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Chapter 33: At the End of the Day

The end is like falling down from high above. It's the sensation in your gut that makes you question everything, but you know that you'll soon land.

~Starlight24

Ouch.

I felt like there were a thousand mini shards of glass piercing me. This was sickeningly scripted. Every time Day likes someone, make them believe you feel something too before kissing someone in front of her so that her already crushed up heart can be squeezed a little further, because why not.

I could feel bile rising to my throat, and I dashed to my bathroom and threw up all the contents in my stomach. Poor Deeds, how would she have felt when she found Dylan cheating on her? Was this who he really was? Someone who though everything and everyone were just pawns in his elaborate game. I already felt bad for poor Sandy, she didn't know what she was getting herself into.

And yet.

And yet I couldn't shake off the feeling inside me that told me I liked him, and I liked him a LOT. Why did he just have to toss me around like that? Why did he act like he wanted to kiss me when in reality, how many lips had those pressed against? I wasn't just his lapdog of a neighbor. I was a person.

I was a person.

Why did everyone forget that? Why did everyone think I was some rubber ball that you could throw onto the floor only to have it come back? No, I wasn't a rubber ball. I was a person, and if you throw a person too many times on the floor, they'll lose the strength to come back up again.

But I was strong.

I had faced so much more than stupid heartbreak. It didn't matter. I would end up alone, and I'd be okay with it. People aren't meant to be trusted in general, because once you let your walls down, you'll have no way to build them up again.

You'll be lost.

You'll be vulnerable.

And most of all, you'll be exposed.

I coughed out, and my whole throat was burning. I felt a soothing hand on my back and I relaxed visibly. Deeds was there. She was always there for me.

"It's okay, sweetie," she whispered. "You're better than that. You're better than him."

"I am so glad we trashed up his room."

Deeds laughed. "I am, too."

I wiped my mouth with a towel and then threw the towel into my laundry basket, before taking a water bottle from my nightstand and drinking some water.

Screw guys in general. I'd become some crazy bat-shit woman who lived with a hundred cats and I DON'T CARE.

"Dylan is a heartbreaker. It's in his name. At least, it should be. The reason it hadn't affected me as much was because he... Well, I didn't even like him all that much, now that I think about it. I always liked Jase, and seeing Dylan do that to me only solidified my feelings. Honestly, Jase would never do that to someone. He's not the kinds that would lead you on," Deeds said, biting her lip.

I shrugged. "Oh well, let's just-"

Suddenly, a huge scream pierced through my ears.

It was coming from Dylan's house.

"DYLAN! WHAT IS THIS!?"

I recognized Sandy's voice and I wanted to throw up again. However, unlike last time, it lacked the finesse and she sounded outright hysterical.

"What is what?" asked a voice, softer. It was Dylan.

"His room," Deeds and I said in perfect synchrony.

"THERE IS A SKUNK ON ME!" she yelled. "AND IT LET OUT A SMELL! Dee-Lan!" she called, and Deeds cracked up and fell onto my bed.

I burst out laughing at her incredulous tone and Deeds' expression as she laughed with tears pouring out of her eyes.

"It let out a smell," I wheezed, and Deeds cracked up even further.

"Dee-Lan! It is trying to eat my hair! DEE-LAN!" she hollered, and then I heard a very female scream.

And it didn't come from Sandy.

"Oh my gods, Dylan screams like a toddler-" I said, before cracking up further.

"WHAT IN FREAKING HELL HAPPENED TO MY ROOM!?" he hollered.

"Oh, sweetie," came Mrs. Daniels' voice. "Those two girls, Deirdre and... Day? Yes, Day. They came to do some project and I let them in."

We could hear their loud voices thanks to the awkwardly close proximity between our houses.

"WHAT PROJECT!?" he yelled, still sounding like someone had told him that they'd incinerated his favorite childhood blanket.

"Don't ask me! They're your friends!" she yelled back, and we heard a frustrated groan.

"What am I supposed to do, huh Dylan?" asked Sandy, sounding both disgusted and miffed at the same time.

"I. Don't. Freaking. Know." He sounded really irritated, and there was a long pause.

"What?" asked Sandy, sounding like she was going to cry.

"Sorry Sandy, I'm just... I'm not in a proper frame of mind," he said, and his voice became louder and all of a sudden his curtain was ripped open.

Deeds and I looked like deer in headlights.

"Um... hi?" I said, not knowing what to do before I burst out laughing again.

"Yeah, good job," he muttered darkly, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Psht, go back to that caramel haired model of yours," Deeds said with an eye roll.

Suddenly, this seemed to spark some sort of an epiphany for Dylan. "Hey, want to meet up? Bowling? I'll see you guys in fifteen minutes. I'll need to evacuate my room anyway, I'll call the cleaning services," he said, before closing the curtains like he was in a hurry.

Deeds raised an eyebrow. "Uh... what was that about?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Let's meet them anyway," I said. "I'm just going to change."

I went into the bathroom and slipped on a tight fitting pink and neon orange striped shirt and a pair of black jeans, before tossing my hair up into a ponytail and applying a teeny-weeny bit of makeup.

I don't know why I even felt the need to want to rival Miss. France. It wasn't like a stood a chance anyway.

*****

"Hey!" Dylan greeted, and his French model seemed to be attached to his arm.

"Hi," I said, and Deeds just waved awkwardly. "Care to introduce us?"

Dylan smiled widely at the clinging ornament. "Day, Deirdre, this is Sandréa. Sandy, these two are Day and Deirdre."

Sandy wrinkled her nose at us. "Do you only have female friends?" she asked in disdain.

Dylan's cheeks went red. Ugh, he really must have liked her.

"No," he said a little too quickly. "Day just lives next door. But I have a lot of female friends, yes," he said, eyeing her warily like she was a ticking bomb that was about to explode.

"Then how am I special?" she asked in a whine with a huge pout on her face.

Ah, how badly I wanted to slap that pout away.

"Um, you just are," he murmured quickly, and I felt another stab in the gut and felt Deeds' fingers lace with my own.

We took Dylan's car to the bowling alley close by, and it was awkward. Mainly Sandy was complaining about everything around her, Deeds was muttering about barbequing Dylan's face and Dylan was just coaxing Sandy and apologizing for things he needn't be apologizing for, like the freaking weather.

Like, how was it his fault that there were clouds in the sky!?

When we reached, Sandy practically jumped out and ran into the place, with Deeds close behind. I was about to go in as well and join them when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking at Dylan and feeling my heart pick up pace a bit. Yeah, I couldn't believe I needed jealousy to solidify my feelings for him, but apparently that had been the case.

When I saw him with someone else, I had felt like murdering them.

"Um..." he said, and his cheeks tinged slightly. "You look really pretty right now," he said, his voice a little gruff.

I allowed myself to melt for two seconds before pulling myself together. He didn't mean it, and I'd learnt the hard way.

"Um, yeah," I said, pushing his arm off and a look of hurt flashed across his features that squeezed my heart. "Why don't you tell that Sandy over there the same thing? After all, you seem to be sucking her face quite a bit," I said, turning around in a huff.

"What? Oh my god, wait!" Dylan said, and I turned to face him.

"Save it," I said, before storming off to Deeds.

She raised an eyebrow at me, but I motioned that I'd tell her later.

"Okay, so the teams are me and Day versus Dylan and Sandy," Deeds said, and immediately Dylan cut her off.

"No, I'm sure Sandy and I could use some time away from each other," he said, before hurriedly correcting himself. "I mean, I want to hang out with one of you," he said, and I felt his gaze settle heavily on me, his eyes pleading.

"Okay," I agreed, nodding my head. "I'll be with Sandy then," and Deeds mouthed 'what the hell?', but I just offered her a knowledgeable look.

"Day, I meant-" Dylan began, before Sandy clapped her hands happily.

"Yes! You and me, we'll be good friends, I can tell," she said, her voice full of glee.

Good friends my ass.

I offered her a thin smile. "Yeah, I'm sure about that too."

She didn't catch the dry undercurrent. I wasn't complaining.

We had to go and wear the bowling shoes, and then we came back and waited for the scoreboards to get set up.

"So," Sandy began with a bright smile. It didn't look fake, surprisingly, and I couldn't help but smile back. "How long have you and Dylan been neighbors?"

I laughed. Oh, Miss. France had no competition with me. "A couple of months actually," I said with a grin.

She gave out a dreamy sigh. "Ah, he is so cute, right?"

I shrugged, trying to act like I couldn't care less. "Meh, he's alright," I lied.

"His kisses... they're so good," she continued, and my gut clenched at the lust in her eyes.

"Yeah," I agreed, before widening my eyes to the size of saucers.

"He... he has kissed you?" she asked, sounding wounded.

"Um... no, of course not," I scoffed, and she shot me a deadpanned look. "Okay, he's kissed me. Well... I kissed him and he kissed me back. He kisses everyone though. It's not like ours mattered. We're just... friends," I blabbered, and her face fell further.

"He kisses everyone?" she whispered, and the look on her face was so dejected I wanted to furiously deny it but I couldn't.

"Pretty much," I admitted. Then, I realized she could do with some warnings. "Um, Sandy," I whispered just as the scoreboards lit up. "Just so you know, don't place your bets on him. Your just another girl to him; no one important. I learnt the hard way. Don't get your heart broken by him."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully before shooting me a beaming smile. "Merci, Day," she said, a big smile on her face although it looked pained. "You have saved me from a heart break that would have crushed me. I owe you," she said, and then suddenly her lower lip quavered.

"DYLAN!" she hollered, and Deeds and him turned around.

"Yeah?" he asked, almost scared of the girl. I wondered why, though.

"I don't want to play this. I want to go home." Tears were swimming in her eyes and she looked like she would break down on the spot. I felt like the world's most awful person.

What if Dylan had actually liked her? I was such a jealous bitch. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he lost his love because of me.

"Why?" he asked, looking like he was the one breaking instead of her.

"Because you've been playing with me. Day even told me that it was in your job description. Wait till Daddy hears about this!" she exclaimed, before she burst into tears. "TAKE ME HOME!"

Then all of a sudden she burst into tears. Loud, hysterical and perfectly manic tears that resounded through the alley.

"Oh my god," Dylan said, his eyes widening and he muttered a string of profanities that I'd rather not repeat. "Sandy, no-"

"I WANT DAY TO TAKE ME HOME!" she screamed. What was wrong with her? She was acting like such a brat! "I WANT HER TO, I WANT HER TO, I WANT HER TO!"

"I'll take you home-" Dylan began, but Sandy shot him a threatening look through her bloodshot eyes.

"Dylan, if you do anything you'll be in a worse position than you already are!" she yelled.

What did that even mean?

"Sweetie," Deeds said, stroking her hair and helping her up. "I'll take you home, alright? Day's not the best with crying girls."

I raised an eyebrow at her and she mouthed 'You need to talk to Dylan. You're in some deep shit, woman' and I was scared.

The two left, and all of a sudden Dylan punched the wall. He whammed his fist into it before tossing his keys in his hand. There were unshed tears in his eyes, and it broke my heart.

"Let's go to the car," he said, his voice choked up.

"Dylan, I-" I began, and he cut me off with something I wasn't expecting.

"Sandy is my dad's CEO's daughter."

Oh shoot.

Oh shootity shoot-shoot.

Oh freaking hell of devils.

Oh mother of all flying cupcakes.

OH NO.

"What?" I squeaked.

"She's a spoilt, rich brat who's used to getting what she wants," he continued. "Once when we were children and she told me she loved me, I said I hated her and my dad got a threat to get fired because she kicked up such a huge fuss. Ever since then I've had to do whatever she asked. Kiss her, compliment her, take her to fancy restaurants and a lot of... other things."

His voice was a scary monotone.

"Now," he said, looking me straight in the eye with the blankest expression I'd ever seen him wear. "My dad will get fired, and it's all your fault. Thank you very much, Day June Winters, for ruining my life."

"Dylan," I began, but my voice got choked up and I started crying.

I was such a horrible person. How on Earth could I say that to her? I was such a jealousy driven pig. I wasn't going to be able to live with myself now.

"Don't say anything," he said, and I saw a tear leak out of his eye.

My heart just got crushed by a bulldozer.

He drove in silence, and I was crying softly. Well, there go all my chances with Dylan. He would hate me for the rest of his life, and rightfully so.

He coughed, and I looked at him with wide eyes. "Yeah?" I whispered.

"Just for the record, heartbreaking isn't in my job description," he began, and embarrassment washed over me like a tidal wave. "I've not done anything with anyone because I thought I'd finally found someone I actually liked. Turns out I was horribly wrong," he said, and then he turned to me with the most pained expression in the world.

It took me a moment to decipher what he'd said.

"Me!?" I asked, unable to contain it.

Dylan liked me? What?

OH MY GOD. I HATED MYSELF SO MUCH.

He remained quiet, thereby answering my question.

"Dylan," I started, my voice wavering again. "I'm so sorry, I liked you too much and jealousy seized me. I'll go apologize now and tell your mom the truth. Or I'll tell her a lie. Or I'll just say whatever to save your skin. I'll say I lied to Sandy. I'm sorry. Whatever it takes for you to forgive me," I pleaded.

"No, it's too late for that now," he said, and he parked the car.

"Dylan, please, if there's anything I can do..." I said, and he shot me another look I couldn't understand.

"Yes, there is," he said, locking the car door as I got out. "Stay out of my life."

I felt like I'd just been hit by a wrecking ball and crushed against a wall.

"Dylan!" I said, crying really hard now. "I'm sorry, I swear! I mean, our friendship is just going to die now and we're such good friends... no, we're so much more than that! I miss you and I'm sorry and I can't believe I did this to you and-"

He snorted. "Well, I think you're so much less than a friend. Sometimes I wish you weren't even around," he said, and that was the final blow.

No one needed me, did they? No one wanted me around. I was a burden to my schoolmates and a liability to my family. I was nothing but a heavyweight in the ocean, dragging everything down with me. I was someone who was going to die anyway, but just wasn't going fast enough.

His eyes widened significantly. "Day, I didn't mean it like that-"

I smiled at him, tears streaming down my face. "No, you're right. I'm really better off not around at all... Everyone's made that clear enough already. Bye, Dylan," I said, before opening my house door and running upstairs before anyone could say anything, and slamming my bedroom behind me.

No. I wasn't just a dead weight. I was worth so much more than that. I wasn't just the reason everyone was unhappy. What about Deirdre, Hailey, Marie and Cady? They loved me for who I was and I appreciated that.

A couple of people weren't going to change the world's opinion.

I walked to my window ledge and opened it, hearing Dylan getting screamed at from his house. My eyes watered even more and I put my head back, crying heavily.

I draped my leg around the white ledge, when it got caught in my thick curtain ropes I screamed and my arms failed around, grabbing onto the closest thing towards me, a branch on the tree between Dylan's and my house.

I held on for dear life, when all of a sudden it snapped, and I went crashing towards the ground.

I'd be doing everyone a favor anyway, I thought and I heard a sickening crack against the cold, hard ground.

It was finally the end, I suppose.

It was finally the end of the Day.

A/N:

KissesFromJupiter THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COVER I LOVE IT!

Look who left you with a cliffhanger. Again. I'm just that evil.

COMMENT AND VOTE PLEASE. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEEEEEEEEEEASE xD

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE THIS FREAKING CHAPTER OMFL. I've been planning this out for CENTURIES.

Was it dramatic enough? *fingers crossed*

So... what do you think now? About Sandy?

Dylan?

Day?

OH OH OH OH OH

You're welcome for the fast update(s). I'm going to try to finish this before my summitives begin, because... you know... high school... ugh.

I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER AS MUCH AS I LIKED WRITING IT!

Oh and check out Project Perfect :P

Song of the Day: Gold by Kiiara

#addicted ^^

Teaser: Hospitals *Siiiiiiiigh*

Thanks so much! #35 in Teen Fiction. I hope we climb higher!

Love you all,

~Lexiiiiiiiiiii