Repeat and Retribution

Chapter 17

Crystal felt uneasy and a bit worried. Playing with her pen as she was sitting in class, she could not take off her mind with what she saw yesterday.

Her thoughts and suspicions about the thing she had heard where now confirmed, since before tshe had to of it as nothing more than just a mere joke boosting ego.

There was a part of her that kept nagging her to do something about it. But the problem was, she didn’t know what she would do.

Just the thought of the memory was making her cringe, racking every nerve in her body. Plus there was now so many questions in her head.

Was it the reason before, did this same incident occur in her previous time line, or was it one of those changes that was happening but she wasn’t really aware of.

“Hey!” Clyde greeted as he quickly sat beside her, panting and perspiring.

“Oh, you’re finally here,” she says in a straight and serious tone as she looked at him.

The young man’s books scattered on the table as he placed them. Making him flinch to try and properly put them atop one another. It was only after that, that the man was able to wipe his face with the back of his arm. It seemed like he was really in a hurry to get there in time.

Putting that aside, she just unintentionally takes out her packet of napkins, offering it to the man.

“Thanks! Sorry if I’m late, I got stuck in some errand,” he chuckles taking some pieces out from the little plastic pack.

“’It’s all right,” She just says.

Crystal gives Clyde some time to get himself cleaned and comfortable. She took that time to contemplate as she watched the young man wipe his face.

She began asking herself again if there was anything that she wasn’t able to do for the man to leave her like that. Looking at Clyde right now, he seemed so sweet, sensible and innocent. It suddenly dawned to her if the man was really at fault, as the other woman seemed to be so good at seducing other men.

She returned to her senses the moment she saw that Clyde was already done cleaning himself up.

“We should probably start,” she begins, taking her eyes of him and turning to the book that she was reading a while ago.

“Right,” Clyde agrees and pulls his chair closer to her.

Crystal could feel a sudden jolt of electricity crawl under her skin. The short distance between them within the period of time that she was teaching him, gave her that feeling of longing once again. As her body ached to be cradled within the man’s tight, tender and warm embrace.

There was a small voice at the back of her mind that kept telling her that there hasn’t been any harm done to her yet. All of it was still far into to the future and there was still a way to change all of that.

Seeing that Clyde was still the pure, lovable and carefree young man. She was suddenly full hope that there was a chance that she would be able to snatch away the man’s heart this time.

Her daydreaming was put on hold when she notices the shadow in the man’s eyes, like it was suddenly devoid of feeling, as he was just staring at the questionnaire.

“Is there something wrong, are you okay?” she could not help but ask. Sensing a deep and heavy feeling coming out from the young man.

“Oh. It’s nothing,” Clyde just smiled.

But Crystal could see the crookedness on the line on the young mans face, plus his voice seemed to croaked, all the while avoiding her gaze. For the longest time that she had been with the man in her old past she was quite sure it was the same gesture he would make when stress or have a problem.

“You sure?” she asks with a warm smile and the sweetest voice that she can muster.

Though it felt awkward and not so her, she could not help but do it, since her friend Brittany had advised her before that it always worked. She wanted to at least know if Clyde was aware of things.

“Yeah, I’m all right, we better finish up with this, class will start in an hour,” the young man says, putting his attention back into answering the paper.

“Okay,” she was slightly disappointed and sad at the fact that the bond that they had before was not even there yet.

The man finished up quickly after that. Crystal could still feel the sadness that was emanating within Clydes face, his movements were somewhat slouchy and disarray. Carelessly stumbling and having things fall from his hold.

They walk together to class, she just decided to remain quiet, not wanting to add an awkward atmosphere to their already heavy one around them.

“Thanks for helping me out, I promise I’ll make it up to you somehow,” he says when they were both already entering the door to their room.

“Sure, no problem,” she gives him a warm smile and a nod before walking to her seat.

As she was about to sit her eyes caught a glimpse of the group at the back of the classroom. Noticing the sharp look on Larse’s eyes, she could not disregard the youngman, giving him a confused look.

Larse just smirks, slouching on his chair tapping his table with one finger with one foot on another stool. He was now sitting with the group Crystal remembered was the actual people he was with on the her old past. That somehow made her wonder if they actually new each other as they acted quite familiar around the young man.

There was something in how the man looked at her that made her feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

She just avoided his gazed, sighing at the fact that the man was really still the same person he was on her previous past.

Though her back was facing him, she could still feel the intense vibe of his stare that somehow made her shiver. She just interacted with the class as much as possible to at least shrug the feeling off.

But it proved a hassle her whole day as she could feel that intense vibe of a somewhat piercing feeling of someone looking at her from behind.

As she was now feeling antsy with the discomfort of having someone watch her the whole day Crystal was out the door the moment their class ended. She really didn’t want to deal with this sort of thing right now as she was already facing several dilemmas.

“Yo Crystal!” the man’s voice echoed behind her.

She felt a bit relieved hearing the cheerful and lively tone of the man, yet she was now more confused as to why he was looking at her like that before.

Turning her heels around to face him, she was immediately struck by that boy next door smile of his as the young man was now standing right in front of her, suddenly looking jolly and a lot friendlier.

Unlike a while ago, though Crystal could feel a sort of sarcasms on the man’s smiling face.

“Larse, what’s up?” she greets holding her books up front as her usual defense.

“I was just wondering why you and Clyde are suddenly in good terms. I never thought that you and him would get along so well, after what happened last time and seeing as how the two of you were in each others neck months ago,” the young man let out a scornful look though he was still smiling upong saying those words.

His eyes would twitch once in a while every time he would mention Clyde’s name. That was when Crystal felt the bitterness and hostility in his voice.

Not wanting to cause a scene she tries to compose herself again, though the man was already beginning to intimidate her as he was already towering above her.

“He ask for my help and I gave it to him, seeing as he was quite the gentleman last time,” she blurts out with a grin.

That made the man’s eyes twitch even more as the fire in his eyes seem to grew even stronger. Pressing his hands to his hair, it looked like the man was trying to calm himself, turning around quite a few times before facing her again.

“Yeah, my bad,” he just says with that sarcastic smile plastered on his face.

“Besides, I think I can excuse his behavior last time as he was just trying to protect his girl,” she adds.

She wanted to at least include the girl that was causing her anxiety into the conversation, seeing as the woman was the reason why she was feeling so uneasy with Larse now. There was also a part of her that wanted to see the man’s reaction upon hearing those words.

“Yeah, yeah of course. I didn’t think you were so kind, easily forgiving that kind of thing,” Larse scoffs.

Crystal could feel the anger pulsing through his words but it seems the man did not get what she was hinting. Now she felt annoyed as she could not understand the reason for the having to face his temper. The only thing he was able to see that the two men had in common was that woman.

“A simple misunderstanding is always excusable. Besides, It was his girlfriend that had the problem not him,” she points out once again.

“Why are you suddenly so protective of him,” Larse burst out.

Stepping back a bit so that she could see him eye to eye, she could not help but frown at him.

“Excuse me,” she states gripping her books to calm her down.

“Your defending him,” the man points out raising one finger at her.

That actually got on her nerve, as she could not see why the young man had the gall to act like that in front of her.

“Maybe I somehow feel sorry for him!” she starts grinning still not wanting to let go of the issue that kept plaguing her mind.

“For what?” Larse raised both hands in disbelief.

“Dana, his girlfriend, seems to be cheating, with another student from this school,” she smirks as she slowly let’s out those words.

That managed to get Larse’s attention, the man was suddenly lost for words. His fiery eyes seemed to have been doused, his anger quench at the realization of what she was talking about.

“It’s just so sad seeing a relationship get ruined like that. I mean, how hard is it to just break up with someone if you don’t like them anymore, it couldn't be that hard, right?” she says tilting her head on the side to follow his eyes when the man avoided her gaze.

“Yeah,” Larse just said.

The young man was now pale white, sweat dropping down his forehead. Crystal was thankful for the kind of effect and reaction she was having, though she didn’t really expect it to be that much as she knew any man was capable of making an excuse for that.

It seemed that caused a ruckus on Larse’s brain, as the young man seemed to be suddenly in deep thought.

“I really hate cheaters and liars, but you know what I hate even more?” she begins again filling the long silence that came between them.

Her voice hissing as she could feel her own anger starting to burn up just at the thought of it.

“People who seem to have no remorse in having an affair with people already involve with others,” she snaps.

Larse tried to smile but his beautiful face seemed to look a bit contorted, feeling the shock from the sudden aggression in Crystal’s voice.

“I really don’t get how people are able to do it. Are they just enjoying the thrill of it, maybe its the fun in seeing other people get tormented, could also be the feeling of superiority and power or maybe they could just be down right evil and just sick and twisted to the core. How about you Larse, could you tell me?” she smirks.

She could feel her blood raging from her veins right now, remembering those question that haunted her for the past days that she was so downhearted and depressed.

“Why’d you suddenly have to ask me that,” Larse just tried to laugh it off.

But Crystal was already lost her temper, her face straightened, disgusted at the sight of the mans denial.

“I just thought you might know,” she says raising one brow at him.

“Why would I?” Larse faced her head on, frowning, yet it was in vain for he did not managed to push back Crystals anger.

“Maybe because I saw you making out with Dana yesterday at the parking lot,” she said in a monotone, poker faced and looking straight back at him.

Larse just swallowed hard backing away, bending down his head, unable to look her in the eye.

Crystal raise her chin. “Anyway, your business is really not my concern.” she says in a mock voice before turning into a sway like motion as she flips her hair.

Seeing the man’s response to what she said was already a sign that she won their little debate of righteousness. Thankfully she had managed to shake off Larse, seeing as the man was really bound to become the womanizer he was destined to be.

She only abruptly stops on her way as she see’s Clyde and Dana arguing again just outside the window from where she was. She just let out a sigh seeing how the two were already falling apart.

“Do you know what she did or are you just plain clueless like I was, that’s why you forgave her?” she says to herself in a bitter tone.