Gemini was having a difficult time sleeping that night. She rolled over and looked at the digital clock on the dresser. 11:56. She did not know why she had decided to go to bed. Acacia was still out in the living room, watching TV.
She lay in her bed for a few more minutes before getting up and walking out to the living room. Acacia was no longer there, so Gemini walked into the kitchen to get a drink. She grabbed a bottle of water and started back to the living room.
As she was leaving the kitchen, she saw Quay walking down the stairs.
“Nice look,” Gemini commented, stifling a giggle.
Quay blushed when he realized that he was only wearing a pair of boxers. “Likewise,” he replied.
It was Gemini’s turn to blush. She was wearing pajamas that consisted of a pair of green, velvet pants and a matching spaghetti strap top. “Well, I didn’t think anyone else would be in here. Well, except Acacia, and she seems to have disappeared somewhere.”
“Yeah. So did Toran. I just came to get some water.”
“Me too.”
Gemini walked over and sat on the couch. Then she turned on the TV, and Quay sat next to her. It was then that she noticed that his inner elbows and forearms were covered with dozens of tiny, white scars.
“Quay, what happened to your arms?” she asked quietly.
Quay suddenly looked nervous. “Uh… I had a bad accident when I was a kid,” he said apprehensively.
“What happened?”
“I fell out of a tree.” He knew that it was a poor lie, but he was hoping that Gemini would believe him anyway.
“A tree did that?” Skepticism was written all over her face, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah. And, I landed in a really heinous rosebush, so that contributed a little.” He half-laughed in an attempt to ease the tension in the room.
Gemini, however, did not smile. She still was not convinced that Quay was telling the truth, but she did not want to push the subject any further because she knew that they were not very close. I just wish I knew what he was hiding! she thought, frustrated. This is driving me crazy!
Acacia had decided to go for a walk to help clear her head. After her argument with Toran earlier and the incident at the dinner table, she concluded that she needed some time to think. She walked around the back of the house and proceeded through a small wooded area. She stopped walking when she approached a small cliff. She had seen it many times during her walks through the woods, but she had never bothered to see what was at the top. Deciding to explore, she climbed slowly, smiling proudly when she heaved herself over the edge. Her triumph, however, was short-lived as she looked up to find Toran sitting across from her, his legs swinging over the edge.
“I can’t get away from you anywhere, can I?” she asked, irritated. She turned to climb back down, but Toran stopped her.
“This really is beautiful,” he said, ignoring her remark. “You should see it.”
Curious, Acacia sat next to him and looked out over the edge. She gasped; the scene was beautiful. A pallid moon shone brightly over the ocean, its glow illuminating the white-capped waves. The stars gleamed like studded diamonds against the velvety black sky. The thick smell of salt wafted through the air, and a warm breeze blew gently over the waterand a warm breeze blew gently over the water, creating small waves that rolled carelessly onto the sand below.
“Wow,” Acacia breathed. “It’s amazing.”
“I told you,” Toran replied.
He looked at her and smiled as her mahogany eyes glistened in excitement. A wide smile spread across her face, her features luminous.
“I never bothered coming up here before,” she stated. “I thought it was just a bunch of trees and stuff. I had no idea it would be so… it’s like those genuinely romantic moments in the movies.” She looked at Toran, and suddenly her smile faded. Anger clouded her eyes, and she glared at him.
“Um… what?” Toran asked, shifting uncomfortably. He had become so caught up in the moment that he had forgotten that he and Acacia were supposed to hate each other.
“I should not be up here enjoying this beautiful view with you.”
“Oh. Here we go again.” He rolled his eyes. So much for peace and quiet; he knew Acacia was bound to say something eventually. “You really hate me that much?”
She nodded, an air of arrogance in her eyes. “Yes, I do.”
“Well, do you mind explaining why?” he asked. “’Cause I’d really like to know what the hell I did.”
“You honestly don’t know?” A bewildered expression crossed her face. She thought for sure that Toran knew exactly from where her contempt had arisen.
“Is this about homecoming?” Tears welled in Acacia’s eyes, and Toran cringed in realization. “I thought so. Look, the bet was harmless. He only bet me that because he was convinced that he was God’s gift to women, and I wanted to prove him wrong. The truth is, I really liked you, and I had a lot of fun with you at the dance. I was going to tell you that, but you found out about the bet and stormed off.”
“Well, could you blame me?” she retorted defensively.
“No. I’m just trying to say that I never expected to hurt you so much, and I didn’t realize that you were that sensitive.”
“There are a lot of things you didn’t know about me. Like, that the last three boyfriends I had before falling for you were all jerks. One used me because, for some unknown reason, he thought I was easy. One used me to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, and the last one cheated on me. I thought you were different, but apparently I was wrong… again.”
Toran played with his shoelaces, averting Acacia’s eyes. “I really am sorry. And, I had no idea you’d had so many bad experiences. And, I did really like you. I wanted to ask you out, but I guess Cyrus got there first.” He sighed sadly.
Acacia laughed nervously. “Yeah. If it had been anyone else, I would have said no, but Cyrus and I have been friends for years. He would never hurt me, so I completely trust him.”
“I’m happy for you. It sounds like you deserve someone like him. And, again, I am so sorry." He paused. He was tired of fighting with her, and he wanted to make her see that. "For Tatum’s sake, do you think that you could forgive me?”
Acacia looked into his eyes and saw genuine regret. “I forgive you,” she said softly, her former anger melting away. He had poured his heart out to her, and she felt she owed it to him to move past his earlier betrayal. “And, I want us to be friends. We won’t accomplish anything or have any fun if we try to avoid each other for the rest of the summer.”
Toran breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now, hopefully I won’t have to worry about you leading me off the upstairs balcony,” he joked.
Acacia smiled sheepishly. “You heard me say that?!”
“Yeah.” He nodded, running a hand through his brown hair.
“I’m so sorry.” She felt herself blush slightly.
He shrugged. “It’s okay. I felt the same way about you for a long time.”
Acacia stared at him, her eyes wide with confusion. Why would he be angry with her? She hadn’t done anything to him. “Why?” she asked.
“Well, after you refused to talk to me after the dance, I formed this opinion that you were stuck up, superficial, and a little self-righteous.”
“Thank you for trying to be tactful,” Acacia said sarcastically, smiling.
He ducked his head apologetically. “Sorry. Honesty’s one of my most dominant qualities.”
“I’ve noticed.” They grew silent for a moment, neither one knowing what to say next. They were not used to being nice to each other, so they were not aware of the other’s usual conversational interests.
“Hey, um… can I trust you?” Toran asked, suddenly serious.
Acacia looked pensive for a few seconds. “I don’t know. It depends. Why?”
“Well, I think that it’s time for me to break up with Tatum.” His voice was so low that Acacia had to struggle to hear him. She assumed that he felt guilty about what he had just said, and she had to admit, his statement did seem a bit odd.
Acacia’s eyes widened. “What?! At dinner, you were talking about how much you miss her!”
“I do miss her, but that was just a cover-up. I didn’t want to announce to everyone that I was really gonna call to break up with her.” Again, the guilt was obvious in his soft voice as he tried to choose his words carefully.
“Oh. Okay." She remained stunned for a few more moments before continuing. So, I guess my only question is... why?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I really like her and everything, but this is just something that’s been kind-of weighing on my mind for a while. I think that she and I are just too different.”
“Well, I guess that’s a decent reason, but why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you be telling her?”
“Well, I was kind-of hoping that you would be able to tell me what to say. I mean, I really don’t want to hurt her, but I just feel like this has to be done.”
Acacia sighed. How could she help Toran find the words to break up with her best friend? She could not hurt Tatum that way. “At least you’re being honest. Most guys would just pretend that everything was okay. But, I can’t help you. This is between you and her.”
“Please? I really don’t know how to choose my words in this situation.”
Acacia shook her head firmly. “No. Toran, if she finds out that I told you what to say, she’ll think I was your reason for breaking it off. She has very low self-esteem. I can’t get involved.”
His face fell; he did not like the fact that he would have to face this situation without any support or guidance. What if he said something wrong? “I guess I see what you’re saying. I’m just not very good at this. Usually, I’m the one getting dumped, not the one doing the dumping.” Acacia looked at him. “Well, with the exception of last year’s homecoming dance, of course.”
“Yeah. Well, just be nice about it and tell her exactly what you just told me. Be completely honest with her. She’ll appreciate that more than you lying to save her feelings.”
“You’re sure?” He hoped that what Acacia was saying was true because he wanted to make the situation as painless as possible.
“Yeah. No one knows Tatum as well as I know her.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Any time.”
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Chapter 4
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