our troubled love ᵒˡᵈ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ

+~nine pt. 2~+

+~Anthony~+

At dinner, I sat next to Jia, and across from my parents and Mr. and Mrs. Bates. I wasn't paying attention as my parents chatted with Mr. Bates and his wife. I was too busy examining every detail of Jia's face. Everything from her green eyes to her naturally rosy cheeks was exactly like I remembered it.

I remembered the last time I'd seen her so vividly. We were sixteen, and in our second year of high school. That day... her eyes sparkled with tears as she cleared out her locker and left without any explanation. She didn't even tell me, one of her close friends, what was going on, and she was gone before I got the chance to ask her why.

That was six years ago, but I still remembered every moment with her in detail. She was my first crush... I could even say she was my first love. Yes, I loved her. And though I was young and naive, I still chose to believe what I felt was love.

When I saw her, my heart threatened to leave my chest. I never thought I'd see her again... But yet there she was, and she didn't remember me. And me being the coward that I was never told her because I was too afraid. Instead, I decided to start anew, thinking maybe she'd like me better if she got to know me again.

"Honey?" My mother's voice disrupted my thoughts. She gave me an irritated look. She had probably been trying to get my attention for a while, but I was too preoccupied to notice.

"Yes?", I replied, showing a fake smile to hide what I was feeling inside. She gave me an expecting look, like she wanted me to say something. I looked around the room, as if I could find a sign of what my mom wanted me to say somewhere.

After a while she realized I had no idea what she'd said and repeated herself. "I suppose you and Jianna know each other from school, right?"

Jia

I choked on my drink and nearly spilled it when I heard what Anthony's mom said, and I suddenly realized something that I somehow hadn't noticed before. The name of Anthony's mother's company is Breslin Tech... Anthony... Anthony Breslin.

He had been one of my best friends in high school. We became friends when he stood up for me when I was being mistreated by some girls at school. After that, he pretty much became my 'hero'. After that one time that he defended me, no one ever dared to bother me again. He stuck around me all the time, making everyone else too intimidated to even attempt to mess with me. He also helped me open up to others and make friends. I always knew I could trust him when I needed him. Unfortunately, I lost contact with him, as well as all my other friends when I left school. And now, six years later, he was sitting right next to me.

"Oh, yes, of course," Anthony replied to his mother. I just stared at him, still processing everything and wondering how I hadn't noticed before. I suddenly felt sick. I felt as though my feelings were mixing together and forming an unpleasant concoction inside of me, churning in my stomach. Now that I knew Anthony was the same person who once had a such a special place in my heart, I had no idea how to feel.

I took a moment to look at Aiden, whose light brown eyes were wide in shock and confusion. I knew he was wondering why I hadn't told him that I knew Anthony, but the truth was, I hadn't realized that until now.

I spent most of dinner time looking at Aiden, ignoring the food that sat in front of me, and anxiously waited for everything to be over so I could give him an explanation. Mrs. Breslin noticed this and cleared her throat, her eyes shooting at my dad expectingly. He quickly gave me a look that made it feel as if his gaze could burn a hole right through me. I immediately shifted my eyes from Aiden to my plate of food, not knowing how else to react.

I picked at my food, unable to eat because of the sick feeling I was getting from the stress and anxiety that was taking over my mind. I didn't listen to the conversations going on around me, too lost in my own thoughts to pay attention. I kept reminding myself that the fact that Anthony was an old friend didn't change anything, and I still had to find a way to get myself out of this.

I snapped back to reality when Mrs. Breslin's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you alright, dear? You've been spaced out this whole time." I nodded, knowing well that I shouldn't say what was on my mind. It wasn't the time nor the place to do so. Her lips formed a pleased smile, and she continued. "We were discussing the wedding, in case you weren't listening. You'll be going to find a dress soon, and I will accompany you. What a wonderful way to bond with your future mother-in-law, isn't it?"

I noticed Aiden from the other side of the table. He sat there quietly, a blank expression on his face. I knew it must've been hard to sit through that whole conversation. Aiden wasn't the kind of person to always speak his mind and usually liked to keep things to himself, but I could tell from the way he was biting his lip that he had a lot to say, and holding back wasn't the easiest task.

Seeing Aiden sit there so patiently, keeping his cool although he was probably feeling the same mix of rage, fear, and disappointment as I was... It made me do something I didn't even expect myself to do.

I looked at Mrs. Breslin dead in the eye, a fake smile painted on my face. "Actually... I'm sorry to inform you that won't be happening. I don't plan on marrying your son, or getting married at all any time soon. I will get married to whom I want, when I want to. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going upstairs."

I stood from my chair, turning my back to the wide eyes and gaping mouths of the now speechless people who sat at the table. I pushed open the doors of the dining room and walked out with my chin up and my chest high, radiating confidence although on the inside, I was afraid of the consequences I knew would follow my act of bravery.

||Author's Note: I know this is short as well, but it's a continuation of the last part of this chapter. I decided to split chapter nine into two so that I wouldn't keep you guys waiting for too long while I worked on it. I hope you guys enjoyed it!! Also, I'm not sure but I feel like this is my most well-written chapter so far. Maybe it's because I was just reading one of my favorite books (The Gender Game by Bella Forrest) and I'm feeling inspired O_o||