CHAPTER 33: EXPLANATIONS

The air is thick with tension, I can forgive but I cannot forget. He has secrets that I need to

know, that are important to know. He is sitting down, looking outside in a trance. "Isaac," I

mutter in the softest voice, his head snaps to me in an instant. "Why did you choose me?

Why? What is so special about me? Why me?" I whisper .

To everyone Amelia was the perfect child, she was beautiful, 'kind', smart, brave and she got

all of the attention. He lets out a breath of air and turns back to the view, the sun setting in

vibrant colours of pink and orange with a tinge of purple. "Because you are so beautiful,

inside and out. Did you know that we didn't just meet the day I claimed to be your fiancé?

We knew each other, Claudia. I had the biggest crush on you, there was a craving and an

obsession for you. You were always there for me, I remember when you were 8 and I was 11

and someone was teasing me, you stood brave and incredibly cute with your piggy tails. You

said something along the lines of, leave him alone- he's the nicest boy I've ever met. I

immediately fell in love with you. It's always been you, you clouded my mind, my soul and

my body- I couldn't get enough of you. Then you left one day, years later I find you and your

dad is coincidentally in debt to me. What better way to reunite with my one true love than

forcing a marriage?

I was stupid and it was wrong, I could've tried to make you fall for me the old classy way but I

needed you in an instant. No man could touch you if you were married to me. Do you

remember?" I gather my thoughts together with wide eyes. I KNEW HIM! This is some new

information to process. All I need to do is remember, remember. Remember now I sound like

Lydia from teen wolf.

"You've always loved me?" That's all I can say, that's all I've processed so far. He nods

slowly, "but why me? I'm not so great. Amelia is more beautiful than me," I duck my head,

he lifts my chin up; when did he stand up and walk over to me exactly?

"Why can everyone but you see how truely beautiful you are, inside and out? Amelia may be

attractive but you are the beautiful one, it has always been you. Okay?" I furrow my

eyebrows remembering something.

"Then why were you such an Ass hole to me whenever I needed you. You were never there

for me, Zac: I needed you so much but where were you?" I whisper in the most fragile voice.

"I-I didn't know how to react, okay? I didn't want you to know that I loved you. I wanted you to

be oblivious to my love, and at the time it seemed like a pretty great idea to say I had to go,"

he shakes his head and rubs his thumb across my top lip. "But I was stupid to think of such

an idea," he says lowly.

"You were," I whisper. "All I wanted was for you to comfort me, to tell me that everything

would be okay soon. I don't understand anything. Why did this happen so suddenly? Why

did they suddenly hate me?" He sighs and shrugs, reaching up to run a hand through my

locks. It gets caught along the way, in the deep mass of curls and I try not to laugh. That is

why you never run your hand or a hair brush through my hair.

"If I knew I'd tell you, but I don't know. Now, isn't it time for you to go to school?" I used to be

excited by the idea of school, but now I'm not so sure. Now school is just a memory of my

dad abusing me.

||

"How's your arm feeling?" Carter gestures towards the cast that has been signed by

numerous people whom I like. Some people who I hate have asked to sign it but I just say no

or walk away without answering them.

"Better," I shrug looking at the blue cast. A silence passes through us, I break it,"so how

have y'all been without me?" I chuckle dryly.

Aaliyah gives me a sad smile and places a hand on my shoulder while Joey sighs, "it hasn't

been good. Everyone was talking about it you know? Some people say that they saw you

jump out of the car." I look at the ground for a brief moment then look back up at them.

"And others are calling you a fake because of the arranged marriage-" Carter clamps a hand

over her mouth, but I shrug at him.

"It's true isn't it? I'm fake because I lied to everyone, I lied saying Isaac and I actually loved

each other when we didn't. We lied to everyone," I sit down at the bench and stare ahead of

me. "Everyone's talking about it, you can't protect me from their harsh words. Look at all of

them, staring at me, silently judging me for a choice that I didn't even get to make. That's

what people do and I have to get over it, you won't always be there to protect me," I rub my

eyes tiredly.

"We know that... we'd just like to think that we can protect you but we can't, it sucks that we

can't protect our best friend," Aaliyah hugs me tightly. I smile softly and nod, "but we will

always try Claudia, no matter what happens we will try."

"Thank you," I whisper softly.

A teacher stops in front of where we are sitting and looks at me, "your mother is here to see

you Claudia." The old lady stares me down, waiting for me to make a move.

My mother is here.