Chapter 7: CHAPTER 7: Let's talk
I woke up late the next morning, around 10:30 am. Since it was still the first week of the semester, my classes weren't too hectic yet. The room was empty, and I assumed Mia and Sarah had already left for their classes. I headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. That's where I found Sarah, busy cooking up something.
"Hey, sleepyhead," she said with a charming smile. "Hey, good morning," I replied, making my way to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.
Sarah was taking the pot off the stove and putting the kettle on to boil some water. "You must be hungry. I was going to wake you up when I finished cooking, but I guess you're up now," she said.
"Care for some coffee?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"Sure," I replied. "Where's Mia?"
"She left for class," Sarah answered.
I put the bottle of water back in the fridge after pouring some into a glass. I took a sip and asked, "So, how was your date yesterday?"
Sarah paused for a moment before answering, "It was fine..." Her tone seemed off, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Why did you look so awkward answering me?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Did Chris not listen to me and went ahead to tell her something?
My heart skipped a beat as she turned to me, her eyes welling up with tears. "Actually, Chris broke up with me," she said, her voice shaking.
I was taken aback. "What?!" I exclaimed, alarmed.
Sarah clarified, "Well, you can't really call it a breakup since we never officially dated. But he made it clear that he didn't want to have anything to do with me."
I could see the tears streaming down her face now, and my heart ached for her. I dropped my glass on the counter and rushed to hug her soothingly.
As we hugged, I could feel her body shaking with sobs. We separated when we heard the water boiling on the stove. Sarah composed herself and started preparing our coffee.
"It's alright," she said, trying to sound strong. "It's clear to me now that Chris never wanted to be with me from the start. I shouldn't waste my time trying to make a guy like that like me. You were right; it's a total waste of time, and he's not worth it."
I took the cup of coffee from her and murmured a "thanks." I couldn't say anything more, so I just rubbed her back as I blew on the hot coffee.
Sarah then said, "I should go freshen up. I have a class in an hour and a half. You should dish out your food and eat."
As she walked out of the kitchen, I sat down, trying to process the information I had just received. I was getting angrier by the minute. That bastard! How dare he break Sarah's heart like that? I wasn't even surprised that he would do something like that, considering his track record. But not this soon...
Was it because he found out that I was Sarah's friend? Or was it because of the text I sent him? That idiot! I had told him not to tell Sarah about our past involvement, but he went ahead and broke her heart .
"Trust that scumbag to do whatever the hell pleases him". I clicked my tongue in irritation.
I entertained the idea of sending him a message to scold him for breaking my girl's heart, but I decided against it. I wasn't going to reach out to him, and I hoped he wouldn't either. In fact, I thought it was better this way – him getting out of our lives forever. Good riddance; he was just bad news.
As I finished my coffee, I washed the cup in the sink. That's when I heard my phone ding. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw a text from Chris: "Let's talk." Oh God!
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After Sarah had her bath, I took my turn, getting ready for the day. I still hadn't responded to Chris's message, and I didn't intend to. After my bath, I dressed in a simple outfit: trouser jeans, a big shirt, and a sweater on top. The cold weather required extra layers, so I made sure to bundle up to avoid catching a cold.
As I left the room, I headed to the kitchen, where I found Sarah already preparing to leave for class. She looked lovely with her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. "Did you cut your hair?" I asked, noticing that it was a bit shorter than before. "Yes, I just decided to trim my edges a little bit," she replied, touching her hair. I thought to myself that it was more than just a trim, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
"Okay, see you later," I waved, and Sarah left for class. After she was gone, I went to the kitchen to heat up my food and eat. Once I finished, I checked the time and saw that it was 11:32. I still had about two hours to kill before my class, so I decided to relax.
Two hours later, I was on my way to class. Since my house was close to school, I walked there. The campus was relatively empty, as many students hadn't resumed yet. As I walked, I heard my name being called out. "Zoey!" I paused, looking around to see who was calling me. That's when I saw Chris, leaning against a car with his friends, who I had met before. They had all disappeared at the same time as Chris, leaving me with no one to contact about his whereabouts.
Chris was smoking a cigarette, and when he saw me, he stopped and started walking towards me. His back had been relaxed against the car, but now he was moving towards me with a sense of purpose. I immediately quickened my pace, trying to avoid him. But Chris was already closing the distance between us, his eyes fixed on mine. I could feel my heart racing as he approached me, and I wondered what he wanted. Hadn't he already broken Sarah's heart? What more did he want from me?