Chapter 9
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Marcus immediately chased after me and held my hands to stop me from moving.
“Ava…” he whispered, “You are misunderstanding us.”
I turned to look straight into his eyes before asking, “I overheard you guys. What’s there to misunderstand?”
“I know,” he said, “But, we were lying to Amy. You see she was feeling down because of your higher grade. Also, she feels inferior to you. That is why we were trying to cheer her up by saying her gifts are more expensive than you while they aren’t.”
“Do you believe whatever she just said now? That I give her my hands–down clothes?” I asked. Marcus seemed to be hesitant for a moment
before he smiled and said, “Of course not!”
“We have known you since childhood. You can never do that.” He added. I calmed down a lot on his response. At least, they didn’t believe such a malicious lie spread by Amy.
“Then, why didn’t you two confront her or tell her that I would never do such things to her or the one in the rumours, our classmates are spreading?” I
asked,
Marcus hesitated for a while before he said, ” Actually, Bella. It’s not Amy’s fault. Anyone can misunderstand this way if you buy the same clothes. Maybe the clothes you bought for Amy were defective and you didn’t check it properly, and when Amy did, she thought they were handy.”
“Just like this time you misunderstood us.” He added, “And we didn’t want to make her feel miserable by taking your side before her. That’s why we didn’t cut her. We will tell her the truth next time when she is not in a low mood.”
“There is no need,” I said, “You have already done enough for me. But the gifts you two have brought for me, I can’t take it. Those are not my taste.”
Marcus’s mouth hung open in the air, wanting to say something more, probably one more like. But, Dylan’s voice grabbed our attention towards him.
“Bella…” he called me out excitedly, before walking up closer to me as he continued, “Let’s forget everything and go to visit our secret place, what say?”
“That’s a good idea,” Marcus too jumped in excitement, “All the misunderstanding will be solved on its own once we live the moment of our
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childhood once again.”
I did not refuse them. I too wanted to visit the park with them, for one last time together. So, I nodded my head in agreement.
As I stood there, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of our childhood haunt, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. Dylan and Marcus were beaming with excitement, their faces aglow with memories of our past adventures.
“Look, Bella, remember this old tree? We used to climb it all the time,” Dylan said, his eyes sparkling with nostalgia.
Marcus nodded, his smile faltering for a moment. “Yeah, and I used to push you off it, Ava. Sorry about that.”
I forced a laugh, trying to play along. But the truth was, I had never liked this tree. The tree had always seemed ominous to me, its branches like skeletal fingers reaching out to snatch me.
As we walked further into the park, Dylan stopped suddenly, his eyes shining with excitement. “Bella, I have a surprise for you.”
He pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a beautiful silver necklace. “I designed it myself,” he said, his voice trembling with emotion. “I want you to have it, Bella. You deserve it.”
Marcus’s face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. “Dylan, what are you doing? You can’t just give her something like that. We promised that we will confess to her together. You cheated!”
Dylan’s face fell, but he stood his ground. “I can do what I want, Marcus. I can’t wait for Bella to be stolen by you. I had to make a move first.”
But before Dylan could put the necklace around my neck, Amy appeared out of nowhere, her eyes blazing with fury. “Bella, how could you? You’re spreading rumors about me behind my back.”
Dylan and Marcus exchanged a confused glance, but Amy’s anger was on next level. “No, Amy, I didn’t,” I protested, but she wasn’t having it.
“Don’t lie to me, Bella. I have proof. You’re just jealous of me, aren’t you?” Dylan and Marcus stepped forward, trying to calm Amy down, but I knew it was pointless. They didn’t believe me, and they never would. As I watched them comfort Amy, instead of asking what the matter was, I felt a cold realization wash over me. I was alone in this, and I always would be.
He left me dying in the woods, but Lcame back
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Chapter 10
