Can't I Touch Your Heart?

Chapter 34 Slipped Away To Talent

"Nikki," Rhea sat beside Nikita.
"What do you want?" She stared at her coldly. She was sitting with another group of girls. 
"I want to talk to you, do you have a moment?"
"No, fuck off,"
They all started laughing and Rhea came back to her seat.

"She's so clingy, I swear to god!" Nikita laughed.
"Why were you even friends with her?"
"Meh, I don't know. I must have lost my mind,"

Rhea looked outside the window, waiting for the day to end. Once it did, she ran after Nikita until they reached the cycle stand outside the school gates, 
"Nikita, please listen to me,"

Nikki turned towards her, "What is your problem?"
"Look, I'm sorry it happened. I never wanted it to happen,"
"Is that all?"
"What did I do? Why are you so angry at me? Ember rejected you, not me,"

"Ember. I never even saw him in real life. Does he even exist or was it just a fake account you created?"
"...Have you gone crazy or what?"
"Yes, I have. And it's because of you! You should've never met me!"

"...It's always my fault, isn't it?" 
"Yes. You need to learn when to fuck off," 
"But I don't want to..." Rhea said, "It was so fun with you...I didn't want to ruin it,"
"That online boy ended it for us. If you really loved me, you would have supported me and stayed away from Ember or help me get with him, not be my rival. Because we both know I can't win against you," Nikki walked away as she opened her umbrella. 

Soon, it began raining and Rhea stood under the rain, staring at the smog that ate her away. She slowly walked to her bicycle and sat on it. She started paddling and then stopped, as tears rolled down her eyes in the rain, "I lost another friend..."

. . .

"Oh my god, what have you done to yourself!" Rhea's mother exclaimed as she looked at her, drenched in the rain, standing at the doorway.
"Quickly go and take a warm shower. You have a class too after this,"
After the shower, she dressed up for her class. It had stopped raining by then. She went downstairs and looked into her phone. 

Neel heard his doorbell and walked towards the door. He opened it and looked at Rhea, "What?" He asked.
"Give me your number,"
"Why?" He asked.
"Just give it,"

He told her his number and she saved it into her phone. Then, she ran away. He closed the door and went back into his room. He continued doing his homework when suddenly his phone buzzed. He checked the message, 
"I tried talking to Nikki,"

He shook his head, "Why?"
He could see that she was recording audio and once it was finally there, he played it. He could hear wind and paddles of the cycle, its tyre splashing against the puddle water, and her clear voice in the foreground, 
"Because that's just how I deal with people. Before I give up on somebody, I try and try and try until it's no more in me, so that I don't regret not trying to make them stay,"

"It's so funny," He recorded another audio, "Because I see how obvious it is. She's full of shit, negativity, jealously and a need to bring others down to make herself feel good. She's enjoying your attention, stop giving it to her,"
And he sent it. 

He received her reply after a while, it was a text.
"She wasn't always like this,"
"That is how certain people are, Rhea," He typed, "They will support until they realise you might actually make it. That's when the hate kicks in," 

"I know her better than you,"
"All I'll say is good luck. If it doesn't work out, you can cry on my shoulder, because I bet your ass it won't,"
"We'll see," She typed as she entered her class and looked at Ember sitting at his desk with AJ beside him.

"That online boy ended it for us,"

'Was he not supposed to like who he wanted to?' Rhea wondered as she walked towards him, 'How was it his fault?' He was smiling, he didn't seem affected by that rejection he had given her. Not at all. He really did not like her. 
"Hello Rhea," He smiled at her.
'Does he really like me?' Rhea sat beside him, "Hello Ember,"