FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Hera pushed open the door and hesitatingly entered her room. She had been away for too long, and it suddenly became too awkward to face her roommates. She didn't even miss this place anymore. It was no more than a necessity, and she would gladly trade it for Hunter's bedroom.

Hunter's mansion, which she began to see as Satan's hell after their supposed breakup over the years, was now becoming her safe heaven once again.

To her surprise, she found the room empty, and there was no one inside. Hera thought that maybe her friends might have gone downstairs to the dining hall to have breakfast. Grateful for the temporary isolation, she placed the teddy bear on her bed and smiled at the giant softy, kissing its nose.

She deposited the treasure chest inside her wardrobe. The smile wouldn't leave her lips, and she thought nothing was going to ruin her day. Putting on her uniform, Hera packed her bag with needed books. Sitting on her bed, she was tying her shoes when she saw two pairs of feet stopped in front of hers..

Biting the inside of her cheek, Hera lifted her head to meet eyes with Brittany and Celine. Hera didn't even hear the door opening. How lost was she in her happy bubble?

"Happy belated birthday wishes, Hera," both of her roommates said in unison, and they smiled at her. Hera smiled, which didn't reach her eyes, and for a fleeting moment, she thought everything was fine between them.

Hera listened while Brittany and Celine apologised and finally realised that it was strictly none of their business if Hera took her ex-boyfriend back. From their words, it seemed that both of them wanted to be friends with Hera again by erasing the grievances between them.

"We won't ever bother you again about your relationship with Ace Hunter," Celine assured with a firm nod. Hera admitted that it would take time to bring their friendship to the same comfort level as before, but she could try.

Hera kept her face void of emotions when they brought Andrew's name into their conversation and decided to let them speak their minds. She knew she couldn't avoid them forever. They were roommates, after all.

"Andrew is still not attending the school. We're worried about him, Hera. Why would he leave when the authorities declared him as not guilty?" Brittany asked. "He's missing, Hera. Please, for our old-time's sake, help us this one time and ask your boyfriend about him," Hera heard the plea in Brittany's concerned voice. She didn't push them away when her ex-best friends took seats beside her on her bed.

Celine held Hera's hands and urged her to think about their request. "Just as you are our friend, Andrew is also our friend, and we are worried about our friend," she admitted, begging Hera to consider it. "We know, Hera, Ace knows his whereabouts," she concluded.

Hera weighed her options. She could ignore them and walk out, or she could ask them to fuck off politely, but she chose to speak.

"He is proven not guilty only because I didn't have the proof, but it doesn't mean I lied," Hera said, gritting her teeth.

She knew getting upset would do nothing, and it wasn't worth it, but she couldn't hide the anger bursting inside. "Have you ever thought that maybe Andrew is not attending the school because he is ashamed of himself and didn't have the guts to face me?" Hera asked the two girls, who looked taken aback by her outburst.

"If he's missing as you say, then don't you think the school authorities would've taken action or informed his parents?" Hera let them think and proceeded with tying her shoes. "His parents didn't come to school to check on him. That means he's home, safe and sound. If you still think my boyfriend knows his whereabouts, then I'll make sure to ask him," Hera offered. 

By the dismissive tone she used, Brittany and Celine knew that the conversation was over. They both seemed thoughtful, and Hera wished them to leave her alone and hoped at least they would think about everything she said. Exchanging an awkward smile with Hera, the two girls left the room.

Hera let out a tired sigh and covered her face with her palms. A few seconds later, she withdrew her hands from her face, palms brushing down her cheeks. Her eyes wandered around the empty room and accidentally settled on Clara's study table. Hera blinked and stared at the object that caught her attention.

She left her bed and walked to Clara's table. Her hand moved on its own accord and held the photo frame to get a better look at the photo. It was a picture of Hera with Clara and Nathan. They took it on Clara's birthday, the day Hera saw Nathan for the last time. She ran her fingers over his grinning face in the picture, and a sad smile made itself known while her eyes watered.

That day Hera had lost two of her friends, Nathan and her best friend, Clara.

Clara used to keep a double photo frame on her table with two different pictures on either side, one photo was of her and Hera, and the other was of her and Nathan. When their friendship broke apart, she tore Hera's picture and threw it into the trash bin.

The image of all three of them grinning from ear to ear, arms wrapped on each other's shoulders, stared at Hera through the photo. She wondered why suddenly Clara had put their photograph back on her table.

'Maybe to rub salt over my wounds.'

Hera thought bitterly.

She knew there could be only one reason. Clara wanted her to feel guilty.

Startled, Hera jumped when the door suddenly opened, revealing her very own ex-best friend. Reflexively Hera hid the photo frame behind her, not knowing what to do. She felt guilty. It wasn't the 'deer caught in the headlight' look. It was more of a 'thief caught red-handed while stealing something valuable' look.

Clara White looked at her once best friend, who was her least liked person now. Surprisingly, she didn't lash out at Hera as she expected. Clara silently made her way to her bed and released the photo frame from Hera's tight grip. She let it occupy its previous place on her study table.

"I miss our happy time, you know," Clara said, looking at the photo. Hera was surprised by the admission. It surprised her more when Clara revealed her emotions for Hera to witness without bothering to conceal them from her. She had tears in her eyes when she looked at Hera. The latter immediately pulled her into a tight hug.

"Happy birthday, Hera. Sorry, I don't have a gift," Clara whispered, sounding sad and broken.

Hera closed her eyes, letting her tears out and tightened her hold on the other girl. Clara, however, didn't return the hug. Her hands stayed limp at her sides. "It's okay," Hera said, rubbing her palm over Clara's back soothingly. "And I miss us too. I missed you so much, Clara," Hera confessed.

It felt so good to finally have her best friend back, and she sighed in relief. 

"How's Nate?" Hera dared to ask. 

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