Down The Highway

Chapter Twenty-Six

The rain started pouring down from heaven. I cried more as I realized that he refused to embarrass his teacher but didn't refuse to put me in some misery. On that night, when the truth came out, I thought of being nothing in this world. I cried harder because I was trying to stop myself but I couldn't. I looked down at Travis who was still kneeling in front of me. "How could you do this to me? When you know that I would be hurt like this" I wiped all the tears falling from my eyes as he did the same thing.

He finally stood up and faced me, my gown got wet, I got wet and he and his hoodies got wet as well after we took a shower under the rain. He wasn't able to say a word so I was the one who kept on speaking. "Just please give me a single reason why you are a guy and scared of those bullies!" I looked up at the sky as the raindrops fell on my face. "I'm sorry Jade" he repeated but I got insulted by hearing those words over and over again. It was useless.

I sobbed over and over. I chased my heart from running away and my breath as well. Until Travis started speaking. "The bully was the son of my school's principal. He can make up a story easily to make me get kicked out of that school. You don't know how powerful he is. I didn't want to disappoint my parents when I get kicked out so I had no choice but to obey him." I rolled my eyes, listened but didn't believe him. "Yes, you had a choice, Travis. It was either to be strong or to be weak and you chose to be weak. Look what happened!"

He continued sobbing in front of me. It was my first time to see him crying like that. I just realized that we were at St. Joh Street. Down the highway where I met him and where we were the day before that night. "I know, I have been so weak and I hate myself for that. Please forgive me Jade" he begged but I tried to ignore him even if I couldn't. "I love you" he explained briefly but I looked away to ease the pain I was feeling under the rain.

I tried to take a step forward to leave him there but he held my hand saying, "Jade, please! I love you" my heart melted after hearing him say those words but it was too late because my love for him, vanished already. "Too late Travis, you just proved that you are not worth my love so I should forget about you and you should forget about me too" even if it hurts a lot for me to say those words, I still tried to not be like him who chose to be weak. I chose to be strong.

Under the strong and heavy rain, I left him crying harder than the rain. It hurt me a lot but I had to do it so I could move on and forget about us, forget about what I was feeling, forget about him. I still believed that time would heal the pain I got from him. That someone else would help me heal the pain and a new love could help me move on, just forget. My heart wasn't a toy but I can't blame him for playing with it. It hurt so much like hell in me.

I kept on sobbing while running away until I heard someone saying, "Jade? Jade!" I heard Dylan's voice as I saw him walking with an umbrella. He ran to me as I tried to look away. Because I was so ashamed of him when I saw him. He was the one who I didn't believe but the right one. He immediately covered me with his umbrella so I wouldn't get wet but I saw that he got wet so much. We also quickly took shelter in the small shop we saw to avoid getting wet while waiting for the rain to stop.

He shook the chair first and removed some dirt. I sat while he sat next to me. "Sorry" I found myself saying sorry to the guy that I didn't think I would. I just realized that there is a 5% possibility that the unexpected person would comfort you because 5% isn't zero. "What? No! Stop saying that, you should not be sorry. It's okay. I can't blame you. If I were in your place I might not believe myself as well because I know that what I said is unbelievable and doesn't sound true. I know it."

I smiled behind all the tears I cried. But I still couldn't believe that it was the first time we talked without him doing his usual flirty stupid things. "But seriously, I want to thank you for warning me even if I didn't believe you," I said while looking into his eyes. He smiled at me as he slightly bit his lips in front of me. Instead of finding that thing flirty, I found it annoying so I laughed as he laughed. "Oh, sorry this is just me. I do this when I feel guilt" he said while he looked down and I laughed again.

I fixed my wet hair and smiled as I leaned on his wide and hard shoulders. It was nearly midnight but I told my mom and dad I would be late. But not for the drama that I was under that night. I closed my eyes to feel the moment and the music that the hard rain was making. Somehow it's true. That one day your enemy or someone who you hate the most could be the one to get you out of misery. And when you feel like there is no one else to lean on he would be there.

Because a hero would sacrifice you to save the world but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you.