WANT (Complete ✔️)

Chapter Fifty Six

Lia

I'm sitting underneath the weeping willow tree outside of my art building, working on some sketchbook work as I wait for my girls so we can go grab food. My final design show is in two months. I've chosen my concept but now I just have to decide whether I want to do branding, editorial, or typography to create my design.

"Hi."

My pencil freezes on my sketch page upon hearing her voice. Looking up, I see Krystal standing in front of me with a calm, almost friendly, expression on her face.

I'm so dumbfounded that my brain stops working and I just stare at her like she's grown two heads.

Why is she here? Why did she just say hi to me? Did I somehow teleport into an alternative universe? Krystal, who has some magical animosity towards me, just greeted me. Is this a joke?

After what happened on New Years, my dislike for this girl has tripled. I'm done trying to be kind to her. Or making excuses for her bitchy behavior.

"Look," Krystal sighs, running her hand through her hair so it falls around her face in waves, "I just want to apologize for being a bitch to you. You're right, you've done nothing wrong to me. I guess I just got jealous that Xavier took one look at you and fell head over heels in love. I don't hold any animosity towards you, Lia. I was jealous. I'm sorry. And, I'm sorry for kissing Xavier on New Years."

Have I entered a multiverse?

Am I dreaming?

Krystal Franco is apologizing to me.

I'm more amused than I am angry or confused because does she really think I'll forgive her after one apology? And I might be going crazy if I'm thinking that she might be a little genuine with her apology? This is the first time Krystal has spoken courteously to me. It's weird.

Accepting her apology would mean being okay with what she did—said—to me and I don't want to do that. It's not okay what she did and said to me. She acted so immaturely. And what she did to Xavier on New Years, that was not okay. She shouldn't be apologizing to me about that—well, she should considering she kissed my boyfriend in front of me—but it was Xavier who she violated.

"Have you apologized to him for that?" I keep my voice calm, "Because you kissed him without his consent, Krystal."

Krystal looks flustered with her eyes softening.

"I know. And no, I haven't yet. I need to. He's a good friend of mine. He's looked after me since we first met. He's a good person. He used to care about me so much before."

Those last few words of hers are spiteful and they make me angry because how dare she.

"If you're trying to blame me for that, Krystal, you're crazy. I think you're to blame for that." She's clearly suggesting that Xavier stopped caring for her once I came into the picture. How am I to blame for that? I didn't tell Xavier to stop caring about her. That's between Xavier and her, not me.

"I'm not blaming you for anything, Lia," Krystal says with collected calmness, "I just wanna apologize for hurting you and for causing rifts in your relationship with Xavier."

As I stare at her, I can't get the feeling of foreboding off of my chest. Her words, her apology, and her eyes all seem so...fake. It's obvious she doesn't like me so why is she bothering to apologize to me? I couldn't have given two fucks if she hadn't.

She's up to something but I don't know what.

Her apology has a reason.

Maybe she's hiding something.