Chapter 19: Chapter 19

"I don't get it," I stammered, confused and shocked. I mean, Dina has been awfully close with Steven recently, but that doesn't mean she slept with him.

"I don't get it too; I have no idea why she did that to me." He uttered and lowered his head after letting go of a painful sigh. His arms were lifelessly holding his knees to his chest.

"But who told you that?" I asked, wanting to prove him wrong. He can't just accuse her of something so big and not provide proof.

"The guys saw her sneaking out of his house. I mean, I didn't believe them, but in lockers when I tried to kiss her, she pushed me away. We argued and then I couldn't hold it back anymore. Why would she keep pushing me away if she loves me? And then who came to soothe her aching soul, Steven. He is always around her and not even around her only, he is always with the girls that are related to me." he was trying to make out what was going on. There was something going on in his mind. I have slowly begun to feel doubtful when my mind Recalled Diana's growing interactions with Steven.

"I know I was rude to you because I thought you knew about her and Steven and thought you made a fool of me." He added, lifting his knees up and resting his elbows on them.

"What changed your mind?" I questioned, still not feeling good about what he said about Dina and Steven. I couldn't fully wrap my mind around his words, I've seen them making out everywhere, why would he say she was pushing him away?

"I just know you will never do that." He mumbled and looked straight at the view, "I know he has been wandering around you as well, and I also heard your talk with Monica in the morning. She lied to you." his eyes were stuck on the tree and pain was evident from his voice.

"Did Steven force??" I didn't complete it because it was too much to absorb.

"No, that was a mutual decision." His jaw moved as he gritted his teeth. "He is only helping girls that are either my girlfriend, my ex, or my friend." He stated and kept looking ahead. He called me his friend, wow that was progress.

"I never liked him from the beginning. I always knew there was something off about him." I declared and Tucker quickly turned his neck to see me. He looked shocked, did he really think I had feelings for Steven, I was not like other girls. Seeing the satisfaction my single word of hate towards Steven brought on his face, made my heart flutter.

"Do you want me to talk to Dina?" I asked and he shook his head quickly. I mean there was nothing to talk about, if there was a slight bit of truth in it, then I didn't want anything to do with Dina or Steven.

"She shouldn't know that I suffered because it feels like that was their plan all along. She is still hanging out with Lock and that means she is telling him everything." He was busy figuring out what was going through their heads. It makes sense, I remember how tough she used to act when they were together like she didn't care and now she was crying and being all depressed, was it all an act? Maybe she called me on the bridge to put out a show to make Tucker a big bad boy who doesn't care about anything other than sex.

"Tuck, I will help you in any matter you know that right?" I wanted him to tell me if I can make things better for him, Dina did him wrong. I never expected that from her, but I too was skeptical about her being so comfortable with Steven all of a sudden. And with him calling me his friend, I was determined to prove myself one.

"Yeah, but I don't want you in the middle of this. I have dragged you once and even If I don't show it, I regret it. I'm not very expressive, and people take advantage of that. I know she is your good friend, but I will never be able to forgive her. She knew Lock and I didn't get along well, she made him win, even Monica helped him to win against me. All these girls ready to jump on his bed, I was so stupid." His eyes were filled with tears and I honestly felt so bad for him. My heart was ripped out when a tear rolled down his eye and he swiftly rubbed it off his cheek as nothing happened. How could these girls be so selfish?

"I don't know if I can talk to Dina like I used to before," I admitted that made him turn his head in my direction.

"You will, we are not like them, Giselle. You should not punish her for something she hasn't done to you." he was being sweet about this whole situation, but I knew deep down, he was raging beyond control

"I am sorry for being rude to you, I just couldn't show my pain because I didn't want them to laugh at me and I was going insane." He sighed sadly. Now it all makes sense, Dina didn't want me to be at her place because Steven wouldn't be able to visit her at her home while her father was there and she wanted to hear about Tucker's suffering and make Steven happy. Also, Dina never mentioned Monica again, it felt like she was un-bothered by that situation.

We had another two-minute talk and then we two went back to our rooms. I couldn't stop thinking about what he said, I thought Steven really cared about me. I know, I will never say it aloud, but I really enjoyed Steven's car for me, but it wasn't the same anymore, he was more like Dina's fairy Godmother now. Steven has always stayed in his own zone, but recently he has been buzzing around me and every girl that was associated with Tucker like a bee. Wait! Does that mean Tucker doesn't trust Monica as well?

I laid in my bed, pissed and annoyed. How can Dina do this to Tucker and jumped to Steven's lap who was ready to catch every girl that has ever been related to Tucker?

The weekend passed by, and I was at school now. I had been avoiding Dina since the morning and she had noticed it too. I sat in front of her with Sid behind her, there was an awkwardness in the surrounding.

"Why were you not answering my texts?" Dina pushed her body forward and whispered in my ear.

"I didn't get a chance to do so," I mumbled with no proper excuse. After what they did with Tucker, I just didn't want to be seen with them. Tucker must see a difference between other girls and me.

"They are bothering everyone." Sid, who was now just one level down from being called a big douche, said loudly. We both jumped back to our seats and gulped.

"I have noticed you too, I never thought Giselle will behave this way." The teacher shook his head and warned us to behave or he will throw us out of the class. Ugh! I was mad now, at Dina, at the teacher, at Sid, and damn at stupid Steven.

We took the class in silence and once it ended, I ran out of it like it was a matter of life and death for me.

"Elle, wait." Dina followed me and faced me with her breathing all over the place. "where are you going? What's wrong?" she was really concerned and confused. I wanted to yell at her for doing this to him, but I didn't want her to laugh at him with Steven.

"Nothing," I mumbled, not looking in her eyes. I admit I was a weak person, if I look at her I will feel bad for her so It was nice to not even look at her.

"Why are you ignoring me?" tears filled her eyes and I genuinely felt bad now.

"No, it is--," I halted, looking for a right way to talk about it, "I just don't understand how you got so comfortable with Steven," I mumbled and watched her face.

"He helped me, that's why." She kept staring me in the eye, trying to understand why would I ask something like that.

"He helped you because you trusted him and you let him," I stated and we both stared in eyes for a minute.

"So what's the problem with that?" She suddenly went rude, the helpless and hurt look was no longer on her face.

"He is not a nice person Dina." I declared in a loud voice and glared at her. I can't let her be a puppet of their hands.

"Who are you to decide this?" she snapped, I was taken aback by her response. "He helped me and I owe him for that." she was acting delusional, so what if he helped her, that doesn't make her trust him so blindly.

"I am your friend and I am concerned about you," I said in a low tone and she stepped back.

"Yeah, so concerned that you didn't even check on me after Steven told you I was going to end my life." She sounded hurt, her voice was more like an utter now and it crushed my heart.

"I am sorry, I was really caught up in house chores and I have no idea what to say to you." I lied again because I was in the middle of the war in my head, I didn't want to hurt her but I didn't want to talk to her either.

"Yeah, right," she mumbled and her phone beeped, she looked through the screen and smiled. I walked by her side and saw that my sweet friend Dina was texting with none other than Steven Lock.

"Wow, when did you guys exchange numbers?" I questioned and her face went pale.

"On the other day." She refused to look up and talk to me.

"You have changed Dina, congrats that you found a new friend who I assume wants nothing but to use you." I didn't want to say it but I was just enraged to see his texts on her phone. They were going behind our backs, betraying us, and look at that Steven, acting sweet to me and then talking to my friend. They both deserved each other, they were both horrible liars. He never asked my number but was doing everything for her.

"What? How dare you say that Elle?" Dina, who didn't like my comment, shouted, the students around us looked at us weirdly. I gulped and began walking out of the school, I can't yell like her, and I can't stay as well. She followed me to the out and came in front of me again. I was battling with the bad Giselle inside me, who wanted to storm out and smack her across her face.

"Did Tucker say something to you?" she asked in haste and aggression.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled and Dina grabbed my arm very strongly. I was surprised at her reaction.

"Let her go." I recognized his voice to be Steven's, why the hell was he always interrupting?

"You stay out of it." I retorted, not even looking at his face that I hated the most at that moment.

"Dina let her go," he repeated again and Dina let go of me, wow she was such an obedient lover.

"She was talking crap about us," Dina, who I didn't expect would involve him, muttered and watched my face with pain. What happened to friends keeping secrets? She just exposed me to him.

"I heard everything," Steven announced and when I looked at his face, he denied to look at mine. "You can't justify yourself before people who have already made a strong opinion against you." he declared and I scoffed, he thinks he can make a fool of me now?

"Let's go home." He gestured her to leave, she looked at me in disappointment and walked away from us.

"You are such a manipulator," I muttered, not wanting to look in his eyes. He stole my friend from me.