Accidentally Yours

"Didn't you know? Raven likes me, too," she continued with a triumphant smile. "He confessed to me once, but back then I was already with Rob. So I rejected him."

My heart ached terribly. The same pain I felt the night I saw Rob with Aly. It was the same...yet entirely different. I felt angry...jealous.

"You're lying!" I yelled at her, not caring at the people who were already staring at us. "That's a lie! You've always been a liar, Aly!"

Her eyes darkned, but she kept her smile. "Raven was at my birthday, remember? Do you know why?"

I wanted to tell her to stop. Why was she always getting everything? Why was everything about her?

I don't want Raven to love her.

"Raven doesn't feel that way for you! He—"

"Don't tell me you honestly believe he cares for you?" she said bitterly. "He's just a good boy. He's always been a good boy. He told you about his father, yes?"

"Why do you know about his past?"

She chuckled. "I told you. Me and him? We go all the way back. We knew each other even before you did."

That was when I realized how much I hated her. It took me these years to finally realize how bad a friend she was. Losing our friendship was probably heaven-sent.

Before she walked away, she said, "Raven loves only me, and you'll never have him because once I tell him that I've started to feel the same way for him, he'll come running back to me."



"Miss Ross?"

I snapped back to my senses. My cheeks flushed when I noticed that everyone was looking at me.

"Are you all right?" our math teacher asked worriedly.

"May I go to the infirmary? My head's spinning, Sir," I said.

He gestured for me to go, so I went out of the room as fast as I could. As soon as I was lying on a bed in the clinic, I tried to sleep. I wanted to forget all the lies that Aly had told me.

As much as I didn't want to be a crybaby, I couldn't help it. Why did I always cry over things like these? Why hadn't I been stronger?

I buried my face under the blanket and shut my eyes. After a few minutes, I fell asleep.



Everything was pitch-black, but the girl's face could be seen clearly. She was crying and saying inaudible words. She'd been doing that all night.

"Don't leave me," she said. "Please don't leave me, Rob."

Raven could only stare at her as he sat on the edge of his bed. He didn't know where she lived, after all. And they were both drunk to think clearly.

"You know, he...he went inside the room with her...and they..." she muttered, her voice breaking. "I could only...watch them..."

"Calm down, Hayley," Raven said sleepily.

"It should have been me..."

"Don't cry. It'll be all right."

"Who are you?" she asked finally.

That was when they both fell asleep.



I woke up and it was already five in the afternoon. I hurriedly slid off the bed and went back to class to get my stuff. I texted Kat and asked her where she was. Then, I thought of asking Raven too. But I couldn't bring myself to press send. So I didn't.

Right after I got my bag, I went to the front gate, and Kat was there, waiting for me. She smiled, and I greeted her back.

"You're enthusiastic today," she commented sarcastically. "You and Raven got into a fight or something?"

"No."

"Then, why?"

I sighed. "Aly and I...had a talk just this morning."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Oh, your ex-best friend," she grunted. "What did she do now? Did she apologize? Or did she tell you how much she hates you, like she always does?"

I shrugged.

"What happened then? I can't always decipher your thoughts, you know."

"It's just that...well, she said something...about Raven."

"She just wants revenge. I mean, she thinks it's your fault her love life's ruined."

"But what if it's really my fault after all?"

Kat sighed. "You're crazy. I can't believe you're saying this."

"But..."

"You didn't steal Rob from her. It's not your fault Rob loves you - that he chose you over her. Don't blame yourself. You've kept your feelings just for her sake in the past. You lived with the pain of watching the one you love, love someone else for years. She's the one to blame, Hayley. It was always about her, and she never let anything be about you. You don't deserve all this."

I didn't expect Kat to say all these words, so right after she was finished talking, I hugged her tightly. She was...the best friend I could ever have. She had always been watching over me, all this time, while I chased after the past, after Rob and Aly.

"I'm scared," I admitted. "I'm scared that one day, she might take Raven away from me."

Kat patted my head reassuringly. "Have faith in him. Raven won't be taken from you that easily, you know? Haven't you noticed? He's grown quite attached to you - the same way you are to him."

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I pulled away to look at her. "Y-Y-You're wrong! It's not like I feel that way for Raven! I'm just..."

"You're just?"

"...I'm just scared to become a single parent!" I said. But even to me, it seemed to be a lie.

"Cute, but not reason enough." She crossed her arms defiantly.

My heart kept racing for some reason - painful and somewhat...inexplicable. My tummy felt nauseous, too.

"I'm scared of being betrayed? I mean, he has to be responsible for me?"

This time, Kat smiled smugly. "Try again."

"Argh! Just forget about it and let's get home before it rains!" I blurted shortly, irately.

Kat just laughed and pulled me along to search for Raven.



Kat and I separated for a while to look for Raven.

After what seemed to be half an hour of searching, I decided to go back and meet up with Kat. Raven probably went home ahead of us.

For some reason, I frowned. Although it really wasn't a big deal...really.

As I turned back towards the main stairs, I passed by Aly's classroom—and caught a glimpse of two familiar figures inside. I realized who the girl was. Aly was standing, her back to me, and facing a boy who leaned against a table. It looked like they were talking about something private.

Her face was inches away from the boy. And then, she inched closer and closer until their lips met. I saw something I shouldn't have seen.

Everything happened so fast, then. My heart...my heart was breaking. So painfully that I couldn't even cry anymore, because my tears probably won't be enough. It took me a moment to realize who the boy was.

It was Raven.