party monster | the weeknd

twenty five

5 days later

Taylor

I gently close the front door behind me, making sure not to make a sound before I rush over to the lift.

I don't want Abel coming out, trying to talk to me like he did the day after I told him I never want to see him again.

He kept telling me he's sorry, but I wasn't having it. I ignored him and stuck my headphones in, but I could still hear him when he told me that he cared about me.

I wanted to scream so badly at him and tell him that he doesn't care, but I held in my anger and frustration.

I'm still angry at what Abel's done and he just needs to understand that he needs to stay away from me and not talk to me.

A sigh of relief escapes my mouth as the lift door closes and I lean my head back, closing my eyes.

I'm always tired lately, even though there's really no reason to be - I mean, it's not like I'm having sex with anyone and it's not like I'm not getting enough sleep.

The lift reaches the lobby and I start to get out before being faced with a familiar someone.

Abel is looking down at his phone and he looks up, staring me directly in the eye. He smiles at me. "Hey," he says slowly.

Shaking my head, I dodge past him and leave the building, feeling a rush of sadness, anger and frustration within my body.

I hate how those guys were right about Abel with their assumption that he stashed drugs away in my apartment.

And I hate how Abel actually would allow me to take the fall for it. How fucking selfish.

My stomach growls in hunger and I make my way towards the nearest coffee shop, buying a cappuccino and croissant.

I eat it on the way to campus, but my belly seemingly isn't quite satisfied.

I ignore the hunger and go back to blowing and sipping at my cappuccino.

"Taylor!" a voice calls out from behind.

I turn around and notice Jamie - the guy from my lecture class - speed walking towards me. "Hey, Jamie," I say before giving him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

We start walking again and my belly growls again, making me clench my jaw.

"How are you?" Jamie asks. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever! You keep skipping classes!"

I laugh. "I know," I say. "I'm sorry. I was . . . busy."

"Ooh, busy with someone?" Jamie asks, grinning.

I smile. "Yeah, well, that's over now," I tell him. "Thank God."

"Why?" Jamie wants to know, frowning.

I shrug. "The guy's a complete ass," I answer and he starts laughing. My belly rumbles again and I groan. "Okay, I really need to get something to eat."

* * *

"God, that's your fifth one in a row!" Jamie exclaims, watching as I scoff down another croissant.

It's three in the afternoon now and we've just got out from our second lecture of the day.

All day I've just been eating nothing else but croissants, since it's the only thing I have a taste for at the moment.

I laugh. "What? I'm hungry!" I tell him, taking another bite out of the soft, buttery pastry.

Jamie looks at the time. "Shit," he mutters to himself. "I have a class in five minutes. I'll see you in the next lecture?" He looks at me with serious eyes for a second. "Make sure you're there."

I start laughing. "Let's hope," I say.

Jamie shakes his head and rolls his eyes playfully before pulling me into a hug and kissing my cheek.

I turn around and start walking towards the exit of the campus, a smile on my face.

Today, I've actually been happy and not so . . . down.

The smile immediately drops off my face when I see Abel in the alleyway I go through to get to my apartment. He's dealing to some guy who hands him money before walking off with the little bag in hand, which he stuffs into his jacket pocket.

I'm about to turn around and walk off before Abel twists his head and catches sight of me. His lips part and he looks at me, eyes wide.

Sighing, I start walking in his direction, keeping my eyes trained on the floor, since I don't want to look him in the eye.

I don't look up when Abel catches my arm. "Taylor," he says slowly. I stay quiet, staring at the ground. "God, you can't even look at me." A deep sigh leaves his mouth and he mutters something about hating himself under his breath. "I'm sorry you saw that." Again, I stay quiet. "Can't you just fucking look at me?"

My eyes snap away from the ground to find his and I feel myself getting angry at the fact that he's pissed off.

Shouldn't that be me?

"What do you want, Abel?" I ask now in a snappy tone.

He looks at me. "To talk," he says softly, hand slightly brushing mine.

I pull it back angrily. "Yeah, well, I don't want to talk!" I shout. "Plus, what the hell is there to talk about? You stashed drugs in my apartment to save your ass, that's it. Let's not talk about it again. Goodbye. Never speak to me again." I start walking away and this time, Abel follows me.

"I need to tell you something!" he says desperately. "I've been trying to find a way to say it, but I can't find the words."

I turn around and face him, eyes blazing. "You best not tell me that there are more drugs in my apartment!" I hiss quietly, so that no one on the busy streets can hear us.

Abel's face screws up in confusion. "No," he says, shaking his head furiously. "It's nothing like that."

I sigh heavily and rub my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "What part of I don't want to talk do you not understand, Abel?" I question, glaring at him. He just stares at me with wide eyes.

Shaking my head, I start walking again until I reach my building, feeling all the happiness I felt today being replaced with the same feelings of anger, frustration and sadness I felt for the past five days.

Abel comes up beside me as I wait for the lift to arrive at the lobby.

We step in quietly, with me staring ahead at the door and Abel tapping his finger against the wall.

Suddenly, Abel leans forward and punches the emergency stop button. He turns to face me. "Now we can talk."