Hey there lovely readers!!! Here's a new chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy and please lemme know your thoughts!!!

God bless you guys and have a great day ahead!

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AJ's POV

"In the UK." He said solemnly, with his cast downwards. "I was beyond ecstatic when I received the scholarship. It was the most exciting news in all my life. I was picked among so many others. I thought leaving this place would be the easiest thing to do. But that was all before I met you." He said sadly.

I could feel my eyes burn but I forcefully blinked back the tears that threatened to pour out.

I'm fine. I'm okay. I will be okay.

I kept chanting in my head.

"When?" I forced the word out.

"Next week." I gasped and looked toward the field. I observed the cheerleaders practicing. They were so energetic and full of life. Mine was slowly crumbling.

All over again.

I never expected this to happen. I thought I would never go through something like this ever again.

"Please don't be dissapointed." Eli mumbled taking my hand in his.

"Is this why you stopped spending so much time with me?"

"Yes. I knew if I spent more time with you, I would fall for you. And saying goodbye would be harder than ever." He said softly.

I slowly turned to look at a dejected Eli. "I'm not dissapointed. I'm happy for you Eli." I said in a shaky breath. He gripped my hand tighter.

"You are?" There it was. A hint of excitement in his voice. The need to hear someone say 'good job' or 'you did it.' I understood that feeling all too well. So that's why I made my smile bigger.

"Of course I am happy for you, dummy. This is huge. Full scholarship and all. Your parents must be so proud." I said.

"Yeah they are. I am proud of myself too. I worked hard for this."

"You should be proud." I tried to match his excitement.

"I..I am going to miss you. More than anyone." He said seriously. I forced a shrug and gave him a small smile.

"We can meet during the holidays." I forced the words out.

"It won't be the same AJ. Here, I looked forward to talking with you. Every single day. You made me feel a lot of different things and I thank you for that. You were the only girl who was ever interested in someone like me." It was so hard to just sit there and listen to everything he said. I wanted to run away.

Far away from him and everything else.

I wanted to be alone.

"You made me feel, Eli. Well, at least you thought me how to want and fall for someone." I muttered under my breath.

"AJ why didn't you say anything sooner. I didn't either but...."

"I was scared." I played with my fingers and looked away from him.

"I.....I was your crush." He whispered after a long pause. Slowly, I found the courage to turn and face him. A simple nod.

"Funny huh?" I chuckled more to myself. "I just didn't know how to say it you know. I've never had a crush on someone before you. No I'm not kidding." I mumbled the last part. He looked at his sandals at a lost for words. He didn't know how to react.

"That's why I sent you those cupcakes." I played with my fingers. As I kept fiddling with them, I wondered why there was no sound for a long time.

So, I turned to look at Eli. I became worried because he looked so pale and I thought he was either going to throw up or pass out.

"Eli?" I lightly nudged his shoulder. He shook out of his trance and stared at me.

"You sent me the cupcakes? You? Cupcakes? F...for me?"

"Yeah. Childish right but I didn't know how else to communicate." I chuckled and cracked my knuckles.

"Did you like them?" I questioned after a while. His frown deepened upon my question. He let out a heavy breath and stared ahead for a short while. When he looked back at me, I knew my day was only going to get worse.

"I'm allergic to all things dairy AJ." He whispered the words out and stared at me blankly. It was as if he was nervous to say it. This wasn't only going downhill, it was getting more and more excruciating by the second. He never ate them. He never touched them. All that time I thought.......

"I don't eat cake or yogurt or those cream puffs or-"

"I get Eli!" I unintentionally snapped at him. I'll was furious and I didn't know how to let it out.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"You didn't eat them."

"No. I even thought that someone had mistakenly placed them wherever I found them. I'm so, so sorry." He buried his face in his hands. "I messed up big time didn't I?"

You have no idea. The worst part is, you will never know. I tried making a crack for you on my heavily guarded walls and you didn't even want to find out what was on the other side. To make things worse, I could never blame you because none of this was your fault. 

"You did nothing wrong." My throat got clogged up unexpectedly. I had to go. I couldn't sit with him anymore. This was something I couldn't handle. I didn't even bother to ask him what he did with those cupcakes because I just didn't care.

"You did nothing wrong so don't worry about it nerd." I laughed through the ache. "Look, I really need to be somewhere else right now so I don't have much time."

"AJ, wait I-"

"I wish you the very best in the UK. I hope you meet the queen and ask her if she's immortal. That would be super cool. Then whatsapp me her reply." He gave me a puzzled look. "Enjoy every single day in your new university. Don't waste time and make sure you live life in the moment. Don't waste anything and make as much memories as you can alright."

"AJ-"

"Promise me. Pinky swear." He sighed sadly. Then he slowly raised his pinky and intertwined it with mine. He smiled softly and before I could say anything or walk away, he kissed my cheek.

Then it came back. That bitter pang in my chest. I couldn't do it.

"Goodbye Eli." I turned around and grabbed my bag, wanting nothing more than to leave campus. However, I stopped the second I felt the silver box in my bag. Quickly turning around, I placed the box in his hands. "I have always wanted the courage to put this box in your hands one day and now I have. Last cupcake before you leave." I could feel my eyes sting again but I controlled myself. He gently took the box from me and thanked me.

I turned around and scurried away from everything.

As I walked towards the main entrance, my vision blurred.

Tears.

God, I couldn't remember the last time I had the desperate need to let them out.

Getting angry with myself I furiously wiped them away. I hated crying. It was so useless.

While wiping my tearful eyes, I didn't see where I was headed and accidentally bumped into someone. It was a painful hit because I was almost running. The impact caused me to clumsily lose my footing. I was seconds away from falling on the road but I quickly caught myself. This person scoffed at me. He was probably another student.

I didn't know why, but the whole situation had me seething in rage.

"Could you just fucking watch where you're going?!! Move out of my way!!" I yelled. I didn't want to scream but I needed to let it out. Everything around me weighed so much. Even the air was heavy.

Without looking at the guy, I wiped my eye and continued striding towards the entrance.

The yelling did some good for a split second and then the bitterness consumed me again, like a fog.

I knew Cora had classes until five in the evening so I ran straight to my dorm room.

~~~~~~~

The moment I entered my room, I threw my bag on my bed and got ready for a shower. Fortunately for my sake, the water was extremely cold. Oddly, I didn't feel it. I felt nothing.

I didn't know how long I stood in the shower, but when I got out, my fingers and toes were all pruny.

After, getting dressed, I laid on the bed and simply stared up at the ceiling. Still, I felt nothing.

Cupcakes.

For nothing.

Notes.

For nothing.

The emotions I felt while writing the words.

For nothing.

Why did I have to give into these stupid feelings so quickly?

Why did I ever expect so much?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cora's POV

I sat on the toilet lid in one of the bathroom stalls. Burying my face in my hands, I tried to control my ragging heart.

Why were they so mean?

What could they possibly gain by doing this to people?

Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

The name calling, the hostile stares, the jeering, the mocking. There was only so much a person can take.

People are like puppets. As soon as they're familiar with someone who has a bit of authority, a bold, confident figure that stands out among the rest, they allow themselves to be controlled.

Anything that person say goes.

Anything that person do was right. Without question, without any contemplation. No morales needed whatsoever. They're thrown out the window.

How could anyone even allow that sort of an influence?! Can't they simply see and know that their actions are wrong on so many levels?!

Her actions to be precise.

What did I ever do to Elizabeth Piece?

That kind of hatred must have a reason, a starting point right?  Where did it all start? I had no idea.

Today was different. Someone handed magazines on beauty pageants to everyone in my lecture hall. There were pictures of all the Miss Universe in there and at the very end she pasted my picture. That wasn't all. She wrote an article about me too.

How I would look like a nightmare if I ever entered a beauty pageant. How my face was big enough to wipe the shit off the floor, how my body would tear all the pretty ballgowns, how disgusting my fat looked, how I should have just been born bald instead of having this electrocuted hair, and how people would throw up if I ever went up on stage.

Whoever said I even wanted to join some stupid beauty pageant? But that's not the issue.

Elizabeth didn't pass the magazines but I knew they were from her. The one who passed them around was none other than her friend Gabrielle.

Honestly, those girls didn't surprise me. Not even a little. What shocked me was how the other students reacted. Most of them burst out laughing, some gagged at my picture and others snapped my picture and started to post it online. Right away.

My friend Yi Zing tried her best to calm me down but I was already sweating. The whole class acted as if I was some kind of a disease and imagine around fifty people laughing at you.

I imagined what would have happened if AJ was there. She would have taught them all a lesson.

With her fists.

Just thinking of her made me grip the silver whistle in my hand more tightly. Do I need help? Was I becoming a loser again?

That can't happen.

Not again.

"Cora? Cora I know you're in there. Please come out." I heard Willow's worried voice.

"Yeah, I'm here. Just a headache." I had to be okay. I wasn't some weakling.

I opened the door to a concern Willow. "Hey I know what happened. How are you holding up? We have to complain about this Cora."

Like that was going to help.

"They're just a bunch of stupid girls Willow. I'm fine and I'm better than them." I chuckled and replied her casually. As if nothing bothered me.

"Cora-"

"Hey I said I'm fine and I am definitely not bothered by all those low lives. You know me better." I fixed my hair and did my make up in front of the mirror.

"No one would be okay after all that Cora. What happened back there was rough." Willow said softly.

"Oh gosh, you need to stop worrying. What happened back there was a bunch of immature girls doing shit. That's all. They'll grow up soon and we'll be out of here soon." I spat out which ever words I could find to make the situation better. To stop Willow from being too concerned.

Five minutes later, I managed to do just that.

When we walked outside of the toilet, there were a few girls pointing and giggling when they saw me. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. Willow glared at them but the whispers continued. When we walked out the building, I caught Elizabeth and Gabrielle smirking at me. They looked so smug and proud of everything they did.

I shook my head at them in dissapointment and we walked the other way, out of campus.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Um, Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's not say anything to AJ right away. I'll tell her myself later on."

"Okay. Where is she by the way?"

"Probably in class. How about we pack our lunch and head back to my room?"

"Alright."

I was surprised to see AJ asleep when I opened the door. She was supposed to have a class and AJ never skips. I was sort of happy to see her. Fighting with AJ always brought me to my lowest. I was definitely going to talk to her and settle things when she wakes up.

Willow slowly went to her and gently shook her shoulder.

Without turning around, AJ growled at her and went back to sleep. I stifled my laugh and looked at an angry Willow.

So, we let her sleep while we ate our lunch.

"Cora, you have to tell her okay." Willow whispered in all seriousness. I looked at her quizzically.

"You must tell AJ about today. She needs to know. We're a team and I hate keeping secrets among ourselves."

"Okay, you're right. I'll tell her but not so soon."

"Cor-"

"I will tell her okay."

"Good."

"Wanna go out tonight?" She asked me after a while. Going out for a drink didn't sound like a bad idea at all.

"Just us girls?"

"Is that a yes Cora Destiny?" Willow asked excitedly. I covered her mouth before she could squeal.

"Yeah, it's a yes. We leave at eight thirty or nine. Now go." I whispered to her. She beamed and happily skipped out of our room.

~~~~~~~~~

AJ's POV

I rolled over to my side and groaned.

What was the time?

Checking my phone, I yawned and went back to sleep. Or at least I tried to.

"AJ it's almost six thirty in the evening." Who the hell was that?!

I turned around again and remembered I had a roommate.

Everything was blurry and my thoughts were all over the place. The chain of events that happened earlier today felt surreal. I didn't know whether to believe them or not. A dull feeling took over me.

"AJ, come on wake up already."

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a class until five?" Cora rolled her eyes and walked over to me. She sat on my bed and moved my hair out of my face.

"You're still drowsy. I said it was almost six thirty. Why didn't you go to class?"

"I was tired." I gave her a short reply and turned away.

"AJ, look. I don't want us to fight -"

"I didn't fight." I cut her off feeling annoyed.

"I know but even arguing with you. I don't like it. Can we just go back to being super cool best friends again?"

Was she serious? I knew she was going to do this.

I turned on my back and looked at her twinkling eyes. They were so warm and hopeful. There was something extra too. Cora was desperate and I didn't know why. I quinted my eyes at her for a moment.

"Yeah." I whispered, not knowing what else to say. Before I could continue, Cora leaned forward and crushed me in a tight, suffocating hug.

"Cora....let....go..."

"Oh sorry." She giggled and then suddenly became serious. "We're going out tonight. Just us girls. You better get ready because we're leaving around eight thirty at night." I raised a brow at her but said nothing. Drinking is a good idea. I wanted to let lose.

"Oh, I bought lunch for you. Willow tried to wake you up but you growled at her like a wild cat so we let you sleep." I smiled at myself. Poor Willow.

"Thanks," I gingerly took the container which contained a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches and fruit salad. The food satisfied my empty stomach.

"AJ what's wrong?" I swiftly looked up at Cora and shrugged.

"You're awfully quiet. Did something happen?" 

"No. I'm just enjoying my meal." I said without looking at her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Third Person's POV

Two and the half hours later, the three girls arrived at the bar. They chose to dress casually this time. AJ wore a red blouse and paired it with her black jacket and black jeans. Cora was dressed in a plain yellow dress while Willow chose a cute black short shorts and a white sleeveless blouse. Since the outfit was too plain for Willow she opted for a bold look. She made Cora do her makeup of course.

As soon as they arrived, a very disturbed AJ took her seat at the bar counter. She chose to have shots with none other than herself while Willow and Cora conversed with a girl AJ didn't know. Since she didn't feel like socializing, the dark haired girl enjoyed the shots and let it get to her head.

~~~~~

Two hours later.

"Hey have you seen my friends?" she groggily asked the bartender. She couldn't even recall how long she had been sitting there.

"One girl literature just spoke to you." He replied flatly.

Her eyes widened at his comment. "Really?! When?!"

He scoffed while he got some beer for the other customers. "Your friend asked you to dance and you said no. Don't you remember? It happened like a minute ago." He eyed AJ oddly. She squinted her eyes and pointed a finger to him, realization slowly taking over her.

"D...did you spike my drink?! Did you put drugs in it?!"

"What the hell?" He clearly wasn't expecting the girl to throw those words.

"How come I don't remember anything?! Did you do anything to my drink? I will file a complaint to every single firefighter to take you down young man!!" She spoke way to loudly.

"Don't you mean the cops?" The bartender dryly asked.

"Ooohh, what a smart-ass. Hey! I'm the one going to call. I can call whoever I want!" AJ fought back like a child and to the man behind the counter, she did actually look like a child.

"Why don't you call your parents?" He asked her with his arms crossed.

"They live on the other side."

"Other side of what?" He leaned in. There were no more new customers to attend to so he decided to amuse the feisty girl seated before him.

"They're on the other side of the freaking world okay!!"

"How old are you anyway?"

"Older than you so stop interrogating me." She slurred and took another big gulp of her beer.

"I'm thirty two sweetheart." He said blankly.

"Damn......I'm thirty four and a half."

"Yeah. Okay." He raised a brow at her.

"I'm in college and that's all I wish to say so leave me alone!!! Stop bothering me!! Why is everyone tryna hurt me?!!" The man smiled clearly amused by her.

"No one is trying to hurt you."

"Yes they are!! Everyone is after me!! Even the universe is against me! Why can't I just be happy?!!" She was filled with so much frustration that even the guy looked at her with concern.

"You said you were in college?" He asked carefully.

"Yes, I just said that!! Are you deaf?!"

"Are you? Stop shouting."

"I can't stop!! It's how I talk!! If you do..mmhmppmm," he covered her mouth for a brief moment while AJ glared at him.

"You really need to calm down okay." He said and slow he moved his hand away.

"Your hand smells really bad. It stinks. Like garbage on poop."

"Ahh, so you are capable of controlling your volume. It's vodka by the way." He grinned at her and prepared a few more glasses of cocktail for his new customers.

"So, what happened to you?" AJ eyed him and shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing I'm good." She clicked her tongue and looked at Willow and Cora who were dancing. She pretended that her deranged outburst never took place.

"You're anything but good. You were carrying the weight of the universe on your shoulders just a minute ago."

"That was a minute ago, old man. And you can't really fix my problem soooooo......I want another glass of beer."

"I thought you were older than me," he chuckled. "Anyway, talking always helps. Plus points. One, I'm bored and two, you won't remember anything in the morning. You drank way too much."

~~~~~

"And now he's leaving!!! He's leaving and I'm gonna be stuck with all the other assholes!!" AJ buried her head in her hands. "His moving to another planet." Her voice was muffled as she spoke against her hands.

"He's just moving to another country-"

"It's the same thing old man!!"

"Caleb."

"Whatever." Caleb scoffed at the extremely troubled AJ.

Gosh it's just a crush for God's sake. He thought to himself.

"Look you're in college. Plenty of other guys. Honestly, this one actually sounds lame as hell." He looked up to see the girl's face slowly change. There was this steel look in her eyes and she looked as if she wanted him dead. Something told him that she would do it herself if he didn't do anything to take back his words. Which he actually couldn't.
So instead, he raised both his hands up.

"I'm sure he was a nice guy and your feelings for him were genuine. Why else would anyone bake anybody that number of cupcakes for free? Right?"

"You're lucky I'm drunk and incapable of aiming anything at you." AJ coldly replied.

"Look, this is like your first crush ever. Surprising but believable-"

"What is that supposed-"

"Ssshhh! Listen. Whatever that's going on in you, whatever negative emotion that is eating you up right now, it's gonna go. Really, really soon. I'll give you a few days and after that it'll be like nothing happened."

"I'm feeling conflicted about everything that you just said. My feelings are not going to dissapear! How could anything.....just.....dissapear?!"

"Shouting again." AJ rolled her eyes and propped her her chin comfortably on her hands, waiting for the strange man to explain further.

"Trust me, it's gonna be okay and you're going to feel like a new person in a couple of days. You'll find someone new."

"I don't want anyone else." She mumbled sadly. There they were, creeping up on her like they always did. They never left her. They were always there, waiting for her to make one slip, waiting to strike. The negative thoughts began to consume her mind.

"Here, have some water." Caleb handed her a glass of cold water. He was glad that it wasn't a busy night. The boy wasn't this girl's only problem. That much he knew.

"These feelings won't go and now I don't have anything to do. I can't even make special cupcakes anymore."

"Yes you can. You can always make the cupcakes."

"For who?"

"If the emptiness bothers you that much, make the cupcakes and give them to other people. You can make special cupcakes for your friends or you can make them and put the boxes under his desk space like you usually do."

"What? Why would I do that? Are you drunk?" Caleb laughed at her confused reaction.

"Well, you're having a hard time coming in terms with the reality that he's going to go. So for a short period of time, continue whatever you were doing. Then, when you understand that he's really gone which I say again will only take a few days, a week at most, you can stop making the special cupcakes." He searched her face, looking for some hope in her eyes. He couldn't understand why this girl didn't annoy him like most of the college students. I mean he should have been annoyed, even pissed off yet he wasn't.

He knew she wasn't a bad person. She was just walking around with an impenetrable armour. Take that down and she was a marshmallow. At least to him she was.

AJ looked at Caleb for a very long time, just staring into his dark green eyes. To him, she seemed to be calculating every tiny detail that only she could see. After a few more seconds, Caleb began to feel uncomfortable to her scrutinizing gaze.
He pressed both his hands on the counter and leaned towards her, trying to understand whatever she was trying to find.

"Look-"

"Are you secretly a therapist?"

"What?!" He then groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Was she for real? Why did she come up with that? Deciding not to dwell on it for too long, he decided to change the topic.

"No I am not a therapist. What's your name by the way."

"AJ."

"Cool name. What's does it stand for?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Thought so."

"AJ has agreed to think about what you said earlier. She will try to accept that. H..he is....is no longer going to be with.....me." She whispered the last part.

Caleb's eyes softened. "It's going to be okay. Maybe you were not meant to be together." He immediately regretted saying that because of what happened next. The girl looked up at him with dull, sad eyes.

"Okay." AJ muttered. She suddenly felt like going back to her room. AJ stood up to go call Cora but she stumbled and sat back.

"Wait here." Caleb said.

A few moments later Cora and Willow stood before her. "Come on AJ. We're going back." Willow supported AJ and together they slowly walked towards the exit. Just before they left, AJ turned around and waved at Caleb. He gave her smile and a wink.

The three of them walked out and Willow threw Noah's car keys at Cora. "You drive. I'll take care of the child."

"Hey!"

"Why did you drink so much? You don't normally do this!" Cora demanded.

"Yeah, what happened? But it's not like I was going to stop you anyway. You seemed like you were having a great time with that hot bartender." Willow squealed.

"The beer tasted exce...exc...exceptionally good." AJ slurred at Willow with a wide grin on her face. "And he's se...venty two years old." She informed them. They just laughed at their drunk friend.

"Don't hurt yourself AJ." Willow flatly replied before staring surprisingly at a distance.

"Hey sailorman?!! Fancy seeing you here." AJ's happy moments were short. Very short. She immediately straightened herself up but she couldn't stand properly without holding Willow's hands.

"Let's go Willow. Now. Cora run to the car." AJ commanded the girls
It was too late. Jaxon and his whole group were walking towards the girls. Willow was obviously excited to meet all of them.

"Bye Jaxy. We were just leaving." AJ hiccuped. Jaxon smiled at her, knowing full well that his childhood friend was an entertaining drunk.

"She's weird today. Forgive her. But she's right boys. We're leaving." Willow and Cora guided AJ to the car. By that time, the other guys had already walked into the bar. Leaving only three guys outside with the girls.

"I'm not weird." AJ glared at Willow.

"Just a little tipsy then." Jaxon snickered and earned a shove from AJ.

"You're didn't change since kindergarten!!" He winced.

"Thought you said you weren't that close with her." A deep voice interrupted their banter. Everyone turned to look at Rylen who had his eyes on AJ.

"Of course they know each other Rylen. Cora, AJ and Jaxon have been together since they were six." Willows chirped in excitement. Jaxon didn't share the same enthusiasm of course. He turned to Rylen with a sheepish smile.

Fortunately for him, Rylen was still staring at AJ. Instead of looking away, AJ remained passive and unaffected. Tonight was a little different though. She had just gone through an emotional roller coaster ride and alcohol was running deep inside her system.

"What are you looking at?!" She boldly asked the boy standing before her. He looked more rugged and than usual that night but AJ was more drunk than usual.

"What's it to you? I can do-"

"Why do you always do that?! Are you analysing something for a project?! Why do you always stare like that? Like you have lazers implanted inside your eyeballs and-"

"AJ!" Both Wilow and Cora pulled her away from a fuming Rylen. Jaxon and Zach were watching with great interest.

"Sorry," Cora apologized after observing how angry Rylen became. He looked intimidating.

"That mouth is going to get you into a whole lot of trouble one day, nerd." Rylen icily warned AJ.

"Those eyes are gonna melt out of your skull due to all that staring alpha queen bee!"

"Oh gosh AJ, stop it!" Cora dragged her and pushed her inside the car.

Jaxon put his fist in his mouth to prevent himself from laughing his heart out.

Zach simply gave Cora a flirty wave in which she blushed in reply. That only boosted him up.

With that they parted ways.

Rylen was so irritated with that dark haired girl who managed to stumble into his life and turn everything upside down.

How could one be so fucking infuriating?! Was she like this all the time? It made his blood pressure rise. No one ever spoke to him like that. He made sure no one dared.

Just as he was looking for ways to get back at her, he remembered her tear filled eyes earlier that day. The short seconds of vulnerability displayed by her made him edgy. It shocked him to no end.

How she ran into him and yelled at him in frustration. He wanted to yell back but when he saw her red, watery eyes, he couldn't say anything. He was dumbfounded.

##################################

That's all for now guys. Till next time.

Sooooooo, what do you think? 💭💭💭