53

I couldn't take it anymore.

The house was quiet before I barged through the front door, slamming it shut behind me. Hell, I wanted to go sit in a corner and just cry. Maybe on my bed and cry myself to sleep.

I had to work a shift today, but asked Iris to cover for me. My emotions were a mess and I'm sure the customers wouln't want me to serve them. Who would when I look like a vampire. A vampire with bloodshot, glossy eyes, a red puffy nose and just... dead. A vampire who just got her heart broken.

I should blame myself for not being honest with Daniela. But every inch of my body is telling me to go and strangle Adeline.

This is her fault. Not mine. Right?

I storm through the house, my sneakers thudding against the floor. I checked the kitchen, the living room, even her and my dad's bedroom. Empty. But I knew she was here—her car was parked out front.

Dad wasn't here though. He was out with some friends, watching a football game on a work night. So, I had no reason to hold back.

The clanking of weights and heavy breathing hit my ears coming from the garage. Of course she was working out. It's a way she celebrates victory.

The sight of her lying on the bench press, her muscles displayed as she pressed the bar upward, only fueled my rage. She didn't even look at me as I stepped into her space, her focus entirely on her reps.

Typical Adeline ignoring me after she got what she wanted.

I walked over, standing just to her side. "You're not going to say anything?"

Damn her. I mean damn fucking her.

Adeline exhaled sharply as she pushed the bar up again. "Don't have anything to say."

That was it.

I was done with her trying to act calm and nonchalant. I stepped closer and, without hesitation, sat down right on her lap, straddling her legs. Her body jerked slightly in surprise, but she still didn't stop.

"You want to ignore me?" I snapped, leaning forward and pressing my arms onto the bar, adding even more weight to her lift. "Fine. Let's see how much longer you can do that."

Her arms shook as the bar wavered, her eyes narrowing at me. "Get off," she growled, her voice low, but there was no real threat behind it.

She's just pissed because I interrupted her in the middle of her workout.

"No." I pressed down harder. "I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me."

Adeline sighed through gritted teeth, setting the bar back into its rack with a loud clang. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, and her eyes finally locked onto mine.

Her gaze was sharp, piercing, but beneath it, there was that smug little glint. Always that damned glint, like she was three steps ahead of me in a game I didn't even want to play.

"Alright, doll," she said, her voice laced with mock amusement. "You've got my attention. What's this tantrum about now?"

I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched on my thighs. "You know what this is about, Adeline. Don't play dumb."

I want to scream at her.

Her lips curled into a lazy smirk as she leaned back against the bench, stretching her arms like she hadn't just been bench-pressing with me adding extra weight.

"Enlighten me." She taunts. "Because from where I'm sitting—quite literally-- you're the one throwing a fit on my lap. Not very dignified, is it?"

"You won," I hissed, leaning closer. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Congratulations, Adeline. You fucking won. Are you happy that you ruined my life now?"

She raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening. "I usually am. But go on. What exactly did I win this time? It's hard to keep track of all my victories."

I wanted to strangle her, to choke her until she's the one begging this time.

"We broke up." My voice broke. "Daniela and I... we broke up."

"Well, well." She seemed surprised for a moment. "I didn't think you'd actually go through with it. Guess you had it in you after all."

Me? I had nothing in me to drive me into breaking up with her. Daniela did.

"You think this is funny?" I snapped, my voice trembling with anger and the sting of fresh heartbreak. "You think it's a joke to rip someone's life apart?"

She placed her hands on my knees and tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Rip apart? Oh, doll, that's dramatic, even for you. I didn't do anything. Your daddy had to mention Cameron right in front of her, huh? Don't pin your little heartbreak on me."

I stared at her, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. I had words-- I swear I did--but they were tangled up with the knot in my throat, leaving me speechless.

Adeline, of course, didn't waste the opportunity. Her hands slid up my knees, resting just below my thighs as she leaned in, her lips curling into a wolfish grin.

"Cat got your tongue?" Her voice soft but dripping with venom. "Or maybe it's guilt? Did you break her little heart?"

I flinched, and her grin widened, a predator scenting blood.

"How did she look, hmm?" Adeline's voice dropped to a chilling purr, her dark eyes gleaming with twisted amusement. "Was she hurt? Did she cry?"

Fuck.

"Did her voice break when she said your name? Did you see the tears in her eyes when you walked away? Oh, wait--" She tilted her head, her nails lightly digging into my knees now. "Did you even stay long enough to see her fall apart, or did you run before the show started?"

"Stop it," I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper.

Adeline's smirk didn't waver. If anything, it deepened, and before I could blink, her hands shot up to grip my waist.

"Ah-ah," she tsked, using her strength as she yanked me forward, forcing my body down on top of hers. My breath hitched as my chest pressed against hers, and my head came to rest dangerously close to hers, her breath warm against my ear.

Her voice dropped to a low, menacing whisper, the kind that sent a shiver racing down my spine. "Now, now, doll. Don't act like you're in control here. You came to me, remember?"

"S-Shut up!" I growled right next to her.

I tried to push away, but her grip on my waist tightened, her nails digging in just enough to send a warning. "Shh," she murmured, her tone almost soothing, though it wasn't helping. "You wanted to yell, to cry, to blame me for all your little problems. But deep down, you know the truth, don't you?"

Her lips brushed against my ear, making my stomach twist. "You're the reason she's in pain. You're the reason she's probably crying herself to sleep right now. Not me. You."

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself not to fall apart right then and there, but Adeline wasn't finished.

"Tell me, Victoria," she whispered, her voice like poisoned honey, "did she beg? Did she look at you with those big, sad eyes and ask you to stay? Or did she finally realize that you're not worth the fight?"

"Shut up," I tried again, my voice cracking under the weight of her words.

Adeline laughed softly, the sound sending another wave of humiliation through me. "Oh, doll, I hit a nerve, didn't I? Poor little baby, always running from her messes, always blaming someone else when things fall apart. When are you going to grow up and admit that you're the problem?"

Her hands released me suddenly, as if she'd grown bored, and I stumbled back on the floor, gasping for air. Adeline sat up, her expression smug as ever, her eyes raking over me like I was nothing more than a toy she'd broken.

"Run along now." She looked down at me. "before you embarrass yourself even more. Oh, and next time you think about coming here to throw your little tantrums..." She leaned back, resting her arms on the bench behind her. "Maybe bring something a little more entertaining. This is starting to get predictable."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. I turned and stormed out, slamming the garage door behind me, but her laughter still echoed in my ears.

The cold air bit at my skin as I walked down the road, my mind a jumbled mess.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

I needed to get away, to think, but no matter how fast I walked or how far I went, there was no outrunning the mess I've gotten myself into.

And then I bumped into him.

Cameron.

I didn't see him at first, too lost in my own thoughts, until I collided with his chest. I stumbled back, catching myself before I could fall. His hands immediately shot out to steady me, and I looked up into his concerned face.

"Whoa, hey, sorry!" Cameron said, his voice warm and light, though his eyes were scanning me with a hint of worry. "Are you okay? You look... you look like you've been through hell."

He looks like the one that's been through hell. His hair messy, dark bags under his eyes. I guess he doesn't sleep when he's sick.

Wait.

Why is he out in the cold while he's sick?

I stood there for a moment, still a little off balance, trying to process his presence. Of course, of all the people I could run into, it had to be him.

"It's fine," I said quickly, too quickly, trying to brush it off with a smile I didn't feel. "Just... a bad day."

Cameron didn't seem convince. Instead, his gaze softened, and he held up a folder with a few papers sticking out.

"I was actually on my way to drop these off for Adeline," he explained. "She asked me to print a bunch of stuff for her at my place, so here I am, just the messenger."

Of course she had him running errands for her. But how cruel can she be to send out her sick nephew in the cold while he needs rest?

I held my hand out. "I'll take it. I'm heading back anyways."

He gave me the folder. "Sure. But uh, I'll walk you home?" He offered.

He doesn't sound sick.

Maybe he's feeling better.

I wanted to say no, I did. But my dad once said nobody should be alone when they're at their worse, it makes them feel more alone than they are.

So, he tagged along.

It was quiet for a few minutes, us walking in peace next to each other before he broke the silence.

"So where were you off to?" He asked. "Or did you just want to clear your mind?"

"I was just walking, letting the wind decide where I go." And I did get far. The wind lead me a few houses away from my home.

He nodded. "I get it."

I looked down at the folder in my hand, wishing it was something private and juicy about Adeline that I could use against her. Maybe something jail-worthy. But inside was just printed copies of cases she's been working on.

Cameron bumped his shoulder against mine. "Hey, if you ever want to talk... I'm all ears, you know?" He flashed me a sweet smile.

Why couldn't my life be so much easier and have a crush on someone like him? Why can't I like a guy, who's also not my professor. A sweet and smart gentleman like him.

But yet, I fell for my professor who happens to be the same gender as me.

A tiny smile forms on my lips. "Thank you, Cameron. Really, I appreciate it." I sighed softly, my eyes on the road ahead of us as we slowly made our way down it. "You're a good guy, you know?"

He let out a quick chuckle. "There's no thing such as a good guy. Everyone has something that they hide."

Good point.

"Are you one of them?" I asked, and he looked back at me.

He smiled, almost as if it's normal to have dark secrets. Secrets people judge you on. "Of course."

"Yeah?" I chuckle, a bit curious. "What are you hiding?"

"Well..." He looked away in thought. "When I was younger, I would steal food out of the other children's lunch boxes because I didn't have a lunch box of my own. I grew up poor, so I guess I was just jealous of the other kids having more stuff that I did. Jealousy makes you do crazy stuff."

And now I felt a bit more guilty. Nobody ever told me that his family grew up poor. He never really talked about them. If you look at him now, all well dressed and groomed, you'd never expected him to had once lived in poverty.

All I know about his family is that he's also an only child.

I'm glad that his parents found good jobs here in New York. That must be the reason they moved.

"And that time when I saw a lady get her purse stolen midday on the street. I did nothing. I was too scared to face the masked man. I hate myself for not doing something."

I frowned. "Cameron, I'm so sorry." I whisper, still focused on the topic of growing up poor.

He shook his head with a light smile. "Nah, it's fine. I'm happy now. That's all that matters-- happiness."

I clenched my jaw. "Yeah. Happiness."

Daniela was my happiness.

"What about you?" He asked with a teasing smile, "You hiding something, Rivera?"

A lot.

I mean, where would I even begin to list everything?

The ordinary things, like when I was in Highschool, I punched a boy in the nose and my parents never found out. That day, I had my grandma fetch me from the office because she was the one who raised me to fight back. When I cheated on a test or once smoked with my past friends-- which I will never do again.

Or the more serious ones like what Felix did to me--more like what he wanted to do to me-- keeping Iris and Carol's relationship a secret, me and Iris behind bars in Greece, my sexuality, and most of all, dating my professor. Oh, and what Adeline has been doing.

But pure pressure pushed me to reveal one of those.

I stopped in my tracks, turning to him. "Cameron, I like boys and girls." I blurted, followed by letting go of a shaky breath.

It feels better getting that off my chest, even just to one person.

Cameron froze, looking at me with wide, shocked, eyes. My heart started beating as he just stood there, saying nothing. He needed time to process my words.

His jaw slowly dropped before he closed it and gulped. "Woah!" He blinked, speechless. "Woah, okay."

"Nobody else knows, okay?" I spoke quietly. "Except for Iris, and well, Eleanor clearly also picked up on it."

He nodded and blinked again. "Well, now we have one more thing in common."

"Liking girls. Yeah." I chuckled awkwardly. "But... are you grossed out or something?"

He frowned, looking at me like I'm dumb. "Victoria, my aunt has been with all the genders in the entire world."

"Ah. Right." I mumble. "Sorry."

He smiled. "I'm just happy you told me that, and I promise to keep it a secret." He brought his hand up and acted like he sealed his mouth shut.

That small action made me giggle, and for my head to turn. I realized we were standing a few steps away from my door.

I turned back to him. "Thank you."

"No need to." His smile was still on his face.

His smile was certainly contagious. My own growing on my lips before turning around and walk up the path. But then froze and turned back to him.

Our eyes met.

I walked back to him and fell into his embrace. My eyes filled with tears and my hands tugged tightly at the back of his jacket. The file almost slipping out of my grip.

It took him a few seconds before he wrapped his own arms around me and held me close. He let me stand there, crying into his chest.

I could hear his heartbeat speeding up beneath my ear.

"I'm so sorry I don't feel the same way." I whispered.

His muscles tensed, and held me tighter. A sigh escaped from his nose and I felt as he lowered his chin on my head.

"I figured." He said quietly, a bittersweet moment as I stand here in his arms. "But as long as I can keep doing this, being here for you, friends or not, everything's okay."