TWICE GIVEN, TWICE LOVED

HEARTLESS

Crystal glanced at me and then at her, speaking hurriedly. “Can you please give us our schedules quickly? We are going to be late for our classes.”

The woman nodded, handing each of us our schedules, a school map, and our locker keys. As she was giving me my schedule, Crystal snatched it from her hands. So civilized.

Scanning both of our schedules, she smiled satisfactorily to herself. I snatched our schedules from her hands, realizing I had every class with her throughout the day, except for two.

“We have almost the same classes,” she squealed, grabbing my hand and leaping toward the locker’s direction. After putting our things in the locker and setting up a new password, we left for our first class.

The day passed by gradually, with the professors giving their introduction, explaining what they expected from us, and blah, blah, blah. Many of our high school classmates were also there in this college and shared some classes with us too. Perks of a local college, I guess.

Lunch time came, and Crystal couldn’t have been more excited. Half of the periods, she had slept because, according to her, none of the professors were handsome enough to attract her attention. I swore, half of her mind ruminated about handsome men only, and the other half fancied food.

As we reached the cafeteria, I could see some girls glaring at me. Typical idiots. Wait for some time, and most would mentally kill me too.

We took our trays and went to the counter. The cafeteria food was quite acceptable. Filling up our trays, we were about to head to an empty seat when a girl from the popular g**g invited us to sit with them at the center table.

She was our senior in high school and somewhat our friend. I meant, she preferred to think that we were friends, so I guess that’s why we were. Her name was Octavia or something.

Crystal readily agreed. Ever the friendly person. “Amelia, her name is Olivia. Remember it,” Crystal whispered as we approached their table.

I nodded. I was close enough. That’s the reason why we were best friends. We knew what the other person was pondering without the other even uttering anything.

Olivia grinned like a Cheshire cat and side-hugged both of us one by one. She was really a beautiful and graceful girl. Her blonde hair and light green eyes ornamented her admirably. But her kind looks could be deceiving for those who didn’t know her. If you offended her, she could become your worst nightmare too.

She clapped her hands, snatching everyone’s attention in the cafeteria. “Listen up, guys! She is Amelia and she is Crystal. They are freshmen and are my sisters. So, you better think before offending any one of them. Because their enemies are my enemies. Now, enjoy your lunch,” she spoke loudly and dominatingly, leaving no room for discussion.

The glares of other girls intensified. See, I told you. Second reason why we were always in the spotlight. We had accepted this fact and started to savor it now.

Crystal and I were never actually in the popular g**g of cheerleaders, football players, basketball players, jocks, and all the rest. We were what they call ambiverts. Everyone was our friend, but still, none were in our close friends group. We didn’t prefer groups of best fake friends and were more than pleased to just be a single line of two close friends.

Two seats were empty—one beside a cute football player and the other beside Nicholas. Nicholas had always been a part of the popular g**g, being the leader of the football team and the hottest, richest guy in school or college.

The only wretched fact was that there was no demented queen bee in love with him who raged at every girl she saw as a threat to her ‘love’. Olivia was closest to what we could describe as the typical queen bee, but she wasn’t fixated on Nicholas at all. She was frenetically in love with some other guy who was probably four years older than her and her brother’s best friend. Hence, no typical school drama occurred as such. Sadly.

Other girls who were desperately in love with Nicholas were not courageous enough to approach him. No, not because of him but because of Olivia.

She had made a tacit announcement among all the girls that Nicholas Rossi was the man of Amelia Rodriguez, so every girl better stay away from him. I don’t know how she got that batty idea. She thought I didn’t know of her heroic act of saving ‘my’ man from the other flies. But words fly.

I was going to take a seat beside that cute guy but was stopped by a certain someone.

“Principessa, come sit here.” Nicholas patted the seat beside him, smiling mischievously.

I narrowed my eyes at him, scoffing. “No, thanks.”

Just as I was about to go to the other seat, I noticed Crystal sitting there and already flirting with that guy.

What a friend I had. I huffed, sitting beside Nicholas in defeat. He chuckled, smirking at me and making me glare at him.

I was distracted when Olivia started talking to me and introducing me to her friends. Crystal was blushing while talking to that guy beside her. I cooed in my mind. They would look cute together.

Looking sideways, I saw Nicholas glaring at his phone, his jaw clenched, and his fingers tightly fisted around his fork. A little more pressure, and the fork would snap into two. I was waiting to see how much strength he had, but unfortunately, he didn’t break it. Instead, he banged his phone loudly on the table, making me flinch.

His eyes moved toward mine, his expression shifting back to the usual mischievous and cocky self as he grinned. I looked away.

After lunch period, the rest of the classes passed by uneventfully.

Reaching the parking lot, I waited for Crystal to come. “Hey, principessa,” Nicholas shouted. I groaned. Why couldn’t he leave me alone? Just why, devil?

He grinned, standing in front of me with his hands in his pockets. I frowned.

“What now?” I spoke, annoyed.

“My car is not starting. Seems like you will have to give me a ride.” He smiled gleefully. Wasn’t he too happy for a person whose car was not working?

“And why would I? Ask some other friend of yours.” I moved my hand in a shooing motion.

“Oh, I can’t, principessa. They’re all busy. And we live at the same place. So, I don’t see what the issue is.”

“There is an issue. And it’s you.” I poked a finger at his chest.

He put his hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt. “Oh, you hurt me, principessa. Now you’ll have to be responsible for me.” I rolled my eyes at him. Why wasn’t he in an acting school again?

“Amelia,” Crystal came back from the washroom. Devil knew how many times this girl used the washroom.

“Okay, Crystal, I have to go. Let’s meet up tomorrow. Bye. Take care.”

“Oh sure. Bye. You also take care.” She ran to her car and took off from the parking lot. She was always in a hurry for no apparent or reasonable reason.

I sighed as I unlocked my car. Nicholas ran and sat in the passenger seat even before I could say a word. My jaw dropped as I looked at that shameless man.

Scoffing, I sat at the driver's seat. Arguing with him was pointless. As I drove back home, I observed it was too quiet. Nicholas never sat silently. Peeking at him, I realized he had fallen asleep. How tired was he to let his guards down like that? Nicholas was a person who always kept his guard up, not trusting anyone.

Parking the car in my spot, I stared at him. He was a beautiful masterpiece carved by God’s own hands. As I scrutinized him, his messy dark brown hair invited me to run my fingers through it to feel its softness. His long eyelashes made me jealous, while his soft pink lips seemed to beckon me to kiss him as if there were no tomorrow. The little stubble on his chiseled jaw made me want to do many sinful things to him.

To say he was handsome would be an understatement. He was a walking, breathing, sinful temptation.

The only scent surrounding my nostrils was of petrichor and the ocean, mixed with some traces of muskiness. He smelled delicious.

I admired his beauty as someone would while peering at a precious art piece in a museum. But once you’re out of that museum, the admiration is forgotten, and you move on, maybe to gaze at another masterpiece. No feelings involved.

Unfortunately, I could never like him. Not after knowing my reality and the trouble he would be in if he were involved with me.

Please, stay away from me, Nicholas. You don’t know what type of curse I carry. Moreover, how could I expect someone to accept the fact that I had a wolf? I was a monster in this world of humans.

Sofia whimpered in my mind. “I am sorry, Amelia. If not for me, you wouldn’t be in this dilemma.”

“No, Sofia. I love you. Whatever happens, we will go through it together.”

Shaking my head, I controlled my emotions. My periods were going to start soon, I guessed.

“Hey, wake up, Nicholas.” I said loudly into his ears. He awoke startled, looking at me with wide eyes. I laughed boisterously as he sighed.

“We reached. Go home now.”

“Thanks for the ride, principessa. Don’t forget to pick me up for college tomorrow. Don’t be late,” he said, kissing me on my cheek before leaving the car and walking back toward the building leisurely.

My mouth gaped open as I looked at his back. “You jerk!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. I could see his back shaking as he whistled and rotated his keys around his index finger.

Entering my penthouse, I threw my bag somewhere on the couch. I was so tired. Dealing with an annoyance was not so easy as it seemed to be.

The day passed by quickly as I did some work on my laptop. I moved my neck around as I stretched. So much work for this little lady.

I sat in the recliner, closing my eyes to rest.

“I love you, Amelia. Please take care of yourself and my younger brother.”

The red wine swirled in the glass as I rotated it. My eyes stared blankly at the city from my window wall. The view was the best. The city was enveloped in darkness but still enlivened by the artificial lights.

I hated it! The best and most beautiful things, I meant.

They burned my soul!

I was not the best, and so the best things never stayed with me for long. In fact, I was the worst. But still, I craved the things I could never have.

Want the best, possess the best, and crush the best.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips. OH MY MY!!! I was pretty messed up. My lips straightened into a thin line as I remembered the thoughts running through my head since this morning.

He loved me. But why did he leave me then? Why did he break his promise?

“Why did you die that day?” I whispered, not expecting an answer. I had accepted it; he would not come back now.

Keeping my hand on my chest, I looked sideways toward the huge mirror attached to the wall beside the nightstand. Steel gray eyes stared back at me emotionlessly.

“But why don’t I feel hurt anymore? Why are my eyes always so blank? Why don’t I feel anything? Am I really as heartless as they say? Or do I have a defective heart?”

Sighing, I shook my head. What’s the use of these questions? I knew the answer.

I am what they say: a psycho. A devil. The monster.

The wine rushed past my lips to my throat. Ughhh… troublesome life.

“Amelia, it’s enough. Don’t think about all this. You are the best, not the worst,” Sofia spoke softly in my mind.

It was going to rain soon, I guessed. There were no stars in the sky today.

The ringtone of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Speak,” I said in my usual bland tone without checking the caller ID.

“You brat! Is that how you speak to your mother?” the woman on the other end asked furiously.

I sat upright, my lips twitching as I mentally cursed myself. Devil!!!

“Mom, I am sorry; I didn’t see the caller ID. How are you?” My voice was the sweetest I could muster.

“Hmph… how could I be when my only daughter hasn’t called me for months and hasn’t even bothered to visit me once in a while? She is so heartless, you know.” She said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Heartless.

Ha, I had heard that a lot of times.

The line went silent for a moment. I didn’t know what to say.

“I-I didn’t mean that, baby. I-I…” Her panicked voice resonated from the other side. My eyes closed for a brief moment as I exhaled deeply. Opening them, I knew there was no expression in them, as usual.

“It’s fine, Mom. I know you didn’t mean that. No need to feel bad,” my voice was soft yet emotionless, not giving anything away.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said meekly.

“I am not hurt, Mom. Don’t worry. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I am coming back on weekends. My college just started, so my schedule isn’t too hectic now.”

“Oh my God! Really?” she squealed loudly. I moved the phone away from my ears. Who would think she was the mother of an eighteen-year-old girl? This woman was so easy to distract.

“Yeah, really,” I replied once she calmed down a little.

“Oh, I am so going to prepare all your favorite dishes this weekend. Now, I’m hanging up. Don’t disturb me while I’m busy preparing for my favorite daughter’s arrival.” She hung up before I could say anything further.

I chuckled as I looked at the phone. This woman was absolutely crazy. She did what she wanted, and no one could question her.

“I am your only daughter, Mom. Or am I?” I smiled sadly as I looked at the lines on my palm.

Clearing my head of all these thoughts, I lay down on the bed and slept. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.