FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM - HER FIRST LOVE

Hera wanted to protest and lash out at Clara. But something in the latter's eyes made Hera unable to speak. The anger filled in them didn't trouble Hera as much as the hurt in them did. Clara seemed broken, but she was too prideful to let Hera pity her. Hera's lips parted, but before she could utter a syllable, Clara beat her to it. 

"And here comes the best part of the surprise," Clara said, faking a cheerful tone, a grin stretching on her lips. "A few minutes later, Ace Hunter joined the party, and Eric was too pleased to let his best friend have his way with my already broken self," Clara declared and clapped her hands before she laughed crazily. 

Hera's toes curled inside her uniform shoes, her hands closed into tight fists, nails digging into her palms painfully. She felt the tightness in her throat, the discomfort not letting her inhale the air into her lungs. She squeezed her eyelids shut, and the tears spilt out instantly. 

Struggling to breathe, Hera took a deep breath and then another. She covered her ears with her hands and shook her head as if to block out the torturous thoughts, disturbing her sanity.. "Stop lying, Clara," she mumbled in between her struggling breathing pattern. "Please stop, I beg you. Why are you hurting me like this, Clara? Please don't lie," she begged the other girl. 

However, Clara didn't show her mercy. She wouldn't give up on her only chance at revenge. 

'Ace Hunter doesn't deserve you, Hera.'

With a determined tone, Clara spoke, her every word hitting and crushing Hera's fragile heart like a hammer. "That night, Hera, your boyfriend not only killed my brother, he also wounded my soul to the point where I was as good as dead when he finally let me go," she concluded while Hera burst out into a heartbreaking sob. 

"Shut up. For God's sake, shut up, Clara," Hera yelled at her. The other girl flinched at the sudden outburst of Hera's anger. "My heart is not made of stone. It hurts, Clara. Stop with this obscenity," she said, rubbing her chest with her palm to soothe the pain. Clara stood up from her bed and took two steps forward to cover the distance between them. 

Looking into Hera's eyes, she knelt in front of her. Her gaze softened when she took Hera's hands in hers. "You poor thing, you can't even listen to it. Then think about me, Hera. I have been living with this obscene truth for a while now," Clara said in a defeated tone. A sad smile played on her lips, and Hera instantly hated it. 

The sadness on the other girl's face squeezed Hera's heart. She never wished to see her friend so defeated and broken. "You don't have to do this, Clara. Take off the blindfold of revenge from your eyes and stop this madness. You're only hurting yourself," Hera tried to put some sense into her. Clara only scoffed in return, shaking her head in pity. 

Hera should be the one pitying her and not the other way round. It irked Hera more, and she wanted to say that to Clara's face. She shifted when Clara moved and took a seat beside her, an indignant frown plastered on her face. "I hate him, Hera, so much that it kills me. That's why I always wish for him to die alone on the street like a stray dog with no one beside him," she cursed again. 

Hera shook her head in disagreement. Their argument seemed to be reaching no destination, and she was tired of this never-ending drama. 

'God, why is my life so difficult?'

Hera wondered how many times had she asked the same question in her mind. Why couldn't people leave her alone? 

"Listen, Clara, I agree Hunter has anger issues. I know he loses his mind when he is angry and does something stupid. That boy doesn't think or act rationally when he is mad, but he wouldn't rape a girl, Clara," Hera said, resentment evident in her tone. The smile that Clara directed at her didn't sit well with Hera. It made her feel as if she had lost her defence. 

Clara licked her dry lips before nibbling on her bottom lip with her teeth. She placed a hand on Hera's shoulder and patted it a few times in a comforting gesture. "You said it yourself, Hera," she spoke and smiled again before continuing. "He doesn't think or act rationally when he is angry," Clara threw her own words back in her face. "He would do anything when he is mad," she pointed out. 

Hera fixed her with a sharp look and pushed the other girl's hand off her shoulder. No matter how much she tried, Hera couldn't overlook the uncertainty creeping inside her brain. She hated that feeling of distrust. 

"My Hunter will never do it. You're a liar. I know he did no such thing," Hera fired her words at Clara. As many times as Hera gritted her teeth, grinding them against each other since Clara entered the room, she had never done so much in life. Her jaw started to hurt, causing her too much discomfort. 

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hera asked, sounding too bitter. "You wouldn't have waited for two years if it was true. You made up this story, right?" Hera couldn't help but accuse, her tone hopeful. She wished it to be Clara's evil plan to exact revenge. The other girl shook her head in disagreement. 

"Did you forget that he forbade us from speaking to each other, Hera?" Clara asked, answering Hera's question with another question. 

Hera clicked her tongue, not impressed with her silly excuse, but Clara didn't give her a chance to speak. "Why do you think he made this rule, Hera? It's because didn't want me to tell you the truth. That's why they treated me like an outcast, and no one spoke to me. He threatened to kill me if I opened my mouth. I was scared, Hera," Clara explained in her defence. 

Hera searched her eyes, hoping to find the proof of her lies but was disappointed finding none. Instead, Clara seemed hurt, scared and broken. She finally let her guard down and cried in front of Hera. She held eye contact until Hera couldn't face her and averted her gaze. 

Hera could hardly breathe while the salty water kept leaking in abundance from her eyes. The lump in her throat seemed to be growing, and her chest strained against every inhale she forced. She straightened her posture so that she could breathe a little easier. 

'No, Hera, don't believe her.'

'My Hunter will never do it.'

'But he would do anything when he is angry.'

'He almost killed Nate. Is Clara telling the truth?'

'Could Hunter stoop so low?'

'Could he?'

'Would he touch a girl without her consent?'

'Did he rape her?' 

'No. It can't be true.'

The inner monologue started to turn into a cruel battle inside her head. The headache intensified, and Hera sucked in a sharp breath. She pressed the heel of her hands over her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. Something inside her chest squeezed her heart painfully. 

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