Chapter 12
Venus POV
When Aaron left for Vicky, I felt miserable all over again and lost my appetite. Stashing the sandwich back in the bag, I said to Eric, “Thanks. I’m done.” He looked at me with pity in his eyes and I knew that this was going to happen on a regular basis now. “I have a class to attend.” Tomorrow was my engagement with Aaron, and today he had gone to nurse Vicky’s wounds. I wished Vicky acted more maturely, but then I had to give her some time. Her wounds were fresh, but in order to accommodate her wounds in my life, I was getting wounded.
Eric’s Adam’s apple moved as he gulped. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
I blinked away my tears and got up. “See you soon.”
“Hey,” he said, walking beside me, “How about we go to the Tride Falls tonight?”
Tride Falls was the area where against the backdrop of the falls, young male and female wolves would spend time, have fun and sometimes when there were DJs, we would groove to the music. It was a great place to be, and obviously pretty debauched. You could practically see people making out. I was in no mood to splinter my heart further, so I shook my head. “No, I will sleep early tonight.”
“Shut up!” Eric chuckled. “The engagement ceremony is at 11AM tomorrow. You have plenty of time to get dressed, okay? You are coming with me to the Tride Falls tonight because that’s what you need!”
J
I chuckled at his enthusiasm. As a bride–to–be, I should have been with my groom, but here I was, and my groom was with some other woman.
I entered my biology class, which the teacher had already started. The room was encased in darkness as the projector was on. A film about mitosis in plants was going on. I went to sit in my usual place and took my book out for the chapter, unable to concentrate on what the narrator was saying.
“She is so horrible,” a girl behind me whispered.
“Yeah… she has stolen Vicky’s mate. Vicky is so heartbroken, she isn’t coming to school,” her friend added.
I knew who they were. Anna and Connie. Vicky’s bffs.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I focused on the film in front of me.
“Vicky tried to slash her wrists, you know,” Anna hissed in a whispery voice.
“I wish this bitch dies. How can she be so heartless?” Connie added. “Why can’t she refuse to marry Aaron?”
Anger boiled my insides. I turned to look at them, and snapped, “Wow, Connie, I didn’t realize you cared so much about my love life. Should I invite you to my engagement or will that be too heartless?”
Connie and Anna became absolutely quiet, her eyes widening in surprise. After that, they didn’t utter a word. But I knew that this was just the beginning. Everyone at school is going to see my pathetic situation and blame me for splitting their favorite couple Aaron and Vicky. I passed the whole day in a daze wondering what Aaron must be doing with Vicky. In the evening, when school was over, I didn’t feel like going home. It felt like it was Vicky’s home. The air was too toxic there. So I spent the rest of the time doing homework in my school’s library. Dad had asked me to go to the market to buy a dress for myself, but I didn’t go. I planned on wearing something simple because I wasn’t in the mood to dress up.
There were so many emotions swirling in my mind that I flopped my head on my books, hating the day, hating my existence, hating that I loved Aaron more than my life. Why was I attracted towards him only and no one else? As a matter of fact, attraction towards anyone else was a repulsive thought.
“Venus!” Eric’s voice broke my chain of thoughts.
“Hey!” I replied, brushing my tears. “I was just-“I looked at the mess of books in front of me, swallowing thickly.
He came to me and collected my books to stash them in the bag. “What did I say to you about Tride Falls?”
“I don’t want to go,” I replied with a sigh. “I don’t have the energy to go.” Somehow, mingling socially was the last thing on my mind.
“Shut up,” he admonished me. “You are coming with me” He picked up my bag, adjusted his glasses on his nose, and walked out of the library. dragging me behind him.
We arrived at the Tride Falls soon after. The atmosphere was bustling with activity. People were milling around fire pits, talking and laughing. Some were at the falls on the other end in their bikinis and swimming trunks, pushing each other or jumping in the pool of water. The excitement and enthusiasm were palpable in the air.
I looked at Eric, who was staring at a group of girls and blushing. He was so cute “Go,” I leaned over and whispered.
“What? No!” he blushed harder. “I don’t want to leave you.”
1/2
Chapter 12
“Don’t be an idiot!” I nudged my elbow. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
He bit his lip because he really wanted to go. And now I realized why he came here. He had been crushing on his classmate Julie for a long time. Though he hadn’t spoken about it, I knew it.
“Okay, I’ll be back soon!” he breathed, staring at Julie. She had tied her dark hair in a ponytail. Wearing a pink dress, she looked dainty. “But don’t you drink anything, okay? These wines are too intoxicating.”
“I won’t.” I chuckled and pushed him towards Julie.
Eric rubbed his hair at the back of his head and walked to her sheepishly. As soon as he left, I sauntered to one of the firepits. When people saw me there, they greeted me excitedly. The boys began flirting immediately, and the girls asked me to dance with them. The DJ was playing music to the fullest. I really wanted to forget about Aaron and Vicky, and so this was the best distraction.
“You can have beer,” said a blonde boy, winking at me. “It’s absolutely nothing.”
I looked at the beer can. With a sigh, I grabbed it from him and downed it. When the liquid hit my belly, it burned. Soon, I felt better, lighter. “This is great!” I squealed.
The girls around me laughed. “Ain’t it?”
2/2
