AN:
OK, this is a quick update for the weekend :)
I'm sorry if the characters in my story are flawed. They're not perfect, just like human beings. Especially Melanie. She's just being...Melanie. And this is the first time she experiences love, so I'm sorry if she's not as strong as you expect her to be.
Anyways, I love you guys!
Now on with the story...
***
The moment when I broke down in front of Austin yesterday is still fresh in my mind as I'm walking down the hallway of my campus this afternoon. I guess that I just didn't have any other person whom I could think of helping me let out all the emotions building inside me. The person I should be angry at isn't even here for me to yell at.
I just finished all my classes today, but these days, going home seems to be my least favorite option because it makes me feel even more lonely than I already am. But as I don't have any other choices, my legs bring me closer to the gate of the campus.
On the way there, I sneak a look at the football field and into the hallway to the jocks' locker room, which is what I've been doing recently.
Then I stop dead in my track.
My breath catches in my throat, and I feel tears pooling in my eyes as I see the person whom Austin is talking to in front of the football team's locker room.
Vaughn.
I blink. Once. Twice. And then, I stop. I'm afraid that he'll be gone if I do it again. Is this real? Am I not dreaming?
He's leaning against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest as he talks to Austin. He's dressed in a white t-shirt, black jacket and black pants, looking striking as usual. And he looks healthier than the last time I saw him.
A huge wave of relief washes over me from knowing that he's alright. I've been dreaming of this day to come, when I can finally see him again. Some scenarios have been playing in my mind, in which I would let out all of my anger toward him or cry in front of him.
But right now, I can't even move. I'm stuck here, like my feet are nailed onto the ground.
Be careful of what you wished for, Melanie.
Both Vaughn and Austin sense my presence, and my heart thumps hard against my ribs. Vaughn glances at me, and I'm shaking all over. I miss him so much. At this moment, I feel like all the problems can just fade away, and all I want to do is to run into his arms.
But to my surprise, he looks away. He speaks something to Austin and walks off before disappearing around the corner. He just...leaves.
My heart breaks into pieces. The lump in my throat is unbearable. It hurts so much. I still freeze on the spot, not believing what I just saw.
Vaughn did pretend like I didn't exist. He saw me earlier, knowing that I'd been worrying about him -- he must have seen all of my unanswered calls and texts too -- but he just chose to ignore me.
I should have realized this, even before I met him just now. But still, it feels like a hard slap across my face. Slowly, I walk closer to Austin, who's now leaning back against the wall with a guilty look on his face, trapped in this complicated thing between Vaughn and me.
"Austin..." I whisper, and he looks at me with such sadness in his eyes that I'm afraid of what's about to happen next.
"He's back," he says. "He's going to his apartment now, in case you're wondering."
I swallow the information he just gave me, and I can't do anything else but nod. I don't even know what I'm going to do. When I'm about to turn on my heels, Austin's voice makes me stop.
"Melanie," he says, making me look back at him. The expression on his face shows how much he sympathises me. "I'm sorry. But I think you should be prepared for what's coming. For the truth."
My hand clutches the steering wheel while the other one wipes a tear from my eye. I'm in my car, parked in front of Vaughn's apartment building.
I called him just now to inform him that I was here, but of course, he didn't pick up the call that it went into a voicemail.
I'm a stupid girl. Why am I doing this? What for?
This is the last time, I promise myself. I just want to see him and listen to what he has to say to me.
After getting out of my car, I enter the lobby and, as I've done it before, ask the bell boy to send me up to his floor. My heart is beating rapidly against my chest, and I'm trying to breathe like a normal person.
It's crazy how you can be so close to someone, but then the next thing you know is that you become a stranger in his eyes.
A nervous sigh escapes my lips as I arrive on his floor. After stepping out from the elevator, I turn around the corner to go to his room, but then what I see before my eyes makes me halt in an instant.
Quickly, I hide around the corner and peek behind the wall. And there, I see her.
Camila.
She looks as beautiful as she is in the picture. Her glossy brunette hair is long and wavy, Victoria's Secret styled. She's tall, like a model. The way she walks as she heads to Vaughn's room accentuates elegance and grace. She basically looks nothing less like Adriana Lima from my point of view here.
But then, as she turns to face the door to Vaughn's apartment, it's not only her beautiful side-view face that I see, but her belly.
Her pregnant belly.
It can't be more obvious, because it even looks like she's in the third trimester of her pregnancy.
My hand covers my mouth as my eyes widen in shock. It can't be... She can't be...
She's pregnant. With Vaughn's child.
The door to Vaughn's apartment opens, and Vaughn comes into sight, standing before her. Then, she leans closer to him, touching his shoulder.
I tear my gaze away from them because I can't take it anymore. The truth hits me to the core.
He soon will be the father of that child. The one she's carrying now.
Everything around me seems like a blur, and I don't know whether it's because of the tears blurring my vision or because of the feeling that my world is slowly crumbling. But I still remember getting back into the elevator, arriving downstairs and running to my car.
And now, my hands are shaking as I grip the steering wheel, pulling out from the parking lot. Despite doubting myself that I'll make it out alive, I'm still trying to pay attention to the road. I need to be away from that place. Far away from them.
They have a baby. A baby.
The reality is crystal clear now. There's no place for me in the picture. I'm just another rock on their road. A hindrance. A test for them.
For God's sake. A baby.
Once I reach my house, I storm into my room and throw myself on the bed, crying my eyes out. Vaughn never belongs to me in the first place. He belongs to someone else. He belongs to Camila. I'm falling in love with someone whom I'll never be allowed to love.
How can I be so stupid?
My own sobs echo in my ear when I hear someone walking into the hallway. And before I can turn around to see who it is, a loud voice startles me.
"Surprise!"
My heart stops. Slowly, I turn around on my bed. And there, standing in my doorway, is my brother.
Jake stands there with his arms wide open and a big smile on his face, hoping that his sister would be as excited as he is from knowing that he just got here all the way from Texas.
But then, as soon as he notices the state that I'm in, his expression drastically changes.
His smile is now instantly gone, and his face darkens.