It was raining.
I was running while my tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I don’t know where I was but I continued running. Then suddenly, a thunder cracked above me loudly, ringing my ears. I gasped in surprise as I tripped on a rock and I fell on the ground.
Mud splashed to my face but I didn’t wipe it away. I continued crying my eyes out, lying on the ground. I don’t know what to do. I was broke, distraught. I don’t know what happened.
Far away, I could hear someone call my name. Someone who sounds very familiar. But I didn’t give a damn about it. I felt someone grabbing my wrist but I suddenly gave out a cry, stopping that person. “Let go of me!” I shouted.
“Autumn, please, I can explain,” Sandor murmured on my ear. “Please…”
“Let go of me!” I screamed at him and pushed him away. But he was too strong for me. “I hate you! Let go!”
“Autumn, please!”
With all my might, I kicked him between his legs. He gave out a loud groan, letting go of me. I took this as an advantage and continued running away from him.
I don’t know where to go but I continued running. What could I do? Somehow the rain got heavier and more thunder cracked – louder than the first. When I got tired, I stopped running and sunk to the ground, suddenly feeling dizzy. I pressed both of my hands on my ears. I don’t want to hear any more thunder. “No…” I moaned.
I was wet and I was shivering from the cold. No one could save me.
“Autumn! Autumn, wake up! We’re here!” someone called from afar.
My eyes fluttered open. I was inside a car. I turned to the person who was driving the car. Summer was bobbing her head and back forth with the rhythm of the music she was listening to. When she saw I was awake, she grinned. “Good. You’re awake. We’re here.”
“What?” I asked, frowned.
She rolled her eyes. “I said we’re here.”
My gaze went to the window. Outside, there was a big white mansion – yep, a mansion – with a very big gate. I frowned. “Who lives here and why are we even here?”
Summer sighed wearily. “This is our house.”
My jaw dropped. She got to be kidding me. “Are you sure?!”
“How many times should I tell you that we’re rich, Autumn? We could afford this kind of house.”
I didn’t reply and continued gaping at the house as the gate slowly opened. Summer drove inside and when she killed the engines, she turned to me, her eyes dead serious. “Listen, Autumn. I know you are very new with this kind of lifestyle but I want you to try hard, okay? I know it’s not easy but you need to try. Understand?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, hop out.”
I opened the door and swung my legs outside. I clutched the bag that I was holding tightly that my knuckles went white. I don’t know why I was nervous. I lived here, for God’s sake.
I slowly walked to the front door and hesitated if I should knock or not. I mean, this was my house but then again, I don’t know what to do. Making up my mind, I brought my hand up to knock.
The door swung open, my hand in midair. Mandy was standing before me, smiling happily. “Hey! Welcome home.”
I returned her smile. “Thanks… I guess.”
Watching my step, I stepped inside the house. I can’t help gaping. It was too large just for the three of us – Summer, Mandy and I. Summer said Mom and Dad doesn’t live with us because they have a condo in Los Angeles. She also said that we don’t have any household helpers since Mandy could cook excellently.
“You okay?” Mandy inquired, raising an eyebrow as she closed the door.
I forced the corner of my lips upward. “Yeah, sure. I think it’s because of the heels,” I said, gesturing to the high heels that I was wearing. Honestly, I don’t know how to walk with heels but somehow when I put them on earlier this morning when Summer came to pick me up from the hospital, I can walk with them without tripping – which I thought I would.
Mandy smiled sympathetically. “You’ll get used to it.”
“So what are you up to?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Oh, I was taking care of Hannah.”
I furrowed my brows. “Who’s Hannah?”
Mandy blinked at me in surprise. “You don’t know?”
“What?”
Her jaw dropped. A second later, she closed her mouth and grabbed my wrist. “You got to be kidding me.” She dragged me to a place I think was the living room. On the couch, there was a baby with clear green eyes. The baby was wearing a small pink dress and matching pink socks.
I felt my eyes widen as my jaw dropped to the ground. This couldn’t be… “Who’s that?”
“That, Autumn, is your one-year-old daughter.”
Oh. My. God. I have a child?! And no one told me about it?! I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
I heard footsteps behind me and I knew it was Summer. I whipped around as she walked, a carefree smile on her face as if there was nothing wrong with the world, as if I just haven’t learned I have a baby. “Hey, what’s up?” Her eyes landed on Hannah. “Oh, I see that you’ve met Hannah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” I almost screamed at her.
She frowned. “Tell you about what?”
“I have a daughter!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Summer demanded.
I pointed my index finger on the baby that was lying on the couch. “That!”
Suddenly, I heard laughter. I turned around and saw Mandy, literally on the floor, clutching her stomach as she continued laughing hysterically. Her curly black hair spilled to her face messily but she didn’t pushed it away.
“Oh my God!” she choked between laughter.
Realization dawned to me. “Mandy, you bitch!” I screamed.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, mind your language, Autumn,” Summer warned. “What exactly happened?”
“Mandy told me that Hannah was my daughter and I believed her,” I said, glaring at the laughing person on the floor.
Summer snorted. “Hannah’s not your daughter. She’s the child of Veronica and Lance, Mandy’s closest friends in the whole world besides us. They’re working and they usually drop Hannah here so Mandy could baby-sit her.”
“Oh God, how could I be so gullible?!” I cried out, clutching my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
“Your expression… it was priceless!” Mandy continued.
“Just shut up,” I snapped, rolling my eyes. “I’m going to my room.” I made my way to the stairs. On the fourth step, I stopped on my tracks. “Uh… where exactly is my room, Summer?”
“Oh, you could see it easily. It’s has your name on the door.”
“Thanks.” I continued walking to the stairs. Sure enough, I found my room easily.
Bracing myself for the worst, I opened it slowly. When I stepped inside my supposed-to-be room, I can’t help feeling I’m not supposed to be here. That everything about the place seemed fake. The walls were painted bright pink – too bright, in my opinion. I always liked pink but not this bright. There was large flat screen TV in front of the neat pink bed. On the far end of the room, there was a wooden table and chair. A small red lamp was on the table and there were a couple of notebooks and pen lying. There was also a large full-length mirror beside the closet. Curious on what I clothes I usually wear, I made my way to the closet. When I threw the door open, my eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
Inside were thousands of clothes, shoes and accessories that I never thought I could have. All of them were designers. From Gucci to Versace to Forever 21, I have it all.
“Oh my God,” I whispered in awe. How could I have too much clothes?
My phone suddenly rang from inside my pocket. Somehow, my iPhone 5 survived the car crash since it was trapped inside my tight jeans when I had my accident. Anyway, I grabbed it from inside my shorts and answered the call. “Hey?”
“Autumn.”
My eyes widened. Oh my God. It’s her – the person I always wanted to talk to ever since I’ve woken up in the hospital.
“Olive?”
“I heard about your accident,” she said shortly and snippily. “It’s all over the school and Summer told me to talk to you. She said maybe we could restore our… friendship.”
“Can I talk to you?” I asked hopefully, my eyes still wide. “Please? I just wanted to talk to you personally.”
There was some hesitation from her. “Okay,” she decided. “I’ll go to your house.”
“Really? Thanks, Olive.”
She hung up abruptly. I stared at my phone in disbelief. She hung up without saying goodbye?
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. I hopped out of my bed and dashed down the stairs. When I arrived at the living room, Olive was there, wearing a plain white shirt and jeans. She was talking with Summer and when she noticed me, I expected her to smile and hug me. But instead, she regarded me coldly.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Summer said, smiling at me before walking out.
“Hi,” I said awkwardly, smiling shyly at Olive. What do you say to your ex-best friend when you haven’t talked to her politely in two years?
“Look,” she started, still looking at me coldly, “we’re not friends anymore. You’re friends with Claire and Kelly. You got popular. You’re the girlfriend of the Sandor Murphy. You have forgotten about me.”
“That’s not true, Olive—”
“No, it is,” she interrupted. “When I talked to you one day, you snapped at me saying that you don’t talk to nerds like me. I was shocked. Seeing you popular and happy made me cold, Autumn.”
Tears sprung to my eyes. How could I have done that to my best? To the person who was always there for me whenever I needed her? Am I that really a bitch to her? To everybody?
“You just didn’t tease me. You teased some of our friends who were also nerds,” she continued. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Autumn. Don’t you know Diana Atkins killed herself because of the time you and your so-called friends embarrassed her in front of the whole student body?”
Diana Atkins… The name sounded so familiar. A girl with large braces and glasses sprung to my mind. She was one of those smart student who doesn’t have any friends, who loves playing the violin and who sneezes a lot. I remembered Claire and Kelly picking on her every time they see a chance. And now she’s gone… Because of me. “What happened?” I whispered.
“You told the whole student body that she was nothing but a nerd, that she doesn’t any deserves friends, that she was ugly as hell and that she’s a trying hard during Prom,” Olive barked, glaring at me with all her might. “And you don’t know the rest of it. Her mother was sick while her dad continuously abuses her. She can’t take it anymore. She’s being abused both at home and in school. She ended her life because of you. And when the whole town went to her funeral? You were crying as if you were close friends with her, as if you didn’t kill her with your harsh words.”
I couldn’t help it anymore. Tears streamed down my face as Olive explained what happened. How could I be like that? How could I be a bitch like that to someone who didn’t do anything wrong to me? Did I really just do it because of popularity? So that people would like me? What happened to me? I’m not the Autumn Bailey I’ve known anymore.
“But worst of all, you picked on me,” she said, her own eyes filling up with tears. But she didn’t dare spill it in front of me. She doesn’t want to look weak in front of me. “You made my life a living hell, Autumn. I didn’t do anything to you. I keep out of your way. Five months ago, I was going out with this really nice average guy named Matt. Then you told him some things about me so he dumped me at lunch and everybody saw it. I was so pissed – no, mad as hell – at you. Because of you, I don’t want to go to school anymore. I don’t want to suffer another day of hell with you. Are you just doing this for popularity? Does it feels good to pick on people who are lower than you? So what if you got rich? So what if you got popular? You’re going to end up in hell anyway.”
“Please, stop,” I whimpered, hugging myself. I don’t want to hear anymore. “Just stop, Olive, please…”
She continued glaring at me. “You deserve to die – not just any accident to wipe your memories.”
“I know…”
“No,” she snapped. “You don’t know.”
She turned around to leave but before walking out of the house, she looked over her shoulder. “And don’t even think about being friends with me again. Even if you’re going to change, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be friends with you. You killed one of the nicest person in this planet. You made students’ life hell. I’m ashamed to call you my friend.”
With that, Olive walked out.
I sunk to the ground, crying my eyes out.
Oh dear God. What happened to me?