We Are Stars | OLD DRAFT

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Someone to Stay

Two Years Ago...

Fear cuts into me like a jagged knife, the sharp edges chipping away at any amount of courage that still manages to remain. I haven't been this afraid since I discovered that I was carrying Darian's baby, and yet he still doesn't know.

Olivia had told me over text that she needed to speak to me as soon as possible. I tried asking her why she wanted to meet and why it couldn't wait until the next day, but her reply was vague. One simple text is all she sent, and if this is about what I think it's about, our friendship will not survive the fire that Liv is about to start, even though I'm the one that ignited the first spark.

I make my way to our normal hang-out spot down by a nearby cafe, immediately spotting a head of blonde hair. I take in deep breath and mentally prepare myself for the worst. Here we go, I think to myself as I strut towards the table that Olivia is sitting at.
   
"Hey," I say, approaching the empty chair across from Liv. The moment I get myself situated, her demonic glare caves into me, rocks tumbling around me, making it hard to organize my thoughts. Beneath her lower lash line is red and a little bit puffy, as if she's been crying. I find it best not to say anything that will lead down the road of conflict, especially something that involves my relationship with Darian. Doing my best to steer away from that road, I ask, "Is everything okay? Why couldn't this wait until tomorrow?"
   
She slightly parts her lips before her words collide with the air. "No, no everything is not okay, Row." Her voice is raspy and crumpling like paper, as if all the air in her lungs has been deflated due to hours of crying. It kills me to see her in so much pain.
   
"Liv, seriously, what's going on?" My heart races laps in my chest.

"This morning," Olivia begins, "Darian and I went out for coffee. We were talking, and he asked me if we could sleep together." My eyebrows raise. As far as I know, Liv is still a virgin, and Darian is more impure than a newborn puppy. The though of him taking my best friend's virginity causes my skin to crawl, but the thought that he also robbed me of mine feels like the head of a pistol resting on my forehead. "He's been asking me for a while, but I always turn him down because I'm not ready to take that step. But this morning, he got angry, and he said that I'm being arrogant. He told me that he wanted someone who would appreciate him fully."

I extend my arm over the table and take Olivia's hand, clutching it tightly to show how much I care for and appreciate her. "You are not arrogant, Olivia. If Darian's going to let his male hormones operate this relationship, than he doesn't deserve you," I assure her.

The corners of her thin lips don't perk up like I was expecting. Instead, they continue to skew her beautiful smile into a devastating frown. Her grip doesn't even twitch in my hand. "That's what I thought too, but when the argument progressed, he said something that I think he didn't mean to say - something that really hurt me."

"What did he say?" I ask. Her eyes begin to well up in tears.

Olivia releases a thousand raspy gasps as she tries to regain control over her lungs. I want nothing more than to reach over and take her into a hug to comfort her, but I know that if I do, it would only make me the world's most terrible friend. I already know what he told her - what he let slip - and I yet I continue to remain completely clueless in this situation like I know absolutely nothing.

Undoubtedly, Darian did tell her about our night together. I don't know why I would ever think that he would keep what happened a secret. He's nothing more than the school's biggest manwhore who will sleep with any girl with a cute ass and an ignorant attitude. All the more reason why I want him to stay away from Liv. After the one night stand, I wanted to tell about what we did, what I did, but I couldn't. I still don't think I can.