Adrian sighed loudly, hearing her apology. “No, just, forget what I said. I did talk sh-t about you,” he replied quieter than before. Not only that, but what he said was only the surface of his thoughts. If she knew everything, she’d have every right to be angry with him. His hands were still shaking at his side, feeling the blood pump quickly through his body. “I didn’t mean to p-ss you off. I…” He didn’t know what more to say. It was as if the room was closing in on him and his body was frozen in place, leaving him no way to escape the situation. Any other words could escalate things again. There had to be a way to fix things, otherwise he could never come back from what he did and how he acted. Especially not since it’s Lorenzo’s best friend he’s talking to, who would no doubt tell him everything.
He looked up at her as she continued talking. When she said he had no reason to apologize, Adrian had to disagree. “I think I should be sorry, actually. I’m not acting like myself,” he sighed. Truth was, this was the real him. And hearing words like that come out of his mouth made him sick. He shifted back and forth, his eyes darting around the room. Standing still was making him restless. “I-I didn’t know anything about you and just assumed. I shouldn’t have. Because you really do have it worse than me…” The question remained, did she really? “Or, well, I don’t know. But my parents were never violent with me, or my siblings. That’s unacceptable! They never yelled at me or called me…” he paused, his eyes widening.
A memory flashed through his mind. It was brief, but he remembered the stuffiness of the atmosphere. He felt clearly how his blood went cold. His parents’ disappointed tone and loud yelling ringing in his ears. The sense of hopelessness, dread, as his world shattered before his eyes. And the words You were a mistake replaying in his mind.
He clenched his fists again, gritting his teeth. He was supposed to forget that. The party was supposed to help take his mind of things.
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know anything. Maybe I’m ungrateful. Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t try hard enough,” he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “You know what? Screw it. I’ll tell you. My parents expect a lot from me too. I wanted to be an artist, but they insisted I focus on my grades and study hard. They don’t realize that no matter what I do, I can never be as smart as my sister. My grades can barely go above C. And they really have tried everything to help me, from private tutors to even making Hope help me. But nothing. I haven’t achieved anything yet and they always compare me to my sister and other students. I really want to succeed for them and help them, but, it’s just, I can’t. I-I can’t…” he looked down, feeling his breath catch in his throat. “T-they’re always disappointed in me. I don’t want to be a burden, but… I can’t… And they’re going to disown me if I don’t improve…” As his vision blurred again from tears, he covered his face.
@Kate {✧} Chloe Yang
Outfit
Yes, with the sunglasses
