The Clarity of Love (Montereal series #2)

03

Ryder_Montereal: What now? Did you already think about it?

Frustrated, I opened my i********: app and saw the messages from Ryder. My eyes rolled at his audacity to chat with me. We were not friends, and I had no intention of getting close to him. The nerve of him to act like we had some special connection.

"What does he want now?" I muttered to myself, clicking on the chat. His messages were filled with attempts to start a conversation, but I wasn't interested. I had other things to focus on, and dealing with Ryder's antics was not one of them.

For the past week, I had been immersing myself in the script, determined to give my best performance for this big-time play. It was unlike any other play I had participated in before, and the pressure was on. Mila, my ever-supportive best friend, assured me that many people would be watching, including students from other schools. Every night, I stayed up late, going over my lines and practicing my scenes in front of the mirror. I wanted to perfect every nuance, every emotion, and every expression. The character of Christine was challenging, but I was determined to bring her to life on stage.

As I stood in the school parking lot, waiting for Mila, impatience started to creep in. She had been taking so long, and I couldn't help but wonder what was keeping her. I had been waiting for her here for quite some time, and my annoyance was beginning to show.

I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to gauge how much longer I would have to wait. It seemed like the minutes were dragging on, and I couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh.

As I stood in the school parking lot, I spotted a car approaching, and my initial assumption was that it was my best friend, Mila, arriving late as usual. But to my surprise, it wasn't her—it was Ryder. My heart skipped a beat, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

Ryder stepped out of his silver Panos Esperante. I couldn't help but notice the luxurious and expensive aura the car exuded. It was no surprise to me that he owned such an extravagant vehicle, given that he was a Montereal and seemingly had unlimited resources at his disposal. Money seemed to flow effortlessly in his world, affording him the ability to buy whatever he desired.

My jaw dropped in disbelief when I saw the woman who stepped out of the car with Ryder. Oh my gosh! Was I dreaming? Why, oh why? Of all people, why did it have to be my best friend and Ryder together?

I blinked several times, hoping that what I was seeing was just a figment of my imagination. But no, it was all too real. There, standing side by side, were Mila and Ryder, talking and laughing as if they were the best of friends. It felt like the world had conspired against me, bringing together the two people I least expected to see together.

I took a deep breath and walked towards them, mustering all the courage I could find. As I approached, I made sure to stand directly in front of Ryder, meeting his gaze with a determined look in my eyes. "What did you do to her? What's happening?" Mila looked taken aback by my barrage of questions, her eyes widening in surprise.

She stammered for a moment before finally finding her words. "Woah, woah, calm down, Clara," she said, trying to sound composed. "It's not what you think."

"Woah! Chill! Why would I date your best friend, when you're my Christine already?"Ryder's words only fueled my anger even more.

"Let's go, Mila!" I was about to walk when Ryder grabbed my wrist. As Ryder's hand tightened around my wrist, I turned to face him with an annoyed expression. "Let go of me, Ryder," I demanded, trying to free myself from his grasp.

"Let's go!" He said. I removed his grip on me. I didn't want the other students who might see us to think anything else.

"Tsk!" I grabbed Mila's hand. I also want to talk to my bestfriend about what happened a while ago. I couldn't help but let my thoughts drift back to the recent encounter with Ryder. The questions swirling in my mind were starting to overwhelm me, and I couldn't understand why Mila had chosen to be with him, knowing how much I despised him.

"Explain," I crossed my arms, looking straight at Mila, waiting for her to explain herself. The restroom was surprisingly quiet, and it provided us with a moment of privacy to have this conversation. "My car broke down, but luckily, someone was kind enough to offer me a ride, and that person turned out to be Ryder. He's kind and gentleman. Oh God! He's a boyfriend material too!" She even gigled while talking about that guy. God Mila!

"Are you sure?" I looked at Mila intently.

"Are you jealous?" She asked, ignoring my question.

"I'm not. Why would I? I don't even like that guy."

After almost an hour of talking, I realized that I had been overthinking things. There was no romantic involvement between Mila and Ryder after all. It was all in my head. My imagination had run wild, conjuring up scenarios that weren't real.

I understood why Mila was surprised by her decision to ride with Ryder. It was indeed out of character for her to do so. Mila was someone who valued her independence and rarely relied on others, especially when it came to transportation. She would always call her Mom or find another way to get around rather than accept a ride from someone else.

"Hey," I rolled my eyes at Ryder's attempt to gain my attention once again. Seriously, this guy just didn't know when to quit. It seemed like he was always trying so hard to get under my skin, and it was beyond annoying."Can you just leave me alone?" I said with exasperation, not bothering to hide my irritation. "I don't want anything to do with you or your desperate attempts to use me for whatever reason you have in mind."

"Why didn't you just agree? Maybe he'll stop bothering you if you do," Mila suggested, and it was a brilliant idea, too good to pass up! I shook my head in disbelief at Mila's suggestion. "Are you serious, Mila? Make a deal with him? That's ridiculous! I'm not going to enter into some kind of arrangement just to get him off my back. Besides, I don't want anything to do with him."

"Ehem! Clarisse Raegan, your father is here." My eyes widen when I heard what he said.

I burst into the school admin office, my heart pounding in my chest. There, sitting behind the desk, was my father,

"Hi, Dad!" I approached my father. "Hi my dear Clara, I just want to see my daughter if she's okay." He smiled at me and guestured na lumapit ako sakaniya. "Who's the daughter? That b***h? Or me?" I asked. He just laughed.

"Of course you. My one and only daughter."

"Dad!" The office door opened, and I involuntarily rolled my eyes. because I saw an itchy bitchy witch. No other than Beatrice. My one and only step-sister. "Beatrice! Let's go?" I looked at them with a confused look. "What is Dad saying to Beatrice? Is there something I don't know? I thought Dad brought me here," I wondered aloud. "Do you want to join us?" Dad asked. He lied. "He said he was looking for me, but it turns out he was just looking for Beatrice," I realized, feeling disappointed. "No thanks, I'm not comfortable with that itchy bitchy witch. So I prefer to stay here than to join you with that bitch." I gave Beatrice a death glare and walk away. An evil smile plastered in her face.

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy and frustration as I observed my father and Beatrice together. It seemed like she was always finding ways to get closer to him, and it bothered me how effortlessly she could win his attention and affection.

The weight of emotions inside me was becoming unbearable. The anger, frustration, and pain seemed to consume my every thought. I couldn't help but blame myself for not trying to prevent my parents' separation in the first place.

As I looked at my father and Beatrice, laughing and bonding like a real family, I couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment. Why did things have to turn out this way? Why did I have to deal with this complicated family situation?

I felt like an outsider in my own home, and it was suffocating. I hated feeling this way, but I couldn't help it. The world felt cruel and unfair, and it seemed like everything was working against me.

I couldn't help but wonder why life had to be so complicated. I had everything that most people would dream of—a wealthy family, access to the best education, and the ability to buy whatever I wanted. But all those material things couldn't fill the void in my heart caused by the absence of a happy and complete family. I questioned the validity of all the wishes and dreams I had made over the years. Every birthday, I blew out the candles, hoping for the same thing—to have a loving and complete family. Yet, it seemed like my wish remained unanswered. Perhaps it was just a fantasy, a fairy tale dream that was unattainable in the real world. Maybe life wasn't meant to be that way for me. But no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I could live without it, the longing for a complete family remained.

I couldn't help but long for the days when our family was still complete. Life may have been simpler back then, but it was filled with genuine happiness and love. I missed the times when we would all gather around the dinner table, sharing stories and laughter. Mom and Dad would exchange knowing glances, and my heart would be filled with warmth, knowing that we were a united front. But things changed, and I couldn't do anything about it. Mom and Dad's relationship didn't work out, and a new woman entered my father's life—Beatrice. I couldn't understand why he chose her, but it seemed like he was smitten, blinded by her charms.

I couldn't help but feel bitter towards Beatrice. She came into our lives, tearing our family apart, and now she was reaping the benefits of a life that wasn't hers to begin with. It was hard to accept that my dad seemed to be favoring her over his own flesh and blood. But despite my anger and frustration, I knew that harboring these negative emotions wouldn't change the situation. I had to find a way to cope and move forward, even if it meant accepting Beatrice's presence in our lives. Akala ko talaga naka-move on na ako, masakit pa rin pala talaga. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ganito ako ngyaon.

In my heart, I still yearned for the day when my family would be whole again. I wanted us to be together, supporting each other through thick and thin, just like we used to be. But life doesn't always go as planned, and sometimes we have to learn to let go of our expectations.

I sat down here in the school garden. I took a deep breath because I knew my tears would fall anytime soon. Yes, I'm weak when it comes to Dad and Beatrice. Every time I see them together and happy, I feel jealous. I allowed my emotions to flow freely. The weight of my feelings became too much to bear, and I found myself shedding tears of frustration and sadness. I didn't want anyone else to witness my vulnerability, so I chose to be alone.

As I slowly lowered my hands from covering my face, I noticed a handkerchief being held out toward me.