Clash (Our Story)

Chapter 5

My boots splattered as I stepped into a puddle, absent-minded. It must have rained. I could see puddles of water at every corner, reflecting the mellow lights of the breathtaking sunset. I couldn't appreciate the view, though. My head was like a hollow space, echoing Zack's words back and forth on my way home. It felt even worse since I was on my own. Jeremy had extra lectures while Sophie had an assignment to work on. I felt tears well up again, but I held them back. I couldn't accept my fragile side and the fact that Zack brought out that side of me that I had kept dormant.

Once I was in front of the house, I dreaded entering and seeing my parents. I didn't want to add onto my problems, but it's not like I could have slept out on the streets or burdened Sophie anymore by staying over. Sighing, I forced the key into the door's lock as it caught a groove and clicked open. With reluctant steps, I walked in to find my dad on his usual spot on the couch. He was passed out with alcohol bottles covering the entire perimeter. My mom wasn't home, so I arrived at the assumption that she had her drama queen segment, shouting, crying and fighting with dad over non-existing problems again and then left. She once argued with him, saying the most toxic crap, and broke stuff just because he told her not to overspend. I was in high school then, sitting on the cold ground with my hands pressed to my headphones on my ear. Whenever something broke, I felt my heart shatter with it. That was when I vowed to myself to never tie myself down by this mere emotion called 'love'. I didn't want to end up like my dad who drinks his sorrows away. He never fought back and I hated him for it. I didn't want to be weak like him.

I tried sneaking by to my room when the back door clicked open. I couldn't see much as the lights were off, the tv being the only source. A silhouette creeped in as I squinted, struggling to see who it was. My eyes then adjusted to the darkness to find that it was none other than that woman. Her caked face scrunched up the moment she went through the door due to the sight. Her cool grey eyes were barely visible, covered by humongous fake lashes, as she raised her gaze from the messy ground to me. A frown made its way to her face as she looked me up and down.

'What are you wearing?', she asked in a so called monitory tone.

'Clothes.', I said sarcastically, clearly not in the mood for her attitude.

She wasn't amused.

'I told you a million times to wear something more appropriate!', she said, raising her voice.

My heart palpitated in anger. I wasn't just taking it this time.

'Appropriate you say?!', I exclaimed as I huffed in disbelief.

'You talk as if anything you do is appropriate. You're the last person I want to hear anything like that from!', I shouted as I slammed the door on my way out. I felt too suffocated to stay in that house any longer for the day.

Before I knew it, I had a cigarette between my lips and a lighter in my left hand. I clanked my metallic lighter open as a flame lit upwards. It looked... peaceful, dancing with the breeze. After zoning out by the flame, I light the cigarette while holding my phone in my right hand. I selected Sophie's contact and pressed 'call'.

The line rang a couple of times until she answered,

'Hey!'

'Hey. Where are you now?'

'At the cafeteria. Ugh, just got done with this annoying assignment.', she complained as the corners of my lips curled into a faint smile. It was nice hearing her upbeat voice after all I have been through.

'Okay I will meet you there. I need to talk to you.'

'Oh and call Jeremy too.', I continued.

'Is.. everything okay?'

She is such a psychic.

'Yeah, it's nothing. See you in a minute.', I said, ending the call abruptly before she had the chance to question me further.

'Where is he? Let me go give him one good punch.'

'Or two.', Jeremy continued, almost getting up if not for my hand holding him down.

'Oh my god, no!', I screeched.

I had told Sophie and Jeremy the whole story, from the nightclub to what had happened this morning. The sun had drowned below the horizon by then as it had gotten dark. Sophie listened intently whilst Jeremy just kept getting angrier by the minute. Anyone could tell by how his palms turned into tightened fists, his knuckles turning white. I didn't tell them with the intention of neither getting Zack killed in Jeremy's hands nor getting him told off by Sophie. I just wanted to understand. What had I done that was so wrong?

'Okay, look..', Sophie said, intertwining her hands on the table in a serious manner.

'Zack is.. How do I put this?..'

She then paused for a slight moment.

'Ah right!', she suddenly said, snapping her fingers, as if a bulb just lit up above her head.

'Zack's different.', Sophie continued.

'Okay?', I dragged the word out, urging her to elaborate.

'So, he saw you with Liam, his bestfriend.'

'He must have thought you guys were dating , but surprise! That wasn't the case.', she babbled with a satisfied face as if she just gave the most inspiring speech.

Jeremy eyed her weirdly as I looked plain clueless.

'Your point is?', I asked, not getting her idea across.

'Point is, to him you cross all the lines. He thinks he can't get comfortable around you.'

My heart ached upon hearing her words as for the first time in a while, I regretted everything. If we had met under different circumstances, would it have turned out different? I shouldn't have crossed that line and kissed him at the club. Then, I wouldn't be that shallow girl he had made me out to be.

I had no idea he had this much control over me. I was already missing his sudden smiles, which sent my heart into an overdrive, and the sound of his laugh, which I wished I could be the cause of.

'But, Rachel, opposites attract.', Sophie said, reminding that there was still a faint chance that we might speak to each other again. That is if, I played my cards right. I will have to be more cautious than I have been so far. He was slowly but surely getting to me. That shouldn't happen. I can't fall for him.

-----------End of Chapter 5----------

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