Falling for Destiny

Chapter 4: Not Giving Up

Jeremy would usually Facetime with his family every other day after getting off work. He was satisfied with his new job and adhering to the new environment. He hadn't talked to Cynthia in days, so he decided to call her and the exchange the latest news in their lives. He told her about the campus, his classes, and mentioned the eccentric Alfred.

"You should hang out with him, he seems fun," she remarked.

"Are you kidding me?" chuckled Jeremy.

Cynthia insisted that a guy like Alfred would be a nice change for him, as it was good thing to break one's monotonous routine at times and be crazy spontaneous.

"Who are you?" asked Jeremy out of disbelief, "what have you done to my principled best friend?"

"Oh, shush!" said Cynthia "did any of the fellow female colleagues catch your eye?"

"No," replied Jeremy dispassionately, "most of them are much older than me anyway."

* * * * * * * * * *

Kylie kept to her room for several days. She didn't shower, change her clothes, or even tidy up her hair. Most of her day was spent binge-watching Netflix shows, eating junk food, and napping at ungodly hours. Her mom would bring her food and try to talk to her but she behaved like a zombie.

Her mom was worried sick and asked Kylie's dad if they should call in a doctor. Mr. Gareth advised that they should leave her be and give her more time to come to her senses. He hadn't stepped into his daughter's room once because he was disappointed and felt sorry for her at the same time.

After a couple more days, Kylie finally came downstairs for breakfast. She had taken a nice long bath and gotten into some clean clothes. She glanced at her dad sheepishly from the end of the staircase, so he encouragingly ushered her over.

"I'm sorry Dad," said Kylie in a meek voice, tears dwelling in her eyes.

"It's okay dear, me and your mom are here for you," he told her.

They family ate breakfast in silence. Kylie's parents were grateful to see her looking normal again. They assumed that she had acknowledged her mistakes and learnt her lesson. Little did they know what was going on in her aggravated little mind. She wasn't going to give up on Roy or let anything come in her way.

Her parents gently insisted that she call Jeremy and try making things right with him. However, that was the last thing on her mind, so she kept making excuses and saying that she wasn't ready for confronting him yet. She was looking for a jobs in San Francisco, so she could be near Roy again.

* * * * * * * * * *

Gloria made a list of girls eligible to join her clique, though the criteria were stringent. The top candidate was a girl named "Lavender" belonging to a posh family of automobile dealers. She was the only one capable of giving Gloria any competition, in terms of money, wits, and looks. Therefore, taking her under her wing was the best possible option.

Then there was Savannah, dumb, too much of an avid talker, and high-maintenance, but she had enough money to make up for it. Choosing the third and final member was the difficult part.

Lavender or Savannah shared all her classes except psychology; hence, the last girl was to be picked from that specific cohort. She needed at least one minion to accompany her at all times. There was this girl named Carmen; everything about her was up to standards, until she opened her mouth. Gloria shuddered at the thought of putting up with her shrill voice and funny Louisiana accent every day.

At first, she couldn't make up her mind about any of the remaining shortlisted candidates, but then a grand idea struck her. The third girl would be an underdog - someone she could absolutely control and dictate, someone submissive, lacking in self-confidence and void of leadership qualities.