Chapter 51

The sunset seems beautiful, from where Melissa stood watching Ryan in silence, she could get the reflection on the car. The wind felt wide and cold, it can also be described as cool but not too cold for Melissa to catch a cold in her Leotard.

    They stood for what felt like centuries, staring blanking at each other.

   Ryan's expression couldn't be hidden, nor masked like she always does. She had already been through quite a lot lately and she couldn't stand the grief of guilt.

    As usual, she looks elegantly beautiful. Her black hair was neatly combed and styled back, held in place with fancy hair clips given to her by someone she once loved. Her brown skin shone like bronze in the sunset, emphasizing all the beauty hidden under the long white jacket she wore.

     Beneath the white cloak, one can easily notice her red trouser that got ripped in several places like the style required and her mother's white short blouse that looks almost like her bra.

     Her perfect body seems elegantly beautiful as if it was meant for only her.

   Unlike Melissa, who still had her black Leotard and nothing else. No pants, no bra, no slippers just that!

   Her red hair had spikes like she just fought with the walking dead! She looks wide like a warrior princess, originated from an anime character.

   Her big brown eyes look slightly swollen and red, the aftereffect of crying for long. Her cheeks were also red, obviously hot red! Her palms and finger look slightly bruised same as her neck and healing cuts at the corner of her lips.

    "Have you come to continue where you stopped?" Melissa smirked, she placed both hands on her bare hips and moved her weight to her left leg "If you are, I'm sorry I have nothing left to lose"

   Ryan gulped, she moved closer to her and removed her cloak slowly, and covered Melissa's body. She rushed to her car and opened the back door for Melissa.

     "Please," She said.

   Her eyes were stormy, showing how hard she had been trying not to cry. She point inside the car and swallowed.

   "Why should I?" Melissa walked close and stopped few inches away from the door "Why should I still follow you"

     "We can't stand here and you must be cold" Ryan answered simply "We can go to the nearest coffee shop" she points "Over there"

    Melissa stared at her sternly, she eyes her red foots then Ryan's that we're covered in the white heel she wore. Ignoring the open door, she walked to the passenger's seat near the driver and made herself comfortable.

    "Talk" Melissa blurted immediately Ryan closed the door.

    "Can we go somewhere where I can at least get your coffee?"

    If not for the pleading look Ryan had, Melissa would have loved to spit unto her face and walk out of the car. But for a reason best known to her, she remain still, not a single word was uttered.

   Ryan took that as a positive response and smiled. She thanked Melissa over a million times as she drove to the nearest coffee shop.

    On arrival, she looked at Melissa for a while, not knowing if she could tell her that they had arrived at their destination over a minute ago or wait for her to finish shedding tears before she could talk.

   "Please wait here," she said as she stepped out of the car "I promise, just a few seconds"

   Melissa didn't reply and again, Ryan decided to take that as a 'Yes' and avoid more awkward silence and only one person doing the talking.

    She returned not long after she had gone with two cups of steaming coffee. She gave one to Melissa and took a quick sip from hers.

    "I am sorry, Melissa," She said.

   "Just go straight to the point," Melissa said coldly, her eyes fixed to the stream of the coffee.

    She raised her head slowly to meet the stormy ones of Ryan. At first, she felt it was all fake as she had acted all along, but when she looked closer, she saw truth, sincerity, pain, regret, and sadness.

   "I know I'm a monster and you have every right to pour your hot coffee on my annoying face but" she stopped, she carefully placed her coffee and held Melissa's hands in hers "I did it all out of ignorance"

   She paused again, searching if she could see any sign of emotion in Melissa's cold face, but none.

    "I couldn't just have it that I love Molly so much and she decided to leave me for you on your first day at school" she sniffed "I have always watched you that's was how I came to your apartment just to know you well"

    Melissa's cold brown eyes were fixed on her hands that were inside Ryan's. She kept admiring the honey brown skin and perfectly manicured nails. Mere looking at the nails would tell a lot of money was spent to make it look so beautiful. She looked at hers, her dull natural nude-pink was all she had.

    "Melissa, I never knew He was going to give you to the Hughes" Ryan squeezed Melissa's hands gently, "place say something".

    Slowly, almost motionless, Melissa turned to Ryan, her gaze cold and full of hate. She removed her hands from Ryan's and began to laugh.

    " It's too late to apologize, Ryan," she said "I should have known that I was never on the right track when you intentionally left your phone"

   Guilt wash through Ryan as she looked away from Melissa, hiding her sad look and pathetic face.

   "I know I was selfish and I was heartless," Ryan said "But I regret all of it" she began to cry.

   "I feel like the collateral damage here," Melissa said through clenched teeth "Do not fucking shade false tears!"

   "Melis-"

   "Shushhh!" Melissa angrily raised her left hand "you don't what it feels like to be poor and vulnerable"

   "Melissa you don-"

   "You don't know what it feels like to be abandoned by one's father?" Tears began to rush her face "Do you?"

   Although it felt like a rhetorical question Ryan moved her head, blinking back tears.

     "Oh! You don't " Melissa faced the window, staring blankly into the street "Do you know what it feels like to fall in love with your friend and have her break your heart? Or have the one person you have no idea why he hates you be your boss?" She turned to Ryan, this time looking determined and sad "Do you know what it feels like to get raped by one of your bosses and lose your job?"

   Ryan couldn't contain the tears anymore, she freed herself and let the tears flow fresh from her eyes.

    She tried to hold Melissa's hand but the redhead jerked her hand away instantly.

    "Please, ple-"

    "You pay your fees right?" Melissa smirked and Ryan nodded "You don't also need to worry about school, or cry like me as I just lose my scholarship and have to be a dropout?"

   Ryan's face grew cold and mute. If she had light skin, it would have been as white as a corpse.

   She just went still watching Melissa cry and laugh during intervals. The poor redhead looks and acts like a psychopath but what else could she have done?

   Ryan fully blamed herself for everything. If she haven't been all selfish and blinded by love, Melissa won't have been raped or got in touch with the people that hate her so much.

    Melissa chuckled "Can you believe my dad initially brought me here to abandon me too?" She placed her index finger on her lips and pretend to think fast "Oh-Uh. I gat it. I am a fucking sap!"

   "Melissa please stop it" Ryan tried to hold her but as before, Melissa pushed her away "Please, I am so sorry"

  "Noted" Melissa blurted.

  "If there is another word for sorry I will use it" Ryan begged. Melissa remain mute, she looked at Ryan and remove her face slowly "I did it all because I was madly in love but she refused to love me back" she sat well and looked at the car key "I was selfish and inhuman and if you don't want to forgive me its fine by me"

   Ryan knew Melissa would not want to answer her but she felt the silence is better than crying her eyes out again.

    Assuming the silence as a positive answer, Ryan decided to end the conversation with a smile and genuine sad tears in her eyes.

   She twisted the car to live in and drove away from the coffee shop back to Melissa's apartment.

    "If you can't have me as your friend, please can you consider me as not your enemy?" Ryan suggested with a thin smile on her concerned face "It's okay if you want to think about it, I am patient"

    Melissa just nodded with a surprised smile on her face, She waited for Ryan to park the car in a safe before climbing out. She made sure she took her cold coffee as she walked to the door to the apartment.

     "Thanks for the coffee," she said without turning back.

     "You are welcome" Ryan smiled, she opened the door and claimed out the car "The cloak looks good on you"

   "That's why I'm keeping it" Melissa turned back "But that doesn't mean we are friends"

   With that, she smiled again and walked into the elevator, ignoring Molly and the rest of her friends on her way out.

   "You need to make peace with Ryan," she said as she pressed the button to her flat.