Chapter 6: Two-Face

Chapter 6: Two-Face

One Monday afternoon Nadine went to the river and she was shocked to see a different person sitting under the tree. “Tony have you seen Jeff?” she asked, Tony looked at her and smiled offering a spot beside him. “It’s been a long time since we got to talk, would you want to seat down and enjoy the view with me?” he offered but Nadine shook her head. “It’s okay I would rather stand and wait for him” she replied. “You don’t have to be that cold, I’m sorry for what I have done in the past. Honestly I am trying to change” tony said and Nadine laughed.

“It’s true but that’s the problem no one believes me and I deserve that. I have done so many bad things in the past and I am sorry. What I did to you I did out of anger, I really liked you. You never gave me chance, I know what I did was so immature but I regret what I did and I am really sorry” Tony said and Nadine was silent. She does not want to believe him but looking at him and hearing his words they all seem real and truthful.

“So why only now?” Nadine asked and Tony sighed. “Seeing you with Jeff made me feel so jealous. I thought I was over you but I guess I wasn’t. I don’t want to meddle in your relationship, I just want for us to be friends again. Seeing Jeff, I now understand where I went wrong. It could have been me with you if I was only wiser. I know I did a lot of cruel stuff to Jeff and when he knew about our relationship he wanted to get back at me. He wanted to mock me so he courted you” Tony said and Nadine was a bit surprised. “You are lying” she said and Tony looked at her. “I am telling the truth. Of course you would not believe me now because what is etched in your mind is I am the evil one. Jeff only took advantage; I kept telling him stories about you that is why he knew how to act according to your liking. The result, you and him are together” Tony said.

“Liar! You expect me to believe that? You are a liar!” Nadine shouted and she was surprised as someone touched her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Jeff asked and Nadine embraced him. “What have you done to her?” Jeff asked and Tony just shrugged his shoulders. “Nadine tell me what he said” Jeff told her but Nadine just shook her head and held his hand. They walked away but Jeff turned back to look at Tony who was grinning at him. “Nadine what happened?” he asked her again but Nadine again shook her head and leaned on his shoulder as they continued walking.

The next day Nadine found Tony again under the tree, this time it was different. He had a piece of paper and he was tapping a pencil on it so she stood closer to him and peeked. “You drew that?” she asked as she marveled at the drawing of a tulip. “Yeah but I didn’t get it quite right” Tony replied. “No, it’s actually good” she said and he handed it to her. “It’s yours, take it” he said and they stared each other in the eyes. “Go ahead take it, I always knew you loved flowers” he told her and Nadine took the piece of paper and looked at the drawing. “Once he sees that he is going to say that he made that, but you would know better” Tony said as he stood up and left her.

Jeff arrived moments later; Nadine kept the sketch and was hesitant in showing it to him. She was scared of what Tony said especially if he was right, she saw him sketch it so it would be impossible if Jeff said that it was his. Nadine saw a different side of Tony, she wanted to believe that he was changing but still she was not satisfied.

For several days Nadine has been acting funny, Jeff was worried so he went to see Maureen about it. “Hey Maureen has Nadine been telling you stuff about me lately?” he asked. “No, why?” she asked. “I don’t know, she has been acting strange lately. Maybe she is bored with me” he said. “Well that happens in a relationship if you do the same stuff over and over again. Try to get out of your comfort zone and say treat her out” Maureen said but Jeff looked at her. “Oh sorry, forget what I said” she told him but Jeff nodded his head. “You’re right, it’s been always her so maybe this time I will surprise her. Do you know her favorite restaurant?” he asked.

“Ah, yes but I don’t think it’s a good idea” Maureen said. “Hey, I know it’s an expensive one, don’t worry I will find a part time job and save up for it” he told her. “Okay, it’s the Lemorange, its expensive there though” she replied and Jeff nodded. “Okay, so now where do I find work” he sighed. “If you want I can loan you the money” Maureen offered but Jeff smiled at her. “No thanks, I want to sweat it out, I want to work hard for this date of ours” he answered and Maureen smiled at him. “You are so sweet, anyway good luck and in case you don’t find work my offer still stands okay?” she said.

That same day Jeff approached Anya and asked her to go for a walk with him. “Anya, I need to ask a favor” he told her. “What do you need?” she asked. “I need a job, a short term job just enough for me to earn two thousand dollars” he said and Anya looked at him. She opened her bag and brought out her wallet. “No, I said I need a job, not a loan” Jeff reiterated and Anya still counted and handed him the money. “Please not like this, I want to earn for it, I want to take Nadine on an expensive date. I know she wouldn’t be expecting it so I really need to earn for it” Jeff said and Anya looked at him.

“I’m giving you an easy way out here take it” she told him. “You don’t get it, I have to work for it or else it’s not going to feel the same. I want to sweat and break bones for the money and in return I’m sure she would be smiling and it would be all worth it” Jeff explained and Anya paused and returned the money inside her bag. “Fine, come to my place this afternoon” she told him. “And I hope you don’t tell Nadine about this” Jeff added and she smiled at him.

That afternoon by the river Jeff and Nadine had a talk. “Nadine, are you bored with me?” Jeff asked and she was surprised with his question. “Of course not, why do you ask?” she answered. “Nothing, I just feel that lately you are lonely even when you are with me” he said and Nadine kissed him on the lips. “That’s not true, I just have a lot in mind especially the semester is about to end. You know school stuff and all those requirements” she told him. “Yeah me too, and after a hard day’s work in school seeing you just refreshes me. It seems that I don’t have the same effect on you” he said.

“Oh Jeff don’t say that, you know that I love and I want to be with you always. Maybe we both have different ways in handling the pressure. I too am happy when I see you, so don’t say that I don’t” she explained. “Nadine, for the next two weeks I might not be able to come here, I have a lot of stuff to do. So I was thinking if we could be together later in the evenings” Jeff said and Nadine looked at him. “What if we both take a break first, lets focus on the academics, now don’t get me wrong, I do want to be with you but look at it this way, we get to miss each other right?” she said and he smiled.

“We can see each other on campus right? We can spend lunch together right?” he asked and she nodded. “So for the next two weeks we both focus on school work, just in time for Spring Break we can get together and you know” she teased and they both laughed. Everything was settled but little did they know there was someone lurking nearby who heard everything.

Jeff proceeded to Anya’s place after parting with Nadine. If Anya had a huge estate, Anya’s family had a bigger one. He was stopped at the gate for his name was not on the list of guests that the family was expecting. After one call by the security personnel he was let in, it took him five minutes to reach the front door of the house and Anya was there to greet him.

Anya was a red haired girl with expressive eyes. She was pretty and only now did Jeff know she had a fantastic figure. “Wow, this is unexpected, greeting me on your underwear” Jeff said and Anya laughed. “What are you talking about? I’m wearing shorts” she replied. “Are you sure? They seem like panties to me” he said as he stared at her long legs. “I was just trying them out, you know Spring break is coming soon so I wanted to prepare for it” she explained.

“So what work will I be doing?” he asked and they took a walk towards the left side of the house and there were twelve luxury vehicles parked nicely. “There, you have to wash, wax and make them look shiny” she told him. “Are you serious? They look sparkling to me” he commented but Anya took a bucket full of mud and splashed it on the first vehicle closest to them. “Now it looks dirty” she said and they both laughed.

“Now I will pay you a hundred dollars per car. So there are twelve cars, so that is good for 12 days” Anya said and Jeff suddenly paused and thought of where to get the rest of the money. “Okay everything you need is here, and I will be supervising you” Anya said and Jeff started to work on the first car. After two hours the vehicle was sparkling again and Anya inspected the car and she was satisfied.

“Hey Anya, after I finish with the twelve cars would you dirty up eight of them again so I can clean them” Jeff said and Anya looked at him. “No, I know you need eight hundred more so I am going to pay you an extra fifty dollars to eat dinner with me and another fifty to spend an hour tutoring me and helping me with school work” she said and he just smiled. “I can do those for free you know” he told her. “Oh so your saying you want to them for free then?” she asked and Jeff laughed. “I really need the money badly but yeah I can help you out on your schoolwork for free, the dinner would be enough payment” he said.

“So that’s going to be a dilemma for you then, and where would you find the other eight hundred dollars?” she asked. “I don’t know yet but don’t worry about it, I’m sure I will find a way” he said. “You really love her do you?” she asked suddenly. “Yeah, I really want to surprise her even just once. I know she understands my situation and she adapts to me but lately I can see she is out of her element. She says it’s about school work but I know she is intelligent and hard working. Even though she won’t tell me the truth I can sense it. Being poor makes you boring since can’t do much really” he told her.

The next day Nadine went to the river even though she knew Jeff wouldn’t be there. She sat down under the tree and a few minutes later Tony sat down beside her. “Here, I wrote you a poem” he said as he handed over a piece of paper. “And why would you write me a poem?” she asked. “I didn’t know what to do with my free period so I thought about you and just started writing it” he said. Nadine read the poem and she liked it, “Wow, I didn’t know you were good at writing” she commented. “Indeed, all you people know is the Tony who is a player, the liar and the no good friend. I can’t blame you since all those were my sins of the past. I’m trying to change, so I want to show everyone a different side of me” he told her.

“I should say I am impressed. First, the drawing and now this? Maybe you are changing” she said. “Yes I am, but there is one thing that I can never change” he told her. Nadine looked at him and he pouted, “I can never change the feelings I have for you” he softly said and Nadine looked away immediately. “Thank you for the poem, I have to go now. If you see Jeff say hi to him for me” she said as she quickly stood up and walked away.

Monday afternoon Tony saw Jeff and Anya leave the campus together. He approached Maureen and asked about the two. “Are they like going steady?” he asked and Maureen laughed. “No, Anya is helping Jeff out. She lets him work at their estate so Jeff could earn money for their dream date with Nadine. Don’t tell anyone I told you” Maureen said and Tony grinned devilishly.

Nadine and Tony were by the river again, he gave her another poem and she was starting to feel at ease with him. “It must be difficult to be alone when your boyfriend is fooling around with another girl” Tony said and Nadine was surprised. “What the hell are you saying?” she asked. “I said what I said” he replied. “Jeff would never do that to me, he is just busy with school work” Nadine told him. “It’s okay if you don’t believe me, I’m just his roommate anyway” Tony added and Nadine suddenly felt ill and suspicious. “I know what you’re trying to do; you are trying to destroy him so you could get back at me. Sorry, I trust Jeff that much and I don’t believe you” Nadine replied.

“Hey, I’m just trying to be a friend here. If you don’t believe me then ask him where he goes every afternoon. Of course he won’t tell you the answer. So ask him if it is related to school work” Tony said and he stood up and left. Nadine didn’t know what to believe, she trusted Jeff but Tony made her even more suspicious. She could a slight pain in her heart and it made her feel worse.

The next day Nadine and Jeff had lunch at the cafeteria; she held on to his hand and looked him straight in the eyes. “Jeff, where have you been going every afternoon?” she asked him. Jeff was a bit surprised but managed to keep his composure. “I can’t tell you, but you will find out next week” he told her. “Why? What’s happening next week?” she asked. “I can’t tell you that either, you just have to trust me on this one” he said. “Jeff are you fooling around my back?” she asked and the more he was surprised. “What made you say that?” he replied. “Well are you?” she insisted. “Of course not, why would I do that?” he said.

“Nothing it’s just a thought. So tell me, every afternoon, what you’re doing is related to school work?” she asked and Jeff paused and looked at her. “Yes it is” he answered but Nadine already was hurt when he paused. Jeff knew she had doubts already so he had to move things faster before he totally loses her.

That afternoon Nadine felts so sad, she sat under the tree and images of Jeff with another girl filled her imagination. “So did you ask him?” Tony asked and she even didn’t notice him arriving. “Yes” she replied. “So what did he say?” he asked. “I think you are telling the truth” she answered. Tony handed her another piece of paper but Nadine quickly placed it inside her bag, “Aren’t you going to read it?” he asked. “I’m not in the mood for reading” she told him.

“Hey listen, whatever happens to you two remember I am always here for you” he said and she nodded her head and remained silent.

Chapter 7: Broken

Chapter 7: Broken

It was the twelfth day and Jeff had just finished working on the final vehicle. He sat down on the ground and stared at the car as Anya sat beside him. “Hey Anya, do you think twelve hundred dollars would be enough?” he asked. “I don’t think so, why are you giving up?” she asked. “I have to, I think she is being suspicious already so I have to act quickly” he explained. “Wait here” she told him and Anya went inside the house.

A few minutes later Anya returned with her driver, butler and other servants. They dirtied eight more cars and Jeff was surprised. “Anya its getting dark I don’t think I would be able to finish them all tonight” Jeff said. “I know that is why we are helping you” she said and he just stood there staring at her. “Anya you don’t have to do this, you have helped a lot already” he said. “Jeff twelve hundred dollars isn’t enough, so get up and start working” she said as she too got her hands dirty.

The next day Jeff was so excited, he looked all over the campus for Nadine. Not realizing the time he felt silly because Nadine would still be arriving so immediately ran towards the front gate and there she was. Nadine was surprised to see Jeff all lively and he even hugged her tightly and kissed her. “I missed you” he told her but somehow there was already doubt on her mind.

“Hey Nadine, are you doing anything tonight?” he asked. “No, why?” she asked. “Okay, after your class go straight home and I will do the same. Wait for my text message okay?” he told her. “But you don’t have a phone” she said. “I’m going to borrow Tony’s phone, I’m sure he would not mind one text message” he said. “Why are you so excited? Tell me what’s going to happen” she said.

“I really can’t, but please trust me. I know you have doubted me for the past two weeks so tonight I will set everything straight. Please wait for my text message, oh does Tony have your number?” he asked. “Yes he does, we have been hanging out with each other for the past two weeks” she said and Jeff stood still and could not believe what he just heard.

“Don’t worry he is just being a friend. So see you later then” Nadine said as she hurried to her first class. Jeff felt uneasy over what he just heard, he knew Tony too well and he could not believe that he was just being friendly.

After classes Jeff took a bath and got dressed. Lucky for him Tony was in the room so he asked if he could borrow his phone. “Wait a minute I’m sending a text message to my mom” Tony said and after that he handed his phone to Jeff. Jeff immediately sent a text message to Nadine and returned the phone. He took a deep breath and made sure the money was in his pocket. He left the room without saying a word and after a few seconds there was a loud knock on the door.

Tony stood up and opened the door and a huge student was there. “Hey man, what gives? Are you being gay or something? What the hell does this message of yours mean?” the guy asked and showed his phone. Tony read the text message, “Meet me at the Lemorange at seven” it read. He got out a hundred dollar bill and gave it to the guy, “Sorry Drake, it wasn’t meant for you, here something to make you forget about this ever happening” he said and closed the door. Tony knew Jeff would erase the message after sending so before he handed over his phone he switched the numbers of Nadine and Drake.

Tony got dressed and sent a text message to Nadine, “Meet me by the river ASAP, I have something important to tell you about Jeff” the message read and he quickly got going.

It was almost seven and Jeff was seated at a window side table inside Lemorange. He was waiting for her, and he was so excited. Near the river a black car pulled over and Nadine stepped out and quickly ran towards the tree. Tony was there standing as he had his head bowed. “What is it?” Nadine asked. “I assume that he made you a promise to send you a text message right?” Tony asked. “Yes, don’t tell me you didn’t lend him your phone” she said. “I actually did, and out of curiosity I read it after he left” he answered.

“But I have not received it yet” she said. “I know because he didn’t send one to you” Tony said and she was shocked and saddened. “Here read it yourself” Tony told her and he showed her the message sent to an unsaved number. “I don’t know who owns that number but maybe you know. Do you recognize it?” Tony asked and Nadine was shaking in anger. She tried to keep calm as she brought out her phone to check.

She went through all her contacts but she didn’t find a match. She punched in the number on her phone and tried to call but Tony stopped her. “Don’t do that, I am sorry Nadine. Jeff is seeing another girl” he said and Nadine bowed her head and Tony quickly embraced her. “Why?! How can he do this to me?!” she screamed as she started to cry. “Hush now, I know it hurts you but I have seen the signs for a long time. I just didn’t know how to tell you since you don’t believe me” Tony said as he flashed an evil grin while he was comforting her.

Across the Lemorange Anya was seated inside her car staring at Jeff who was still waiting for Nadine. “Damn it Nadine where the hell are you?!” she shouted as her driver looked at her. “It has been an hour already madam, maybe you should call his date” the driver suggested. “No, I cannot interfere, maybe she is just late. Let him wait a little longer” she said.

Thirty minutes passed and Nadine stopped crying, Tony wiped her eyes and stood up. “Come on lets go see who the girl is” he suggested. Nadine stood up and shook her head, “No I’m just going to go home. This is too much for me to take in” she said. “No, listen to me; it’s better to know who you are dealing with. Call it closure” he told her and so they got in the car.

Jeff has been waiting for two hours, he was getting anxious but he saw a familiar face. “Anya what are you doing here?” he asked as she took a seat in front of him. “I happened to pass by and saw you alone” she told him and he pouted and bowed his head. “I feel so embarrassed, the waiter has been asking me every twenty minutes and I ran out of excuses anymore. What makes me feel sadder is she isn’t still here. I want to wait until I can but I guess I’m just going to make a fool of myself” he said.

“Wait let me call her” Anya said as she brought out her phone. As she was about to press the call button her phone rang and it was Nadine calling. “Hello, where are you?” Anya asked. “Pass the phone to Jeff” Nadine said and Anya was shocked. She handed the phone to Jeff and saw Nadine and Tony standing beside her car across the street.

“Nadine why didn’t you show up?” Jeff asked as he looked across the street and saw the two. “She showed up. So is this what you wanted to show me?” she said. Jeff stood up and waived at Nadine, “Wait for me, I will explain everything” he said. “Don’t bother, there is nothing else to explain because I have seen everything. I hate liars, I hate you!” Nadine said and she turned off her phone. Tony and Nadine got inside the car and Jeff could not do anything, he tried to call her number but she didn’t pick up.

Jeff sat down and bowed his head, the waiter approached and Anya told him that they were leaving. “No, lets order” Jeff said. “What? Jeff, Nadine already left with Tony and basically it’s my fault because I entered” Anya said. “Anya please have dinner with me, help me save this day, talk to me, eat with me, please I beg you help me save a good memory for this day” Jeff softly pleaded and Anya took the menu. “Please order for me” Jeff said as Anya saw tears flowing down his cheeks.

It actually was a silent dinner, Anya felt guilty for what happened. “Jeff I’m sorry” she said. “It’s not your fault, it was all mine. She told me she has been seeing Tony for the past two weeks. I know he did something to change her mind” he told her and she saw his fists tightening and his face full of anger. After dinner Anya offered him a ride back to the University but Jeff declined. Jeff took a long walk back and Anya followed him in the car. As she watched Jeff take each step her tears started to fall.

As Jeff reached the campus he turned to look at the car and waived, he knew she was trailing him but he never saw the tears she was shedding for him. As the car turned around and left, Jeff walked away from campus and headed towards the river. He didn’t want to enter his dorm room for he was afraid of what he might do to Tony.

Jeff woke up with a cough; his eyes were sore due to the tears that never stopped flowing even when he tried to sleep. “So you slept here” Nadine said and he was surprised to see her standing beside him. “Look Nadine I can explain everything” he said as he stood up and faced her. “Explain what? I saw everything, I just can believe it was Anya, you are worst than Tony” she told him.

“Tony!? You are comparing me to that guy?” he asked and she shook her head. “Actually no, he is better than you. You got what you wanted, so you moved to the next rich girl. That’s your game plan right?” she said and Jeff could not believe what she was saying. “I can’t believe what Tony did to you, he turned you against me” he said. “You think? He is just being a friend. He knew something was fishy so he told me and I listened to him” she explained and the more enraged he was.

“I cant believe you trust him more than me” Jeff said. “Well you were gone for two weeks, so he was there for me. I saw a different side of Tony. He even gave me a sketch and poems daily” she said and she brought out her folder and showed him the sketch and the poems. Jeff laughed and shook his head, “I cant believe that asshole, he stole this from me” Jeff said and Nadine laughed louder. “See, he was right. He said that is exactly what you were going to say. Jeff stop pretending, you can never be like Tony. If you say this was yours then why didn’t you give them to me? No, this isn’t yours, I even saw Tony sketch this, I hate liars Jeff. I hate you and I don’t want to see you ever again!” she yelled.

“That is his?! Are you sure you saw him draw that?! Are you sure?! Then ask him where is the other half of this sketch!!! Go ahead ask him where the other half is!!! Ask him where are the rest of the poems! Maybe he even got hold of my story, go ahead ask him for the story and read it!!!” he shouted back and ran away.

That afternoon Nadine visited Jeff and Tony’s room but only the latter was there. “What a surprise” Tony said as he opened the door. “I want to ask you about the missing half of the sketch” Nadine said and Tony felt clueless. “What do you mean other half of the sketch?” he said as he recalled tearing the page from Jeff’s art notebook. “I don’t know, Jeff told me it was his drawing and he told me to ask you about the other half” she clarified and Tony shook his head. “Just like I told you am I right?” he replied and Nadine sat down on his bed.

“He also told me the poems are his, and he is telling me to ask you about the story” Nadine said and Tony sat down beside her. “So tell me who do you believe in? Me or him?” he asked and Nadine sighed. “I guess it has to be you” she said. “Well about the story, yes I did make a story but the school has it. If you want I can accompany you to the dean’s office to see it” Tony said but Nadine shook her head. “That won’t be necessary, I believe you” she said and Tony was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I cant believe I fell in love with a liar” she said. “Well you can confront him later he will be back any minute now. He comes to drop his things and goes back out at this times” Tony said and suddenly she had an idea. “I want to make him feel worse, take of your shirt quick” she said as she started to take off her blouse. “Wow, we don’t have to do this Nadine” Tony said.

“We are not doing anything, we will just pretend we had sex, come on get inside the blanket and don’t you touch me! I am warning you!” she said and Tony laughed and got inside the blanket. The two were in position as Nadine took off her bra to make it more realistic, “Don’t you dare look or touch me” she said and Tony just grinned.

Ten minutes later they heard the door open; Jeff stepped inside and was shocked to see Nadine in bed with Tony. He stood there frozen, his heart was aching and it was about to crumble. “What are you staring at?” Nadine asked and he just shook his head. Jeff walked towards his side of the room. “You want to go another round?” Tony asked and Nadine looked at him angrily. “Come on its just acting” he whispered. “Give me time to rest, I can’t go three successive” Nadine said and they both smiled.

Fifteen minutes later Jeff walked towards the door carrying his full back pack. He turned towards Nadine and smiled, he bowed to her and Tony then he left. As soon as the door closed the two burst in laughter. “We broke him!” Tony said and Nadine was laughing her heart out. “Did you see that? All he could do was smile and bow his head! It feels good!” she shouted and the more they laughed.

“I guess I have to find a new roommate” Tony commented and Nadine looked at him. “Why? Are you kicking him out?” she asked. “No, did you see he left. He isn’t coming back” he replied. “Maybe he just went to the library” she said but Tony laughed. “No, you saw him, he had his backpack full, that’s everything he owns, that pathetic loser” Tony said and Nadine pushed him off the bed. “Turn around and look!” she yelled as she got dressed.

Nadine quickly went to Jeff’s side of the room and saw nothing left. The drawers were empty and there was no trace of any valuables she could recognize that belongs to him. “I told you he got it all in his bag” Tony said as Nadine ran out the door.

She ran towards the river but she didn’t see anyone sitting under the tree. She waited for him, she was feeling guilty. She sat down and started to cry and call out for his name. “Jeff please come back” she whispered as more tears started flowing down her cheeks.

The tree was wide; there was another person on the other side crying like her. He could hear her and he wanted to tell her he was just there but what he saw in the room pained him so much. He just hugged his backpack and cried in silence.

It was already dark, Fritz went to pick up Nadine and she went with him. As the car sped away Jeff followed and walked towards the town. Tony saw everything; he thought that the two have spoken to each other. He walked towards the tree and stared at it.

“I’m not finished with you yet Jeff” he whispered to himself.

Chapter 8: Mud

Chapter 8: Mud

The next morning as Nadine was being driven to school she noticed a fence around the side of the road leading to the river. She had the car stopped and there were barbed wires surrounding the fence. “PRIVATE PROPERTY” the sign board said and below that was the logo of the company of Anthony’s father.

Once inside the campus she tried to look for Jeff and Tony but she had no luck. She tried again looking for Jeff at lunch time but she only saw Anya who she totally ignored. After classes in the afternoon she waited for Jeff but only Tony showed his face. “Hey Tony what the hell is your father trying to do?” she asked and he grinned. “Actually it was my idea, I have plans for that place” he said. “And what plans are those?” she asked and he laughed. “Of course to take out his sweet spot, I know that is where he like to hang out and I saw you two there yesterday” he told her.

“I was there yesterday but he wasn’t” she said. “Oh? That is not what I saw. I saw clearly that after you left he also left the place. So don’t lie to me now, you hate liars so don’t hate yourself” Tony said and she slapped him in the face. Tony was about to slapped her back but Bart threw a punch straight to his jaw which knocked him to the ground. Tony was dazed and could not stand up, “Don’t bother standing up, just crawl away asshole!” Bart yelled and Tony mustering his pride, he crawled away to safety to the delight of onlookers.

“Are you alright Nadine?” Bart asked and Emily stood there beside them. “You bitch how dare you even show your face to me!!!” Nadine screamed as she was about to slap Anya on the face. Bart prevented her from doing so and embraced her. “Stop it Nadine! You two need to talk” Bart told her. “I don’t want to talk to that bitch!” Nadine yelled and Maureen showed up and faced her. “I really think you two should talk” she said.

Nadine agreed so they all sat down on a nearby bench. Anya stood in front of Nadine and stared her in the eyes. “If you don’t want to talk to me, then you just listen” she said and Nadine tried to look away. “Jeff approached me about three weeks ago, asking for a job. He said he needed money so I tried give him but he said he wanted to work for it” Anya said. “He brought out that issue to me first; he was asking why you were acting strange towards him. I told you might be bored so I suggested that he treated you to your favorite restaurant. I tried to lend him the money but he said he wanted to work for it” Maureen added and Nadine looked at them.

“He came to me for help so I let him work at my estate. He cleaned our cars, just to earn enough to treat you on a date at your favorite restaurant” Anya related and Nadine was starting to feel very guilty. “For twelve days he would come to my house and work that is why you don’t see him every afternoon. On the twelfth day he was problematic since he felt he was losing you to Tony” Anya said and all Nadine could do was take it all in.

“He planned everything, he sent you a text message that afternoon so you had no time to react and just go there. He waited for two hours and you never showed up. I felt worried so I came over and when I tried to call you…you called me first and saw us there…you didn’t even bother to listen to us” Anya said and Nadine shook her head in disbelief.

“I can’t you believe you for making up that story to cover up your fault” Nadine said and she stood up and walked away. The three didn’t stop her and just watched her walk out of the campus exit. A few seconds later Jeff stood in front of them, the noticed his shoes were all muddy and he had his head bowed. “Thank you for trying” he told them and he too walked away.

The last day of the exams arrived and Nadine just came out of her final class. She was walking the hall sluggishly and her professor caught up with her. “Nadine, I never saw you like this. Is something bothering you?” her professor asked. “Professor do you know a student named Jeffery Atkins?” she asked and the professor’s face lit up. “Ah yes Jeff, I heard some colleagues speak of him at the lounge” she said. “What course is he taking?” Nadine asked and her professor paused and nodded. “I think it was Literature or something” she said and Nadine’s heart suddenly beat fast. She never asked Jeff what he was taking, and he never told him her course either.

“Professor may I ask why is Jeff famous?” Nadine asked and her professor smiled at her. “That boy has gone through so much in life and he wrote a story telling his tale. The story was not finished yet actually that’s what he said but that incomplete story earned him a scholarship here. I think you should go see their dean. Oh if I could remember he likewise had a poem collection which the university decided to publish as a gift for his graduation” the professor said and Nadine just froze and guilt feelings started to encompass her whole body.

“Nadine are you alright?” the professor asked and she shook her head. “Professor could you please accompany me to his dean, I want to take a look at his work” Nadine said and the professor gladly accompanied her.

Upon reaching the Dean of Literature’s office Nadine and her professor was surprised to see the floor muddy. “Jean, what a surprise, come in. Don’t mind the mud, our top student was here a while ago and I just don’t know why his feet and pants were muddy” the old man said. “Jeff was here?” Nadine asked and the old man looked at her. “Henry this is our top student Nadine, I’m sure you have heard of her” Jean said.

“That’s funny; Jeffrey left something for a certain Nadine Sanders. I think this is for you” Henry said and handed over to her an art notebook. Nadine quickly opened the art book and saw a sketch of her, the other part was missing so she quickly got out her folder and took the sketch Tony gave her. It fitted perfectly, and the result was a sketch of her holding the tulip. She could remember now, the clothes she was wearing on the sketch were the same clothes she wore the first time she visited the place.

She turned the page and another sketch of her wearing the clothes she wore the second day. As she flipped the pages, tears started to fall down her cheek. Only Jeff could have drawn these since he was the only one with her at those times. At the last page was a sketch of her lying in bed beside a man without a face. “This was the last image I had of you. I hope the sketch that you have fits perfectly to the missing page of this notebook” was scribbled below the last sketch. She could not take it anymore; she fell to the ground and sobbed.

Everyone inside the office tried to console her but Nadine cried even louder. She hated herself at that moment; she didn’t trust him and let herself be duped by Tony. An hour later the campus was almost empty because it was Spring break already. Nadine walked out the building holding the notebook close to her chest. Outside were her friends who she did not trust waiting for her. She again cried and everyone hugged her.

“I was wrong, I’m so sorry” she said as she embraced Anya. “Hush now, don’t worry about it” Anya said as she hugged her tightly. The four of them took the back route towards the river to check if Jeff was there. They walked through the mud only to find a piece of paper stuck on the trunk of the tree.

It was a poem for Nadine, all she read was the title and she began to lose control again and sobbed. Bart took the paper and read it aloud, “Farewell, Nadine” he said and Maureen stopped him. Bart folded the piece of paper and placed it inside Nadine’s bag. They all walked back towards the campus comforting her along the way. Nadine didn’t want to leave the campus but it was already dark. Fritz was already there so she gave in and they went home.

Two days after, Anya was ready to go on her Spring Break trip but she decided to stop by the campus and take a last peek at the river. She walked towards the barbed wires and she saw a pair of legs with muddy shoes. She could not tell who it was because the upper body was hidden by the huge trunk of the tree. “Jeff! Is that you?!” she yelled but the body didn’t move.

“Jeff it’s me Anya! Are you okay Jeff?!” she again shouted but there was no response. Anya could not do anything and she even got her hand cut by the barbed wires. Her driver stepped out to help but he too got wounded by the wires. “Is there another way around madam?” the driver asked. “Yes but we have no time for that, can we cut open this fence?” she asked and the driver got back in the car. “Madam please wait for me, I will be back as fast as I can” he said and the car sped off. Anya was worried because the body under the tree was not moving. “Jeff! If you can hear me please move your legs” she yelled but still he wasn’t moving.

Minutes later her driver returned with a huge wire cutter. They got inside and ran towards the tree. Anya fell on her knees as she cuddled Jeff in her arms. He was full of mud all over his body, he looked very weak. “Jeff! What happened to you?” she asked but the driver carried Jeff and they ran back to the car. “We have to take you to the hospital” Anya said as Jeff was lying on her lap. “No…I’m fine…I’m just hungry” he whispered so Anya instructed the driver to head back home.

“How many days have you not eaten?” Anya asked and Jeff just smiled at her. “You still can smile after this?” she asked and he looked at her. “Because I’m tired of crying and having pity on myself” he replied and she almost broke down into tears. “Don’t worry I will take care of you. I will give you a bath and feed you” Anya said just to keep her tears in check.

As soon as they got to her house Anya helped Jeff to the bathroom and started to undress him. “Hey, I said I was hungry and not horny” he told her and she laughed. “You look dirty and you smell I am going to give you a bath” Anya said. “You’re going to see me naked” Jeff said and she looked at him. “Well you’re right, so you bath yourself” she said and she stepped out of the bathroom. Five minutes later she went back inside to check on him, she saw Jeff seated on the tiled floor naked. His head was looking towards the shower head and the hot water hitting his face.

“Jeff what are you doing?” Anya asked. “Hiding my tears…can you distinguish my tears from the water Anya?” he replied. “Bathe yourself now, you might get sick if you stay wet too long” Anya told him. “Maybe later…I feel too weak to move right now” he whispered. Anya took off her clothes and got inside and started bathing him. “Jeff, the other day we went to your spot but you weren’t there, where did you go?” she asked. “I was there…I saw you four…you just didn’t look hard enough…but I was there” he answered. “It was getting dark but honestly there was no one there” she told him. “I was…lying on the mud…I fainted…I tried to get up but I fell back down…I felt too weak so I laid there. I heard you all talking, I was there in the mud…probably where I belong” he said.

Anya embraced him as she could hear him sobbing, “What did I do wrong Anya? Why is it so hard to please people like you? I thought she loved me…then why could she not believe in me? She said I was worst than Tony…am I? She called me a liar when Tony was the one lying. Is it because I am dirt poor that she cannot trust me? I did my best to please her Anya you know that, but why did this happen?” Jeff emoted as he continued sobbing. All Anya could do was embrace him tighter and cry with him.

“Hey Anya are you crying?” Jeff asked. “Yes but you can’t distinguish the tears from the water” she replied. Jeff leaned his head backwards and he was able to see Anya’s face, “The water isn’t hitting you, I can see your tears” he told her and she smiled. “Jeff were you trying to kill yourself by staving?” she asked and he shook his head.

“I went to withdraw from my ATM, my mom sends me food money. The machine said that my account was suspended. I asked the bank but they called the police because someone reported my card stolen. They took me to the precinct for they did not believe me that I was the real owner. They had to wait for the University to open to verify who I was. I got locked up, at least I got to sleep on a bed. When I was released the bank said they needed twenty four hours to get my account back online, I couldn’t even withdraw from the counter” he recalled.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” Anya asked and Jeff bowed his head. “I was ashamed…you have already done so much to help me. So with the loose change I had left I just bought some sweets and candy…I decided to just sleep it off and go back to the bank the next day but I just was too weak to move so I slept again but I was calling out for her. She never came…she never heard me…but you did” he said softly.

“Hey Anya” Jeff said. “What is it Jeff?” she asked. “Breasts are soft” he stated, Anya’s breast were pressing against his back, she knew he was stating a fact since he said so innocently. Anya laughed and hugged him tighter; Jeff giggled and shook his head. “Anya, you better stop that its causing major blood rush to one of my organs” he joked and they laughed together. “That is a natural reaction” she stated and again Jeff giggled. “Yeah I know I’ve been having the same thing for twelve days when I had to wash your cars” Jeff said and Anya laughed louder.

“It’s your fault actually for wearing skimpy outfits and watching me. You know I could have cleaned two cars in a day but I was trying to hide the tent that was forming in my pants half of the time” he joked and the more Anya burst in laughter.

“How are you able to make me laugh after all that you have been through?” Anya asked and turned around and looked at her. “Because this is the only way I can repay you for your kindness” he said softly and Anya smiled at him. Jeff moved his face closer to her chest and Anya froze trembled. Jeff sniffed her and then faced front again, “Anya you smell nice…do you think you can make me smell nice too?” he said. Anya could not believe what just happened, they were both naked and he could have done worse but it was clear he didn’t have any malicious intentions. She just laughed and started to massage his hair to get the mud out while Jeff just sat there enjoying himself.

After the bathe Jeff had no clothes to wear since almost all the contents of his bag were soiled and muddy. Anya lent him a bathrobe and they proceeded to the dining area where a festive treat awaited them. “Anya are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? You’re parents might get mad” Jeff said as he sat down in front of the table. “My parents are never home, they are just here for the holidays. So basically it’s just me” she said. “I see, hey Anya I am so hungry I might not eat according to your proper dining etiquette so please forgive me” Jeff said and Anya laughed. “I don’t mind, would you like me to teach you?” she asked. Jeff looked at all the food on the table and smiled at her, “Can you teach me some other time, right now I just want to eat. Don’t worry I know how to use the fork and spoon” he said. Anya burst out in laughter as she watched Jeff eat to his heart’s delight.

“Ei Anya do you have any male clothes I can borrow?” Jeff said as he finished eating. “Why?” she asked. “Well I need to go to the bank and find a place to stay” he said. “You are not going anywhere, you will stay here” Anya replied and Jeff looked at her. “I cant do that, I need to go find work and I don’t want to bother you. I know you were supposed to go on a vacation. Maybe you can go later once I leave” he told her.

“No, I am not going anymore. You stay here, don’t worry about anything” she said and Jeff bowed his head. “Hey you know what you’re too bossy that’s why people don’t like you. You better tone down a little so they won’t be scared of you. How will they ever know that you are a wonderful person when the first impression they have of you is someone scary” he commented.

Usually when given criticism Anya would get angry but this time she was flattered, “Jeff you can stay here as long as you like” she said and Jeff smiled at her. “Okay, see it’s that easy and you should also smile often. You are pretty but you are prettier when you smile” he told her. Anya blushed and smiled at him, just months ago she disliked the man in front of her but this time everything was about to change.