Chapter 2:
Run.
Run and don't look back!
Those were the thoughts going through Cornelia's head as she ran. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she have a destination. She just wanted to put as much distance between herself, Caleb and Irma. After running for at least twenty minutes, she ended up in the park. Finally slowing down, only to bump into somebody, knocking them both to the ground. Instead of getting up, she just sat up and started to cry with her hands over her face, not caring who saw her.
As for the young, African-American, male she bumped into, when he saw the person who bumped into him, he knew her right away. And he was surprised to see her like this.
"Cornelia?", the young man said. "You okay?"
Cornelia looked up to see who it was that was talking to her. She knew who it was once she saw him.
"Angelo?", she said still a bit heartbroken.
"Yeah it's me.", Angelo replied helping her to her feet. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did someone do something to you?"
Cornelia then buried her face in Angelo's chest as she cried after hearing Angelo's last question.
"What's wrong Cornelia?", Angelo asked with concern. "Come on. You can tell me."
Ten minutes later..............
"Then he said he was sorry.", Cornelia said explaining everything that happened.
"Wow.", Angelo said. "I can't believe Irma and Caleb did that."
"I tried to change for Caleb!", Cornelia cried. "I really did. I guess it wasn't good enough."
"Even so, Cornelia, he should have been man enough to at least break up with you once he figured he liked Irma instead of seeing her behind your back.", Angelo said. "In my opinion, you're better off without him."
"You think so?", she asked.
"Well......... yeah.", Angelo replied. "You may have your faults, but that doesn't give him or Irma the right to do what they did."
"Thanks.", she said. "But, next to Will, you and Irma are pretty good friends. Shouldn't you be on her side?"
"Wrong is wrong.", Angelo said. "No matter how you cut it."
Angelo look at Cornelia, who was wiping her tears away. He also noticed that she was shivering from the cold weather. He then got up from the bench, and took her mitten covered hand, pulling her up to her feet.
"Come on, let's get you home before you catch cold.", Angelo said as they headed towards her home.
Cornelia only nodded as they headed out of the park. The walk was quite to say the least. Angelo knew Cornelia needed her space, so he didn't say anything to her.
Soon, they were at her apartment. Cornelia then reached in her purse to get her keys. Once she found them, she placed the key in the doorknob. But before she turned the key, she turned to face Angelo.
"Thanks, Angelo.", Cornelia said. "You know......... for listen."
She then gave him a hug, thanking him for everything.
"No problem, Cornelia.", Angelo said returning the hug.
Cornelia then released the hug. Angelo saw that she was still a bit upset.
"Hey Cornelia.", Angelo said. "Seeing as tomorrow's Saturday, do you wanna go do something. It'll be your choice. And my treat."
"Anything?", she questioned.
"As long as it doesn't get us put in jail, yes."
"Okay.", Cornelia said. "Meet me in the park tomorrow mourning at 10:30."
"Great.", Angelo said. "Tomorrow at 10:30."
"See you tomorrow.", she said as she opened the door.
"Tomorrow.", Angelo said as he down the hall.
Cornelia then went inside her home. She then walked straight into her room, and closed and locked the door, and took every picture that had Irma in them down off the wall. She wanted to throw them away, but she just couldn't. She still cared for both her and Caleb, but it still hurt her. She felt hurt, angry, and betrayed.
"First my life gets turned upside-down with this whole Guardian thing, then Elyon goes to Meridian with Cedric. Now I lose Caleb to Irma.", Cornelia said as she looked at the picture of her and her friends at the park. "Why can't things go back to normal? Before Caleb! Before being a Guardian!"
"Cornelia, dear. Dinner time.", her father said on the other side of the door.
"Coming dad!", Cornelia said as she got to her feet.
She ate her dinner, did her homework, took a shower, and went to bed as more tears began to flow.
Later on that night, Angelo was looking at some pictures in his photo album. There were pictures of him with Will and others were of him with his other friends. Some were of them by themselves. They were either at the beach, the park, or somewhere in the city. He then looked at one with him and Cornelia, and one of all of them together. In both of them he could see how happy she was. Part of him was still angry at Irma and Caleb for what they did. But the deed was done. The best he could do was hope that things would work out for the best.
The next day, Cornelia was in the park ten minutes before 10:30. She was just sitting in the park waiting for Angelo to show up. To be honest, she never thought she'd be hanging with Angelo of all people. And yet he was willing to spend the day with her, just to cheer her up.
"At least I don't have to see "them" today.", she said to herself.
Then Cornelia saw the two people she didn't want to see at that moment and time.
Caleb and Irma walking in her direction. Holding hands!
"I don't need this right now.", she said trying to keep her cool.
But the more she tried to calm down, the madder she got. She then decided to leave the park and meet up with Angelo before he got to the park. But for Cornelia, things weren't going right for her right now.
"Cornelia wait!", Irma yelled running up to her. "We need to talk."
"To talk?!", Cornelia said with her back turned to Irma. "Talk about what? How you and Caleb been seeing each other secretly?! Or how you've been stabbing me in the back, after all this time?!"
"Cornelia, I........"
"I trusted you Irma!", Cornelia snapped as she turned to face her, anger in her eyes. "How could you do it?!"
Caleb then stepped in between Irma and Cornelia, looking at Cornelia coldly.
"Leave her alone, Cornelia!", Caleb demanded. "Be mad as you want at me, but back off Irma. I won't stand for you hurting her!
"Hurting her!! I was YOUR girlfriend, Caleb!!", Cornelia yelled as her eyes got watery, shaking with rage. "You were supposed to be worried about how I feel and not let anyone hurt me!"
"I wanted out of our relationship for a long while now.", he admitted. "We're just too different for each other! School status means everything to you! I don't care about those things. I never did! We never would of made each other happy! But with Irma, I look at her and see myself truly happy! She's everything I need. I'm sorry if the breakup hurts your little image or coolness factor, but I'm done trying to make you happy!"
"You think all I care about is my status in school?!", Cornelia asked with hurt in her eyes. "If that's what you thought about me then we weren't made for each other. You were so quick to judge me, that you didn't give us a real chance, did you?"
Silence.
"DID YOU?!", she demanded to know as she was about to jump at Caleb.
But then Angelo came and was able to pull Cornelia away from Caleb.
"Chill, Cornelia! Chill!", Angelo said as he held Matt back. "He's not worth it!"
While holding Cornelia back, Will, Matt, Taranee, Nigel, and Hay Lin came walking towards them laughing about something. But the laughing stop as they saw the scene before them.
"Did we miss something here?", Will asked wondering what was going on.
"Cornelia caught these two making out yesterday,", Angelo said, holding Cornelia back.
"You told us you were going to talk to Cornelia about this, Irma.", Taranee said looking worried.
"Wait! You guys knew about this?!", Cornelia asked in shock.
"Only about them kissing the day before yesterday!", Taranee confessed.
"We didn't want to get invovled!", Will replied. "It was for Irma and Caleb to tell you."
"We're sorry, Cornelia.", Hay Lin said as held her head down.
"Okay, I'm a bit confused.", Nigel said trying to figure everything out.
"Yeah.", Matt agreed. "What the heck happened?"
"Okay, here's what we're all going to do.", Angelo said after he released a more calm down Cornelia. "Irma and Caleb, you two go back in the direction you two came."
"What about Cornelia?", Hay Lin asked with some concern. "I don't want to leave her alone."
"Don't worry, Hay Lin.", Cornelia said.
"Yeah.", Angelo said. "I'm taking her out to cheer her up today."
"Figures.", Caleb said.
"What figures?", Cornelia asked.
"Figures you'd try and get with a guy the first chance you get.", Caleb said.
Angelo had enough of this crap.
"One, do you want to have a fight today?", Angelo asked getting ticked. "Second, we're not going on a date. We're just hanging out. Is that a problem?"
"Not at all.", Caleb said.
"Good.", Angelo said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I owe Cornelia a day of fun."
Everyone then went their separate ways. Once out of the park, Angelo noticed the ice skates and duffel bag Cornelia was carrying. Soon he put together what she wanted to do.
"I take it you want to go ice skating.", Angelo said.
"It helps me calm down whenever I get really upset.", Cornelia replied.
"Well, I did say anywhere you want to go.", Angelo said. "Even though I can't ice skate."
"I can teach you.", Cornelia said.
"Why not?", Angelo said. "I can Rollerblade. So, how hard can it be to ice skate?"
"You'll see.", Cornelia teased as they made their way to the ice skating rink.
A/N: Heartache can be very painful. But with her friends, Cornelia just may be alright.
Please review.
