SYDNEY PARKER

Nate was having so much trouble controlling his anger.

“Natasha,” he asked, desperately reigning himself, “We are in middle of a something now…So…TTYL?” (he almost shouted the TTYL)

“No Nathaniel,” WOW this is the first time she is calling him by his full name in her snarky voice, I better listen carefully, “I just have something to say,”

She increased the amplitude of her voice, so that the crowd gathering around us could hear too, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am presenting you Sydney Williams- a slutty and obnoxious person, who can do nothing but be engaged in destroying and ruining other’s lives!”

Well the crowd was getting thicker and I was hopelessly searching for my group, Natasha continued her monologue in the same sly voice, “Well what else can be expected from a person who hails from such a sad and pathetic family!”

Ouch, that hurt.

“Whose father is still heads over heels her dead mother, turned into an alcoholic and abuses his daughter! And an absolutely pitiable mother who dies of cancer leaving Oh-what-a- pathetic- excuse-of- daughter!”

“Wonder why she left ya all!” she roared, while I was planted on the spot, so was Nate, absolutely frozen, “Because her father acquiesced to her wish of being sold off for sex! And now” she turned towards Nate, “The CEO of Williams Industries is taking his liking on her, he cares for her. But Natty baby, do you think that you deserve an old ungrateful bitch like her?”

Finally training her eyes on me, she said, “Serves a slut like you rightly, you motherfucking bitch!”

I wasn’t aware of what was happening, well I kind of was but wasn’t registering what was happening. I couldn’t feel the gasp of the crowd when she revealed my story, well part of it anyways. I could see the dark eyes of everyone settle upon me, some filled with sorrow and some with smugness.

But the truth was , I couldn’t hear her speaking all those harsh words. I pictured him. What was left of my father, a lifeless monster hurting me with all those brutal words, destroying my self esteem, confidence and all the memories of him being nice and caring. I saw him.

“Slut!”

“Bitch!”

“Murderer!”

All those words were ringing in my ears from my past. Black spots were appearing in front of my eyes. When Natasha opened her mouth to say something one more time, I inwardly cried “no! Please no more!” but all I could get out was a strangled scream and big tears flowing out of my eyes.

“ENOUGH!” I heard a voice roar, I think it was Nate’s and lunged towards Natasha. Her face transformed into one full of fright.

The black spots around my vision were becoming more prominent. The last thing I knew was, falling on the ground, my friends rushing towards me and then me succumbing to the abhorrent screams of my father.

***

“How is she doctor?” I could hear a voice around me say, a very familiar one.

“She is completely fine right now. Looks like the words she heard seemed to have an extremely traumatic effect on her, some old memories and other feelings caused her difficulty in breathing and hence the oxygen supply was minimised in the brain. Therefore she fainted,”

“Would she need any more medication?” a female voice asked, quite frantically I may add.

“No, not at the moment. But maybe, a few visits to a psychiatrist would help,”

I could her a door shut and a hand caressing my face softly.

***

With whatever energy I could muster, I opened my eyes.

Looks like I was in a hospital room. Nate’s hand was enveloped around mine and he was dozing off, his head on my bed. There were dark circles under his eyes. Looking around, I saw Mia resting her head on Patrick’s and Lila’s was falling in his lap. Cute, I chuckled slightly.

Nate instantly shook and woke up, alert. Upon seeing me awake, a large smile stretched on his face and he shouted, “SYDNEY!”

This caused the three of my best friends to fall from their seats.

Patrick shouted, “WHAT HAPPENED!”

Mia and Lila both squealed loudly, “YOU ARE AWAKE!”

Geez, it wasn’t like I was in coma anyways.

***

Patrick and Mia had both been deported to get a burger for me (much after emotionally black mailing the doctor and me doing an enormous whale noise, it came from my stomach).

Nate, was constantly on my side. He was acting all cute and gentleman-ly, for once without teasing me. Lila was taking off my make up.

When she had finished , she said, “I guess I will give you both some time alone,” with a small smile, she left the room.

I looked at Nate awkwardly and asked, “What happened after I fainted?”

I twisted the fingers of hand, nervously trying to blockade the unpleasant memories coming into my mind. He took in a sharp breath, as if the question affected him the same way it did to me.

“Well,” he started, unsure, “Riley pounced on Natasha and Mia and Lila slapped her. Kind of a gruesome sight, whereas Rich (Richard) and Mason evacuated the whole area and Patrick, that gay (emphasising it) friend of yours came out of nowhere and called an ambulance,”

“Found out Patrick’s gay huh?” I sulked (it may have ended in me ending up teasing him, in many ways).

“Yeah,” he said and smiled weakly, then turning serious, he said, “I am sorry.”

Confused, I asked, “Why?”

“I could have prevented it from happening, Sid. I could have shut up Natasha… I mean she wore this creepy smile the whole time before going to the party, she was planning this all along! And she was specially very exuberant for coming here… I should have known…”

“Yeah and also you should have known that my dad was going to abuse me or I was going to faint or ….” I spluttered, “Nate, you can’t know the future so there’s no way in hell you could have prevented it!” I exclaimed.

Then trying to change this topic, I asked, “What happened next?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know, we kind of left Natasha crying all by herself there…”

“Cruel,” I murmured.

He pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything. Then suddenly, I was remembering something…

With a smug smile, I asked, “So? Taken a liking up to me have you?”

I would have expected him to throw a rant or say some petty excuses to cover that up or maybe even tease me for being that dumb and all but what he did was totally unexpected, he smiled slightly and kissed my fingers each one of them (NOW LET ME BE CLEAR, I AIN’T HAVE HIS SALIVA ON MY HAND, BUT THE GESTURE WAS TO CUTE FOR ME TO MAKE HIM STOP) and then said, “Baby girl,” my heart leaped at his several octaves low tone, “I have liked you for a while, just never mustered enough courage to say it,”

My mouth formed an ‘o’ shape and I replied sweetly, “I need a moment to process this?”

He chuckled and asked, “Didn’t expect that from me?”

NO SHIT SHERLOCK!

I shook my head and then sighed, “Look now, since you have said it, I may as well. I like you too, a lot. I don’t know from when…But I ain’t giving you a sweet speech about it. Kay?”

He smiled and leaned onto me, and brought his hand to my cheek caressing it slightly, as soon as he was to bring his lips on mine, the door opened.

I scrambled back, uneasily. (I AM NOT TO COMFORTABLE KISSING IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, JUST AN USUAL HABIT)

A lady in doctor’s dress came in, as soon as she looked at my red tomato face and Nate’s raging one, she muttered a slight sorry and left.

Nate sighed and looked up at me, “You are beautiful, woman…”

Speechless, I was.

“Where were we?” he continued in his husky voice, that sent shivers right to my stomach, and then leaned in again and-

“WE BROUGHT BURGERS!”

Goddammit!