Friends No More

It has been a week. A whole week since I have heard from Blake. So much for friends. I tried texting him. He replied once, didn't reply the others and left me on read sometimes. Eventually, I gave up. I wasn't his girlfriend or his mate and I sure as hell wasn't going to cling to him.

If I crossed his mind he would chat me up or at least come see me. Or so I thought when he suddenly popped up at the lake during lunchtime.

"Figured I'd find you here." He said smiling.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have a mate to cling to?" I scoffed.

"Come now, Kasha. Just because you hate the concept of mates doesn't mean everyone does."

I rolled my eyes at him as I sat next to him.

"What have you been up to?" He asked.

"Nothing new. Just attending classes and stuff. You?"

"Getting to know my mate." He grinned before launching into a story about how lovely and sweet of a mate Meira was. "Why don't you guys get along?"

Because I can't stand people and she hates my guts. I couldn't tell him that so I just went with

"Not everyone gets along. Some people don't. No other reason other than they just don't."

"I wish you guys would. How great would it be of we all got to hang out together?"

"Don't push it." The thought of all of us hanging out together made me cringe.

We chatted the whole of lunch before separating to go for classes. My classes after lunch ran late and I finally headed up to the suite to change out the clothes I had on since morning. I opened the door to meet Meira sobbing her eyes out, Tessa was next to her comforting her and Racquelia was behind them looking pissed as hell.

Whatever happened to her? I wondered.

"You!!" She yelled as soon as she saw me.

Me? What did I do?

"What is your problem? Why are always trying to come between us?"

Who's us?

"What are you even talking about?"

"I'm talking about Blake! MY mate. Why are you always trying to get between us?!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I was genuinely confused. I just seen Blake for the first in a week today.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. You're always texting him asking when next you can 'hang out'. I saw your messages and I saw the way you're always clinging to him. I didn't want him to be distracted so I was helping him out by deleting them. When he found out, he told me that I didn't really know you and if I did I would see what a sweet person you were. He told me to stop messing with his phone. He was defending you!! I had this whole surprise lunch planned out to celebrate our one week anniversary but he ditched me to go hang out with you!! I spent...."

I began to zone out of her ranting. Ohhhh. I see what's going on. Blake only saw one of my messages, the rest were deleted by Meira before he could see them. That's why he came to see me this afternoon. Must have also been why he kept mentioning that Meira and I get along. What a pain in the ass. Meira was out of her mind too. I wouldn't blame her. This is what the mate bond does to people. Love to the point of obsession. Obsession to point of madness. Madness to the point of death. I know that, however, it's just...

"Pathetic." I said out loud interrupting Meira's pointless rant.

"What did you just say?" She asked shocked.

"I said you're pathetic. So pathetic in fact that it's annoying."

"How dare you?! Do you have any idea how much damage you have done to our relationship!?" She screamed as she raised her hand at me.

"I would advise you to think twice before raising your hand at me. And what? Damage? I don't know and frankly, I don't care. Whatever happens between you and your mate should stay there. Don't drag me into whatever shitstorm you guys have going on. Your relationship could go to hell for all I care!"

"Kasha, that's not fair."

"Oh be quiet, Tessa."

"Don't speak to her that way!"

"You shut your mouth too, witch."

"I never wanted to be involved with any of you. This is all my fault. You want Blake all to yourself?! You can have him! It's not like we had some special friendship anyway." I said storming to my room. "One more thing, I said as I opened the door. "If any of you see me, let's just pretend not to know each other. You don't have to force yourselves to have awkward conversations with your rude, snobbish suitemate anymore. Let's just be strangers."

And with that I slammed the door shut.

"Are you okay, Princess?" Lila asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, my voice trembling slightly.

"You can cry if you're hurt you know."

"I'm ok. If I cry because of people like them, my tears would be wasted."

I flopped on my bed and brought out my phone. I sent one last text to Josh telling him to meet me at the lake at sunrise tomorrow morning.

•Sunrise The Next Morning

By the time I got there, Blake was already there.

"Yoo. What's up?"

"I'm ok. You?"

"Good. What's this about? You sounded kind of serious."

"Our friendship. It's over. It was nice while it lasted but that was that and I'm done."

I thought long and hard about how to break it to him subtly but then I realised that in situations like this, subtle doesn't cut it. You have to give it to them straight and hard.

"What do you mean 'you're done'?" He asked in shock.

"Exactly what I said. I'm done so we're done."

Blake chuckled and said "What makes you think you have the right to end our friendship? That aside what kind of friendship do you end on a whim?"

"Friendship requires the happiness of all parties involved. If I'm not happy with it, it's just toxic. You're free to think and let your imagination run wild about whether I'm ending on a whim or not. However, do you remember? When we became friends I told you that you were on probation. Well, probation is over and you didn't make the cut." I shrugged.

"Probation? I didn't make the cut? Is being being your friend a job?" He asked incredulously.

"Think what you want. However, when I did some thinking of my own, I realised that you just weren't worth the trouble."

He stared at me for a long time before bursting into laughter.

"Meira was right. You're really just a stuck-up little snob. You know what Kasha? Screw you!"

With that, he turned around and left without once looking back.

Goodbye, my very first friend and thank you for all the memories. Don't cry. Don't cry. You did the right thing, Kasha. It may not have the right way but you did what was best for yourself. You have to look out for yourself because no one else will look out for you.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself before leaving the forest as well. I entered my room using the balcony. I decided to start using the balcony from now on to avoid my suitemates. There was only so much emotional damage I could take. I changed my outfit and set out for class deciding to go through the day like any other day.

During lunchtime, I went hunting for a new place to stay. I didn't want to stay at the lake or the tree anymore. In the end, I found it. The Red Forest. It was a forest of trees that were completely red-from the leaves, to the branches, to the trunks and to the roots. They were all red. Apparently, students avoided the forest because it was said to be cursed. I didn't believe in curses so it was perfect for me.

During dinner, I went out to scout the place. I found a clearing with a nice tree right next to a lake of red water. I climbed on the tree, sat on a trunk and began to read.

"Who are you?" A voice rang out. I looked around but there was no one there.

"A student. You?" I replied.

"Same. What are you doing here? Did no one tell you this forest was cursed?"

"They did. That's why I'm here. I figured no one would be here."

"I don't believe in curses." The voice said. "But I know you. You're the Loner fairy."

"Rude." I scoffed. Fairies were social creatures and often moved in groups with other fairies. As a fairy who didn't have a single friend, I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Forest." I called out. "If you can here me and that girl is on one of your trees, please shake her down."

As if on cue, the tree opposite me began to shake violently.

"What are you doing? Stop. Stop. Stop. I'm gonna fall off." The girl screamed.

"Alright. Stop." I chuckled.

"I didn't know fairies could do that." She said.

"They can't. I'm a special kind of fairy." I said mockingly.

"That's cool."

"Says the magic user with an invisibility spell." I replied.

The girl removed her invisibility cloak and said "I'm Sherry."

"Hi, Sherry. I'm Kasha." I replied.