Time seemed to go by in a blur.

Mom was discharged since she was mostly okay. However, she still had to see a psychiatrist and work out a rehabilitation plan. I'd spent the past few days helping her get back on her feet. we even cleaned out the house. I, for one, couldn't believe the mess that our old house was. almost as messy as my situation with Daniel.

Cleaning up with Mom had done a less than decent job distracting me from the mess I was currently in with Daniel. And I tried to avoid the mess as much as possible.

According to Ali and Manu, he probably didn't want to talk because he had to process everything. Plus, I had to do some thinking too.

And with everything that had happened, I wasn't so sure Daniel and I were meant to be. He'd never take me back after all I'd put him through.

"Noah?" I blinked twice, meeting Manu and Ali's concerned stares. In the background, the blonde lecturer was pointing to an image on the projector screen. Ali pouted and spoke again. "Are you okay? You've been out of it for moments now."

Manu butted in, "Scratch that. You've been out of it for almost a week now." she lowered her eyebrows and exhaled. "You still haven't spoken to Daniel, have you?"

I cleared my throat and sat up, picking up my pen and feigning focus. "This has nothing to do with Daniel. It's just been stressful helping Mom out."

While Manu rolled her eyes in disbelief, Ali leaned in closer. "How is she, by the way?" She asked.

I shrugged, shaking off the thoughts of Daniel that were beginning to form. I had to come to terms with it. 

Whatever we had... it was over now.

"She's doing okay. We cleared the house out and we've been spending more time together. She's getting much better even."

While Ali smiled at my response, Manu frowned, asking, "And you? How are  you holding up?"

I didn't have the answer to that question.

I was happy that everything was falling into place. My mom and I were finally in a good place, school was going swell, and I had two amazing friends who were currently concerned about my well-being. So far, I'd managed to dodge all Daniel-related things.

Carol and Cherry barely spoke to me in the room. it was awkward, but it was much better than having to talk about everything that had happened. I did notice that they weren't as close to Chanelle as before though. And I stayed away from all basketball matches and team practice sessions. God forbid I bump into Tae or Asher. They probably hated me too--

"That's all for today then." The lecturer said to the class, smiling. "We'll continue with the next chapter on Friday." Almost instantly, students got off their seats and started making their way out of class.

I sighed. "I'm holding up fine," I said, packing up my books and getting up. Ali and Manu followed suit, eyebrows raised. "Daniel and I weren't meant to happen. So, it's going to be easy to walk away from all this." Seeing their concerned faces, I backed up my statement. "I promise, guys. I'm fine."

And I was fine. If I kept telling myself that Daniel was a mistake I shouldn't have made, it'd be much easier to forget everything--I hoped.

But just as soon as I'd built up my resolve, it came crashing down when I spotted Asher making his way into class and scanning his surroundings with a stiff look.

My eyes went round, my heart pounding away like it was overheating. Ali and Manu seemed to notice my change in demeanour because they followed my gaze and spotted Asher just as quickly as I did.

Manu turned to me with the speed of lightning, grabbing my wrist so quickly that it almost hurt. "We have to get you out of here."

She didn't have to tell me twice. In the following seconds, we were making our way between tables and students, hurrying to the exit door on the left. at the right exit, Ahser continued scanning the class and with each passing nanosecond, it felt more and more like I couldn't breathe.

I'd worked so hard to avoid him and the team. The last thing I needed right then was for Asher to express his hatred for me to add to the pile of guilt I was feeling.

We were almost at the door now, with Manu guiding me through the sea of students and bumping into a few now and then. In my head, I mumbled prayers to get me out of this situation unscathed.

But just as we broke out the exit, Manu, Ali, and I, came to a screeching halt, petrified under an icy blue glare. Asher did not look happy, and I already knew I was screwed before he even uttered words.

"We need to talk."

~~~

I wasn't sure which was worse; The fact that Asher had spotted me so easily or the fact that Ali and Manu had left me alone with him with just a pat on the back for encouragement.

Asher leaned against the side of his car, eyes fixed on me while I looked at anything but him. This silence had gone on for minutes that felt like decades and with each second, it felt like I was being nailed into the ground and couldn't move.

My lips parted, willing to form words but coming up with nothing. the closest thing to words I could think about was an apology for playing with his friend's heart for money but it sounded pathetic in my head. So, I pinched my lips shut and bit the inside of my cheek.

Asher broke the silence, seconds later. "Aren't you going to defend yourself?"

I let out a breath and finally caught his eyes. "I don't have anything to say."

He lifted a brow and folded his arms, frowning. "Maybe you can start by apologising? or explaining how Chanelle got you to do something so cruel?"

"I'm sorry, Asher, for using Daniel, for tricking all of you, for going along with Chanelle's sick-ass plan... for everything." I inhaled. "I'm sorry for everything."

Asher sighed and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. He groaned. "I want to hate you. I really do, because what you did was seriously messed up. The whole team isn't very pleased with you either. In fact, we had an unspoken rule never to bring up your name. ever."

I braced for impact. in a way, I'd expected nothing less. Asher was actually passing the message surprisingly well. I mean, he hadn't said anything overly hurtful yet. But it felt like a stake was being driven deeper into my heart each time his gaze found mine. So I looked away.

At the last minute, Asher sighed again. "Jace and Hyun would kill me if they found out I was even speaking to you right now, but Daniel needs to talk to you. at least to get closure." He paused, then continued, "He's been... different since Chanelle told him about your little contract."

On instinct, my eyebrows dropped and the stabbing in my chest turned to a dull ache. I held my right forearm with my right hand. "Is he okay?"

"Mostly," Asher replied. "He's just been cold and distant. and he's late to practice--I think you should talk to him."

But the truth was, I'd tried. With each declined call, each time I saw that I couldn't send him messages, it felt like the distance between us had grown into the span of an ocean.

"I.." I shut my eyes and brushed my hand against my cheek. "I can't. he blocked me from sending him messages and he keeps declining my calls. He clearly doesn't want to talk to me and that's understandable." A pause. "I've put him through enough already."

With scrunched-up eyebrows and a frown, Asher grabbed me by the shoulders and stared me deep in the eye. "I'm asking you to try harder. I know Daniel, and I can tell when he doesn't want to talk to someone." His gaze deepened. "Trust me, he wants to talk to you. He's just fighting it."

He paused to exhale, stepping back. "Just... Try. Please?"

And without another word, he stepped back, opened his car door, got in, and drove off, leaving me standing in the almost empty parking lot with my thoughts.

Asher's words rang in my mind for the rest of the day, but when Ali and Manu asked what he'd said, I decided to keep it to myself. I wasn't sure what to do with the information he'd given me, or if the information was even correct.

From the evidence before me, Daniel didn't want anything to do with my sorry self. but Asher begged to differ. He was going against the team to get me to talk to Daniel. Plus, deep down, I wanted to talk to Daniel, to let him know how sorry I was, to fix things and go back to normal. 

And even though I knew the odds weren't in my favour, my entire being yearned to try. Just one last time.

So, once I got to the hostel before Cherry and Carol would return with the awkward silence, I picked up my phone and dialled Daniel's number. One last time.

My heart was beating at the speed of light at this point, the disappointment sitting patiently in the corner, waiting for the final ring to set in. This was a terrible idea, but it felt like not calling Daniel was even worse.

I should end the call, I thought. But I still let, my hand hover over the hang-up button for a couple of seconds. and just as I was finally going to do it, on the fourth ring, the receiver clicked.

Daniel's voice shook the walls of my mind and left me dumbfounded yet again. "What do you want, Freshman?"