Capítulo 5: Betrayal
Betrayal is the only truth that sticks - Arthur Miller
The next day, Aerith rushed to Cabot Science Library after her first class was done.
It was in the building across from the physics department where her class was held that was why she reached the library in the nick of time, what with Aerith's unusually fast-paced walking.
She smiled as she reached the library cafe and knew exactly where to look. In the far corner was her friend sitting in their favorite spot.
"Sorry, Aerith, but that seat is taken," Krishna, Aerith's college buddy informed her as soon as her hand touched the backrest of an empty seat.
As you see, Krishna was a clairvoyant and something like this wasn't new to Aerith as this happened numerous times already that it made Aerith calloused with the presence of an invisible being around them.
Krishna was a junior who was concentrating on neuroscience and like Aerith, she also had an extra on radio studies.
The two girls' love for music brought them together since day one and the two were now inseparable even with Krishna's weird gift.
"But it's empty," Aerith protested.
"It looks empty because you can't see him, but I can. Mr. Jefferson is currently enjoying a book he found this morning in the library, so please take the seat beside him instead."
Aerith huffed and didn't press on. She quickly pulled the chair beside where 'Mr. Jefferson' was seated, and dumped her bag on the table. "What is he reading anyway?"
Krishna chuckled, "Zodiac Signs. I think he'll be asking the madam by the fountain later so he's checking if his stars are aligned."
She then went back to dive her nose on the thick book titled: Principles of Neural Science which she was reading.
She wanted to tell Aerith more of who was in attendance besides Mr. Jefferson that morning but she just kept mum.
She remembered how Aerith was gutted and depressed for a week when she told the latter about a man wearing a white T-shirt who looked exactly like Aerith following them around.
It was then that she found out that the spirit was actually Aerith's father who died in the war that took thousands of lives in Nisia.
Sneaking a peek on the library's doors, Krishna frowned. The only times she saw Aerith's dad was when Aerith's boyfriend, Zach, was around. So why is he exactly around this time?
"By the way, Zach has a game later so I won't be joining you for the afternoon sesh," Aerith said whilst scribbling something in her journal.
Krishna glanced up again on the library doors, and uttered under her breath, "So that's why he's here." She went back to reading her book, ignoring Aerith who lifted her head with a frown on her face.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing."
Later that afternoon, Aerith was giddily walking towards the men's locker room with a fluffy towel on her hand.
Her boyfriend, Zach, told her to follow him into the locker room after the rugby game which was why she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Bam!
A steel door slamming shut startled Aerith.
"You took her virginity?! What a lucky bastard!" one of them spoke.
Aerith halted in her tracks. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she stepped deeper into the men's locker room where her boyfriend, Zach, should be.
She heard how those rugby players talked about their girlfriends as if they were playthings in every party she and Zach attended for the past years, and her heart bled for the poor girl they were talking about at that moment.
Her hands subconsciously hugged the towel in her arms as she took featherlight steps so as not to give away her presence.
SLAM!
Aerith jerked on her place as another door slammed shut. She wondered, why do boys love doing that?
She almost dropped the fluffy towel in her arm, but luckily didn't. She let out a breath through her pursed lips and continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"He did not just get her virginity, he won the bet too, winning ten grand for snagging Princess Aerith's heart. What a lucky sonuvabitch you are, Zach."
Aerith froze in her spot, her arms limped, dropping the towel on the floor. It absorbed the puddle of water in the locker room and a few drops of her hot, salty tears too.
Her chest heaved heavily as she pursed her lips to stifle her cries. She blamed herself for falling prey to Zach's game.
Her flight instincts took over, telling her to get as far away as she could from the room before the monster in her made a scene that would go down the history books.
She didn't want them to see her bad side. She didn't want to smear her family's name.
Aerith was a princess, and a princess she would be.
Turning in her heel, she headed out towards the exit but just as she reached the threshold, Aerith slipped. She landed on a crash against the metal ball cart, spilling the balls on the floor.
Some rolled. Some bounced. And some reached the side where the rugby team was.
The team scrambled to where they heard the crash and saw Aerith pushing herself up from the floor.
A few of the players had their hands over their mouths, while others took a step back as they realized what just happened.
They watched as their team's MVP strode towards Aerith to help her get up on her feet.
"Don't touch me," she snapped and yanked her arm off from Zach's grasp.
"Let's talk outside."
"There's nothing to talk about, Zach. We're done."
Aerith's fingers curled into a fist, her body was shaking and her eyes stung from the betrayal of the person whom she gave her heart to.
Suddenly, her eyes fell on the purity ring that was hanging on his chest and that was when she started howling.
That ring was originally her father's army dog tag. It was not just any normal accessory. It was the greatest reminder of her father—his love, his life, and his sacrifice.
It was the reason why she had a jeweler forged a pair of purity rings out of it so she could share it with a special someone who would love her and honor her wishes of staying pure until their wedding night.
Eventually, Aerith gave it to Zach as a gift on the night of their first anniversary together. They vowed to keep their virginity until marriage because she didn't want to bring a child into the world without a father or a mother—just like her.
Her eyes went hazy as she zeroed in on the accessory.
"You don't need this." She yanked the necklace off his neck and stormed out of the room limping on her left leg.
She never looked back and kept walking until the fresh breeze assaulted her as she swung the door open out to the open field in Harvard's athletic complex.
She looked up to the sky, covering her eyes with the back of her hand when her sight took awhile to adjust to the brightness.
Taking two steps at a time, she got out of the building, running to the direction of the tennis center to hide.
"Babe, stop! Hear me out. Please? It's not what you think."
Pivoting on her spot, Aerith faced the man she dedicated her entire college life with. "It's not what I think? Then what is it, Zach? WHAAAT!"
Eyes flew to their direction, anticipating to watch a drama unfold as the school hunk and the campus belle looked as if they were about to break up.
Zach glared at those students who were gawking at them. It was enough to send the onlookers away, leaving them alone for their needed privacy.
"I didn't win the bet. I lost it a long time ago when I fell in love with you."
"Bullshit!" she cursed, which she rarely did but oddly enough it felt good. It made her feel a little better. "I heard everything, Zach. They were talking about me and how you got my virginity, and you didn't say anything. You let them dirty my name! Dirty me as a person!"
"Aerith! Stop! You're overreacting."
"Ha! Who wouldn't when half of the population in uni thinks we already slept together?"
Aerith stepped closer to Zach, tilting her chin up to meet his amber eyes. Those were her source of comfort for the last three years in a foreign land but not anymore.
"Do you know what's overreacting? Me making those rumors happen—sleeping with the next person that passes by, and I mean it."
"Oh yeah? I dare you," Zach challenged, seeing a chubby student walking towards them. There's no way Aerith would do as she said.
To Zach's shock, Aerith smirked, taking a step away from him. His eyes followed Aerith's back as she sprinted to a different direction.
"Hunter! Don't listen to her!" Zach screamed, loud enough to get the man's attention away from his phone.
Zach took long strides to catch up on Aerith but was a second late when she pounced on the man named Hunter.
His veins popped on his neck as he watched the love of his life in the arms of another man.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
filledelisle
filledelisle taking this chance to say thank you to monadunola and SNJR for Aerith's first ever powerstone offering. Yeeeey!
xoxo,
ᓚᘏᗢ
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