"I can't believe Sissy is dating Matthew McCall," Deliah whispered in shock, her eyes fixed on her friends. She shook her head in astonishment. "Sissy can't date him! He's a bastard!"
Iris nodded, fully agreeing. "Did she not tell you anything about it?"
Deliah shook her head, thoroughly confused. "I don't understand. I thought Sissy despised him with a fiery passion. And now they're dating? Sissy doesn't give her heart to anyone so easily," she muttered. "I'm so confused."
Nancy tapped her chin, pondering the situation. "Well, we're not in her shoes, so it's hard to grasp what she's thinking. Let's trust that she knows what's best for herself," she advised.
The girls found themselves standing in the hallway after the incident, while Sarah and Matthew had already gone to class. Most of the students were too engrossed in the gossip to focus on their lessons, strolling slowly toward their classrooms even though they were already late.
"But did you see Alex?" Yvonne asked. "He looked absolutely furious. I wouldn't be surprised if he could've killed Matthew McCall right then and there."
Deliah nodded, a bit taken aback by Alex's intense reaction. However, she hadn't dwelled on it much as she was preoccupied with her sister's choice of boyfriend.
"Now that you mention it, yeah," Iris agreed. "It was really strange to see Alex react that way. I mean, they're friends and all, but the way he acted... He seemed betrayed or jealous. Did you see how he just threw Matthew to the floor? It made me flinch."
Deliah bit her lip and furrowed her brow. She recalled how Alex had asked about Sarah the first time they met, how Steve had sought out Alex when he wanted to break the news about Sarah dating Matthew. She remembered the crestfallen look on Alex's face when he saw Sarah with Matthew.
No, it wasn't just crestfallen. It was as if his life had been stolen from him.
"I think Alex is just concerned about Sissy," Deliah murmured slowly. "Just like I am."
"Yeah, but the rest of the Aerospace guys are also her friends, and they don't seem to react the same way," Nancy murmured thoughtfully. "And let's not forget that he took her to a classroom for a private talk. No one knows what they discussed."
Deliah gave her friends a skeptical look. "Are you trying to convince me that my sister and my boyfriend are cheating on me together?" she huffed. "That's impossible! Besides, Sissy just got a boyfriend, even if he's a jerk. It shows she isn't betraying me."
"We're not accusing them of anything," Yvonne reminded her. "We're just analyzing the situation. Maybe you should be a little cautious too."
"No need to," Deliah said, hugging her bag as they entered the classroom. "I trust Sissy completely."
Alex scowled at Matthew McCall as he joined them at the lunch table that day.
Sarah had chosen to sit with the Aerospace group after Philip used all his charm (and was now resting tiredly, being fed by Steve because it drained all his energy to persuade the headstrong Sarah). And now, Matthew McCall had come over from the other table with his friends to sit with Sarah as well.
The Aerospace boys didn't like Matthew one bit, but they didn't show it openly, except for Alex. He couldn't control the immense hatred he felt towards the guy who had won the heart of the girl he loved. He wanted to punch Matthew's face multiple times.
Deliah was sitting next to Alex, chatting cheerfully with her friends while the Aerospace boys attempted to make small talk with Matthew to avoid any awkwardness.
"So, Matthew," Henry cleared his throat, "when did you confess your feelings to Sarah? Why didn't we know about it?"
Matthew grinned at Sarah and slung his arm around her shoulders, accidentally causing her forehead to collide with his chin. She winced and rubbed her head, expressing her disgust.
Alex's hand twitched, and he forced it down, clenching his fists as he reminded himself not to react.
"I just started dating Sarah yesterday," Matthew said with a self-satisfied grin. "And guess what? She's totally into me! I can't even describe how happy I am!"
Brad felt a surge of nausea, and Nancy patted his back. "Aw, Cupcake, you can be cheesy like that sometimes too, you know."
Brad shot her a look. "I don't talk like that. And even if I did, I give off a different vibe, okay?" He playfully flicked her forehead. "Oh my god, he's such a liar..."
Unaware of the reactions around him, Matthew continued to boast, thrilled that his new girlfriend had brought him into the popular crowd. "You know, I think there's been something between me and Sarah for a while now. Remember how I was the only one who talked to her when she was shy and unnoticed?" he reminded everyone. "I've loved her ever since. Right, babe?"
Sarah nodded half-heartedly, trying to hide her disgust.
"If I remember correctly, you only talked to her when you were bored and wanted to insult someone," Alex muttered coldly. "If that's your idea of love, Matthew McCall, you've got a seriously messed-up way of showing it."
Matthew stared back at Alex, surprised by his open disapproval. "Whatever, I'm dating Sarah now, so deal with it." He rolled his eyes and pulled Sarah closer. Alex's eyebrows twitched, and he clenched his jaw tightly. "We're gonna be so happy together, aren't we, baby?"
Sarah felt stiff in his arms and desperately wanted to escape. She caught Alex's gaze and bit her lip, unable to meet his eyes. She regretted her decision so much, every single minute of it.
"Let go of her, Matthew," David intervened, removing Matthew's hand from Sarah's shoulder. "She needs to eat."
Sarah gratefully smiled at David and picked at her food without much enthusiasm, trying to play the role of a loving girlfriend. She felt Alex's eyes on her the whole time but didn't dare look up, knowing she wouldn't be able to look away if she did.
Deliah noticed Alex's gaze shifting towards Sarah and leaned closer to him, curious. "Honey, why are you staring at sissy?" she whispered.
Alex remained unfazed. "I think she has something on her face."
Perplexed, Deliah blinked at her sister and tilted her head. "Really? I don't see anything."
Inside, Alex silently analyzed Sarah's expression, convinced there was more to it.
*Sarah Johnson carries an air of regret. I'm determined to uncover the source of her self-inflicted misery.*
******
Meanwhile, Alex's attention shifted to Matthew, sprawled on the floor with a slight trickle of blood from his mouth, looking at him in disbelief. "What the heck, Alex?"
Caught up in the moment, Alex struggled to understand how things had escalated to this point. He felt a lack of control, as if his actions were beyond his own volition.
Although not possessive by nature, Alex couldn't bear to see someone like Matthew touching the woman he loved. Matthew didn't even deserve to be in Sarah's presence. It pained Alex deeply to see Sarah choosing Matthew as a means to avoid him.
The incident occurred after they had finished their meal.
As the group of Aerospace students discarded their food wrappers, getting ready to return to their classes, Matthew had spent the entire lunch period whispering sweet nothings into Sarah's ear. Sarah, in turn, had to force herself to smile and respond appropriately to his words.
However, Alex could sense that Sarah's behavior was forced. She appeared stiff and repulsed, longing to escape. And Alex, in turn, yearned to escape with her.
On their way back to class, Sarah walked while Matthew clung tightly to her, a position Alex would gladly take. Observing them from behind, Alex closely watched for any inappropriate actions from Matthew McCall.
His suspicions were confirmed. Matthew attempted to grab Sarah's hands, but she skillfully redirected his attention by pointing at something around them or crossing her arms to avoid his touch.
Initially, Alex found it somewhat amusing, proud of Sarah for asserting her boundaries with Matthew.
Unfortunately, Matthew couldn't resist trying a different approach.
Matthew McCall's irritation grew as his girlfriend refused to hold his hand. Frustrated, he decided to wrap his arm around Sarah's waist instead. Witnessing this, Alex's jaw dropped, and he had to physically restrain himself from charging forward.
But that wasn't the end of it.
As Sarah walked rigidly, trying to create distance between herself and Matthew, he audaciously moved his hand southward, caressing the top of her butt. Sarah yelped and quickly pulled away, but her respite was short-lived. Out of nowhere, Alex appeared and landed a forceful punch on Matthew's face, causing him to crumple to the ground with a bloody nose. And so, we found ourselves back where we started.
"What the hell, Alex?" Matthew growled, wiping his nose in frustration. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Sarah gasped, turning to Alex, who held her wrist tightly. "Don't you ever dare touch her with your filthy hands," Alex spat. "I don't care if she's your girlfriend or whatever. Sarah isn't someone you can casually grope in public. Keep your hands to yourself, or I'll personally ensure you won't lay a finger on anyone again."
Alex forcefully led Sarah away, swiftly walking back to class, leaving her in shock. Meanwhile, Matthew cursed and cleaned his bloody nose. "That guy needs to see a doctor. Who the hell does he think he is? Sarah's father?"
Deliah watched the entire scene unfold with a heavy heart. Could the rumors about Matthew be true? The ones her friends had warned her about?
"Sissy," Deliah knocked on Sarah's door. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Sarah nodded, typing away at her computer as usual. "What's up?"
Deliah sat down on Sarah's bed, studying her sister intently. "Sissy, I think you know what's going on," she sighed, giving Sarah a concerned look. "Why him, sissy? You hate him. We hate him. He's a complete bastard."
Sarah nervously bit her lip and glanced at her sister, contemplating her words. "I...I've decided to give him a chance," she murmured, shrugging slightly. "He claims that all the times he was mean to me, it was because he actually liked me and didn't know how to express it. He just wanted my attention."
"Your attention?" Deliah couldn't help but snort incredulously. "Sissy, that's not how you win someone's affection, and honestly, I don't buy his excuse. Please, reconsider going out with him. I'm worried he'll hurt you."
Sarah tried to reassure her sister, her voice filled with conviction. "He won't hurt me, Deliah. I'll take care of myself. Besides, shouldn't you be happy for me that I finally have a boyfriend?"
Deliah sulked and hugged a pillow tightly, her expression filled with concern. "Fine," she mumbled, gazing at the intricate patterns on the bedsheet, contemplating how to approach a different subject. "By the way, sissy, what do you think of Alex?"
Sarah's fingers froze on the keyboard once again, and this time Deliah couldn't help but notice. She saw her sister swallow nervously before resuming her typing at a slower pace. "Alex? Well... he's a nice guy," Sarah murmured softly.
"Oh, he is, huh?" Deliah let out an awkward laugh. "It seems like he cares a lot about you, sissy."
Sarah's heart skipped a beat, and she tried to play it cool. "Well, friends care about each other, right?" She nervously licked her lips, hoping her response didn't give away her true feelings.
Deliah leaned closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Sissy, do you think Alex is attractive?"
Sarah's voice involuntarily squeaked, and her thoughts raced. Hell yes! Every time he looks at me, it feels like there are cartwheels in my stomach. In fact, my stomach feels like it's in a perpetual state of cartwheeling because he never takes his eyes off me anymore. "Yeah, I guess," she managed to say, attempting to sound nonchalant. She let out an awkward laugh and smiled at her sister. "But who knows for sure, Liah? I'm already with Matthew, remember?"
Deliah stared at her sister intently, her expression revealing a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Yeah... I remember."