Hii this is suzxmii, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to follow my instagram account: suzxmii. Ok let's get into this story already.
Some say beauty is the way the body sways side to side, a rhythm that makes even the sickest of fools go mad. Only fools throw a frenzy over the number of chicks they bring to the table...but to Caleb, sweeping girls off their feet was just too easy. Caleb was just another player in a game where there was only one rule, "Why settle for one when you can have many?" But a part of him shifted when he laid his eyes on Lily. She wasn't like the others, she didn't play by his rules. For the first time, he felt something deep inside his heart other than lust.
There was just something about this girl he couldn't explain but...who was he to speak? She would never ever forgive him for what he had done. Lily saw through his facade. She recognized the game he played, the hearts he left empty. But she wasn't interested in being wrapped around his long and slender fingers. She had her own goals, her own life and she certainly wasn't going to throw it away for some annoying athlete.
So, if he wanted to be hers, he had to prove to Lily that he wasn't just some player and that he was no stranger to love. Oh, how he longed to be like her but his obsession made him start to crave her touch...or at least he thought he did. What he thought to be love had turned into a dangerous game of cards that even when the experts of this game are asked to pour their blood, sweat and tears just to win this bet, they all eventually lose in the end. But they never seem to understand. He had always watched her from afar, despising himself each time she wasn't in his arms. She didn't know him like he knew her.
She didn't understand how every move she made left him breathless. Caleb would do anything just to go back in time and tell himself that it wasn't worth meddling with random girls' feelings. Now, as he sat alone in his room, replaying that night over and over again, he wasn't sure which part of it was real anymore. Was it the way she had smiled as she greeted everyone, or the way her eyes sparkled when she snorted? Or was it the terrifying moment when he watched her fall...watching it all slip through his fingers? He didn't even know if he regretted it, because a part of him didn't.
He had done it for the group, for the status he believed he deserved. But another part of him...felt sick. It had to be done. At least that is what his friends told him.
"What's the big deal? Lily is the finest chick out there to snatch up and besides...we do this everyday," Tyler had said, laughing, as the rest of the group begged Caleb to do it.
Caleb had hesitated, his heart pounding in his chest, but they had pressured him to do it. It wasn't like he hadn't done things like this before, twisted pranks that only brought distress and bitterness.
But this time this felt different. This time, it was Lily. His friends hadn't understood. None of them would. They saw the girl he had obsessed over as apart of their collection. He wanted to say no and walk away. But Caleb, desperate to be apart of the group, to finally feel powerful for once, went along with it.
He stood in the shadows with the rest of them, watching her laugh and watching her oblivious to everything around her. Her golden hair cascaded around her shoulders, catching the last light of the setting sun. He had wanted to protect her, but he couldn't shake need for his friends' approval, the feeling of being one of them. And so, when time drew near, Caleb did it. He had helped set up the prank. He had told himself it was harmless, a joke.
"Lily..." Caleb mumbled, his heart thumping in his chest.
He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of...the words that were about to leave his mouth or her reaction to them.
Lily turned her head toward him, "Oh hey...Caleb."
He swallowed, his palms sweating. This was it.
"I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now. I...I like you. I've liked you for a long time."
The words felt strange coming out of his mouth but he felt relieved. For a moment, Lily was silent but then her lips curved into a huge frown.
"Wow Caleb. Didn't we talk about this already?" she asked.
Caleb nodded, his heart racing.
"No Lily, I really do like you. The way your eyes sparkle is like looking into the gates of heaven and I just can't stop thinking about you."
And just like that, the world seemed to stop. Lily's eyes widened with anger but her rosy cheeks betrayed her.
"You piece of shit," she softly said, "I'll give you a change b-but that d-doesn't mean I like you."
But then the bushes behind them rustled. Caleb's heart skipped a beat as Tyler and the others jumped out from behind the cover, laughing, hooting, and shouting.
"Dude, you actually said it!" Tyler chuckled.
Lily's face went pale.
"So I'm the fool?" she whispered, looking back and forth between Caleb and the group.
"It's just a joke, Lily" one of the boys jeered.
She turned back to Caleb, "You...You planned this?"
"No! I-" Caleb's voice cracked.
He reached out to her, desperate to explain, to undo the damage, but she was already stepping back, shaking her head. Lily's thoughts raced, her vision blurring with tears. Her chest tightened, and all she could hear was their taunting.
"I thought you changed...I thought I could give you a chance and you...you screwed it up! What did I expect huh? That's the only thing you know how to do every night!"
She stumbled, her foot slipping on the uneven, mossy ground near the riverbank.
"Lily!" Caleb yelled, his voice breaking as he lunged forward.
But it was too late. Her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance, but the wet moss beneath her feet gave way. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she toppled backward, her tailored, deep red leather jacket framed by the fading sunlight before she disappeared into the rushing water below. The laughter stopped. For a moment, everything was silent...except for the sound of the river, cold and unyielding, swallowing her screams.
Caleb froze as his hand remained outstretched.
"No...no, no, no," he muttered, his legs trembling as he got closer to the riverbank.
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
"We should go," Tyler said. But Caleb didn't move.
His eyes locked on the dark water, still rippling from where Lily had fallen.
"She trusted me," he thought, his stomach churning. "And I let this happen."
Days passed by and rumors began to spread. Some claimed Caleb had a fragile ego and when Lily acted sassy with him, he pushed her into the water while others avoided him due to the rumors.
"Fuck...Lily it's like you're torturing me again." Caleb groaned, slamming a glass of vodka onto the table.
"Hey man quiet down! You're too young to even be drinking," one of Caleb friends, Trayvon snarled.
"I need to turn myself in. I can't take it anymore." Caleb grumbled, "I can't get her stupid face out of my head, both of them actually."
Tyler pulled him by his collar.
"You disgusting piece of shit! Do you think your daydreaming is gonna make her come back? If you ever tell the cops what happened and if I...we all go to jail I'll fucking skin you alive!"
Trayvon patted Tyler on his back to keep him calm but Tyler kept looking at Caleb straight into his soul, daring him to play with the beast that hated his guts.
"I'm going home." Caleb sighed, dumping the bottle into the bin.
"Just remember what I told you...alright?" Tyler smiled but Caleb knew he was still pissed so he just nodded and headed home.
Even at home, Caleb could not escape being scrutinized especially from his own father.
"What you do that lass! Always running down somebody girl child and doing some shit dread!" He scolded, inhaling his cigarette, "I should beat you really bad little boy."
"I wouldn't be like this if you actually spent time with me like a good father would!" Caleb cried but immediately went silent.
"What did you say you little shit?" He barked, throwing his still hot cigarette at him, "Talk again and see and you go end up like that girl."
Caleb dashed to him room and locked the door. His tough exterior turned into him sobbing silently and whispering, "I fucking hate you dad. I love her and she's the only one who was fucking there for me but I screwed up."
He panted harder, his tears drilling down his face faster. That's when his eyes drifted to his sketchpad. All the sketches of Lily was so elegant, so happy and alive but...it's not like she still is.
"Why couldn't I have been born as you you stupid bitch you dumb fuck!" he cried harder, "Girls get it so fucking easy. Not even my own father cares about me!"
Caleb sat on his bed, his hands trembling. He pressed his palms into his thighs. The room felt like it was getting thinner, his father's voice ringing in his ears.
He bit his lip, hard enough to draw a metallic tang of blood. His fingers twitched towards his mouth, and without thinking, his thumb brushed against his lips. He froze.
He wasn't used to this but without her by his side...what choice did he have? But he sighed and let his hand drop, gripping the edge of the mattress instead.
A tear slipped down his cheek, but he wiped it away, his jaw clenching. "What's gotten into me?" he muttered.
He couldn't take it anymore. He screamed and cried at the top of his lungs but Mr. Francis didn't like that.
Loud footsteps stomped up the stairs and a loud bang on the door and the constant turn of the door knob made Caleb flew under his bed.
"If I'm nowhere to be found. He'll go away." he yawned, his eyes closed shut.