Lily's POV
"Hey baby." My dad said, walking into my room. The old man's heart break was only too visible.
It seemed like he miraculously had more lines and creases on his forehead.
"I'm sorry about earlier." I apologized.
"Oh, baby. I'm not annoyed. I'm not the one with about fifty percent hearing." He joked, and we both laughed.
"I thought you'd be angry with me." I confessed.
"And that is where you get me wrong, Lily. You are the least expressive of both of you. You are the only girl I have. It's a cruel world to women out there. You need to learn to speak for yourself, Lily. And for what you did," He said, lowering his voice, "I'm proud of you." I had not been happier in a minute. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and rocked me a bit.
"I'm glad I have you." I said, my heart was full and the tears were already at the brink of letting themselves out.
"That births the other news I have." He said, pulling away from me.
"And what is that?" I didn't know what to expect, but I'm sure my face mirrored the frown he had on his.
"I have cancer." He said. I thought my world was done before, I'm sure the universe went 'hold my beer'. "Doctor isn't sure it's terminal yet, but it might be. They said to start arranging my… Baby, Lily, it's not that bad." He said.
My eyes were red, my face was swollen.
"When did you find out?" I asked him.
"About three months ago." He replied
My consciousness left the room. The only sound loud enough for me to hear was my heartbeat, not even my dads voice could call me back.
"I need some air." I said, and grabbed the keys to the car he let me ride.
I got into the car with no exact destination in mind.
I left my subconscious to lead the way, and soon enough, I discovered I was only two blocks away from Gray's home.
I parked in their lot.
Gray's house was never busy. It was always rather quiet.
The guards knew me, and so I let myself up.
Gray's door was half open and I wondered why that was.
He left Martys in quite a mood.
I took heavy steps to his room.
"I'm sorry about it all." I started from behind the door.
I shut the voice on my head and the one coming outta my mouth to listen to the one coming from inside Gray's room.
"Go faster please." I heard him say, and it did sound like he was wanking.
I chose not to believe it.
Quietly, I opened the door and let myself in.
I recognised the pink and silver theme of Jessica's bedroom from the video call on the laptop.
I hurried out, each step faster than the last, as if I could outrun the truth, but it followed—relentless, undeniable.
The three of us had sat at Martys, discussing how unfair we'd been treated, only for Jessica and Gray to do that behind my back.
I pinched the inside of my wrist, hard, grounding myself. We'd broken up. There was no fixing what was already shattered.
"Fuck!" I screamed hard and hit the glass on my car window.
"Can I help?" The familiar face at the gate asked, approaching me.
"No. Thanks. Just don't tell him." I begged and slid a bill over to him
"Please take care." He said as I sped away.
It was a few minutes to midnight.
I parked at a basketball field where grown men played basketball at night.
The sight of hot steamy sweaty bodies took my mind off a bit, but not totally.
How horrible and unfortunate I had become still hung over me like a cloak.
The night was a blur and definitely the most horrible I had seen in a while.
My mom was finally gone, my dad was dying, Jessica who was supposed to be my friend was having phone sex with the boy I had feelings for.
I was just really unfortunate, really.
The next day at school came, and I had to use pills to live through it.
I didn't care what Emma would think with me sitting next to Jessica, I was gonna explain some other time, if there was gonna be.
Jessica was rapping on and on about how everything was well planned and how she chose the 'juiciest ones', to project during the senior prom meeting.
I was a bit overwhelmed, but I didn't want her suspecting anything, so I stayed out.
In a bid to find a worthy distraction, I looked around and caught Gray seated next to Chase, none of them looked content with their choice of seat partner.
"Don't they look cute together?" I said to Jessica, she looked and laughed, and then continued with her grand plan.
I looked away, waiting for the time to arrive, and it did.
I didn't have enough courage to go to the stand with Jessica. Matter of fact, I had begun to develop cold feet.
But it was too late. The pictures were up for everyone to see, and I had to act as surprised and disgusted as everyone did.
As expected, Emma ran past me, brushing me a bit too.
I ran after her, only to hear Chase calling me from behind.
I stopped to hear what he had to say.
For the first time since it happened, he sounded sincere.
He offered the one thing I had always wanted from him, an apology. And I swear, I really wished it ended there, but it did not.
Chase knew more than I gave him credit for.
I still felt bad for Emma though, I was maltreated, not a monster.
"Emma! Wait up!" I screamed.
She finally stopped, and crashed to the floor
"Emma, I'm sorry." I said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Lily. I should've avoided him like you did. I should've known all along." Emma's eyes were red and her lips were a bit swollen.
Her words were strained and managed to force themselves out between sobs.
She had so very little care in the world, she was sprawled out on the floor of the dining hall where Chase proposed only twenty four hours ago.
I looked at her hand and neck, and they both had no traces of the diamonds.
"Emma. You don't deserve all this. I'm sorry you have to go through this." I said, again, rocking her head.
"Please just say you told me so, Lily. The hesitation I saw in your face the first time I told you he kissed me. The treatment you gave him all the while, Lily, you should've told me he wasn't who I thought he was." She kept screaming.
"And how am I to do that when I do not know him myself?" I shouted back.
I had a lot of pent up stress I needed to relieve too, and somehow, that scream did it.
"I'm sorry I let all this come between us, Lily." She said,
My heart was breaking piece by piece. I wished Emma could see through me, but once again, she was the innocent Emma she was, like I had once been.
"I think we can ask for the rest of the day off." I suggested to her. Heaven knows I needed a wee off in fact. And Emma was the only person I wanted out with at that point.
"You think so?" She asked, with puppy dog eyes.
"Come on, my cute friend. Before I kiss you." I threatened.
"Please tell me you're joking." She said, feigning shock.
"I am not." I threatened. I actually was. For a moment, I thought I was into girls, but it was a phase as I came to realize, and I was past it.
"Let's go out, shall we?" I offered her my hand.
"Somewhere I can eat my sorrows away, most preferably." She said,
"I've got a few to eat away too. Dad's dying, mom's gone, beautiful life, ain't it?" I asked, smiling, cause if I didn't smile, I'd have burst into tears.
"I'm so sorry, Lily." Emma said, bursting into fresh tears.
"Don't do that. Don't pity me." I warned.
The edge of my lips were quivering, I was dying inside, but fighting so hard to stop the tears and keep that smile on my face. I hate pity parties.