Chelsea's POV
“Chelsea, are you done? We are all packed up and ready to leave.” I heard mom say as she shouted to me through the space in the window sill. Her voice was audible and loud, directly jolting me out of my thoughts.
I looked at the photograph in my hand for one more moment before looking at the still half packed suitcase lying on my bed. I pursed my lips and clenched my fists tightly, wrinkling the photograph into a scrap.
I took a deep breath and tried to adjust my emotions.
“Dummy. He has chosen what he wants. Why are you still so hung up on him?” I chided myself and stood up from my kneeling position. I dropped the photograph on the bed and walked towards my half emptied closet.
The person in the photograph was my boyfriend, Chris…
Or should I say, ex-boyfriend?
We broke up a week ago. It was after my father's company was declared bankrupt and we were no longer part of the aristocratic family in New York any longer.
My father had signed a partnership contract with a company. But, it turned out to be a scam and we lost all our funds. The company then had to declare bankruptcy.
We were penniless and stranded. The bank raided all our properties and seized them all to pay for the companies loans. The rest of the properties my dad had hidden were also sold to pay for the loans he owed other people.
I was at my lowest moment. It all happened so abruptly and unexpectedly. I just slept one day and overnight I wasn’t the daughter of the rich jewelry mogul any longer. I needed someone to confide in.
I had gone to look for Chris one of those days. But in the end, I even got a bigger shock.
I caught Chris cheating on me with my best friend. It was so shocking and terrible. It hurt deeply and I felt extremely hurt seeing the two people I trusted having an affair behind my back.
But, none of them felt remorseful of their actions. Instead, they had mocked me as a fallen heiress.
It was then I realized what I was to both of them. They might have been together way back but didn't dare to go public because everyone knew she was my friend.
Everyone I thought was in my friend circle no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. Under their easy and fake smiles, I could see the sneers underneath. The contempt they held for me was quite visible.
Several days had passed since the announcement. But, I had seen quite a lot to prove that to them I was nothing but a fallen heiress. Someone below their statuses. The messages in the group chat as they discussed what they heard.
What they thought about me. As though, they had no idea I was still in the group chat.
I was no longer a socialite. I had lost my worth. And it hurt to know that the only worth I had to other people was my wealthy background. And now that I lost everything, they all turned their backs.
It hurt like no other thing.
But, I had to stay strong.
I had to be strong for myself and my family. They are the only one I've got after everything that happened. It was just a phase. And we would all get over it.
Since then, I tried to keep my sorrow to myself. I didn’t let anyone know and I tried my best to pull myself up from crumbling. After all, I knew my parents were having it worse than I was. I couldn’t let them worry.
But, I knew well enough from the emptiness in my heart that I hadn’t gotten over the incident. Nor, had I healed from the betrayal.
“Chelsea.” I suddenly heard my elder brother, Jasper's voice at the door. Then, there was a light knock on the door.
I immediately jolted from my thoughts. I shook my head lightly seeing that I hadn’t progressed much in packing at all. I was lost in thought and forgot that I was meant to be packing my luggage.
We were leaving New York that day. Our house had been seized and almost everything in it had been placed up for auction. We were leaving for Seattle. Apparently, my grandma once had a cottage there and it was still in stable condition.
My parents felt that it was the best option for us as we all needed to change environments. And, I couldn’t prove them wrong because we did need a breath of fresh air to tend to our empty hearts.
Although, I was unsure how the place was like, I anticipated leaving like no other thing. I couldn’t wait to leave NYC where a lot of people knew me. Where I would be occasionally mocked and I would have to face several criticisms.
I admit I was indeed a coward. But, there was nothing else I could do at that moment. I could no longer stand the harsh reality and all I wanted to run away. Far away from it.
“Chelsea, are you okay?” I suddenly heard Jasper's panicked voice, zapping me out of my thoughts. I immediately glanced at the closed door and nearly gave myself a slap.
I had forgotten that my brother was at the door. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I kept getting lost in thoughts recently.
I walked towards the door and turned the door knob. The door immediately sprang open with a click.
Almost immediately, a tall figure burst into the room. Jasper rushed to me and enveloped me in a hug. I stilled in his arms, unable to react.
I was taken aback by his sudden reaction. After all, I couldn’t figure out why he suddenly burst into my room and hugged me.
But, I also reached out to hug him back and patted him carefully. My palm only reached his middle back though. He was very tall and my head only reached his shoulder.
At 5 foot 11, he was quite tall for a 12 grader. He was in fact, the tallest in his class. He played basketball and unsurprisingly, had quite broad muscles.
With a wavy brownish hair, a tall and endowed figure and a fairly handsome face most high school students adore, he was the most popular boy in school.
He lifted my chin, looking me over with a panicked expression on his face. He seemed very worried.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” He asked as he turned around a little to check me better.
Black lines appeared on my forehead as I looked at him quietly. I was unable to figure out why he was acting that way.
“What happened?” I asked.
He finally sighed, turned around and slumped in my bed. He reached out to brush his hand in his hair.
He always does that whenever he’s frustrated.
I’m even more confused seeing him act that way. He soon revealed why he’s acting so odd though.
He looked at me and pursed his lips. “I was worried you cut or hurt yourself.”
I looked at him in puzzle. “Why would I do that?”
“I’ve been knocking and calling your name for some time now. I simply panicked when you didn’t answer. I thought you were too depressed about the breakup and hurt yourself.”
I stilled.
Immediately, I turned to him. My eyes widened as I looked at him and even my voice betrayed how shocked I am. “You know Chris and I have broken up?”
But, I didn’t want anyone to know. I had hidden it quite well.
He nodded. “I only got to know yesterday. I saw Chris and Mona kissing at the get together party that was held at the frat. I was furious and went up to challenge him. But he told me you two already broke up.”
I felt a pang in my chest as I listened to him. My heart constricted and I felt as though it was been squeezed tightly. It was a very painful feeling.
They were already been public.
I fisted my hands tightly. I knew I hadn’t gotten over the breakup yet. It was even more evident in the way my heart pricked whenever I heard about the two.
I knew I was not supposed to let myself feel that way. But, I was helpless about it.
However, I didn’t show any expression on my face.
I turned away from him and proceeded to grab clothes from my closet to fold into my suitcase. I muttered, “Oh.”
I tried to sound calm. But, I knew without anyone even telling me that I didn’t sound indifferent at all. Instead, I sounded choked as though I could burst into tears any moment longer.
Jasper also seemed to notice this for he looked at me deeply and said, “I know how much he means to you, Chels. If you want to cry, you can come to me. I’ll always be there for you, lil sis.”
He smiled. "Not because I'm trying to comfort you but, I've never really thought he was good for you."
I felt even more terrible at his words. My throat felt choked and I felt as though a fish bone was caught in my throat. I wanted to burst into tears. I wanted to cry loudly.
But, I didn’t want to be insensitive. Everyone was having it hard. I couldn’t add more to their problems.
For example, even if Jasper was acting calm as though he was fine, I knew he must have suffered more ridicule than I did. After all, he was the school hunk and a lot of other boys were jealous of the way the girls adored him. They were bound to make a jest of him.
I shook my head and swallowed, taking a deep breath. Then, I replied, “I'm fine. It’s just a breakup. Not a big deal, at all.”
Jasper didn’t seem to believe me. But, he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he sighed helplessly and nodded.
“Alright. Just know I’m always here for you.”
Then, he stood up and took a look at the half packed suitcase. He grabbed two of the fully packed ones and said, “I'll take these to the car for you. But, you better hurry up before mom comes up looking for you.”
I nodded in understanding at his words. I seemed especially calm and steady.
But, the moment he walked out the door, I slumped onto the floor and burst into tears.