Priceless

~~~

“How long?” were her first words the moment she locked the door to her room. She turned to face me, the look on her face still the same, and I bowed my head.

She didn’t have to specify. I already knew what she was talking about. I didn’t know how to respond to that, though.

I laced my fingers together and thought for a while. How long has it been, really? I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I realized there was something at the Halloween party.

“I don’t...it...it was something we never talked about,” I slowly said.

“How long have you felt it?” she asked, not moving from her place. I finally gathered up the courage to look into her eyes.

“I...I realized it at the Halloween party...I didn’t...”

“And you still got into a relationship with Alex?!” she exclaimed.

“I thought I would fall for him,” I said, frustrated. “I didn’t know I would fall for Stephen instead. I had no control over it. I—”

“I don’t know if you’re aware Bailey but you’re cheating on Alex, and Alex is a great guy,” Erin yelled, her face now morphing into her angry look. “Fuck. You should have had the decency to break up with him before this—before taking things to the next level with Stephen.”

I was caught off guard with her sudden anger. I wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction. I mean not this much anger.

“And thanks for telling me, by the way. Thanks for updating me with what’s going on!”

And then I couldn’t control it. Something overcame me, “As if you tell me everything about yourself! You’re so good at keeping your feelings to yourself, you didn’t even tell me what you were feeling for John!”

Her eyes widened a little and she scoffed, “Really, Bailey? You’re gonna make a big deal out of that just so you could turn the tables? Really?”

I was angry. Well I was angrier with myself really, but I didn’t know to let it out. “Fuck you,” I spat out at her. And for the second time that day I decided to go with the only solution I could think of.

Hurriedly, I walked past her, and made my way out of her room, to the ground floor, and finally, out of the house, ignoring the others who were calling me.

When I made it out I just ran, like what I did earlier. But this time I ran faster, probably with more speed than anything I have ever used before. If I was desperate to get away from Stephen earlier, well now you could triple that desperation. I wanted to get away from everyone who knew me. Because they wouldn’t understand me. No one would—and with that, I was sure.

I was running so fast I didn’t notice that a car was coming right at me. For a second I stared at it, knowing what was to come, anticipating to get hit by it but sadly, it didn’t happen. Instead the car came to a full-stop, inches away from me.

I was too shocked to speak for a while. That could have been the death of me. But it wasn’t.

How I wish it had been, though...especially upon the sight of who was inside the car.