Crush Me Not (English)

3: The Reason

ONE MONTH AGO...

"Hey, bro, I just saw Scarlet crying! Did you somehow—" The young man let out a deep sigh when he saw his friend’s complete lack of interest. He didn’t bother finishing his sentence because he already knew he wouldn’t get a decent answer. In fact, he realized there was no point in even asking. Knowing Lexus, his suspicion was already correct.

Lexus sat comfortably in the driver’s seat of his red Ferrari sports car. He glanced at his friend Stephen, who had just gotten into the passenger seat. Stephen was now staring at the direction the girl had gone.

"Well... she’s a little bit annoying, so..." That was all Lexus said to confirm Stephen’s assumption.

Lexus had just dumped another girl.

Scarlet was one of the many women chasing after him. That wasn’t really a problem—she was beautiful and sexy—but he had simply lost patience with her. For one, they weren’t even in a relationship, yet she acted like she owned him. At first, he let it slide since she was the cousin of one of his friends.

But at some point, she just became too much to handle.

Over time, Scarlet had grown increasingly possessive and clingy. She even started causing fights on campus. On top of that, she was incredibly demanding—she always wanted things her way, and when she didn’t get them, she would lose her mind and create a scene.

What Lexus really couldn’t stand was how she went around telling people that she was his girlfriend. She even had the audacity to introduce herself to his mother, which completely pissed him off. I’ve never introduced anyone to my parents. That was the final straw. He had no patience left, so he decided to be brutally honest with her. That was the scene Stephen had witnessed.

When he confronted Scarlet, she broke down in tears, practically throwing herself at him and begging. But he wasn’t going to let the situation drag on any further. He made it clear—he didn’t want to see her again, and nothing would change his mind.

Lexus started the car and sped off.

"Will Scarlet be okay?" Stephen asked again.

Lexus glanced at him briefly, a serious look in his eyes. He sometimes wondered why his friend seemed so concerned about Scarlet. Did Stephen like her? He never got involved in my issues with other girls—only with Scarlet.

"That’s not my problem anymore," Lexus said coldly. She was the one forcing herself on me, so she should find her own way out. Suit herself.

Stephen didn’t press the matter further and simply let it go.

He was actually one of Lexus’ closest friends in the U.S. Well, actually, the closest one. Maybe it was because they were both Fil-Am, and their mothers were part of the same social circle. They never had trouble getting along, considering they had similar interests and hobbies.

"By the way, where are we going?" Stephen asked after a while. They had been driving for several minutes already.

"The Dark Mist. Let’s have some fun," Lexus answered casually, referring to their favorite club.

Stephen shook his head when he heard the name of the place. Knowing Lexus, he’s just going to make another girl cry tonight. He was used to it. That was just how Lexus was—he liked women, but he never took them seriously. In fact, a girl would be lucky if she got to hang out with Lexus twice. And even luckier if he still remembered her afterward or showed any interest beyond a single night.

With that, Stephen just nodded, leaned his head back against the seat, and closed his eyes for a moment, sighing deeply as he tried to push away the thoughts running through his mind.

Lexus was comfortably sitting on the couch while a girl he met at the bar was kissing his neck, trying to seduce him. Her hand had slipped inside his shirt, playing with his abs, while her other hand caressed his chest. Lexus remained still, chatting with his friends. Of course, they were all preoccupied with their own company.

"I heard you broke up with Scarlet," the girl suddenly said.

Her name was Beatrice. She was a ramp model from a university near theirs. The moment he walked into the bar, she immediately approached him, capturing his attention.

Beatrice was tall, slender, and had a tan complexion—which he found incredibly sexy.

Lexus’ brows furrowed at the mention of Scarlet’s name. It almost made him cringe. So, this girl knew Scarlet too? She must’ve seen us together here before.

"Like we were together?" he said, annoyed. His brows drew together.

Lexus felt Beatrice stop kissing him and pull away slightly. When he looked at her, she had a confused expression on her face.

"So, it isn’t true that Scarlet was your girlfriend?" she asked again, curiosity all over her face.

"Yes, baby..." he answered sweetly before pulling her in for a kiss. Even though she’s starting to annoy me, I won’t let her ruin my night.

"Really? That’s great! I love to hear that," she said seductively, her eyes filled with desire. The moment Lexus nodded in response, she started kissing him again, more aggressively this time.

Lexus kissed her back with equal intensity.

"You taste so sweet..." he whispered when they pulled apart. When she leaned in for another kiss, he gently stopped her, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked with a smirk.

Beatrice bit her lip and nodded.

***

A loud knocking on the door woke Lexus up. He groggily checked the time—9:00 AM. He had gotten home at four in the morning, so he was still half-asleep. Damn, I still feel hungover from all that alcohol.

"Who’s that? I’m still sleeping!" he shouted, but the knocking didn’t stop. Irritated, he forced himself out of bed. He stomped toward the door, still rubbing his eyes. But when he opened it, he was surprised to see his mother standing there.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" he greeted, about to hug her, but she stepped away. It was only then that he noticed the serious look on her face.

"What’s wrong, Mom?"

"We have something important to talk about," she said firmly.

Mom rarely looks this serious. She only acts like this when I’ve done something wrong. But he couldn’t think of anything he had done recently that would warrant this reaction.

Before he could ask, she spoke again.

"Come downstairs after you freshen up."

Lexus just nodded. When his mother left, he couldn’t help but wonder what this was all about. It must be something big.

***

“MOM… Dad…” Lexus greeted his parents as he stepped down. They were seated on the long couch—his mother still wearing a serious expression, while his father gave him a slight nod.

“Have a seat, son,” his father said, gesturing towards the sofa. Lexus quietly complied.

“How are you?” his father asked after a moment of silence.

“I’m cool, Dad,” Lexus answered briefly. His father nodded, clearly trying to ease the conversation. But Lexus just wanted an answer to the question that had been bothering him. “What are we going to talk about?” he asked again, looking at both of his parents. His father cleared his throat and subtly glanced at his mother.

‘What’s really wrong?’

“You’re going to the Philippines,” his father finally said, clearing his throat again afterward. Lexus froze for a moment.

‘Why the Philippines? What am I going to do there?’

Frowning, Lexus turned to his father, and his head started to ache even more. “What? Why am I going to the Philippines? I’m still studying here, Dad.” He couldn’t think of any reason for this. More questions piled up in his mind.

“You’ll move to another school—your cousin’s school,” his mother answered instead. Meanwhile, his father picked up his coffee from the side table and took a sip.

Lexus could hardly process what his mother just said. Why did he have to transfer to the Philippines? “Are we moving there?” That was the first thing that came to his mind. That could be the reason—maybe they just missed the Philippines.

“No. You’re the only one going. Your documents are already prepared,” his mother said again and handed him a folder. When he checked it, everything was in order, including his school records. There was also a plane ticket and a passport inside. Lexus didn’t know how to feel. Were they sending him away? He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He remained silent, waiting for them to continue.

“You’ve been getting into a lot of trouble. So, we thought it’s best for you to move. Your transfer has been arranged for a while now. The school you’re currently attending spoke to us. They were the ones who advised us to transfer you,” his father explained at length.

‘So, this explains it all.’

“But why the Philippines? I could transfer to another school here in the US,” he asked again.

His mother was the one who answered this time, still serious. “This is the best option, Lexus. We think that the environment you’re in isn’t good for you. Maybe you need a different setting so you can change.”

“Mom!” he reacted violently. He didn’t know why, but there was a painful sting in his chest after hearing those words. Moments later, his mother spoke again.

“I spoke with Scarlet yesterday. She was crying over the phone. She said she saw you at a bar with another girl. She even sent us pictures. I did not raise you to be like that, Lexus. I’m really disappointed. Scarlet is a good girl,” she said in a long, reprimanding speech. That was when Lexus realized that Scarlet was the one behind all of this.

‘That crazy girl! What’s her problem?’

Lexus clenched his fists. If Scarlet were in front of him right now, he wasn’t sure what he would do. After a few moments, he managed to calm himself and faced his mother again. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“Mom, she has nothing to do with me. She’s not my girlfriend,” Lexus protested. “We’re not even dating.”

“I’m not buying that, Lexus. And even if that’s true, you should’ve just stayed away from those girls—not played with them.” His mother’s expression became even sterner at his response.

Well, he wasn’t expecting her to believe him anyway. It seemed like Scarlet had fooled everyone—first his best friend, and now even his parents were taking her side.

“Honey…” His father placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. Then, he turned to Lexus. “Just agree with our decision, son. Your mom has been really stressed about this,” he said, giving Lexus a meaningful look.

Lexus fell silent. So, he had been a source of stress for his mother. How terrible of him. It felt like he couldn’t do anything right. But why should he just go along with this when he hadn’t even done anything wrong? In the first place, Scarlet had forced herself on him. He had simply put an end to her delusions.

“Lexus, son, this is for your own good,” his mother said before sighing. She seemed to have calmed down. Lexus, on the other hand, couldn’t understand what he was feeling. His emotions were all over the place. “Please, I don’t want to see you like this. Your cousin is there. I know you’re close with Xander. And your Uncle Alex won’t let anything bad happen to you. We’ll visit you when we have time,” she added, as if trying to make him understand the situation.

“You’ll stay at our condo there,” his father said. “It’s close to Anderson University, so everything will work out fine for you.” His father patted his shoulder after saying that. There was sympathy in his eyes, but at the same time, it was clear that the decision was final.

‘So, this is it? My mom and dad are sending me away, and I have no say in it?’

What else could he do? If he didn’t leave, his mother would continue to struggle. She was already stressed, and of course, his father would also have a hard time dealing with the situation. He loved them both despite how rebellious he had been, so even if it was difficult for him, he should really go. No—he must.

Lexus let out a deep sigh before looking back at them. “I’m so sorry for causing you trouble. I’ll go to the Philippines, then,” he said before walking away.