Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My dad has been harassing me lately. He does not approve of my relationship with Ana. He thinks she is a gold digger, just dating me for my money. He always had a soft spot for Shauna and thought I needed to settle down with her. But I have no such feeling for her. Her annoying pitch noise can make any man go mental in a heartbeat.

On Friday morning, I head over to Brad's frat house. I need to talk to him about some shit, and I also need him to help me pick out a present for Ana. It's her birthday, and I want her to feel special. When I arrive at the house, there is a party. It's only 2 pm, and people are getting drunk—the life of college.

He hands me a beer and motions me to follow him outside the pool. I’m so exhausted I fall asleep in one of the sun chairs. I wake up to a girl trying touching me, and I moan.

I open my eyes, and the sun is setting. It must be nighttime. What the hell? Did I fall asleep for 5 hours? I feel weird, and I can hear some hush conversation behind my back.

“You know it’s for the best.”

“Yeah, but I still feel guilty interfering in someone else's life.”

“Yeah, I know, but this is what he needs. Remember what his dad said. “

I can tell it's Brad talking to Gills, but that’s pretty much it. Someone hands me a beer, and I eagerly drink it. I feel like I've been in the Sahara and haven’t drunk water in ages. I'm so fucking thirsty.

The girl touching me is very persistent.

“Ana..?”

“… Um, yeah, sure.”

I feel relieved it's Ana that is going down on me and relaxing back to my chair. It feels great, and I don’t care if anyone can see me.

A couple of hours later, I wake up groggily again, and this time I’m in a bed.

“How did I get here?”

“Brad took you,” Shauna answers.

“Shauna…?”

I feel weird about this. I open my eyes and scan the room. Okay, I’m in some sort of bed, and next to me is Shauna. She looks smug and strokes my abs while kissing me.

“Stop, Shauna. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Well, you didn’t complain a couple of hours ago.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Nothing, babe, just sleep, and I will make you feel better.”

I want to fight it, but I'm so tired, and I can’t comprehend what is happening. I don’t wake until Sunday at noon, and I feel like I have the worst hangover in my life.

I can’t remember anything. I stumble towards the bathroom and do my business before taking a shower.

I have this nagging feeling in my head I have forgotten something important. After showering, I get dressed. I put on the same shirt I had the other day and my jeans and walked out of the room.

In the living room, the guys are playing video games, and I throw myself onto one couch.

“You look like hell,” Brad comments.

“Yeah, I feel like it too. Do you know where Ana is? Did she leave already?”

The room falls silent, and I scan their faces.

“What?”

“Um, nothing. Yeah, she left,”

Shauna enters the living room. Beams when she sees me and tries to sit in my lap.

“What the hell Shauna? You know I’m with Ana.”

She looks hurt, and she looks lost in thoughts.

“I guess things are very different now. That’s all.” She whispers sadly.

Nothing they say is making me feel better, so I looked for my stuff and head home. Before I can leave the house, Brad hands me a beer and tells me to drink it because it will help with my hangover.

I take the beer and down it. After that, I fall asleep and don’t realize it's already Monday before Gills wakes me up.

Gills have long red hair and are a curvy, beautiful woman. I have known her my whole life, and she is also my cousin Brad's girlfriend.

“Listen, Alex,” she almost whispers. “Some things happen for a reason. Okay.”

I have no clue what she is talking about, so I get up and get some coffee from the kitchen. When I exited the house, I found my car wrecked.

“What the actual fuck” I scream. Why would someone wreck my car? I call the insurance company and head home on foot. Thank fuck, it's only around 10 minutes’ walk.

I take a shower, get dressed, and head back to school. Jeans and a black t-shirt is my regular clothing. I hurry over to the building where Brad is waiting for me.

“Here, man, I found your phone.”

“A thanks, man. Have you seen Ana?”

A glance at the phone tells me the exam will start in five minutes. I enter the classroom and take our usual spot. I can feel the restlessness of Brad because he is tapping his foot on the tile repeatedly. Gills is nervous; she keeps wiggling her hands and casting glances at the door.

“Hey, it's just a test, Gills.”

“Yeah, I know,” she answers, but it doesn't seem to help.

I search the room for Ana, but there is no trace of her. Did she forget about this critical test? I retrieve my mobile phone from my pocket to check if she sent me a message, yet nothing. No word from her, not even a missed call. Damn it! Fear swells in me, and I can’t quite explain why. Ana never misses an examination; Before we began dating, I followed her around like a lovesick pup, and the day she accepted to go out with me, it felt like I had won the lottery.

The exams have just begun when suddenly the door to the room opens and I see Ana walk in. She looks beautiful, stunning even, wearing figure-hugging clothes that perfectly show off her body. I can't help but feel my mouth water as I see her, and I wave to get her attention.

But Ana doesn't respond to me. She gives me a blank stare before she sits alongside Dylan Maverick. I despise him; he's the type of guy all the women swoon over, wearing ripped jeans and leather jackets. Rumor has it he follows up his dirty blonde hair with full body tattoos. What is Ana doing by his side? I hastily shoot her a text telling her how great she looks and what a beauty she is, but I don't get a reply.

Brad can sense my discomfort and pat me on the back. “It was probably for the best.”

 “What do you mean, man?” What the hell is he talking about?

“Look, I’m sure it hurt her that you hooked up with Shauna. Maybe give her some time, and you can be friends again.”

“What the hell are you talking about I whisper yell.”

“It's all over I*******m, man. I thought Shauna wasn’t your type anymore.”

I can feel my face flush with embarrassment and shame. I never would have hooked up with Shauna if I had been in my right mind, but I can't remember a thing about the weekend. When I read Anas's response, I knew I was in trouble. Dammit, I whisper to myself. Opening my I*******m confirms what I already know—that something happened. I want to explain, but Ana's hostile looks and the fact that the exam is about to start make me realize that there's nothing I can do for now.

The exam passes in a flash, and I can't bring myself to leave my seat. When I look up, I find Ana walking towards us. I see the hurt on her face before she can even say anything. As Shauna tries to explain what happened, I know it's too late—I had lost the only person who ever made me feel truly accepted and loved. We had been friends for a while before we started dating, and Ana used to take care of me when no one else understood how hard it was for me growing up with my father's expectations. She always gets me. Why did I do something so stupid? There's no good explanation, but by the way she looks at me, I already know that I have lost her.

My heart is aching; I've lost the girl that I love. Every time Dylan touches her, it feels like she's putting on a performance for me. It's like when someone mentions her father or family; she so easily slips into her mask of indifference. Nevertheless, lately she has been more and more open with me - sharing her worries and responsibilities with me. I just can't help but love her. Before I could stop myself. What I said in response may have sounded lame, but I meant it all. I will get her back.