get in," he ordered. I looked back to see Shawn running towards us. I was told never to enter a vehicle with a stranger, but it was either going into the van or staying with Shawn. I entered the van and closed the door behind me.
When the van started moving, I noticed we weren't the only ones in the van. We were with the people I saw Owen with at the bowling alley earlier. A guy with messy brown hair drove the getaway car with Audrey in the passenger seat. Behind us, there was Natalia with a guy that kind of looked like Audrey.
"Welcome to the coolest van in town," Audrey said as she turned around to greet me with a smile.
"Never say that again," the driver said.
"I agree with your sugar daddy Auds," the boy beside Natalia said.
"Can you hit him for me, Talia?" Audrey asked.
"Got it," Natalia responded then she whacked him in the arm.
"That was weak," the boy said.
"Oh sorry, do you want me to try again later with a fucking hammer?" Natalia said.
"Guys," Owen shouted. Everyone stopped talking. "I'm pretty sure Stella is scared and confused so shut up."
"We're not kidnapping you dear. We're here to rescue you from that idiot," Natalia explained.
"Thanks," I said. "Can you guys drop me off there?" I asked pointing to the convenient store.
"We'll drop you off at your house, it's totally fine," Audrey said looking at me through the rearview mirror.
"No really, I want to be alone right now."
Tons of questions were flooding my mind. After everything that happened today, all I wanted to do was go home and sulk all day. Perhaps even all month long. Audrey looked to the side and gave Owen a worried look. Owen didn't even introduce me to the two other guys in the van.
"Fine, stop the car at the convenient store Curtis."
Both Natalia and Audrey glared at Owen. At least now I know that the driver's name is Curtis. I wonder if the others were weirded out by my presence. A stranger hopped into the van with them as if I were a part of their group.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
Curtis parked the van once we got to the convenient store. I got out of the van, making sure I brought everything with me.
"Bye guys, and thanks for the ride."
I was about to close the door, but Owen got out. "See you guys later," he waved, and the rusty van drove away.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm going where ever you're going silly," he said while he followed me.
"And your girlfriend won't mind?"
He dramatically clenched the fabric of his shirt and laughed loudly, earning weird glances from passersby. "Mama mia," he said in a thick Italian accent. "You don't think my sister is my girlfriend again, do you? You're becoming delirious Stella."
I blushed when the memory of our encounter in his house resurfaced. In my defence, they looked like a couple. "Not Natalia, I'm talking about Audrey."
From the time we met, I could tell Owen loves her by the way he looks at Audrey. Or maybe I'm mistaken. But no one looks at someone like they're the entire universe and deny that they have no feelings for them.
He puffed his cheeks, taking a pause before he answered. "Audrey's not my girlfriend. She's dating Curtis."
I bit the inside of my cheeks as I looked at the trees that were surrounding us. I never knew there was a park near this convenient store. "But you love her?" I asked. Sometimes, I didn't think things through enough.
He paused again, "I loved her."
"But how does love go away? How do you unlove someone, when all your heart has done, was scream out their name?" I asked. Shawn didn't love me, he never did, but I love him. It's clear now that I have to move on but I can't. Even though he hurt me, there's still a part of me that loves him.
"It doesn't go away. You suppress it, and pour that love into something else."
"I don't think that's healthy."
"Well, we all have our ways of teaching the heart to unlove someone," he said.
"What if you never do?" I asked. "What if you can't unlove someone and you're with someone else?"
"I think it's okay. There's always a small spot in your heart for the ones you've loved before."
"You're so poetic. It makes me want to cry."
"Well my job here is done, my goal is achieved," he said smiling. "But in all seriousness, I'll beat him up for you if you want."
I laughed, "your offer sounds very tempting, but violence is never the answer."
"But revenge is," he said.
"What are you saying? That I get him back for what he did? As you can see I'm not the scheming type."
"I can change that. You should come by sometime if you ever need anything."
Maybe losing Shawn was for the better because it enabled me to become friends with Owen. Some things happen for a reason, and I can't wait to see what that reason is.
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