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Chapter 11:If I Had Known
Nobody said a word as everyone went into shock except for two people, Jasper, who announced the news, and Darlington, who didn't understand why they had such shocked reactions.
"Interesting piece of news," Darlington commented, nodding his head as he absorbed the information. But none of his five friends turned to give him the usual 'are-you-out-of-your-mind' kind of look. He had joined their clique not too long ago and didn't know what had happened back then.
"But then, I don't see any reason why you all should have this exaggerated shocked expression on your face. It's not as if it's the first time hearing that some girl was raped, nor is it the first time a guy falls in love with his victim," he said with a small smile as if he had made a useful point that would help in elevating their present life.
"If you don't have anything important to say, then I suggest you keep quiet, you fucker!" someone among them finally said, getting annoyed by Darlington's words and actions over and over again.
"Jane Stanford!" Darlington snapped. He had his own fair share of ego and could not tolerate a woman cursing at him, friends or not.
"Okay, that's enough, you two. We already have too much on our plate right now, and adding to it won't make it any better," Melissa said, focusing her gaze on Darlington.
The guy had been a pain in her neck, too, but for the sake of their parents, who introduced him to their clique, she tried not to lash out or do anything nasty to him.
"Why do I feel like you also want to do the same?" Darlington asked Melissa with a glare, daring her to come at him.
"Enough!" Jude, who had had enough of their bickering, interrupted. Not long after that, everyone went back to staring at Jasper, who looked occupied with his thoughts and drink.
"So tell us, are you in love with her?" Darlington asked Jasper, who did not bother to give out any answers.
"Isn't it obvious that he loves her?" Melissa answered with a sarcastic expression towards the nosey interviewer and the quiet but guilty interviewee.
"She is the reason for your sudden change, isn't she?" Clifford asked the man who had decided not to utter a word, even if he was threatened with his life.
"Obviously..." Jane answered Clifford's question before she continued.
"I remember advising you against the idea of raping her, but you discarded it. Now see how pitiable you are," Jane said, looking at Jasper. After her words, she turned towards Jude, sneering at him.
Seeing Jane's sneer, the guilty Jude turned a little nervous, which was unusual for someone like him.
"What do you plan to do now, Jas?" Jude asked Jasper, knowing fully well that his question would be ignored.
"Don't tell me you feel guilty," Clifford told Jude, with an eyebrow raised in surprise, but he got ignored as Jude continued with his questions to Jasper.
"What are your plans now, Jas? You know you can't woo her or show yourself to her knowing that you traumatized her some years ago," Jude said, feeling apprehensive as a cat.
Everyone had a look of surprise at Jude's current attitude, and Jude himself wondered why he was acting the way he did.
"I am surprised that you feel guilty when you were the one to propose such an idea and stood by it firmly no matter what we said."
"So, you were always stalking her because you feel guilty about your actions, right?" asked Darlington, who never knew the right time to do or say something.
"Stalking?" the others repeated the same word together, some with curiosity, others with guilt, and the rest with scrunched noses.
"If you love her, be a man and tell her about it. The attitude you're displaying now is that of a weak woman," Darlington said, and most of his friends bit their tongues not to give him a response as it might lead to a fight.
Jasper's scrunched face turned back to normal, and he wondered why he agreed to their parents' plans of introducing someone like this into the group.
"I'm sorry for bringing up that idea, Jas," Jude said, and Jasper nodded before finally opening his mouth to say something.
"That was in the past, and I don't think you owe me an apology; the right person to apologize to is Jane Frank and not me."
"I'll do that by making sure she gets comfortable in my company and the rest of it."
"That is not a sincere apology, Jude," Jane said tiredly as if she was exhausted from talking to them almost all day.
"If you want to apologize to her, then do it directly," Melissa added.
