Stars in our Hearts

Twenty

A

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smile today, smile tomorrow, but i left my smile in yesterday.
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Mara texted me earlier, asking me to meet up. These Arryn siblings need to leave me alone.

I sat at a small coffee shop, not the one that Sorin worked at and not one where I would run into Crius. It was new, kind of at the outskirts of the city.

Reminding myself of the words Crius said to me yesterday, and on top of that, Sorin betrayed me, he hurt all of us. All for money. Is it easy to hurt someone like that? Is deceit that easy?

Good thing chocolate exists, because if I didn't have this brownie in front of me, I don't know what I'd do with myself.

"Did I keep you waiting long?" Mara rushed in, fixing her beret. Her bright smile was contagious and even though I was upset with her asshole brother, I liked her.

"Nope, it's not like I have anything else to do." I pushed the other brownie towards her. She groaned at the sight of it, completely devouring it.

"Yes you do, you have to make us some designs."

"There's no time, those were the best designs I had."

"No, they weren't." She dropped her fork, taking a sip of water. "If they were, you'd do anything to get them back. You'd be crying right now."

I shrugged, "I'm staying strong."

"You are, but not because of the designs. From the way it looks, there's something else on your mind."

"You already know," I said.

"I know about Sorin, which by the way must have hurt like hell, but I also know about the stupid shit Crius said."

"I don't care about any of it."

"You do."

"I don't."

"If you didn't, why'd you tell Crius you're no longer friends with him? If it didn't matter to you, why aren't you confronting Sorin right now?" She kept her eyes on me. I should get up and leave, this isn't a conversation I'm ready to have today. Or ever. "You care, Alida. And it's okay that you care."

I shook my head, "I'm not in the mood to talk about this."

"Too bad, we're gonna talk about it."

"Mara-"

"No, you're gonna listen to me." She slammed her hand on the table, seeking attention from the old couple beside us. "I apologize on behalf of Crius's idiocy. Even though it's not enough listening to it from me, I still am sorry about what he said. Nothing gives him the right to say shit like that to you."

"So he told you about my dad?" I already know the answer. Crius told Mara everything.

"Are you mad?" She asked, hesitantly.

"No, I don't mind you knowing."

It was true, I didn't really mind her knowing.

"His anger wasn't because of you. It was because of Jeremy."

"I know," I replied. Crius is a lot of things, and rude isn't one of them. But sometimes, anger takes out the worst parts of us. He was afraid so he said things that hurt me.

"You know?" She raised her brows in question.

"I know it's because of him, I just don't know why."