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. 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 small, surprised smile.
"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 smile widened, and her eyes lit up. Her cheeks flushed as she stepped closer to him.
"Maybe you changed," she softly said, "Alright, I'll give you a chance."
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 smile instantly faded as her face went pale.
"So this was all a lie?" she asked, 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."