One sunny morning, I looked up and felt the warmth of the sun grazing against my skin. Crowd cheering, bustling chatters, laughters and cries can be heard. "Right, it's my graduation day. I'm finally going to college. " I muttered to myself.
"Nyx come here! Let's take a photo together!" Samantha, happily clinged to me while taking a picture of us.
"Congratulations Nyx on your graduation!" Samantha's father offered his hand, I shooked it as I smiled.
"Thank you Mr. Gibbson. Congratulations too, Samantha did great graduating as school valedictorian." I can see Samantha's proud face, filled with happiness and confidence.
"My Samantha is such a hardworking girl." A beautiful woman emerged from the crowd, caressing Samantha's cheek.
"Hello Mrs. Gibbson, you're right! She's such a hardworking student." I replied to her with a bright smile. Being proud of my best friend's achievement.
"I should be working my hardest, because if I don't, me and Nathan won't be together." Samantha, with her sweetest smile, looked towards Nathan who's holding a bouquet of flowes. He walked towards her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He greeted the Gibbson couple and smiled at me.
"Congratulations Nyx." A brief greeting, with awkwardness still lingering between us.
"T-Thanks." I forced a smile to keep the mask on. I bid my goodbye, and headed towards my family.
"There you are! Took you long enough to show up." My brother Xavier wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Then, slightly pinched my cheek.
"Hey!" I stomped on his foot and he grunted.
"That hurts." He exclaimed grinning.
"Congratulations my daughter, you're college life is up ahead." My father embraced me in his arms.
"Thanks papa." I embraced him back smiling.
"Congratulations my little troublemaker." My mother joined us and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks mama." I savored their embrace, since not all the time I get to have it. My sister Xanayah, came forward and handed me a red envelope. I grinned and hugged her.
"Money, money, money!" I exclaimed. Xanayah just giggled.
"I know you prefer that than having a bouquet."
"Of course! Flowers will just wither, money won't!"
"You money face." Xavier won't let an opportunity pass for us not to bicker.
"You bug!"
"You insect." Our parents just sighed on the always bickering children they had.
"Enough you two." Xanayah stepped in between us. Xavier and I looked at each other and grinned.
"You fatty!" Both of us teasingly looked at Xanayah. Being the eldest, she's got to put up with her annoying sibblings. Our father hit us on the head to warn us.
"Ouch!" We just all laughed at the silliness weve caused. Xanayah laughed the loudest because she knew that out father's on her side. My parents bid their goodbyes to the people they know, and went to a restaurant to celebrate my graduation. Before going , I looked at Samantha and waved at her. Nathan saw me waving yet he ignored me. Samantha knew nothing about what happened. The reason for the distance and akwardness we had. She's doesn't have the slightest idea about it.
When I read her message that night, the heartbreak I felt was so deep. I cried all night, while responding as happily as I can to her. The next day, she didn't stop talking about it. I tried my very best to keep her from noticing anything. Deep inside me, I questioned myself. "Why can't it be me? Did I do the right thing introducing her to Nathan? Did I stand a chance in the first place?" Those questions lingered everytime.
"Nyx, do you think Nathan will confess to me?" I can see in her flushed face just how much she's into Nathan.
"W-Well, what did he say when he kissed you?"
"He said, he'll get to know me even more "
"Oh, then you're not officially together yet?"
"I don't know, but the fact that he kissed me meant something right?"
"Of course, Nathan isn't the type of guy who plays with someone's heart." I assured her.
"Nyx--- I'm so happy!" She hugged me tightly, I can feel her heartbeat racing. She's definitely in love with Nathan.
When I got home, Xavier noticed my change. Even if he started teasing me, I don't have the slightest energy to argue back. Without my knowledge, he called Nathan. Asking him to come, but Nathan declined, saying his got plans. Samantha texted me again, informing me of their dates. How Nathan would hold her hand, opened the door for her, treated her like a princess. Knowing everything they're doing even though I don't want to ached a lot. I just responded briefly yet enough to keep her from noticing anything. After a few weeks of dating, Samantha broke the news.
"We're official! Kyaaaaaa!" Her squeal's so high pitched that it's deafening.
"Wow! Congratulations!" I acted as if I'm hapoy hearing the news. But my heart finally shattered. Her phone rang and bid her goodbye immediately. For sure, it was Nathan. I looked down on the classroom window, where I can see the school gate, waiting for Samantha to emerge. There they were, hugging on the road, Nathan on his back, giving her a kiss, and gently putting the helmet on her. I didn't looked away. I savored the pain, and said to myself. "This is where I ket go of this unrequited feelings. I'll truky be happy for them." I sighed, packed my things, and head home.
I thought everything was okay now, I finally accepted that Nathan and Samantha were meant for each other. But the universe got other plans. Just two weeks before the graduation, he suddenly appeared at our house. Messy hair, the smell of alcohol, and his never ever changing smile everytime he greeted me. That's the Nathan I saw while opening the door.
"H-Hi Nyx." He smiled, but something was different. I invited him in and offered him water.
"What brings you here? My brother isn't home as of the moment. My parents are out too and Xanayah's sleeping ."
"I'm not here for either of them. Nyx, can you call Samantha?" I'm confused by the way he's acting.
"Samantha's your girlfriend, why do I need to call her?" Out of annoyance I blurted out . He looked at me, confused at my reaction.
"Well---" he sighed.
"Something happened?" I asked, worried.
"Her parents stopped her from seeing me." He burried his face in his palms, restless.
"I don't blame them. Samantha changed drastically ever since she's dated you. Even her parents called one evening asking where she was." He looked at me, I saw how desperate he was to know what may have caused the problem.
"She didn't say anything to me "
"That's because, she doesn't want to worry you. But she's still working so hard at school. Making sure she's not getting behind." I assured him.
"Then it's me right? I'm the problem."
"It depends on how you see yourself in this situation." I patted his back. "Let me call her." I grabbed my phone and dialed her number. But her parents answered instead. I put the call on speaker mode to let Nathan hear it too.
"Hello, Samantha?"
"Nyx I'm sorry but Samantha can't answer your call right now." A woman's voice answered on the other end.
"Oh, good evening Mrs. Gibbson. May I know the reason why? If it's okay?."
"Did you know that she had a boyfriend? 8 years older tha her!" There's a hint if anger in her voice.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Gibbson, I do know that she's in a relationship with someone." I could hear her deep sighs.
"Nyx, you and Samantha are just 17. I never thought you'd let her stray away." With that Samantha's nother hanged up the phone. Nathan's face dimmed, I could see the pain in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Nathan, seems like Samantha's grounded." I put my phone down and sat beside him. Silence filled the room, the ticking of the clock, and the sighs he let out every now and then. I didn't offer him comfort at all. I don't want to step into something I'm not able to fall back. I let him go through it all alone. It was getting late, he came at 7 PM and now it's 11. In those hours, only silence lingered.
"Aren't you going home? Or you're staying?"
"Oh, it's this late already? Then, I better head home now."
"Okay." I limited my interactions with him, as briefly as possible. Nathan noticed the distance I kept between us. I don't know if it's because he's drunk, or desperate, he pinned me down the sofa, and deliberately kissed me. I felt my body burning, not with passion but my blood boiling. I resisted as much as I could, but to no avail. His kiss went deeper, and I did my best to dodge it. I kicked around trying to atleast loosen his grip. I cried, I begged, but he didn't stop. His kiss went down my neck, now that my mouth's free I screamed! Xanayah, woken up by it hurried down the stairs. Witnessing what Nathan was doing, she dashed towards him, separating him from me. She pushed him away, and Nathan lost his balance, fell down the floor. Somehow, he sobered up, realizing what he'd done to his bestfriend's sister. Xanayah angrily, sweared at him. She hugged me tightly and called Xavier. Upon hearing what happened, he rushed back home. Nathan, didn't leave. He asked for forgiveness over and over again. I cried my heart out, trembling. Xanayah tried calming me down, as we waited for Xavier to arrive. Nathan still frozen in his place, not moving an inch, also waited for my brother's arrival.
Not too long, Xavier arrived, furious. He went straight to Nathan and beat him up. His punches were unrestrained.
"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY SISTER!!" He kept punching him, but Nathan just accepted it. His face badly injured, nose bleeding and cracked lips. When Xavier calmed down a bit, he figured Nathan wasn't fighting back nor resisting. He left him on the floor, and walked towards me. I hugged him tightly, and he did as well. He assured me that Nathan will never step foot inside the house again. And won't let him get close to me.
"I-I'm s-s-sor-ry----" even if he's badly injured, he tried to sit back up. Seeing this, my brother helped him. He wanted to know why he did it. But there's no way he could get that answer for Nathan passed out. Xavier took him to the hospital, being asked by what happened to the patient, he made an alibi.
"I found him passed out on the way home." Since there were no evidence, the hospital decided to wait for the patient to gain consciousness. I told him not to tell anyone about what happened. Even our parents doesn't know something like that happened inside the house. Inside me, I wanted to know what drove him into doing what his done. I knew trauma has taken it's place inside my heart, but I chose to believe that this can be settled peacefully. I don't wanna see Samantha's efforts go down the drain. Maybe Xavier and Nathan's friendship can't be mended, and everything will be different than before. I just hoped that, Nathan could stand back up and pay for what he did to me by carrying that guilt in his heart forever.
It took 2 days for Nathan to be fully conscious, his alcohol intoxication was so high, together with injuries he got from being beaten up by my brother. The doctors asked him what happened, but he insisted on calling Xavier first before he gave his testimonies. The doctor did just that and called my brother, he went to rhe hospital and there, their eyes met, but my brother doesn't see him as a friend anymore. Nathan felt it, but he can't blame him for acting that way. Before anyone could ask anything, Nathan asked my brother what he said to the doctors upon arriving at the hospital.
"I told them you passed out on the way home." He coldly stared at Nathan, his hands inside his pockets.
"I see." Nathan just briefly replied, he didn't dare meeting Xavier's eyes. The doctors came in, with two police officers. My brother wasn't even fazed seeing them. Like he's waiting for Nathan to spill the beans. But he didn't.
"I just remembered going home, I had a drink that night, so everything's blurry. I felt a ear tingling from the sudden pain. And when I woke up, I'm here." He said without even batting an eye.
"Good thing your friend found you." The police officer pointed to Xavier.
"Yes, it was.---- Sir, have you found my wallet and phone yet?. Nathan asked. Confused by Nathan's question, Xavier just watched the play Nathan starred in unfold.
"We only found the wallet, this was taken from a man not far away from the place you went to before passing out. He was arrested, yesterday but he claims he didn't beat anyone. Well, he has a record of being mentally ill. This case of theft and physical injury eill be filed against him." The police officers went away. Nathan's case was now dismissed just like that.
"Perfect alibis, seems like the universe is on your side. Why didn't you just say, I'm the one who beat you up. So I can proudly say, I did------- Why did you do it Nathan?" He angrily leaned closer to Nathan, making sure he saw how furious he was.
"I'm sorry Xavier, I was so out of it. I can't blame you for being angry at me. Please let me talk to Nyx."
"Talk to her?! You shameless guy! She was trembling, crying, begging you to stop. If Xanayah wasn't there, God knows how far you'll assault Nyx!"
"I can't say anything to defend myself, but please tell her I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have let you go near here the very first time. Even now, she chosed to forgive you, she begged me not to report what happened. And I did. And it seems that you caught on."
"That's why I asked you first, on what you've said that happened. It's true my wallet was stolen that night, my phone? I threw it impulsively. The stories align, and I knew Nyx said something to you. You're not the type to hold back, and me beeing beaten up by you is evidence of it."
"So you knew?" Nathan paused for a moment, let out a sigh
"Yes, I knew that Nyx was into me."
"Y-You!" Xavier, barely holding back, left the hospital room abruptly. Nathan upon realizing what he'd done, didn't have the courage to face Nyx ever again. Him wanting to see her to ask for forgiveness was deliberate, to show Xavier he didn't meant to hurt his sister.
Nathan, being in the hospital seemed to work his way. Samantha was finally allowed to continue his relationship with him. And I was the first one to know that she,threatened her parents to commit suicide if they'll not allow her to date Nathan. So they compromised, asking her to not let dating affect her school. It did paid off, coz she graduated as class valedictorian. She proudly informed me of her working threats towards her parents. But I wasn't happy at all. Their relationship continued, I decided to act like nothing happened infront of her. Acted okay infront of my family. I even showed Nathan that I'm not affected the slightest, that I'm okay, that he's forgiven. And that made him full of guilt, awkward, and kept his distance away from me. It's like I did something wrong instead. But I moved forward, with a chipped heart.