"What!?" Anna was shocked to hear that question from her. "Don't tell me you still give a crap about that lousy excuse of a guy"
"It's so difficult not to."
"He's a total asswipe Jen, please don't let him taint your perspective on love. He's totally clueless about it. He's clueless about everything, he knows nothing."
Anna was always quick to insult any one who dared hurt her bestfriend. She didn't care who the hell the person was.
But despite Anna's efforts to console her, it seemed like her words only made Jena cry even harder.
She was instantly reminded of how broken hearted she was back in college. There was this guy named Alex who had literally all the girls in school swooning over him. He was tall, with a great physique and the perfect gray hair. He was every girl's prince charming then... Every girl except Jena. Even Anna couldn't shut up about how hot he was. But when she noticed Jena didn't like him, a day didn't pass by without atleast one hateful comment being thrown at him.
To her, everything about him was overrated. Starting from his appearance to his physique. She found it exaggerated and uninteresting. Something in her just didn't like him at all. She couldn't stand him, like oil and water, they just didn't mix.
Alex had noticed that Jena didn't adore him just like the other girls who were ready to worship and even die for him. It puzzled him greatly. She was no doubt beautiful, both inside and out, but there was something about her that kept her distant.
Determined, Alex declared that one way or the other, he was going to win her over.
'How could she even bear to not look at a man like him?'
He couldn't bear the thought.
It really deflated his ego, and to think that his friends would most times, use it to tease him and make jokes which of course he didn't find funny at all.
He started brainstorming different strategies he could use to make Jena his. Not cause he genuinely liked her, but because he wanted to prove to everyone that nobody was beyond his reach.
As luck would have it, his plan actually worked out. One of his friends dared him to try to win Jena's heart. Little did his friends know that that was the perfect opportunity Alex had been waiting for all along.
As expected, Jena's response was an instant "NO" when she first heard about the issue. Her refusal only fueled Alex's anger and motivation.
He tried to win her over by sending her gifts but that didn't work. She consistently rejected everything sent to her that carried his name.
Alex was getting tired of everything already but he knew he couldn't give up. He didn't wanna look like a loser in front of everyone. So he kept on trying.
Seeing how persistent and consistent he was towards her, she began to question if her initial judgement was too harsh. Maybe she had been too quick to judge him. Maybe she was even the one being so hateful and arrogant for no reason.
Eventually, she decided to give him a chance, though it wasn't an easy decision for her to make. It took her alot to finally say yes
However, little did she know that the love and care she received were just one silly facade and none of it were real. His intentions weren't pure but she found out the hard way.
She was completely deceived by him and ended up being heartlessly dumped, as if she meant nothing. It made her feel incredibly useless and foolish for falling into his trap.
"I... I thought he cared about me bes" Her voice quivered. "He had shown me this kind of care, if not so much more. But in the end, what happened? It turned out our relationship was nothing but a stupid product of one stupid God damn dare." She couldn't help the emotional collapse after finishing her sentence.
Jena was sulking badly as those memories came flooding back in. Everything felt so distinct, like she was reliving that one awful moment all over again.
"I don't love you Jena White. I never did. And our whole relationship? Just a freaking dare! It's not my fault you fell for me. But just so you know, making a fool out of you gave me more pleasure than anything else."
Those were Alex's last words to her. Not just were his words cruel, the tone of his voice was so cruel as he confessed. These harsh words kept echoing in her head the exact same way he said it.
Alex was a part of her past that she could never ever forget. Everytime she thought about him, it was like this sharp stab in her heart. It made her feel like the biggest fool in the entire world. The pain she had to go through because of love was truly unbearable.
She wouldn't even wish that for her haters.
Wasn't love supposed to be something similar to a bed of fresh roses? Why did it always have to turn out differently when ever she decided to try something for the first time?
Her heart got completely shattered the first time she opened herself up to love. Was love really that cruel to her? Or was she just naive when it came to matters of the heart?
Not that she hadn't found a way to move on from Alex, Anna played a huge role in helping her. She was Jena's rock when she felt completely lost and that's why Jena would forever cherish her so much.
And she also knew that moving on was the only way to heal her broken heart and be open to love again.
But the pain of the past still lingered and the fear of getting hurt again always haunted her.
But now came Lucien. And when ever she was with him, her past seemed to fade away into a distance. Rumours had it that he was a very cold man, but Jena saw a completely different side of him. She couldn't understand why there were rumours spreading false information about him. Or was he just different when the matters concerned her?
"Aw, don't cry Jen." Anna said, trying to confront her in the sweetest tone you can ever imagine. "It's all in the past now. He doesn't deserve your tears so don't waste it on him."
Anna begged like she was the reason for her tears. She hated hearing her best friend sound so hurt and broken. And the worst feeling was not being able to do something about it.
Unsure of whatelse to say, Anna playfully said, "I'm gonna cry too if you don't stop."
"No.." Jena sniffled and quickly wiped her tears. Even though her tone sounded playful, she knew Anna meant what she said. "I'm not crying anymore.. See?" she said with a trembling smile
Anna smiled wholely as she muttered "Thanks bes" then quickly changed the mood, asking Jena about the venue she wanted for her party and they both giggled, slowly lightening up the atmosphere.
She couldn't believe she let her past ruin the night she became a car owner.
She was really so lucky to have Anna in her life.