CHAPTER 33: 33-THE ENVIOUS EX BEST FRIEND.

Clementine:

"Okay guys, let’s keep doing our work. We have a lot to do," Troy snapped his fingers between us as we kept glaring each other down.

"No, wait. I need to know what he’s on about. It’s been some time that he’s been taunting me and mocking me. When have I ever cheated on anyone?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Yorick, who began to clap.

"Wow, that is solid. You’re such a bitch," he said as he placed his hands on his waist.

I was in shock. How could he define my character in such words? It was like I had been accused of a lot of things, being rude, being careless, being someone who liked to spread gossip, even when this was the first time I had done it. And only because Suki was a hateful, vengeful woman. Other than that, I don’t remember ever doing anything wrong. But I’ve always been accused of one thing or another. So it really got to me, and tonight I decided to get answers for it.

"Hey, just stop it, guys. What is wrong with you?" As Troy stepped between us, I began to glare at him too.

"You need to step away. Why the fuck are you so hell-bent on stopping us from talking about this matter?" I asked him, making him my target this time, and he narrowed his eyes, almost like asking me if I was being serious.

"I am taking your side. I don’t want you to feel bad, because his words would definitely rip you apart. And you’re yelling at me?" he said, pointing at his chest.

"Oh? Why would my words rip her apart? It’s yours. It’s your words."

And then Yorick tilted his head from behind Troy to come into my view and said those words, the words that left my world pretty shaken up.

"What?" I asked, looking at Yorick first, then moving my eyes to Troy. "What words? What did you say about me?"

It was like all my strength drained out. My voice started to become very low.

"You’re focusing on the wrong stuff right now, and I won’t be a part of it," Troy gave up as he shrugged his shoulders and dropped his hands down. "You two can fight all you want. But I hope after this, you realize it was the biggest mistake to have this conversation," he said to me and then looked at Yorick in the back.

"Wait," Yorick said. "Why don’t you want to talk about it? Is it because you don’t want to be held accountable as the one who broke the news to me? Or is it because now that you’re playing her lover, you don’t want any grudge coming between you two in the moment, so you can enjoy the task? Because I’m pretty sure you don’t fucking give a damn about her."

Yorick stated what I wanted to say. It was true. I didn’t think he necessarily cared about me. So whatever reason Troy had for not wanting us to have this conversation was pretty sketchy.

Troy stepped aside and started to run his hands through his hair. "We should focus on work," he repeated with the same look on his face as before.

"Fucking hell fine." As soon as Yorick gave up, I watched Troy’s posture slowly straighten, as if life had come back into his body.

"No, I want to know. What are those accusations?" I asked Yorick, who turned around and waved his hand at me as if dismissing me. And Troy was already so excited to walk away from us, from this topic, like he’d been doing it for quite a few minutes.

"Come on, say it. Or I’ll think you just wanted my attention."

The minute I said those words, Yorick stopped and turned to me, glaring.

"I know you cheated on me with Troy," Yorick said in one full sentence. A brief one, but it told me the whole story.

Troy suddenly grunted and dropped his hands to his sides like he was finally defeated.

"What?" I was shocked. That was complete bullshit. I was still a virgin, and why would I cheat on Yorick with someone I had already broken my friendship with? Because that’s what had happened, my friendship with Troy ended before I started dating Yorick.

"Ask him. He told me that night when you got stuck in the library with him, that’s when you had sex with him," Yorick continued, giving me one shock after another.

I turned to Troy, giving him a look, because now I understood what had happened. He had sabotaged my relationship. Is that why Yorick suddenly started to hate me? The way he put me through so much without even coming to me once to ask if it was true? It just saddened me. All he needed to do was ask, and I would have told him that I’m still a fucking virgin.

"You told him that?" I asked Troy, who gulped, hands on his waist. At this point, even Yorick started to stare at Troy.

"Tell her what you told me." It was like Yorick was suddenly not very confident in his claims.

Because Troy wasn’t.

"Yeah, I told him. And I told him the truth."

And then Troy said it to my face.

The lie.

"I cannot fucking believe you, Troy. So this is how you punished me? Because you thought I leaked your secret and made up a scandal about you, so you decided to do the same to me? Is this what your revenge was?" I asked, tears starting to form in my eyes.

Troy stretched his neck back and stared at the sky before looking down and saying, "Yeah, you’re right. That was my revenge on you. How did it taste, Clementine? How did it feel to get tortured for rumors your own best friend spread against you?"

The minute he confirmed those were just rumors, I watched Yorick’s face start to lose its color.

That’s when I stepped forward to slap Troy, but he grabbed my hand and shoved me against a tree.

I was so hurt. My entire body was shaking. I didn’t even know that, out of all the rumors I had heard about myself, being a cheater was one of them. And that’s why everyone thought I was such a hypocritical bitch for wearing clothes that supposedly didn’t seek attention, but in their eyes, I was doing all this stuff behind everyone’s back.

"You will not hit me," Troy hissed, his hands tightly wrapped around my wrists.

"Fucking let go of her!"

And then came Yorick from behind, wrapping his arms around Troy’s back and pulling him off me.

"You fucking lied to me!" Yorick screamed at him. "You made me look like a fool. All this time I thought my anger was justified. I thought I was punishing her, but it was all a lie!"

Yorick yelled, and I began to feel my throat clog up. So I started to walk away. I felt like my world had fallen apart. Everyone around me was such a snake.