"Please join hands," the minister said with a warm, genuine smile.
God, not this damn dream again!
This time it wasn't from a third point of view. I returned the minister's smile and joined hands with Leon... except his hands were bigger with a firmer grip. I wanted so badly to see who the hand belonged to, but my dream transpired like it always did and I was forced to look straight ahead.
"Leon Richards, do you take this woman, Rebecca Stellon, to be your lawfully wedded wife; and do you promise to love, honour, respect her, and comfort her, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her for so long as you both shall live?"
"I do." The voice was also different. I had no way of controlling this dream or altering the outcome. It had to play out like it always did, and I had to smile and say the dreaded words I usually said whenever I dreamt this fuckery.
"Rebecca Stellon, do you take this man, Leon Richards, to be your lawfully wedded husband; and do you promise to love, honour, respect him, and comfort him, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him for so long as you both shall live?"
I urged myself to say no, but dream-me grinned in delight. "I do."
"I now with divine blessings and the power vested in me, joyfully pronounce you Husband and Wife... you may kiss the Bride."
Dream-me finally turned, expecting to see Leon's face, but my eyes rested on someone totally different; someone far worse than Leon. My mouth opened in a quiet gasp and Kayden grinned back, his famous dimple making an appearance.
Shock paralysed me. Kayden licked his thick bottom lip with the swipe of his tongue. Then he leaned closer and closer...
I shot up in bed. How did he end up in my dream? As if he wasn't torturing me enough in reality! As an afterthought, I looked to my left to check if the devil himself was beside me, but the space in the bed was empty. I sighed, lamenting such an awful dream and the confusion that came along with it. There and then I decided that sleeping over at Kayden's house—in his bed, no less—was a huge mistake. I stretched with a yawn and jumped at a body standing at the end of the bed.
He looked young, standing at around 5 ft 3, with hair as long as Kayden's (except a light copper shade as opposed to Kayden's darker russet colour) and piercing dark brown eyes. He was a younger version of Kayden, and it terrified me.
His head cocked to one side. "Are you Rebecca?"
I paused. "Yes?"
His lips lifted into an impish smile. He had the same slanted smirk as Kayden. The boy approached Kayden's side drawers, opened the top one and pulled out a wide-tooth comb. "I just came to get this." He pulled out his hairband and his light brown hair puffed out around his face like a lion's mane. He casually combed his hair as he analysed me.
"How long were you watching me?" I asked, pulling the covers up to my chest.
"Like 20 seconds. You were talking in your sleep."
Because your damn brother is haunting my dreams.
"I know about you," the boy said, still with a smile on his face. His adolescent voice threw me off; it was on the verge of breaking.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Kayden always talks about you, saying how you're nice and stuff."
The corners of my mouth quivered as I attempted to hold back a smile. Needless to say, I failed miserably.
"Take a seat," I offered, patting a spot on the bed. The boy didn't hesitate to sit by my feet. "Does he say anything else about me?"
He ran the comb through his coarse hair then crossed his arms as he thought. I took the time to analyse him. Aside from his thick, bushy hair and brown eyes, he was practically identical to Kayden. His yellow string vest and black tracksuit bottoms were adorable on him.
Finally, he spoke, "He said something like she's the one," he grunted, imitating Kayden's voice. I didn't have time to laugh at such a spot-on impression because I was too busy wondering why the hell he would think such a thing.
I stared blankly ahead, my heart thrumming. He couldn't be more wrong. I wasn't the one for him, and I never would be. We were friends—using the term very loosely—and I was no good for him. In fact, I could ruin him. Badly. I'd approached this situation completely wrong by allowing him to get so comfortable.
The last thing I wanted to do was reject him and upset him, but I may have to if this continued. I'd told him plenty of times what the deal was, but he never seemed to get the message, or maybe he thought it was all a game? Who knows?
"Are you his girlfriend?"
The question was like a sharp knife slicing through the palpable silence.
"No. Far from."
"But you're in his bed."
"We're just friends."
"Do you kiss?"
"We..." My mouth snapped shut. The fact that I couldn't say no just proved how messed up this situation was.
The door opened and Kayden stepped in with a towel wrapped firmly around his waist. His eyes were warm when they set on me but then hardened when he noticed the boy on his bed.
"Get out."
"But I'm talking to Rebecca."
"You're done talking. Who said you could come in here?" Before the boy could answer, Kayden looked at me again. "Did he wake you?"
"No, but–"
"She was saying your name in her sleep."
My eyes bugged and Kayden faltered. It only took two seconds for him to recover and he pushed his little brother's head. "Move. Now."
The boy sighed dramatically before turning to me. "Bye."
"Bye..."
He hopped off the bed and stuck his tongue out at Kayden as he left the room. Once the door closed, Kayden padded over to his drawers. "Did he bother you?" he asked, his back to me.
"Not really, no."
I watched his lean body as he pulled out a pair of boxers and a plain black tee. He walked over to his wardrobe and I caught a glimpse of the v-line that was barely covered by the towel hanging off his hips. I've never seen such an alluring sight before. Even when I used to watch Leon get changed, I wasn't stuck in a trance like this.
I tilted my head, studying Kayden's broad back. His skin glistened with droplets of water, and when he turned away from his wardrobe with a pair of jeans, I marvelled at his wet chest. I watched in awe as his body moved around the room, wishing the towel would just drop.
Kayden caught me staring and smirked. Thoughts of me palming his chest and running my hand down his stomach to the spot beneath the towel embarrassed me. I looked away as he dried himself with a separate towel.
"Your brother looks just like you," I mentioned, hoping to distract him from the fact that he'd caught me staring. "He's cute."
"Cute?" Kayden kissed his teeth, sitting by his desk with his tub of Cocoa butter. "He's a devil."
"Funny, that's what I call you."
"In your dreams?" His brow rose, his smile teasing.
I shook my head. "I wasn't saying your name."
"It's fine if you were."
"But I wasn't."
"What kind of dream was it?"
I shook my head. "Let it go."
His smile never wavered as he analysed me. "Alright."
"What's your brother's name?" I asked, desperate to change the subject. Kayden was moisturising every inch of his body but the spot under his towel. I was patiently waiting for the grand finale when he ripped it off.
"Zaine."
"Nice name."
"Not better than mine."
"Debatable."
"You were the one saying it in your sleep."
"Oh my God, shut up."
His tongue flicked over his top row of teeth in a mocking smile. Then Kayden stood up. "You might want to look away."
"Huh?"
"Unless you want to see my dick."
I made a face and turned aside. I heard the fabric of the towel shift and snuck a glance to see he had his back to me again, creaming his skin. Seeing his firm ass was just as nice.
"Are you watching me?"
I averted my gaze. "No."
"I can feel your eyes."
"It's all in your head."
"Like I was in yours last night?"
"Can you stop?"
I heard the waistband of Kayden's boxers snap into place and looked to see that he was still half naked with his private parts finally covered by Calvin Kleins. "So it's true?"
"I didn't say that." I winced at the slight headache and sore throat from being manhandled by Paul in the club last night. Luckily, Kayden didn't notice.
He approached the bed and sat on the mattress, right beside me. The fresh smell of soap mixed with his natural scent clouded my nose and I inhaled. My eyes snapped down to the lines by his pelvis. They were taunting me; I wanted to run my finger along it.
Kayden's hand came up to stroke my cheek. I stiffened at the gentle touch, but my body was slowly attuning to his against my will, and I quickly melted into his palm. I noticed the bandage he'd used last night to stop his bleeding knuckles was no longer there.
"How do you feel?" he asked, his gaze so intense it made my breath hitch.
"Fine. Better."
"That's good." Then his jaw tightened. "That yout from yesterday, Paul?"
Slowly, hesitantly, I nodded.
"He won't bother you again."
Such an ominous statement stilled me. "What do you mean?"
Kayden leaned in and pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth. My heart thumped at such a brazen move, but his cushioned mouth soothed me. All too quickly, he pulled away, his lidded eyes solely on me.
"Don't worry," he said. Then he rested his face by the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply and sighing. "You always smell so good," he whispered. My eyes fluttered closed. I sighed as he kissed my neck and grazed his teeth along my skin gently. Then he pulled back with a gentle smile. "I've left you some stuff in the bathroom to freshen up. Help yourself."
I nodded and slipped out of bed, ready to start the day.
***
I was home a few hours later completing the first draft of my sociology coursework. Kayden and I had relaxed in his room for a while. I didn't get to meet his parents since they were out. Now that we've shared our first kiss, he was even more comfortable pecking me on the lips when I least expected it, and I was always too in a trance to tell him to stop. I had to get out of there before I ended up doing something I deeply regretted.
It was early evening and my eyes were tired of constantly staring at the screen. I opened and closed my mouth to flex my aching jaw and cheek. That ordeal in the club with Paul kept flashing in my mind. In hindsight, I could've spared his girlfriend, then she wouldn't have felt the need to call for backup, and then Kayden wouldn't have beat him half to death.
Speaking of Kayden and death, why did he say that Paul would never bother me again? No matter how many times I questioned him about it, he never gave me a straight answer. I just hoped he didn't do something horrible to him.
I stood and approached my body-length mirror to get a better look at my face. My cheek was slightly swollen, but it wasn't bruised. I prodded the skin with my index finger and winced at the ache. Luckily, it wasn't noticeable unless you looked hard enough.
My door opened and Andre strolled in, laptop in hand as he approached me with a smile on his face.
"What did I tell you about knocking?"
He turned his laptop to show me the screen. "Look."
The bright screen caused me to squint, but as soon as my eyes adjusted, I saw a rowdy crowd of black teens dancing to music in a club.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Found it on my boy's Facebook page. It was some event last night." The smile on Andre's face was unnerving. "Keep watching."
I did as he said, my eyes darting around at the amount of energy in one video. For such a wild-looking event, the person holding the camera was incredibly still. Then I saw it. A couple amidst the animated bodies dancing close to the point of dry sex.
A sense of dread washed over me. I realised why this video seemed so familiar. The couple dancing was me and Kayden.
I grabbed the laptop and watched closely. Despite the urge to throw up, I wanted to see how bad it really was. And it was bad. We were grinding and he had his hands on my waist. The look on my face was way too erotic for a mere dance. Then he gripped my hair and dipped my back.
Now I knew why Andre was grinning.
"Who recorded this?"
He shrugged. "Maybe the event crew. They tagged bare people."
I exited the video to see who was tagged. Thankfully, I wasn't one of them, but I recognised a few names in the list and settled on one. Hayden.
Sitting on my bed, I signed out of Andre's profile and logged into mine instead. "Borrowing this," I muttered. Andre rolled his eyes and walked out. I had to investigate; there was no way I could let this slide without at least knowing what the hell was going on.
I went to his profile and clicked on his tagged pictures. I saw photos of him at the same rave. Every single snap was of him dancing with a different girl.
I skimmed through his other photo albums. None of them showed Shanay or them two together, as if he were keeping their relationship a secret. Or it was like... there was no relationship at all.
It was sad, really. I tried to warn Shanay that Hayden was taking her for a ride and she threw my good intentions back in my face. But I'd done my duty as a friend, so all I could do was wait for her to make a fool of herself and carry on minding my business.
***
It was a Tuesday evening and the store was uncomfortably warm. I yawned loudly. Having sixth form in the morning and then travelling straight to work was something I still needed to get used to.
Luckily, Stacey was in, so work wasn't completely terrible. She seemed to come and go whenever she pleased, but as long as she didn't lose her job, I wouldn't question it. Stacey had finished marking down some sale items and we idled by the till waiting for the next customer to pay for their overpriced items.
"How was the rave on Saturday?" she asked
"It was okay until I got into a fight."
She gawked. "What happened?"
I told her everything, from the altercation with the girl I bumped into, to Paul confronting me and then Kayden beating him up. She listened intently, her jaw slack.
"So Kayden saved you?" She held a hand to her chest. "He's like your knight in shining armour."
I gave her a blank face. "Anyway, after that we went home."
She smirked. "You went home together? So you stayed at his house?"
"You know what? Nevermind."
Stacey cocked her head. "Wait. When you told me about the friend you were getting attached to... you were talking about Kayden?"
My chest tightened. I was hoping Stacey wouldn't put two and two together so quickly.
"So I'm right..." she hummed to herself. "I should've known. You two are always flirting."
"He flirts with me. I hate him."
She chuckled. "Okay, Rebecca."
"No, seriously."
"Have you kissed?"
The question threw me off. Why do people keep asking me this? "No."
"Liar."
Wow.
Just then a middle-aged black man approached the till with a pair of Nike Air Max trainers. While Stacey served him, I pondered on how obvious mine and Kayden's interactions were. People were noticing our connection, but why did it frighten me? I wasn't with Leon anymore but...
"For the record," Stacey began, throwing a polite smile to the man before he walked off, "you do flirt with Kayden. You just don't realise it."
"I'm actually offended," I muttered.
Stacey laughed. "Last week, Nathan was looking for you two to start the delivery so I checked the stock room. You were both in there standing really close to each other. He had his arms around you and you were smiling." She smirked as she recalled it. "Could cut the sexual tension with a knife."
I didn't want my face to give away the fact that Stacey was right. We were hiding in the stock room that day, and Kayden was showing me something funny on his phone. I was in the middle of laughing when he grabbed me and told me how beautiful my smile was.
What Stacey failed to see, however, was me gripping his hair and telling him to let me go. I wouldn't exactly call that flirting.
"There was another time," she went on, "when you shared your lunch with him because he forgot his food at home."
I scoffed. "What's wrong with that?"
"You were feeding him."
My eyes widened. That, I don't remember.
"You were resting your leg on his, it looked very intimate. Me and Mohammed were so confused. I wanted to ask you that day if he was your boyfriend, but I heard you cussing him like five minutes later."
I exhaled slowly, not having any defence for Stacey's onslaught of ammo. "Okay, so are you saying I like him?"
She shrugged, her impish grin implying exactly that. "I didn't say that, did I? But now that you're single, there's no issue."
I groaned; this back and forth with Stacey was making me feel drained.
Stacey eventually left the till to grab some stock. While I wondered if I could take her in a one-on-one fight, I heard a voice utter my name. I turned and saw Hayden. Hayden. What was wrong with this boy? Not only was he stalking me, but he had his arm around a girl that wasn't Shanay. I took her in, realising that she was one of the many girls in his Facebook pictures. She was undeniably stunning, with dark skin, striking brown eyes and the prettiest smile. But she wasn't Shanay.
Hayden realised where my eyes were and he subtly dropped his hand. As if that would make the situation better. He had the audacity to even step foot in here.
Ignoring his presence, I turned to the girl and accepted the Nike tracksuit before scanning them through the till. "Did you need anything else?"
"No thanks."
Hayden fished out his wallet when he saw the total. OKAY. So not only was he overtly cheating on my (ex) best friend, but he was splashing the cash on his mistresses. How interesting.
He inserted his card and paid for the clothes. The receipt printed out and I looked at her. "Would you like your receipt in the bag?"
"Yes please."
I placed the receipt in the bag and smiled at her. "You're very lucky to have someone who treats you well."
She flashed a shy smile. "Thanks."
Hayden glared at me as I handed her the bag. "Don't."
I smiled placidly at him before turning back to her. "So do you only have him on weekdays?"
The girl raised a brow. "What?"
"Oh!" I gasped in mock embarrassment. "Was it only Tuesdays, then? My bad, I always get mixed up on which girl he has on which day." I turned to Hayden. "What day is Shanay then? Saturdays?"
The girl slowly looked at him, her face struck with horror and embarrassment. Whatever words she wanted to scream at him were plastered on her face. She looked back at me before throwing the bag down and storming out.
Hayden watched me quietly for a few seconds.
I smiled back. "Aren't you going after her? Or is her shift over?"
"Fuck you," he spat before picking up the bag and turning to leave. I laughed as I saw him run down the road after her. I would have called Shanay to warn her about what I'd seen, but she seemed comfortable believing that he was faithful and I was jealous.
Stacey soon returned holding a box of junior tracksuit bottoms. "Has Kayden not come yet?" I shook my head and she frowned. "I just checked the rota. He had the afternoon shift with me and he's still not here."
That wasn't a good sign. Kayden never called in sick and he was always prompt. He was the most punctual person I knew. For him to be absent without an explanation was abnormal. I wasn't scared to admit that I was worried.
I paced out of work the minute my shift ended. My brain clouded with thoughts of Kayden's absence. So much so, that during my lunch break, I went through the employee files to uncover Kayden's address. If it wasn't for Stacey, I wouldn't have known that it wasn't his day off. I hoped that I was over-exaggerating and he was just sick and forgot to call, but the niggling in the back of my mind told me it was something deeper than that.
I hopped on the bus to Herne Hill and felt queasy with suspense. Ever since Kayden told me that Paul wouldn't bother me again, I felt uneasy, like there was an underlying story there about something Kayden had done. I hoped that his absence was unrelated.
We hadn't really spoken since I was at his house, so I didn't know if he had plans for today. Being completely unaware made me feel like I had no control, as drastic as that sounded.
Once I reached his house, I rang the doorbell and waited patiently. I expected to be greeted by Kayden's lopsided smirk, but a pretty fair-skinned woman opened the door. Straight away I knew she was Kayden's mum. The resemblance was uncanny, from the eyes to the facial structure, even down to the colour of her hair, which cascaded her back in loose curls. She was stunning.
"Hi," I said awkwardly, not expecting to meet Kayden's mum under these circumstances. "Is Kayden in?"
"He went somewhere with a friend roughly an hour ago. He'll be back soon if you don't mind waiting."
I nodded with a smile. "Thank you."
She stepped aside, and I entered the house. Then she closed the door and turned to me. "Would you like anything?"
I held up my hands. "Oh, no thank you."
"The living room is through there. You can relax until he comes back."
I offered a thankful smile and removed my trainers before entering the living room. It amazed me how it was more of a shrine than a lounge.
I didn't have time to analyse the house when I stayed with Kayden after the rave, but I was glad to see it now. Bright, modern hues decorated the space. I sat on the plush brown leather sofa and my feet sunk comfortably into the fluffy rug. There were family pictures everywhere; portraits, school pictures, gatherings—you name 'em, they were there and framed.
I noticed the 50-inch flat-screen TV that hung on the opposite wall and took in the elegant coffee table that stood in the middle of the room with ethnic ornaments. Talk about living the sweet life. Kayden was definitely lucky.
I inspected the pictures. The ones of Kayden and Zaine when they were younger melted my heart. Kayden looked like a little sweet boy, grinning with two missing teeth and a wild afro. In one picture, he held a tiny Zaine and cuddled him close.
"Aww," I muttered, feeling my chest swell. I wasn't usually one to coo, but it was adorable.
Another picture caught my eye on the opposite wall. Kayden on his mother's lap, looking around four or five. He wore dungarees and his hair was tied back in a big bush. He grinned at the camera while gripping a Spiderman toy. I made a mental note to tease him about all of this later.
My eyes then rested on the large family portrait which mounted the feature wall. Kayden—probably around 14—stood on the left-hand side holding the chair in the centre of the picture showing off his slanted smile. Standing beside him was his dad who he was the spitting image of. He was only slightly darker than Kayden with a perfect trim and a goatee. His smile was identical as he stood directly behind the chair with his hands on either side of it. On the right-hand side of the chair stood a little Zaine, who looked about eight years old. His features were exactly the same, and he had a cheeky grin on his face as he held onto the wooden chair. Kayden's mum sat on the chair as the focal point of the image. There was no hint of age on her face as she smiled at the camera, surrounded by the most important boys in her life. It was a lovely concept, to have the queen of the family in the middle, protected by her husband and two sons. It was a truly beautiful picture and an equally beautiful family; I couldn't help but admire it.
"People always stare at that one." I looked towards the door to see Kayden's mum walk in with a cup of tea in her hands. She took a seat on the other sofa and gave me a warm smile. "You're Rebecca, aren't you?" she asked.
"Yes," I answered politely with a nod.
"I thought so. I always hear Kayden talk about you."
"You're not the first person to say that," I said with a light chuckle.
She smiled. "Are you two together?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm just a friend."
"Oh right, I remember him saying now." She took a sip of her tea. "It's a shame. You seem really lovely."
I laughed. "Thanks."
Another sip. "How's Kayden getting on at work?"
"He's our manager's favourite. I think because most of his clothes are from Footlocker, he's passionate about his job. He over-performs most times."
She released a sweet chuckle. "That's good to hear."
Kayden's mum was lovely, I actually enjoyed talking to her, but I also had to ask, "Do you know where he's gone?"
She shook her head. "He just said he had to go somewhere with a friend."
"Oh, okay." The last thing I wanted to do was give her the impression that he had skipped work. Part of me was relieved that he was at least active and not bedridden, but it still seemed suspicious.
"It seemed quite urgent," she went on. "He barely told me where he was going before he got out the door. I'll have to pull him up on that later." She kissed her teeth and drank some more. That made me laugh.
The front door slammed and heavy footsteps raced up the stairs. Kayden's mum and I shared a glance before she called out: "Kayden!"
"Yeah?" he called back.
"Someone's here for you." The footsteps halted, and she gestured for me to see him. I smiled warmly at her before rising from the sofa and leaving the living room. I peered up the steps to see Kayden on the landing. His eyes widened a fraction.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
His stern tone took me back. "Can I come up?"
He pondered on it, as if I wasn't in his room a couple of days ago. Then he nodded before hurrying to his room. I raised a brow at his odd behaviour.
Strange...
I went up to his room. Kayden had just finished slipping something into the third drawer. He snapped it shut and turned to me.
"What's up?" he asked, his face rigid.
I regarded him for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong. "You weren't at work. I came to check if you were okay."
He smiled weakly. "I'm good. Just had errands to run."
"But you never miss work."
"It couldn't wait."
For someone so confident and self-assured, Kayden seemed stiff and antsy.
"Are you sure everything's okay?" I asked.
He nodded, turning away to remove his puffer jacket and hang it on the hook by his door. I noticed a few specks of blood on the sleeve of his hoody. Kayden was like an enormous ball of energy, he wouldn't keep still. He was moving around putting things away when his room wasn't even messy.
"Kayden..."
He slammed his wardrobe door shut and glanced at me. "What?"
There was that clipped tone again. I approached him and studied his face. He was restless, his nostrils flaring with impatience. For the first time, I could tell that he didn't want me around him. He was hiding something and I was getting in his way. I even noticed a slight gash on his eyebrow but chose not to comment on it.
"I was worried about you," I admitted.
His face softened for a few seconds. Then he stepped away from me, dragging off his hoody and throwing it in the wash basket. He kicked off his trainers and sighed heavily. "You're worrying for nothing," he muttered with his back to me.
That annoyed me. "What's wrong with you?"
He faced me with an air of indifference, all emotion gone. "Nothing."
"You had blood on your hoody. Doesn't seem like nothing."
"It's minor. Don't get involved," he said sharply before leaving the room.
His harsh words stung. Kayden has never been curt with me or disregarded me before. Whatever the issue was, it affected him in the worst way. I noticed the third drawer was left slightly open and stalked over to it. There was a little black bag tied in a knot. I untied it and the smell hit my nose. Then I looked closer to see ounces of weed inside. I pulled back in shock. I'm pretty sure Kayden wasn't a smoker, or if he was, he didn't let on...
Still, why did he have so much?
"What are you doing?" I spun around at the accusatory tone. Kayden stepped into the room looking incredibly pissed off. "I asked you a question."
"I was just–"
"Going through my stuff?" he growled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
That threw me off. Did he just swear at me? I glared back. "Calm down."
"Nah, fuck that." He was next to me in less than three strides, slamming the third drawer shut. "You can't go through my shit like that."
I stepped back, almost to escape his aggressive energy. "I'm just looking out for you. What's all that doing in there?" I demanded, pointing at the closed drawer.
"Stay out of my business, Rebecca," he warned coldly. "It hasn't got shit to do with you."
I watched him in shock, my throat heavy with things I wanted to say, but my tongue unable to produce the words. This guy in front of me wasn't the Kayden I knew. What terrified me was the thought that... maybe it was? Had I been blinded by his charm all along?
Three. That's three times he'd sworn at me so far.
I glared at him. "You know what? Fuck you, Kayden."
He kissed his teeth and disregarded me. "Fuck off then."
I barged past him and headed back downstairs. Once I reached the bottom, his mum was heading to the kitchen.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." I forced a smile before sliding my trainers back on. "It was just a quick visit. I'm leaving now."
She gave a warm smile, and I could tell it was genuine. "It was so nice meeting you."
"You too. Thank's for everything." I opened the front door and gave a little wave.
"See you soon, Rebecca," she called after me as I left the house.
"Not likely," I mumbled to myself. I paced down the road to the bus stop and took deep breaths to quell the angry thoughts swarming my brain. It was no use, though. I couldn't believe Kayden's audacity to speak to me and treat me the way he did. After all these weeks of growing closer to him, he fucks everything up. Why did I even bother in the first place?
I reached the bus stop, clenching and unclenching my fists as I recalled his behaviour. Fuck him. I began to put my trust in him, started to view him differently to the others. I thought he was a rare breed. Today proved how wrong I was.
Once again, I'd attracted someone who was just like the rest.
The bus came and I hopped on, my body numb but my mind running rampant. Kayden and I? We were finished. This was the last time I would allow someone in.
As I headed home I quickly realised: I've lost two close friends of mine.