2.8: Misunderstanding is a Major Turn Off

I was glad to see that Alex didn't try to second-text me. I was never one to ignore others. It felt weird, to be acutely aware that someone was waiting for your reply (and then even nudge you to send one after you've decided not to) and then decide that they didn't deserve it. I felt like I was being cruel, like I was one of the mean girls in those teenage movies.

Quentin, on the other hand, felt the need to send me a barrage of text thorough the night.

Q the Great to 'My weird Other Self'

Dnt till me that that that basterrd is dumping you!

Sent at 2:05AM

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Q the Great to 'My weird Other Self'

On dcddd though, I zink iz best. I don't like him much aftr all!!!!!!111! Esccp aftrr all tht drama.

Sent at 2:30AM

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Q the Great to 'My weird Other Self'

Are you okay?

Sent at 3:31AM

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Q the Great to 'My weird Other Self'

Hey, please text me back.!

Sent at 5:00AM

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Q the Great to 'My weird Other Self'

You're not mad at me, are u? I've called u like 10 times!

Sent at 5:10AM

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Considering the amount of coherency he displayed at the last couple of text, I concluded that Quentin regained his consciousness fast. It was almost celebratory, because he had been a very lightweight drinker.

I was still on my room the next day, unable to find the will nor courage to actually wake up.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, my roommate Trisha had very little sense of privacy.

"Black or pink?!" she broke into my door with only a shocking pink bra and jeans.

I closed my eyes. "I didn't see anything I didn't see anything and I totally understand if you thought that my room was actually your room, so please get out of here and put on some clothes because I can see your bra!"

Trisha giggled. "No, you silly! I'm asking for some second opinion!"

"I guess you could come back later after you've put on some clothes."

"I'm not asking opinion about clothes," Trisha said. "It's my bra."

I still didn't dare to open my eyes. "B-Bra?"

"Take a look," Trisha prodded.

"No."

"Come on, don't pretend to be such a prude. I can't believe you're a prude if you have a boyfriend like that."

"That's irrelevant, but still no."

"Come on, you're so boring."

I put my hands over my eyes because I sensed that Trisha would be the kind of person who would forcefully trick me into opening my eyes. "You're not the first person to say that."

"You sure? Because everyone loved you at that party yesterday. I know Alex certainly has a little crush on you."

"No? I think he just thinks of me like a little sister."

"Who knows if he's got a little incestuous side?"

Her words felt like fire on my ears. "Oh my Star, Trisha."

"Just joking," and then I felt a hand tapping my shoulder. "The coast's clear now, I've put on some clothes."

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, were a pair of Trisha's very large boobs, barely snuck inside her little shocking pink bra.

"Aaaaarrghh!" I screamed involuntarily, before then burying my whole head unto my blanket.

Trisha's laughter filled all the corners in my room, much to my dismay. "Your crazy boyfriend's here, by the way."

-

When Ryder greeted me downstairs, he raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your face?"

"I saw something that couldn't be unseen," was my reply.

He didn't press any further. I noticed thoroughly how very interested my three roommates were at my boyfriend, and even though they were trying to hide it, I could tell that they were behind the stairs, just spying on us.

"They're behind me, aren't they?" I asked him.

Ryder let out a wry smile as he nodded. "I wonder when their fascination towards us subside."

"As long as I have my 'mental condition' and you have your 'fits of rage', then I guess everybody here will be interested in you."

"Fits of rage?"

"That's what everyone's been saying," I said. And then I remembered Dr. Lecter's lessons on being subtle. "I meant, that's what I thought everyone's been saying."

Ryder looked more amused more than anything. "Trying to be subtle, huh?" and then, in a raised voice. "What do you think, ladies? The crazy guy and the crazy girl are going very strong."

This prompted Trisha, Lauren and Mindy to come out from their hide (which was a loose term because standing behind the stairs couldn't possibly counted as 'hiding'). I noticed that Trisha's t-shirt was slightly see-through, revealing her pink bra.

Ooohh. So now I get it.

"I'm not saying April's crazy. We always accept different people. You, on the other hand..." she made a retching face. "I guess you were a hotshot on your high school for being so bad, but that's not going to work here. And to think you're with our sweet, prudish April..." she trailed off. "She couldn't even bear to see me in my undies."

"Well, I have the option to see what you're talking about now, but I'm choosing not to."Ryder's tone was even and cruel. "It's tacky."

I couldn't even believe what I just heard. It was a low blow indeed, but what shocked me the most was how huge their open mouths were as they digested Ryder's words.

Lauren was the first to recover. "So you're not only a physical bully, but a verbal bully, too."

Mindy let out one huge sob and then ran back to her room.

Trisha put a hand over her chest. Her boobs, however, were so big that her thin hand only covered a fraction of it. In fact, it only pushed her cleavage even further. I held the urge to tell her this. "You're vile."

"I put three men down yesterday," Ryder replied cooly. "Of course I'm vile. But you're still tacky."

And then he took my hand, and off we went out from the townhouse.

"Ow, ow, ow," I cried out, because his grip unto my hand became tighter and tighter.

"Sorry," Ryder released my hand. "Sorry. I ruined everything for you. I'm just... lately I've been having bad days and-"

"It's not..." I began, but then stopped myself. I tried to look for something positive, but my mind was drawing blank. "It's okay."

And since saying it only once didn't seem to placate him, I tried again.

"It's really okay."

-

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When Ryder and I got into the university, I noticed something was off.

You see, just a year ago, I was the very definition of a wallflower. I got into school, nobody noticed. I fell, maybe one person laughed and then pretended like I didn't exist. When I was in class, I didn't seem to catch any of their attention.

At Greenville university, people actually liked me. It was weird. It was actually borderline supernatural.

And a bit annoying.

Guys and girls turned my head towards Ryder and I's direction. Ryder was the one who was used to attention, whether it was good or bad. Ryder swallowed all the gazes in and then took my hand to walk me into my class.

"Hey, April," random guy#1 called me out.

"April," this time, it was random girl#1.

"Hey," random girl#2.

"Whatcha doin'?" random guy #2.

What in the name of Valhalla was happening?

"Quite the social butterfly, huh?" Ryder said. There was a definite tone of sadness in his voice.

"Hey," finally, it was someone I knew.

"Alex, hello," I greeted back.

"Aw, being a dutiful boyfriend are you?" Alex said to Ryder. "What, there's nothing to do at the workshop?"

Ryder gritted his teeth. His knuckles were white and I noticed that he had managed not to say anything.

"I think Ryder's workshop opens at the afternoon," I said, because Ryder obviously had passed up the five-seconds rule of silence before answering someone's question.

"Does he take you home, too?" there was a sinister smile on Alex's lips. "So good to be a man with so much time, eh?"

I expected Ryder to get angry and do something. It was his standard procedure to express his anger. I didn't need to see his face to know that his whole body was basically in the verge of combusting.

"I'll see you at four," instead, that was all Ryder said to me, before he went off to his truck.

He forgot to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I was still in a pissy mood because of my missing kiss, but then Alex was still standing in front of me.

"You guys were the absolute talk of the school," Alex informed me.

"That news seems a bit odd," I said. "I think I have about zero charisma. Ryder maybe could be the talk of the town, but definitely not me."

"No-no. It's definitely you." Alex intoned. "Actually, a lot of people have been worrying about you, especially after the incident in my house."

"Well, I do admit sometimes I have difficulties getting used to all the food in this canteen. I might need to change up my food schedule."

"April. That's not what it's about," there was something weird in the way he talked about it, and that was when I realized it. The people who were walking around us. They didn't stop or pointedly stare, but they definitely slow down as they bypassed us.

I turned to Alex. "Do I have a hole in my pants?"

"Your pants is fine. Your boyfriend, however, is not."

I winced. "Huh?"

"He's a little... rough, isn't he?" Alex said.

"He's very unique when he's mad. But that's where our personalities match. I'm also unique when I'm feeling everything. By the way, you're standing a little too close to me. My private space is a little over 20 inch more than most people."

Alex moved exactly 20 inches away. "Good?"

"That's peachy," I smiled. "And most people don't know, but Ryder is actually a big softie Lotso at heart."

"Beating up three guys isn't exactly the hallmark of being 'big softie Lotso'," he paused for a few seconds. "And wasn't Lotso the bad guy in Toy Story 3?"

"Yeah, but he's a teddy bear," was my defense.

At the same time of my talking, Alex was also talking.

"Come again?" I asked him.

Alex drew his breath. "People are talking about one day, Ryder might hit you."

There was no remorse on Alex's unreadable green eyes. I couldn't tell if he were trying to play me, or if he said this out of concern. What I knew was how much those words offended me. 

"He would not!"

"I know. Ryder never hit girls, or even people who don't deserve it. I worked with him, remember?" Alex mused. "It's just... I think Trisha and the rest of your housemates are spreading gossips. And after what happened in my house last week," he shook his head. "They've been calling Ryder dangerous and other bad things."

And that was when I knew, that Ryder's reputation in Greenville had been annihilated. 

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Author's note:

Waaaa, sorry for starting the year with a very dark chapter. I've got something super juicy planned for this story, and it will involve a lot of drama. Guess I'm back to my original roots <3

hint: it has someone dying.

P.S: I feel soo good for being able to post on wattpad again!!! <3 by the way, check out The Quirky Tale of April Hale on webtoon.

Just choose webtoon challenge, and type up the title. It'll show up. It's my first foray into making comics :D Right now, it's only chapter two, but there are new dialogues and new adjustment so that the story fits better in comic version. :D if I get 5k subscribers there, I might qualify for a patreon by webtoon which will allow me to write (and draw) full time. So please help a sister out <3

p.p.s: the guy above is my representation of Alex. his name is Gustav Swedberg and apparently, he doesn't always look this good, so don't google him and shatter your illusion

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