Repeat and Retribution

Chapter 24

Emptiness clawed inside her chest, It kept digging and digging inside of her. Increasing the void that she felt each day. She knew that there was something making her feel that way, something she had forgotten but couldn’t really get a grip on what it was.

It was a beautiful morning that day, the sun was warm on the skin, the wind blew softly giving a nice breeze and the sky was a bit cloudy but still showed the beautiful blue sky. Everything seemed so relaxing and calm, yet that gnawing feeling inside her would not go away.

It made her feel tense and uneasy, she had spent almost her whole morning helping out in their eatery to at least alleviate it, but it just wouldn't go away. Up until this time, wherein she was now walking inside the campus.

There was something whispering at the back of her mind, trying to tell her something, trying to remind her of a very, very important thing that she had forgotten.

Crystal let out a deep sigh as it seems that she would not get any peace that day, as she was trying to search inside her head, what it was that she had lost track of that was keeping her unsettled.

Luckily, today was just her enrollment for the semester, she had only needed to pay her tuition fee and handle some paperwork for her scholarship and after that she had an ample amount of time to think things through.

She was really getting annoyed not being able to stay calm and collected, having to think of something that she could not remember.

Her thought were finally taken by a figure that had just suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.

From just below the road that was in front of the building, came walking, a neatly dressed man, denim pants and white shirt, black hair brush up showing the handsome lines of his face, clothes nicely fitted, emphasizing a very fit and sexy figure, his motion was steady and very firm, but there was a gentleness in his smile and eyes as he walked up the stairs.

Crystal was already going down as she had managed to finish all the things that she had planned to do that day in school. She was supposed to go home after that but seeing this person suddenly made her feel to stay a little bit longer.

“Hey Crys!” the man greeted when finally they were right in front of each other.

Though there was that throbbing inside her head, she managed to just shrug it off. As her mind suddenly felt in a bit of a rush from having to see the man here.

“Hey Clyde,” she greets. Smiles and all as she kept fixing herself up, wanting to make sure that her clothes still looked okay.

“You done with your enrollment,” Clyde ask, pointing to the place that she had just exited from.

There was a part of her that wanted to say no, so that she can at least spend a bit more time with him. But then again, she’d end up obvious once inside, since she was not going to do anything having done all her work there for the day.

“Yes,”she quickly answered. But her mind was already rushing through some scenarios to keep the conversation going. “You’re all alone today, where’s Dana?” that was the first thing that popped within her mind.

For the past months before the end of their semester, she could not help but notice how clingy the woman became. The two suddenly became inseparable for some reason as they would always be seen roaming around the campus.

Sometimes it was Clyde who’d go pick up his girl, sometimes it was Dana that would be waiting in front of their class.

It happened so often that everyone who knew them wouldn't definitely notice if one was not with the other.

“She’s busy with something,” Clyde’s voice was suddenly low and deep.

Though he still had a smile, there was a looming shadow within his eyes that was somewhat noticeable to Crystal. Besides that, his demeanor change all of a sudden as he mentioned the name of the woman.

“Everything all right?” she could not help but ask.

For the longest time that she had know the man, both in her old and current timeline, she was quite sure of her gut feeling when something seemed to be going wrong with the man.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, I better go up, the lines getting longer inside, don’t want to take all afternoon on this,” Clyde just chuckled then turned his eyes to his front.

Crystal notice the deep breath that had escaped the man, it was both heavy and somewhat felt out of place, since Clyde still had a very sweet smile.

But she was unable to ask any further as the man waved goodbye and proceeded his walk up the flight of stairs.

“Oh yes, sure. Talk to you some other time,” That was all she could say, as the man seemed to be in a sort of low mood that time.

It was obvious he was avoiding any type of conversation, seeing as he quickly walked out on her the moment she asks things.

She felt a bit relieved when Clyde turned around and waved back at her. “See you around,” he says as he kept walking backwards.

“Okay,” she waves back, her smile slowly fading as she watched the man disappear into the crowd.

Again there was this heaviness in her chest as another thing loomed around her head, so many questions just kept popping up in her mind, and what made it worst was that their encounter seemed to have increase that scratching thought that had been bugging her this whole time.

It was like Clyde triggered something inside of her, making everything in her thoughts restless. It was all she could think of, as she began walking away from there.

Her thoughts were now a complete mess as more things kept coming up and scattering all over her thoughts. There was definitely something important that she had forgotten, but could not recall.

Her thoughts were so flooded with things and worries that she did not notice the group of men that were crowding in her way until she bumped into one of them.

“Oh, excuse me!” he gasped when she almost lost balance.

Strong, big yet familiar hands quickly grabbed her arms, keeping her from falling. Her eyes quickly met his and she could not help but swallow hard, when she felt a sudden lump on her throat, upon seeing those heart warming smile directed towards her.

“Oh, Crys! I didn’t see you there,” Larse said, his face suddenly became livelier and brighter.

It took her a while to get back on her feet, as she also tried to keep her composure. Patting her dress to make sure that nothing was out of place and also to avoid the man’s melting gaze.

“Larse, what are you doing here?” she finally asks when she had managed to get hear bearing back.

It was only then that she had noticed that several others of the basketball team were also gathering there. Everyone huddled as they tried to look inside one of the schools building.

“Some of the guys have their eye on this girl, one of them say’s she’s some kind of model but I think she’s just transferring here,” Larse mocks, eyes rolling while pointing at the group who seemed so enthralled in getting a look at this person.

Crystal could not help but also try to see who’m they were looking at, it was quite rare for her to see a celebrity so there was also a bit of curiosity and anticipation in her, but the tall bodies that were already huddled there made almost impossible for someone like her to see.

A man then suddenly came running towards them, waving with a wide grin on his face. “Larse man, hurry up, she’s about to come out we…” The young man suddenly stopped seeing Crystal there.

She could not help but raise a brow at him, making the young man turn beet red while lowering his head and erasing that wide grin off his face.

“I see you’re still hanging out with Eric.” The sarcasm on her voice was noticeable as she slowly turned towards her friend.

“Uhm, I’ll leave the two of you alone for a while,” Eric say before bowing his head lower upon seeing the look on Larse’s face.

“Yeah man,” Larse just glared at him, smiling with gritted teeth.

But Crystal didn’t notice it as she was busy giving the man a cold stare, unable to lower her brow from the thought that he still screwed around with Dana.

They both look at Eric who’m scurried in a hurry following the other guys that were there in chase of the person she wasn’t able to see.

“Birds of a feather do flock together,” she could not help but say upon

“Oh c’mon Crys, he’s my friend, we’ve been hanging around since first year,” he groans, slumping his shoulder at her.

“I know, but at least your trying to change yourself,” she smirks.

“Of course I am!” Larse said straightening up as he raised his head.

Though she was quite fond of the man, there was a part of her that was really glad that she was friends with him now, but there was also this side of her that still wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

“Though you still haven’t told me your excuse for f*****g with Dana,” she says, grinning.

She just thought to play around with him a bit, wanting to at least joke around with him since they haven’t been really hanging out lately because of the changes in their classes.

Larse smile immediately faded into a straight line. Eyes suddenly round from shock as his color started turning pale white.

“Can’t you let that one go already, it’s been ages,” he whines.

Crystal holds her laugh, seeing the scared expression on the young man’s face, she couldn't really understand why Larse becomes like that whenever she would mention it.

“Sorry, force of habit. It’s drilled here in my mind, can’t really take that out easily, specially since I’ve been hearing things about your group lately,” She says in a playful manner, even pressing her fingers on the side of her head to prove her point.

Larse got even paler as sweat began running down his forehead. “That’s just the guys, not me,” he sneers.

Seeing the look on the mans face, Crystal couldn't hold herself any longer, as she was getting more amused with his reactions.

“Really, maybe I should also take a look at that video that’s been spreading around campus lately, so as to clear my mind of doubt,” she says twining one of her fingers in the air.

Larse eyes almost popped out upon hearing those. “No! No, I-I heard the school’s been hunting down the perpetrators behind those and they’re also reprimanding some of the students who try to look into it, so I really wouldn’t do that if I were you!” he blurts out.

That was the last straw, she couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. “I was just joking!” she waves him off.

That somewhat returned the color on Larse’s cheeks. “Yeah,” he laughs along with her.

“I already saw it.” she says back, making the young man’s face straighten once more. “I didn’t think you had such a nice butt,” she chuckles, before giving him a wink.

Seeing the look of horror on the young man just made her even more entertained as she really didn’t get why he acted like that. Usually the other guys she’d seen being caught about a s*x video would hold their head up high, but Larse seemed to not be one of them.

“Larse, hurry up man!” Eric called out as the group were starting to move out again.

They both turn to the bunch of men who were now scurrying away in chase of someone.

“You better go on ahead, else they’ll make fun of you,” she reminds him, managing to hold her laugh.

“Let’s talk some other time, okay,” Larse just says, panic still in his eyes.

“Just hurry up already, they’re starting to give me that funny look again,” she just giggles pushing him to start walking.

“Okay,” Larse nods as he kept his eyes at her.

She just waves at him, smiling. It was only then that she felt a sort of searing pain in her chest remembering that video she saw of the man. She knew she should just laugh it out, since she was the one who made the joke about it, but she could not understand the ache in her, whenever the though of Larse doing it with another woman would visit her mind.

She was really so confused right now that all of sudden she began feeling of melancholy as she had no one to talk to about it. All of a sudden Brittany came into her mind, as she knew her friends quirky and straightforward answers would make her feel better.

She let out a sigh as she knew it was still a year before she would meet her best friend. Yet she could not hide her anticipation at the thought, as she was suddenly all excited.

As if on cue she turns towards her head towards the group of men whom were still huddled up from a distance. Her eyes suddenly grew wide, mouth opened when finally she see’s the person whom they were all ogling at.

Long blond hair, wearing a nicely loose dress, chest bursting from the seems yet walking with all her confidence and indifference from everyone who was looking. There was only one person she knew who would be able be act like that in front of hormone driven young men.

“Brittany!” she could not help but whisper as her smile grew even wider.