Confessions

I narrowed my eyes as I saw Victoria approaching me.  My whole body instantaneously filled with dread, and my eyes subtly darted the room looking for an escape route.  Luckily, the coffee shop was full of people.

I had stopped in at the coffee shop just to relax and read.  Looked like that plan was out the window, now. 

Victoria stood awkwardly at the chair across the table from the one I was sitting in.  “What.”  I was wary of whatever she was about to confront and start spewing lies about.

“I... I was wondering... I mean, is it okay if I sit down?” she stammered.  Her face flushed, showing her very evidence discomfort.

I raised an eyebrow at her.  I wanted to tell her to just go away and never even look at me again, but my interest was piqued.  “Why?”

It came out in a rush.  “I have a lot I want to tell you, and I feel really not okay by everything that’s happened, and I don’t know what happened with you and Luke, but I think I’ll believe whatever you tell me, and I just want to say I’m sorry.”

I almost laughed because of how absurd all of that sounded coming out of her mouth after everything she had previously said to me.  Almost.  But, the look on her face seemed sincere.  Her eyes were wide open, her eyebrows raised, her voice a frantic whisper.  “You can sit, I guess.”

She quickly sat down.  She placed her hands on the table in front of her, her fingers linked, her thumbs picking at the other’s nails.  She stared at her fingers, avoiding my questioning gaze.  “I’m sorry, Aleah.”  Her hands unclasped just long enough for her to wipe away a stray tear that trickled down her cheek.  Before I could respond (not that I was jumping the gun to), Victoria continued.  “I never should have believed Luke.  He’s a liar and manipulative.”

I noticed that her once evident engagement ring was gone.  “What makes you think that?  How do I know you aren’t just trying to get something against me to use in court for his sake?  Because to me, it seems the saying ‘bird of a feather flock together’ may be kinda accurate in this case.”

She nodded her head slowly and finally made eye contact.  “I deserve that.  And you don’t have any reason to believe me.  But just let me tell you what happened, please?”  Her eyes were pleading.

I shrugged my shoulders.  “Okay.”

Victoria told me what had happened a few days earlier, and what Luke had said.  She told me about all of their conversation about me.  She told me about their relationship from the beginning until now, including about her miscarriage.  She told me she had been jealous of me, and knew in her gut that something had happened between Luke and me, but she wanted so badly to believe him that he had no interest in me, that she ignored that gut feeling.  She told me about the rumors that had circulated campus, and how she’d heard bits and pieces of them, but didn’t know how to react.  She told me she didn’t know why his parents finally bailed him out, but she had nothing to do with that and she hadn’t spoken to him since the night back in December until he approached her the other day.  She apologized multiple times.

I was dumbfounded, that Luke had twisted everything like that.  I assumed that was the route he and his defense attorney were going to take.  “So why the change of heart about Luke?  How do you know he was lying to you?”

She sighed, the betrayal whooshing out of her along with the breath.  “Because when he told me his version of events, he said that he had just gotten the Christmas present I left and was exiting my apartment when you were out there waiting for him.  When I got back to the apartment from break, the present was still where I had left it.  He had never gone into my apartment.”  She looked past me, and presumably talking to herself, she said, “I don’t know why he would’ve lied about such a stupid detail that I would obviously know.”

“I can’t really talk to you about what happened that night, since there’s going to be a trial.”  She nodded her head, understanding.  “But, what I will tell you is that his story is just that, a story.  His version isn’t accurate of what happened.  However, would you be willing to talk to my lawyer?  To tell him what Luke told you and why you know he lied?”

She nodded her head.  “I will.  I feel partially responsible for whatever happened.  He had my key to get into the building.”

“You didn’t know what he was planning.”

She started fidgeting.  “I didn’t know exactly.  But, there’s something else I should tell you...”

Victorious: Part 6

I pushed open the door of the coffee shop, my legs shaking a little.  My heart was pounding, and my palms were sweaty.  I was so nervous, and about to do something that I had never done in my entire life: apologize, and mean it.

*2 days earlier*

I was finishing up my school work for my one May term class.  Finishing up the school year.  I’d signed up for this class before everything happened with Luke.  I really had almost moved back to Kansas.  I got a lot of dirty looks and whispers behind my back.  My roommates had taken to avoiding me, altogether.  The girl who actually shared my room had been sharing a bed with one of the other girls in the other bedroom.  But now since it was a May term class, they all moved out, and I was by myself.  But I was pissed. 

I was so fucking pissed that Luke had betrayed me like that.  I was pissed that he still wanted that bitch Aleah, even though he had sworn he never wanted her to begin with, and it was all her.  I was pissed that I was the person that I was.

I realized that I was clenching my fists so hard that my fingers were hurting and my knuckles were white.  My nails were cutting into my palms.  I decided to go for a walk.  The weather was gorgeous.  I needed to release some pent up energy.

I pushed out of my apartment, grabbing my keys thrown haphazardly on the counter next to the door.  I made sure the door was locked, and then I went out the main apartment building door.  And there was Luke, sitting on the bench.  Waiting for me.  He had been bailed out of jail by his parents, for what reason I don’t know.  I suppose because he’s their son.

“What the ever living fuck,” I said, exacerbated by his presence.  I merely glanced at him and walked past him.

“Vic, wait.  Victoria,” he said, as I shuffled past him.  He grabbed my wrist, lightly, but I yanked back and kept going.  “Victoria!”

Everything in me wanted to turn around and hear him out.  I mean, I loved him.  He was a lying, dirty, manipulative, piece of shit.  But I loved him.  The tears burned hot in my eyes, as I willed them to disappear.  I could hear him coming after me, catching up.  My short legged quick pace no match for his giraffe-like strides.

I blinked multiple times, finally content that the tears were gone.  I stopped and turned towards him and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t talk.

“It isn’t true, Vic.  You have to believe me.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away again.  The rumors had flown around school that Luke had been found on top of Aleah.  I hadn’t heard much beyond that.  People didn’t really talk to me anyway, but they especially didn’t about this.

Luke stopped me by grabbing my upper arm, tightly enough this time that I couldn’t jerk out of his grasp.  I turned around again.  “What?”

“Just talk to me,” he pleaded, his eyes sad.

“Honestly, Luke, I don’t really have anything to talk about with you.  I heard what happened.” Ok, so not true, but true enough.

“They are all rumors.  You have to hear me out.  Please.”

I sighed and looked at the display on my phone.  “You’ve got 5 minutes, so you better start talking.”

“I was set up.”

I snorted and scoffed at him.

“Seriously, Vic, that bitch set me up.  I came back here to get that Christmas present, like I said I was going to do.  I had it in hand and was coming out of your room when Aleah was right outside your door, waiting for me.  She must have seen me come in from out the window or something.  Anyway, I tried going around her but she kept jumping in front of me.  She was dressed like such a slut.  She had a super low cut tank top on, her tits basically hanging out and super short shorts.  I think she was trying to seduce me or something.  Anyway, she said she needed some help, there was a massive spider up on the wall, and she couldn’t reach it and was too scared to get close anyway, and asked if I could kill it for her.  I tried telling her I didn’t have time because I had to catch the plane, but she said it would only take a second.  So I went to her dorm with her, and she took me to the bathroom.  She pointed to the far corner and I went in there and was looking.  There was no fucking spider!  I told her that and she said it must have moved.  I turned around to tell her I didn’t have time to look for it and she was standing there half naked.  She’d taken off her tank top and bra.  I tried to push past her but she kept blocking me.  She told me that she knew that I had wanted her, and she wanted to make my dreams come true before I became a married man.  I told her she was delusional.  I tried pushing past her, but she physically pushed me and I stumbled backwards and ended up sitting on the toilet.  Before I could move, she was straddling me and kissing me.  This is where I screwed up.”  He paused, running his hand through his hair, staring off into the distance as if remembering and remorseful.  “You know, it’d been awhile since we had fucked, and I kinda fell into temptation.  We somehow moved to the bathroom floor, and I was on top of her.  We weren’t having sex, yet.  She said she liked it rough and asked me to rough her up a little.  I might have been a little too rough and she hit her head on the bathroom floor and it got a little cut on it.  The next thing I know, her boyfriend is fucking running in and she starts crying rape.  I swear I didn’t rape her, or try to.  The only thing I’m guilty of is not being 100% faithful to you in that moment.  And I’m so sorry for that.”

He stopped and looked at me expectantly.

I shook my head, the tears welling up in my eyes again.  Before he could see, I said, “Bye, Luke,” and walked away.

He called my name a couple of times, but he didn’t chase me.

*Present Day*

So there I was, walking into the coffee shop, swallowing my pride.  I brushed my unruly red curls back away from my face, and made eye contact with Aleah.