Choosing paths

Hidden

The following week had me in a daze, I was just grateful we had a free week, our exams were over, we just had to party our freshmen skins off, tradition they said.

I spent most of my time with cherry, I had basically moved in with her, I called it getting our lost moments back, cherry went out of her way all week, she spoilt me rotten, I did love the attention but money coming from her felt wrong.

I loved her either way but I didn’t want her to think I wanted her money or feel obliged to buy me stuff, I made it a rule, if it wasn’t important don’t buy it, if it wasn’t needed don’t get it, in return if she did buy it I couldn’t whine about the price, we went back and forth, throwing rules, countering others.

The more time I spent with cherry the less I did Ray and Asher, she didn’t like him and she made it known, she extended the dislike to Asher, she was just that petty.

I tried several times in several ways to bring her around, she was as stubborn as they came so I set up an impromptu dinner, a double date.

Cherry spent the rest of the free week pouting, whining, in minutes she practically turned into a possessed host, she would whine, scream, she was a spoilt brat, sometimes I forgot, she drove me insane the next few days.

She threatened not to show up to dinner, I threatened to forget she existed, she pushed all my buttons, she did everything to get a rise out of me, I took more walks, jogged on some days, anything to get the frustrations out.

As the day drew nearer so did cherry’s annoying attitude.

“I'm going out” Cherry said as she rummaged through the table for her keys.

“Where’s out cherry” I asked while I arranged the bed, cherry was a neat freak, OCD actually so I made sure everything was always in place, having it in disarray could make cherry blow off a roof, experience they say is the best teacher.

“I said out or are you deaf now?” she grumbled out.

“I'm not deaf cherry but I believe wherever you're going to has a name, its 7pm, where would you g-“

“Wow I thought I had just one mother” she cut me off “Well mom I don’t need to tell you exactly where I'm going, all you need to know is that I'm going out”

I took a deep breath, this wasn’t new, no need getting worked up over it.

“Cherry” I tried again “I just want to know you'll be safe”

“So if I'm not going to be safe what would you do? Pray to Angel Michael to keep me safe?” ouch, I also forgot how bitchy she could be.

“Don’t mock my faith cherry, just do-“

“Or what?” she cut me off yet again, she was beginning to piss me off “Or nothing my love, you can’t do s**t, that’s just how unimportant you are, you can’t try to stand out in my shadow” she spat out

Another egoistic argument, I was sick of her throwing her status in my face whenever she didn’t get her way, that was just plain wrong.

“Just because you're a Malnov doesn’t give you any right to look down on others cherry, it’s just wrong, this isn’t a war zone, we’re not trying to over shadow anyone, we’re equals” I chastised

“Equals?” she barked out a laugh “Darling there’s nothing equal about us, you should know your place and try to adapt within, our circles could never roll together thus my reluctance to step into your world” I stared at her in disbelief as she just stood there staring at me like she didn’t just cough up those words.

“I don’t want to fight with you cherry, let’s just not” I tried to reason

“Fine by me, I'm going out” she shrugged

“Will you still come to dinner, for me?” I asked hopefully

“Sometimes I wonder how you could pass off as smart, I won’t come to your dinner, I won’t come to your low standard restaurant, I won’t do any of that, not even for you”

My lips quivered as I tried to hold my tears in, “To top it off you're a cry baby, I don’t need this drama right now, could you please also not be here when I get back, thanks, bye”

The soft click of the door resonated through the room, I bit my bottom lip, balling my fists as I tried to control all the emotions threatening to choke me.

I let the tears fall, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I was used to this, the pain felt oddly familiar, this road wasn’t strange to me, I was a regular at this bar, the numbness after wasn’t strange either.

I cleared out her room leaving no trace of me behind, I dabbed my eyes as I practiced my smile in the mirror, I could do it, I needed to pull off my killer smile before dinner.

I walked into my space, the room looked exactly as I left it, I made myself at home once again, changing the sheets, sweeping, cleaning, it felt like home again before long.

I laid out my dress, I didn’t need to set any alarms, I doubted I would get any sleep before dinner, I held my pillow close to me burying my face into it, this would have to do, my façade dropped as sobs wracked my body, yes this would have to do.

**

“Are you ok?” Asher asked me for the umpteenth time

I slid my well-practiced smile on my face “Sure Ash, geez what crawled up your butt” she smirked at me with a glint in her eyes.

“Ewwwww too much information please, Jesus that’s just nasty” I scowled at her as she laughed

“Hey ladies” Ray greeted as he kissed Asher “What’s on the menu”

“Kat was just saying something about my butt” Asher laughed when I faked a gag

“Where's your girlfriend” Ray asked as he threw his arm over Asher’s, my smile dropped a notch, thankfully they were both wrapped into themselves to notice.

“She’s uhh, she’s no-“

“She’s here” cherry said as she slid in smoothly next to me.

Ray and cherry had a heated staring match, “So this is the cherry you always yap about, quite popular if you’d ask me”

“What does that mean?” cherry asked

“Why don’t you tell me Malnov, think of the best reason anyone would actually know you” Ray glared at cherry

“I don’t know what you're talking about, I’d also appreciate if you didn’t throw shades my way, we all know not to trust anything coming out of your cheating mouth” you could see the veins threatening to pop on Ray’s forehead

“Cheat you say, you sit there calling me a cheat, with your reputation I wonder which one of us shouldn’t be trusted” Ray retorted.

“I've never cheated on Katya, I never did and I never will, you can’t say the same about your pasts now can you, my reputation precedes me I presume but I love Katya, I'm just lucky she loves me back” cherry smiled sweetly at me.

“I don’t know if that’s stupid or pitiful, I would take Katya as far away as possible from you if I could but she thinks she’s in love with you, it’s pitiful because I know how this is going to end”

“You don’t know anything”

“Oh but I do, I do know how the excuses would start, then the attitude, followed by your conceited way of letting them down slowly, you're so desperate for love you weave a fine good web based on lies, only you pull the strings, only you can cut the strings, only you can make the strings, isn’t it wonderful trying to create a world where you're the only one who knows how everything would end, even when you're not God, you try desperately to play God” Ray spat out.

I knew he hit too close to home but I kept my feelings neutral, I would let cherry fight her battles, if there was one thing I knew, she always won, no matter the damages she would leave behind, she made sure she won.

“It’s funny how you can try to analyze me, how you think you know me, how you take your words and try to make them sound convincing, is that how you got the women? I might be a b***h but I never lie, not now not ever” cherry took my hands in hers caressing them, she always did that when she was stressed or angry, I didn’t want her to touch me but I didn’t pull away.

“For your sake and everyone else’s I hope that is true, for your sake I really hope it is true, your name won’t stop me from coming after you if you hurt a hair on her head” if only he knew

“You can’t do anything” cherry smirked

“You’d be surprised at the amount of people who could, you have enemies Malnov, they can always be persuaded” Ray said coolly

They sized themselves up from there, Asher and I knew better than to intrude in this battle, they were both very smart, they didn’t need to trade blows, their calculated words rammed into their opponents better than fists ever could, they could break your confidence and deflate your ego in just one round, we waited patiently just touching our partners for added comfort and support.

With a slight nod from the both of them we knew we could breathe easily now, dinner was served minutes after, it started stiffly but before long the conversations flowed smoothly round the table, no one was left out as we chatted like yearlong friends.

We finished dinner going straight to dessert but I was stuffed so I stuck with water, Ray ate through our deserts like it was nothing, I wasn’t surprised, he could eat anything as long as it was classified under food.

The night went by smoothly, cherry and I only holding hands, interacting here and there, she tried to prolong our conversations, her hand on my knee was also making me lose focus but I wouldn’t be deterred, she wouldn’t just charm her way over her attitude.

The night was still young so we walked round, making light conversations, Ray and I throwing our usual shades at each other, Asher would fake a cough to cover her laughter when I won, cherry would snicker when he won, I always glared at her, she was supposed to be on my side.

We got ice cream along the way, Asher got mint flavor while we all gave her nasty looks, who takes mint ice cream?

We took a sharp corner leading to the park, cherry left me to talk with Asher about fashion I guess, the topic bored me.

“Kat I'm begging you to leave before it’s too late” Ray said softly beside me

“I thought you and cherry were over this” I asked

“Don’t get me wrong Kat, she’s a lively person to be around but you will fall, Hell you're already all the way up there, over here she’s still on level ground, you will fall and she won’t be there to catch you” Ray smiled wistfully

“I love her Ray, I really do” my stomach did happy flips as I watched her laugh with Asher.

“Then my friend I hope your love won’t be stupid or blind” Ray patted my head

“She loves me too Ray, I can feel it”

He sighed as he placed his arm over my shoulders, “Then I hope you're ready for the end product”

“Which is?”

“Pain, lots and lots of it” he muttered

“I know pain Ray, I know it well” My smile faltered when I looked into his eyes, I stared into the endless depth, frightened at the emptiness I found.

“You don’t but you will”

**

The holidays were looming in closer than we all expected, my mom was so happy to have me back and soon, she didn’t want me partying with the riff raffs as she put it.

I was supposed to be on the next bus coming home when we were given the permission to leave.

Ray and Asher had been going at it like rabbits so I always let them be, I walked in to a very very interesting scene the other day, I was left speechless at the doorway as I watched in awe, the flex of Rays muscles every time he pushed into Asher, Ray smirked at me when he noticed my presence, as if on cue he worked his magic, soon after Asher shook underneath him dragging her nails down his back as she climaxed, i left with my cheeks red and my head occupied.

I couldn’t look at them the same for a week, Ray always smirked when he saw me making it hard to erase the reoccurring images in my head, I was human too, the thought of him and Asher with me sent pleasurable shivers down my spine but the thought of cherry’s hands and lips on my body made me clench my thighs.

My thoughts had been focused on one thing lately, I was needy, I had been taking it slow with cherry, making her suffer slowly for the pain she put me through.

I left her aching every single time, I always made sure she came back for more and got none, this power play just made me want her even more, I bit my lower lip as I considered my chances, I had none.

I knocked lightly on her door, I heard a bit of shuffling before I saw her, she took one look at my face before hers lit up like a lamp.

I don’t think we made it to the bed, anywhere was ok as long as she put her hands on my body, with the wicked smirk on her face, I knew I was going to be punished.

She claimed me over and over again, satisfying all my needs, quelling other thoughts, engraving herself in my skin, redirecting my thoughts to her and only her.

My legs couldn’t function after that dizzying session, she caressed my hair while lightly touching my thighs.

If she was a siren then I would gladly answer her call, over and over.

I thought about this since we started dating 10 months ago, it’s funny how so much time had passed but I had a good feeling about this, it could only get better than this.

We would only conquer more, love better, do better, I knew I couldn’t turn back when I didn’t see a future without cherry beside me.

I was ready to risk it all.

Cherry was going to meet my mom.