10: SHIFTING CURRENTS

Alex had barely made it out of class when the sound of students packing up their belongings echoed in the room. His heart was racing, and he knew he had to catch up with Dave before it was too late.

He sprinted toward the back door, weaving through groups of students chatting about the lecture. But when he reached the hallway, Dave was already walking away.

"Dave!" Alex called, breathless, as he jogged to catch up.

Dave didn't even glance in his direction. He kept walking, his pace unchanging, his focus straight ahead as if Alex wasn't even there.

"Dave, wait!" Alex repeated, voice a little more desperate.

Dave didn't stop. Alex pushed forward, his voice rising. "What's going on, man? Why are you avoiding me?"

Finally, Dave turned, his eyes cold and distant. "Just leave me the hell alone Alex, What do you want from me again? sheesh go bury yourself and leave everyone alone."

The words hit like a slap. Alex stood frozen, staring at Dave, his mind reeling. His chest tightened, a lump forming in his throat. He hadn't expected that, not from Dave. Not after everything they'd been through. For a moment, he felt his knees weaken, like they might give out beneath him. His hand trembled slightly, and he blinked, trying to process what had just happened.

A single tear slipped from his eye, but before it could fall completely, Alex wiped it away angrily, as if doing so would erase everything that he just heard. His heart was pounding, his mind spinning, but all he could do was turn and walk away, slowly at first, then faster as the pain grew too sharp. He didn't know where he was going, but he just kept walking.

Somehow, he ended up at the medic department. His legs were tired, but he found a bench outside and sat, not thinking, just waiting for something. Anything. He stared at the clock and realized it was almost time for Clara to be done with her classes. He didn't know why he'd come here, but it seemed like the only place he could be.

Minutes passed like hours, and finally, the doors opened. Clara stepped out, her dark eyes scanning the crowd before she spotted him. Her expression changed, softening for a moment, but then she quickly looked away. Hannah followed right behind her, glancing over her shoulder at Alex with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Alex mustered the strength to stand and forced a smile, but it quickly faltered when neither Clara nor Hannah responded. Neither of them smiled back, not even a little. He swallowed, his chest tightening.

"Clara... Hannah..." he started, his voice quiet. "Is everything okay?"

Clara didn't answer, but Hannah, her eyes sharp and cold, spoke up. "You need to get away from us, Alex. We have nothing to talk about."

Alex froze. The sting of her words hit harder than anything he'd felt before. His mind raced, his heart pounded. He tried to hold his composure, but it felt like it was slipping away with every second that passed.

Hannah spoke again, her voice harsh. "You're confused, Alex. Don't mess things up for everyone else, especially not your so-called friends."

Alex felt his stomach twist at the accusation. He opened his mouth to protest, but Hannah wasn't done.

"If you want Terah, just take her," she said bitterly, before turning to walk away.

"What? Is that what this is about? C'mon", but the two girls would not wait to hear him. 

Alex stood there, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on him. His head started to ache so badly, it was like the world around him was spinning. He stumbled a little, his vision blurring. It was all too much. What was happening? What was he supposed to do?

And then, as if out of nowhere, Tiffany appeared. She walked briskly, a friendly face in the crowd, and she seemed to notice his disorientation right away. She approached him slowly, calling his name.

"Alex?" she said, repeating it three times before he snapped out of his trance.

He blinked and looked at her, startled. "Yeah, that's me."

She smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'm Tiffany. Clara's friend, you know?"

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised. "How do you know me?"

Tiffany laughed, a soft, gentle sound that caught him off guard. "Clara talks about you all the time. I've heard a lot about you."

He didn't question how she knew him; he wasn't in the mood for that. Instead, she continued, "You look like you could use a coffee."

Alex's eyes flickered to her face, wondering if he was imagining things. He really needed something to take his mind off everything. "Yeah... absolutely."

They walked together to the usual campus café, and Alex couldn't help but notice how easy it felt to talk to Tiffany. She was warm and easygoing, a little more approachable than the people he'd been surrounded by lately. Once they had their drinks, they sat at a small table by the window, sipping quietly for a moment.

Tiffany leaned forward slightly, studying him with an almost knowing look. "Clara told me everything, you know."

Alex tensed, his grip tightening around his coffee cup. "What... everything?"

"About you," Tiffany clarified, her tone even but firm. "About how you seem to be dating her, but also... you're looking at a guy at the same time. What's up with that?"

Alex shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had no idea how to answer that. "I'm just... confused," he admitted, his voice low. "I don't know what to do."

Tiffany's expression softened, but there was something heavy in her eyes as she gave him her advice. "Alex, if you don't do something about this, you're going to lose both Clara and Dave. You'll push them both away. You can't keep playing around like this, not without consequences."

The words hit harder than he expected. Tiffany wasn't holding back, and it stung, more than he was ready to admit. He felt a lump in his throat, like he might say something stupid or break down completely if he didn't hold it together. He didn't want to lose either of them, but what was he supposed to do?

He sat in silence, staring at his cup, lost in thought. Tiffany's words echoed in his head like a drumbeat, the weight of them sinking in.

As he left the café later, Alex didn't feel like he had any answers. All he had was a sinking feeling that he was caught in the middle of something he didn't understand, between two people he cared about more than he could admit. Everyone gave him a taste of their anger that day, expect Terah of course. "Where could she be?" He thought. She could be the only one would embrace, nothing felt right at that moment. And all he knew for sure was that he couldn't keep pretending he had it all figured out, Cause he wasn't even close to it.