Chapter 2: CHAPTER TWO

Angel's POV.

A deep sigh slid past my lips as I lay in bed. Life may not be going as I wanted, but at least I had the comfiest bed and an even better-looking room to make up for it. After the little exchange between Uncle Russo, me, and the mysterious lady, he'd offered to show me around the house, but not without taking me to my room first.

It looked nothing less than a hotel room, but even better. The ceiling-high windows gave the perfect view of the city down below and I could already imagine the city lights twinkling in the distance. If I wanted something more natural, then the garden just underneath was the perfect spot.

Another sigh slid past my lips as I turned to my side. It'd been hours since I unpacked and now there was literally nothing to do. There was one thing that threatened to make its way into my mind, but I continuously pushed it down. I'd survived the most part of the day without having to think about them and the unfortunate incident so I was sure I could keep up with it for a little longer. If I went ok like that, that is making deliberate efforts to try to forget them, then it would happen in no time, right? Definitely.

I hoped.

A small buzz was all it took to get my eyelids to shoot up again. I hadn't realized how sleepy and tired I was until I was practically dozing off. If my phone hadn't picked this exact moment to ring, then I would have been well on my way to sleepy town. I patted the bed a couple of times till the tip of my fingers traced the cool exterior of my phone. With my back on the mattress, I picked up my phone and switched it on. The moment I did, someone's caller ID flashed on my screen.

I jerked up to a sitting position at the sight of who was calling. Call it shock or whatever, bit even in a million years, I never saw him calling me again.

What did he want? What was he trying to prove? Hadn't he done enough already? Was he calling so he could torture me all the more?

While a million and one questions ran around in my head and mind, I was vaguely aware of the buzzing phone in my grip. He had called for a total of three times now, and that didn't look like it was going to be the end of it.

What was I supposed to do now? Was I supposed to pick it up? If yes, what was I going to say?

I inhaled and exhaled a couple more times before finally picking up the call.

“Hello?” I called out softly. While I waited for a response, I muttered a quick prayer to the goddess that the call really wasn't real. Perhaps I was jet lagged and my mind was beginning to play tricks on me, I would take that explanation over James calling me over and over again any day. “James?”

“Finally.” His voice filtered in through my ear and I winced. “I've been trying to reach you all day and you haven't been picking up.”

“You have?” A glimmer of hope fluttered in my chest. If he really had been trying to get a hold of me then it meant it was important right? What if he was calling to ask for my forgiveness? Was he trying to get me back? “I didn't…”

“I actually wanted to ask you something.” He cut me off. “I wanted to ask if …”

“Come on baby.” Someone purred in the background and I froze. The voice I'd just heard wasn't all that loud, but I'd heard it quite well and even if I'd just woken up from a coma, I could easily tell whom it belonged to. “Come back to the bed, Jamie. I miss you.”

I pressed my eyes shut. Heather's words were more than enough to bring back the memory I'd been trying so desperately to forget. Flashes of Heather and James replayed in my mind and I winced all the more.

“Angel?” James' voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.” My throat was parched and my voice hoarse. I blinked back a couple of times, willing the tears to stay at bay. The last thing I wanted was for the both of them to hear me cry. “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

“I really don't want you to see this the wrong way.” She started, before pausing again. Whether he'd done it for the sole reason of being dramatic, or he wanted to know if he was carrying me along, I really didn't care. Whatever he wanted to ask, he needed to get it over with. “ But, can I get your permission? I want to make Heather my girlfriend officially and I wouldn't want you to feel bad if you found out elsewhere. And since you both are best friends, I wanted to know if you were okay with it?”

Wait, what?

“Angel?” James called out to me again. It was a faint blur, but I'd heard him clearly anyway. “Are you okay?”

I was not. But there was no way I could tell him that. His last question had ticked off even more questions and thoughts running through my mind. My head buzzed as I struggled to wrap my head around what he'd just said. Did he really mean that? So the main reason he'd been calling me was to ask for my permission to make Heather his girlfriend, after they'd both cheated on me and got caught? Where the hell was his shame? Did he even have any?

“Angel look.” James sighed and I could swear I heard Heather snicker in the background. “I really don't want you to feel bad or something…”

“You're a jerk, James!” I cut him off, yelling at the top of my voice. “You're a fucking bastard too!”

“You see.” Heather didn't mind hiding her laughter this time around. “I told you she wouldn't take it well, she is a psychopath didn't I tell you?”

“You're one to talk, Heather.” I turned to her immediately. I wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with me. I never lashed out and neither did I use those kinds of vulgar words, but I was way past caring at this point. Perhaps it was the anger stemming from James' audacity, but whatever it was, it was too late to start thinking about it and trying to figure it out. “I'm a psychopath? Well what would you call a betrayer like you?”

“Angel, you need to calm down….”

“No!” I cut him off. For equal measure, I shook my head vehemently. “I will not and neither will I let you feed me with such bullshit. What were you trying to achieve by this? Do you think you're really smart by trying to play this trick on me?”

“No, James. You're not.” I continued. “You’re the dumbest person I've ever met and dated and I regret every single moment with you. If I were to go back in time then rest assured that I would avoid you with every fiber of my being. In case I haven't told you this before, I hate you. I hate you so damn much I wish a truck would run into you. I hate you so much I wish you would swallow a whole pint of acid.”

“Angel….”

“Fuck you, James!” I spat. “And fuck you too Heather!”

Without waiting for so much as a response from them, I ended the call immediately. Anger bubbled up inside me as I stared at the phone. A mixture of emotions bloomed in my chest and I was able to recognize them as anger and hurt.

How could they? How could they do this to me? First, they broke me into shambles and now they were asking for permission? To date? What the hell did I look like to them? A fool they could just play with any time they wished? Was I some sort of human toy they kept for their own amusement?

“Argh!” I let out a frustrated yell. Without giving it too much thought, I slammed my phone into the nearest wall. A loud this filled the room as the gadget scattered into a million pieces. Thanks to the neon lights that were occasionally switching colors, it was a tad bit hard to see the actual damage that had been done.

Even I didn't need a shaman to know that the phone was gone. It was beyond repair and I wasn't sure I was bothered. If I didn't have a phone how else could they contact me? As the broken pieces of my phone's screen twinkled underneath the light, I battled the urge to cry. I could already feel the tears winning the tug of war. All I needed was just one more tiny push and I would snap.

I hadn't cried in a while, so maybe that was what I needed at the moment. Without giving it so much as a single thought, I stormed out of the room. Thanks to Uncle Russo's tour earlier today, it was a piece of cake locating the pool. The wide pool glistened underneath the moonlight when I got there. The water was clear and I could already feel the relaxation coming from dipping myself inside it.

I was just at the edge and was about to rid myself of my clothes when something crept into my mind. It was a thought, one I didn't know I still had nestled in my heart.

It'd been a while ago, but thinking about it still made my heart hurt.

James and I had gone swimming and I'd wanted to hop in with my clothes, just like now, until he'd made a comment.

“You're too boring you know.” His voice echoed in my head. “What happened to being spontaneous? You should try it sometime. There's nothing exciting about you and you know it, so you shouldn't be bothered if I cheat on you with your best friend.”

I scoffed, pushing the memory out of my mind. Since he wanted someone spontaneous, he had her now. Shrugging off the thought one more time, I stripped myself of my dress and underwear, before jumping into the pool.

A shiver raced down my spine as the water came in contact with my skin. A couple of seconds passed before I got used to the temperature. I allowed myself to float on the water for a bit before moving my limbs. I went in circles, allowing the water to splash onto my face and body. When I'd had my fill, I swam to the edge. With my hands on the edge of the pool, I finally allowed the tears to flow freely, alongside James' hurtful words swirling around in my head.