A Revenge He Regrets

AVA

I had no idea how I thought I would feel after the whole ordeal, but it definitely wasn't the guilt that settled in the pit of my stomach. It raced up my spine and crept into my veins, like it was trying to make my body it's new permanent abode. I tried everything I could to make it go away, but nothing seemed to be working.

Kye didn't make it any easier. His words echoed in my ears, even long after he'd disappeared.

"Good girl." The beginning part of his sentence had lit up something in me, but all it took for that same fire to die down were the words that followed after. "I would have given you a little something as a reward. A kiss, but last time I checked, I don't miss dumpsters."

A dumpster. That's what Kye saw me as. Nothing more and nothing less. Tears blurred the corner of my eyes, and if the hiccups that were slowly making their way up my throat meant anything, it was the fact that the waterworks were coming. I'd always had a hard time controlling my tears, but something told me this was going to be next to impossible. Even if I tried, I wasn't sure how long I would be able to hide it for.

I sat underneath the bleachers for a little while, as I allowed a couple of tear drops to stream down my face. It was weird to think about, but crying, even if it was for a little while, could elevate my mood.

The tears were already streaming down my cheeks before I could stop them. My vision blurred and I pressed my head into my thighs hoping to muffle the sound of my sobs. I wasn't sure if it was working or not, but I let my sobs echo all around me. For what seemed like forever, that was the only sound I could hear. I sounded pathetic, but it was the truth. A small part of me even thought the tears would wash away the tears, but all it did was make me more aware of my guilt.

When I realized it wasn't going to work this time, I got on my feet, before heading away from the bleachers. The school had cleared out by now, and I internally cursed myself for asking Asher to go home without me. From the looks of things, I was going to have to take the train back home, and heaven knows I didn't have it in me to talk to anyone right now, not even a random stranger asking for directions.

**********

"Ava?" The sound of my name echoed the moment I walked into the living room. It was mum and her smile widened the moment she laid eyes on me. "You didn't stay back to read today? Liam told me you left some things back at school."

I muttered dryly. As I made my way up the stairs, I caught a glimpse of Liam sprawled on the chair, and the gasp he let out echoed throughout the entire living room.

"Ava." He bolted to his feet. His eyes lingered on my face and I watched his expression morph into one of confusion. "Are you alright? You look .."

"Fine." I let out through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." He shook his head. I allowed him walk up to me, and just when I didn't expect it, he wrapped his hand around my wrist. "you're crying and your eyes are puffy. What's wrong? Did you get bullied in school? Or..."

"Back off." I cut him off with a snarl. "Stay away from me. Don't fucking speak to me again."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Mother was on her feet immediately. I half expected dad to rush out, but he didn't, so I figured he wasn't home. " What's wrong...."

"Nothing." I let out again. "I just want to be alone."

Without so much as waiting for their response, I bolted past Liam and raced up the stairs. I slammed the door to my room shut the moment I got in. Slowly, I pressed my back to the door, and as I slid to the ground, I didn't stop the tears from flowing this time.

My vision blurred as I sobbed into my palms, but it didn't stop mum or Liam from banging at my door.

Liam was shocked, but he didn't push it any further. Why couldn't he see that I wanted nothing to do with him? He'd been trying to talk to me since forever, and I didn't want a part in it. He made me go to the party. He made me kiss Kye, and now Kye had dirt on me that he would probably hang over my head till the end of my life.

My eyes caught the mirror hanging on the wall and I didn't miss how tear stained my face was. My eyes were puffy and red rimmed and all thanks to that, I think it was safe to say I hated him. Both Kye and Liam. As I stared at my reflection, I could already make out the hurt and heartbreak my parents would feel if they ever came across that video.

I could already make out the disappointment in their voices, and how broken they would be. They had so much faith in me, and yet, I'd done something disastrous behind their backs.

The thought didn't leave my mind, even as u decided to wash up. I spent a little more time than necessary bathing, but deep down, I knew that no matter how hard I scrubbed, nothing was going to change the fact that I was guilty and filthy too.

I wasn't sure how I was able to get through with the rest of the day and how long it took before they stopped banging at my door, but before long, it was dinner time.

"So Ava.' mum spoke up a couple of minutes into her meal. "How was school today?"

"Fine." I didn't feel like talking, but it would be even harder to explain why, so I stuck to my lie instead. "School today was fine."

"Just fine?" Dad chuckled, and mum mirrored his smile. "where's our princess who loves to talk about chemistry all the time?"

It was an inside joke, but I didn't dare lift the corner of my lips.

"Are you okay, dear?" It was dad again. This time his voice was sifter, and I didn't miss the concern pooling in his eyes. "You don't look pretty okay to me."

"I'm fine" I felt bad for making them worry, so I added. "I just failed a test in school today, and I read so hard for it."

"Is that all?" His hand found mine from across the table. "it's okay to fail once in a while, the important thing is that you get back up again."

"Thanks dad."

"And remember," he wasn't done yet. "If something is ever bothering you, I want you to remember that you can always talk to us about it. Always."

His words echoed in my ears. Did he really mean that? And could I really tell them about kye and all he was making me do? I raised my eyes to their faces, and the amount of love I saw in them was enough to knock that silly idea out of my mind. They loved me so much, and even though they'd guaranteed nothing would change, I wasn't sure I could take them up on their offer.

"Thank you mum and dad" I gave them a small smile, one that hurt me deep inside. "I love you."

We continued to eat in silence after that, and once we were done and I'd cleared my plates, I made my way back to my room. The moment my head came in contact with the pillow, the tears started again. I cried myself to sleep, and even when Liam came by a couple of hours later, I ignored him still.

"Aves?" Liam's voice rang from the other side of the door. He knocked twice before continuing, but I doubted it was going to make a difference. "Are you still awake?"

I knew for a fact that I wasn't going to speak, but I didn't want to give him the impression that I was awake. With tears still burning my eyes, I pressed my face into my pillows,. hoping it would not only soak the liquid, but muffle my cries too.

"Ava." He called again. "You seriously can't be asleep now. Come on,open up."

I didn't move, but my tears continue to flow. I wasn't sure how long Liam stood out there for, but I knew it was a long time. By the time I got up to wash my face and blow my nose, he was long gone.

*****************

I wasn't sure how I'd managed to sleep through the rest of the night, but the fact that I went to school the next day, must have meant that I was stronger than I originally let on. While that might be a compliment to other people, it didn't sound like one to me. Today, all I wanted to do was get through the rest of the day without so much as a single hiccup.

Or so I thought.

I was walking down the hallway when I caught sight of something. No, scratch that, it was someone, and that someone was none other than Kye. We locked eyes for a second, and I couldn't help the fear that raced down my spine. I spun on my heels and tried to run, but I'd barely taken a step forward, when his voice echoed all around me.

"Ava" his voice was so deep it sent goosebumps racing on my skin. "Wait up."

I wanted to leave, to turn on my heels and run away from here, but I knew it was impossible, not when kye had forcefully made his way into my life. Instead of acting rash, I stood rooted to the ground. With each step he took in my direction, I felt myself shrinking away, but I muttered to myself that I wasn't scared of him.

"You're not scared of him, Ava." I muttered. "You're not scared. You can do this."

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you planned on skipping school today." He whispered the moment he stopped in front of me. I didn't miss the way his cologne wrapped around my nose. It was surprisingly sweet with a tangy aftereffect and a part of me craved more. "I got you a little something today. I left it in your locker."

"I want you to take it out and put it on." He whispered. "Then take a picture, just for me."

My eyes widened, but I wasn't sure if it was at his request, or the fact that people were staring at us now. It was one thing that shee was the school's nerd, but now, I was sure they would be having a number of thoughts going through their minds.

When had we become so close? Avd why was I whispering with the new guy?

"I can't, Kye." I whispered back. "I have a class, and it's a pretty important one too."

"I have a need, and wouldn't you say that's important too?* I swallowed visibly at his words. "You'll just have to choose which one is more important to you."

Like his words weren't traumatic enough, he just had to add.

"You have ten minutes."

I stared at him for a while, and the snug grin he wore only made things worse. Slowly, I made my way to my locker before pulling out the small bag in there. A part of me had thought that it was fake and he was just pranking me, but as I walked past him, I realized everything was real. I wasn't imagining any of this at all.

The bell rang the moment I walked into the bathroom, and before I pulled the dress out, I made sure to hang a warning sign outside the door. My eyes widened again when I realized the content of the bag. It was a lingerie set, and provocative too.

Was he insane? Why would he get me something like this?

I slipped into it anyway, and just as I was about to take a picture, I heard his voice from the other side of the door.

"I knew you would make the right choice." He was in the bathroom with me in no time. I struggled for words, but before that, I tried my level best to cover every part of my body with my hands.

"What are you doing here?" I didn't stop backing up, and under his heated gaze, you could as well say I was naked. "This is the girls bathroom in case you forgot. You shouldn't be in here."

"So?"

"I think you should leave." I shook my head. "Someone might see..."

"Isn't that the whole point?" His lips lifted in a smirk. "I can't wait any longer, and why would you put a sign out there, if you didn't want anyone coming in?"

He'd caught me, and I could only gulp to show just how cooked I really was.