C H A P T E R 2 3.

The bed didn't feel comfortable under Square. Was it his disturbed mind or his worn out body, he just couldn't put himself to sleep today. It had been a long day and one of the most eventful he had had in a while.

He had found a new best friend in Choosy.

He had met his long forgotten ex-love of his life, again, and almost even talked to her.

He had re-entered his home and met his mother after a total of fifteen months. 

Today was a day he never saw coming.

He never thought he would ever look Helen in the eye, let alone have a conversation with her. He had so much hate for her inside his little heart, even her name made him cringe. His mind involuntarily ran over to the last conversation they had had, more than an year ago.

- - - -

She was sobbing hard and kept uttering the same sentence, over and over, as she ran behind his car, "Square, I am sorry. Square? I am so sorry. Stop. Stop."

The car came to a screeching halt after moving a hundred meters and as she stopped with it, almost colliding onto its bonnet, Square slid the windows down. Helen rushed over to talk with him eye to eye, sighing in humongous relief. He was ready to give her a second choice, the hopeful part of her thought.

But when she finally rushed over to the car's front part, what met her eye was terrifying. His face looked redder than ever and he looked furious. More than furious, he looked heartbroken.

She was just going to open her mouth to utter another apology when he cut her to say the cruelest words that he had ever said, "I hate you. Get away from my life. Go die."

And as he strongly pressed down the accelerators and his car sped away, the air pressure of it took her off balance and she landed a couple of feet away from her initial position. She lied there for a full minute as the reality of what she had done hit her hard.

I deserve to die. I must die. She thought to herself.

- - - -

The memory of all those pained him so badly, his nails had dug into the pillows. His breathing had become heavier and more labored. He was almost quivering. He needed to think about something else. He quickly sat back up and slowly slanted his vertebrates to position himself comfortably over the headrest. Beside his bed in the little room sat a little table that had a jug of water and also a framed photo.

Framed photos were a rare thing these days. Yet, everything in his life had been old fashioned and hence, that photo felt home to him. It was him and his best friend in the picture.

That friend to whom he had felt the closest to. The friend with whom he even shared his heart's deepest secrets and the littlest crushes with. That friend, without whom, even his single day was incomplete.

That friend, who had taught him what life was and then faded away to eternity.

Or, was forcibly erased away from his life.

Whatever, that friend was gone. Forever.

The brilliant smile Apple had on the photo was so contagious, anyone who saw that couldn't help but smile hard. Square had his hands across her shoulder and they were both laughing over an old inside joke, when someone had caught the moment in a picture.

Both of them had it framed in their respective rooms. She was taken away from his life; he never let them take the memories.

And one of those was playing over his mind.

- - - -

"I have a new crush," Square announced as soon as he sat down on his desk in the  cafeteria. He was practically jumping around, darting his eyes off from one  thing to  another thing and pretty much ready to blast of nervousness.

"Oh yeah? Apple asked, munching on her precious French fries, clearly uninterested in another of his extremely frequented crushes.

Square nodded voraciously, trying to distract Apple from her fries and draw some attention to himself.

"Who is it?"' she asked again, moving on from fries to coke.

"Can you please look at me and talk?" Square asked, slowly lifting her chin up, quite rudely.

"Okay, who is it?" she repeated, glaring hard and right into his eye. The glare almost knocked him off his chair.

"Helen." Square replied, as quietly as possible, looking down in an instant, unable to take that glaring stare.

Apple stood up in that second and it happened as a reflex move. "What?" she almost screamed. "That self obsessed bitch who doesn't talk to anybody?"

He stood up too, a confused expression etched on his face. "She talks to me. And... you are just jealous."

A smirk played over her lips as she folded her hands and with a slight tilt of her head, questioned, "Me? Yeah. Totally."

"Apple, I am serious here."

"You are?" she asked again, clearly not getting the point.

Square nodded again, pissed off by her totally badass behavior. Quite in that second, Helen entered the cafeteria and as soon as Apple's eyes fell on her, she shouted, "Helen? HELLOOO." Helen looked around to see who was calling her and even before she could come over to their table, Apple continued, "Square Dial here has a big crush on you. And he is serious about it. Wanna talk?"

Square nervously thrashed his hands, trying to stop her from what had she already done.

Helen's eyes stood rooted to the spot and the cafeteria grew silent for a second. Each and every eye in the room turned towards Apple, who was now smiling victoriously. Square tried to hide himself behind the extremely small can of coke.

In that instant, a blush had formed across Helen's face. Hues of crimson rushed through the cream and her usual faint glow was now a little reddish. As murmurs restarted in the cafeteria, Apple leaned over the table and muttered in Square's ear, "You totally have a date, pussy cat."

"I was talking about the other Helen, you bitch."

- - - -

The memory made him smile so hard. Apple was the kind of girl anyone would want for a best friend. She was smart, strong and could very well throw some tight hard punches when required – even better than muscular boys. She was the kind of girl anyone would fall for.

But, Apple was Square's best friend. And, like Apple was the first word you would learn in English and Square was the first shape you would learn in Geometry, he had shared all his firsts with her.

His first psycho-drive game.

His first appointment to the cardiactor.

His first job.

His first flight.

His first computer's password.

Even his first big secret.

There was a reason she was now dead, after all.

- - - -

A/N

Apple was never supposed to be a character in this story. I was feeling quite down today, so I made her up to make myself feel better. :P The character that she had replaced was a boy and was supposed to be named Eric.

Long story short, I don't know why I did that. xD

Quite a teen-ficcish chapter and I would try hard to bring the sci fi back real soon! :D Till then, shower me with all the love and tell me how amazing the name Apple is! (yeah :P)

ALSO TDS HIT 79 TODAY SO CAN I JUST PLEASE DIE? 

This chapter is dedicated to @Snigdha_Sk for catching up in record time. You are awesome. <3

Don't forget to voteee! :D

Linzy.