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chapter nine; cleo, ━━━━━━
IT'S BEEN FOUR DAYS SINCE SHE'S last talked to Lando. Her attempts at seeking contact with him were to no avail; because every text and call she made remained unanswered, accentuating his purposeful avoidance of her. It doesn't help that Asjha's implemented her own passive aggressive attitude towards her as well, still angry about her inadvertent run in with Halen. And she gets it, Asjha's anger is completely justified especially considering the fact that she was the one that helped Cleo through her depression after the breakup and helped her realize the toxicity of Halen and their relationship; and she knows that she deserves the silent treatment that she's getting from her but she also really needs to talk to her best friend.
Her attempts of reconciliation with Asjha wasn't as hard as it's been with Lando. Asjha actually talks to her but not without some passive remark that's accompanied behind it that leaves Cleo chagrined and remorseful.
She wishes that she would've just gone to the party that night, like she intended to because then none of this would've happened and she wouldn't be receiving this reticent avoidance from the two people she cared about the most. Halen's presence was completely unexpected and hadn't been something she anticipated to cause such a taint in her friendship with Lando. When he knocked at her door that night, there wasn't a moment where she didn't contemplate slamming the door in his face or completely disregarding him without any acknowledgment. But there was something about him — how he looked like he'd been crying and his face looked drained and devoid of any emotion and as much as she hated him, she couldn't turn him away not when it looked like he needed her.
There wasn't anything romantic about the night at all; he'd gotten drunk earlier that night and got upset about how their relationship ended and he pleaded that he just wanted to talk to her about everything. So, she agreed to it simply because they never actually had the opportunity of doing so before due to Halen's refusal of accountability for the relationship ending. She didn't anticipate the conversation (or Halen) being as it was, but hearing him apologize and look like he genuinely meant it gave Cleo the resolve she never thought she'd get from him.
She allowed him refuge in their room afterwards only because he'd been too drunk to make it back across campus to his own room. She hoped that he'd sober up within a few hours and then she'd be able to make it back to the party with her friends, but of course the universe had continued its torment and had Lando and Asjha leave the party early just to come back to her dorm room to see Halen lying in her bed.
"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" Cleo surmises sullenly, her lips pursed in a despondent frown as she looked over at Asjha who laid sprawled out on her bed athwart from hers.
