Gatecrashing Gatecrasher

Chapter seventeen

This chapter is dedicated to p1nkbabe for making the awesome cover above and non-stop support on this book!

Catharsis. Have you ever heard of that word? I did, just a year ago. I heard it from Daryll. Daryll's the first one to know about my first heartbreak with Guile. He seemed like a bestfriend more than a brother to me or maybe both. Confessing about it to a boy was kind of gauche since the topic's really sensitive. But since I'm more comfortable with him than with my parents, I let him know first.

My eyes were swollen, hours of crying spent of that double-crosser. Right after I told Guile we are done, I headed home. I felt a heavy burden inside my chest I didn't think what to do next. As I stepped inside, it's empty. No dad, no mom, no lights. My footsteps were slow, I looked devastated. Just as I thought no one's home, I saw my brother's feet on the ground.

"Hey," I breathed out.

He seem puzzled at the look of my face, the disheveled hair, and the gloomy aura. His eyebrows met in confusion.

"Don't 'hey' me. What's the tragedy, sister?"

At that moment, I felt my whole body weakened. My bones seemed to break down in front of him. The excited tears freely escaped my overused eyes. Like a drug, I was addicted to crying at that day.

"Daryll..." I sniffled, "Guile sinned."

He looks down on me, sadness was written all over his face. He doesn't deserve to see me like this. Daryll's been always there for me, even became friends with Guile. Yet, I came home with a bad news.

"Make me understand more, Lauren."

"Daryll, I loved him... but he cheated on me."

I sobbed, fist formed into a ball. My heart writhed in pain as I recall his face the last moment I glanced at him. Not too long, Daryll pulled me in a hug. He caress my hair with his hand and rubbed my back with the other.

"Dammit. Thanks for telling me, Lauren. I'm sorry you've gone through this."

Anger was seeping on his voice. Regret that they built some lovable bond with each other.

"Yeah, dammit. Really. I don't know what to do," I whispered as my tears soaked his shirt.

"Did you tell anyone about this? Phoebe? Mom? Dad? Anyone?" he asked as he pulled away and motioned me to sit.

"Not yet. Daryll, I'm sorry if I made you feel sorry. I felt really bad and I figured I should tell you first."

"That's alright. You should tell mom and dad soon. Not later than next day. Okay?" He looks me in the eyes, asking for confirmation.

Nodding, I gave him a rueful smile.

"I understand, Lauren. It's good that you didn't keep it to yourself. Sharing your burdens to others will always produce a cathartic feeling. It's a kind of relief that you feel once you've finally told anyone the secrets you've kept."

That cathartic feeling made an appearance at this moment. It's been a year since I last feel a huge relief. Telling Cain about this gave me relief and lessened the heavy aching inside my chest.

Cain told me to wait in the living room. As my eyes inspected the room, it stopped on the burning fireplace. I could almost smell the woods being devoured by fire. The heat sent a sensation to my skin, making it warm.

As Cain stepped inside the room, he's holding a glass of water in his hand and a scarf hanging atop his shoulder.

"Not gonna give you a coffee since it's midnight. Let's keep you hydrated, you've wasted too much water to escape from your eyes," he utters as he handed me the glass.