Accidentally Yours

Loud music resonated around the room, rendering me unable to think properly. Around me, strangers were happily partying as they danced along with the beats. A cold drink was in my hand, and my vision slowly blurred as I gulped the weird juice down into my throat.

Tears flowed out of my eyes. All I could feel was pain. I wanted to be angry, but I couldn’t bring myself to hate anyone else other than myself. The familiar figure in front of me leaned closer and wiped my tears with a perfumed handkerchief, telling me that everything would be all right.



My eyes fluttered open. I was back in my own room. It was all just a dream. Outside, the rain darkened the sky.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand as soon as I noticed them. Funny how dreams could remind you of so much pain the same way reality does.

I slipped on a pair of bedroom slippers and went outside to check if Raven and Kat were still around.

“Kat?” I called. “Raven?”

The door slightly creaked as I opened it, and I saw Raven, washing the dishes like a mother. He turned to me with a bright smile, yet it was quite obvious that he was tired.

“Does your stomach still hurt?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Where’s Kat?”

“She went off to grab some clothes. She’s sleeping over to make sure you get well as soon as possible. Exams are coming up, and we don’t want you missing any tests.”

I scanned the entire room. It wasn’t this sparkly clean here before.

“You cleaned up?” I raised a brow. “That’s weird.”

“You don’t?” he teased. “And to think, you're the girl here."

I laughed. “Cleaning’s just not my thing. Anyway, thank you—wait, you can cook?” I added disbelievingly shortly after noticing the covered bowl on the table. “Or did you just buy that from somewhere? Last time I checked, Kat didn’t do cooking…so…”

He gave me a spoon and asked me to sit. I did so, and he sat on the seat right in front of mine, a wide grin plastered on his face. “I’ll let you be the judge of that, then.”

He watched me like a kid patiently waiting for a compliment on a stick-art-drawing. I held my laugh and took a sip.

“Too bland,” I lied. Then, took another sip. And another. And another and more. As much as I hated to admit it, he was a great cook.

He laughed. “You like it?”

“No,” I lied again, laughing along with him.

He rested his chin on both palms and watched me quietly as I ate. My heart raced. Why was he watching? “W-What?” I asked, averting my eyes.

“Nothing.”

I looked back at him, eyebrow raised. “You’re weird.”

“And you’re a klutz.” He pointed at something just below my lips. “What are you, five years old?”

It was as if my mind slowed down. I could have reacted the very moment he took out his handkerchief and leaned closer. I could have moved away. But I was stuck to where I sat. I just stared and watched him as his face closer moved to mine.

Gently, he wiped my mouth, his eyes not looking away from it. Until his hand stopped moving, and his eyes were now looking straight at me.

I gulped. My heart was starting a riot. My thoughts went out of control.

What was happening to me?

A door suddenly slammed shut. “Geez. The rain’s pouring terribly hard,” Kat suddenly said. “Whoah. What did I miss?”

I turned to her impulsively, pushing Raven hard along with the process. My face felt warm, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the fever or from the extremely awkward moment Kat caught me in.

“N-N-N-Nothing!” I yelled. “Nothing! You missed nothing! Right, Raven”

I made a terrible mistake by doing that. “Even though you said that she missed nothing, that doesn’t mean nothing really happened. It could be that we’re just hiding something from her,” he smiled teasingly, seductively.

My cheeks burned even more, and so I slapped him. “Raven, you little jerk!”



The next day, I felt better. Even the weather was nice. Everything seemed to be in place as I walked down the street for school alone, since Kat had to leave earlier for her club meeting.

Then I saw my best friend, waiting for the same bus I was about to ride on. Her beautiful long hair was not as long as before anymore, instead it was cut short just past her ears. She smiled the very second she recognized me.

“Aly."

“I decided to get a new haircut. I got tired of my old one. Does it look okay?”

“It is…but…you liked growing your hair,” I replied. “I mean, you’ve never cut it ever since we were in…”

“Yeah,” she said, looking distant. “When a girl cuts her hair, it means that she wants to start again with her life, to make the wrongs right again. Don’t you agree?”

Aly took my hand as soon as the bus arrived. We sat next to each other, as if it were a normal routine for the both of us. It used to be, until she started dating Rob and acted as if I was invisible.

“How are you?” I managed to ask after a while.

“Been fine. You do know that we’ve broken up since the festival, right?" She waited for me to nod, so when I did, she continued. "It’s no big deal, really. Anyway, we were just playing with each other. I knew this would happen, eventually.”

My eyes widened. “Playing?”

“We both wanted to get something that we just couldn’t have the easy way,” she explained. “Let’s just say I wanted Rob the same way he wanted you.”

“That’s not—”

“Please, Hayley. Stop pretending like you don’t know how much he cares for you.”

“He’s never spoken to me ever since you guys got together.”

“Oh, that?” she chuckled lightly. “That’s because I told him that he should wait for the right time. Apparently, he enjoyed the company I gave him as he did so, that's why we were together for two years.”

The person in front of me…wasn’t the beautiful Aly I used to know anymore.

Every word that came out of her mouth sounded bitter and dark. Her smile didn’t emanate the same glow it used to have. Her expressions were blank and dull.

“Have you ever wondered,” she whispered almost inaudibly. “How it would feel to have the one thing that was precious to you—the one thing—stolen by the person you have trusted so much?” Her fingers tightened around mine.

“Aly, what are you—”

She let go, and then she smiled again. “I’m kidding. You don’t have to be so serious about it, silly!”

It didn’t feel like she was kidding. Within that moment she whispered those words to me, I knew.

Aly hated me.



Just before we were about to separate ways, I grabbed Aly's hand and apologized. I didn't know if I really had to do it; I mean, I wasn't really at fault here. I did nothing wrong. I didn't deserve her hatred.

I wanted the old her back.

"Sorry? What for? For ruining my perfect relationship with Rob?" she said that with a grim smile. "It's not your fault. It was mine."

Sarcasm dripped with every word she said. And with every word, I cringed.

"Don't worry. You can have Rob," she continued, no longer smiling. Instead, her eyes seemed to look down on me. "You can have him and have your fairy tale ending. But in exchange for that, you keep my secret."

It took me a moment to process what she'd said. "Huh?"

"See that boy over there?" She looked straight ahead, and I followed her gaze.

Raven stood there with his friends, laughing. I felt blood rush to my face as I looked at his natural laughter.

"I'm in love with him. That's my secret."