SEVEN

Alex, who was dumbfounded, quickly returned to his rational self and readily followed Claire. He was determined to get his questions answered and so, he didn't hesitate going behind her.

Claire didn't know that she was being followed. Even then, she felt like she was being chased. Chased by all the dark memories she tried to suppress for all these years. Her heart pounded and she needed to calm down.

She went to the rooftop, the only place to escape the harsh reality of her life. Claire walked and stood by the railing. She looked calm and collected but her eyes, they were glistening. A storm swirled in those hazel orbs. Thunders rumbled in them and it rained heavily.

Alex too, slowly walked and stood beside her. He got a good view of her face and his heart clenched when he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. It was at that moment when he realised that he had stepped over somebody else's boundaries.

"Sorry." he said. Claire noticed him then. She looked at him with blank eyes and sighed.

"For what?" she questioned. Claire was confused but she didn't let it show up on her face.

"For yelling at you and maybe asking questions I shouldn't have asked." he felt guilty. Even if he thought of her as a wench. Alex never wanted to make her cry. He understood that he had to make up for his mistake.

"Don't be sorry, I wasn't bothered... It's anyways none of your business." Claire tried so hard to stay put together. She didn't want to seem affected.

"Then why're you crying?" Alex needed the answers to his questions. He couldn't just let her go. He wanted to know what exactly had happened the previous day.

"I'm not crying. If you're done apologizing, you can leave. I don't need any company." She still had her straight face on. Claire's tears started drying up. She was lucky that her emotions didn't take over this time.

"May I ask you one question?" Alex didn't want the conversation to die so soon.

"You already did." Claire scoffed as she played around with Alex for a bit. After all, she couldn't let her cocky self fade away into the abyss.

"No, I mean-" she cut him off, "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Why'd you do that to Jessi, yesterday?" Alex finally got to the point.

"She took my place, intentionally, to annoy me." Claire's blood boiled. She understood why Alex had come to apologize. He didn't actually mean to apologize, instead, he wanted to know why Jessi had to face all that violence.

"Why would she do that? She's so generous and nice." he couldn't believe it. Claire was describing Jessi as someone so different than who she really was.

"Oh honey, she's not who you think she is. We've never been on good terms ever since we were halfway through middle school."

"Do you mind spilling more information, so that I understand?" Alex surely didn't understand what was going on. He had only one question in his mind.

'Why is her side of the story different from Jessi's and who is right?'

"Why do you care?" Claire looked into his eyes. She was clearly vexed by him. His act of kindness and generosity towards Jessi infuriated Claire like nothing else. Because she was jealous. Jealous of Jessi to have someone to care for her.

"Because she's my friend." Alex said it like a fact. He tried to reason so that he could get his answers. But he was losing his patience. Anger was slowly taking over.

"Friend, my ass. She just wants more popularity by acting as the victim. She got what she deserved." Claire scoffed. She pitied Alex. He was such a fool to fall for what Jessi said.

"She was right, you are a bully." Alex lost his calm. He couldn't control his anger any further. "You are nothing but a bully! A cruel, gruesome bully!!"

"Just don't jump up to conclusions." she had to keep her composure. Claire tried suppressing her temper. She grit her teeth and clenched her fists.

"I saw it yesterday! You fucking bullied her!!" Alex had totally lost it. And Claire's calm state enraged him even more.

"You only see what I show you. So don't make such assumptions." Claire spoke in a low voice, her teeth barely separating. Her body was trembling with anger. It was getting more and more difficult to stay calm.

"Live a life! Be normal! Make friends! Don't be mean!" Asked exclaimed on the top of his voice.

Claire had had enough. She couldn't control her outrage anymore. She bawled, "You don't know anything so shut up!!"

"Why should I?!" Alex invited her for a full on fight. Both of them, extremely provoked by each other's anger.

She was seething, "Whatever you see, isn't always the truth. It's only the surface one sees. The depths of the oceans are never visible." Claire spoke loudly. Her ire reaching its highest possible degree.

____________