Leila: Part Three

“She broke up with me…”

“Again?” Probably not the right thing to say… Crystal cringed. “I’m sorry, what happened this time?”

“Yeah, for about the... fifth time this week?” Seth’s sarcasm wasn’t lost despite the fact that Leila had… done it again. “She went on a date with Nate while I’m out of town, and conveniently forgot to tell me.”

“Wait, hold up. Nathaniel – Nate?” Crystal, completely taken aback, gives Seth a quizzical look.

“Yeah, that Nate. They were out past dark. I’m not the jealous type, but that concerns me – ”

“And rightly it should!” Crystal interrupted. Ashamed, she drew back. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright.” Seth sighed, clearly upset. “They went out for coffee and stayed out quite late doing stuff… I don’t even know what stuff!”

Silence. Not knowing what to say, Crystal didn’t respond. They both were thinking hard, that much was clear. After a moment, Crystal asked, “What happened next?”

“She said she wanted to talk, and I told her I was in a public place and so I couldn’t.” Seth paused. He seemed to be looking for the right words to say. “She got mad.” Surprise there… Crystal suppressed a smile while Seth continued, “She basically said she’s sick of waiting and so we’re over. To top it all off, she did this over text.”

“Seriously? Over text?” Crystal was shocked. Even for Leila, that was low.

Seth nodded. He was numb, and he wasn’t sure if it was with anger or pain. How could Leila do this to him… again? It’s not as if this was the first time. This was the third, fourth maybe. He wasn’t sure. He still loved her; that much was for sure. But now he wasn’t so sure how she felt about him either…

“Seth?”

Seth snapped out of his deep thought quickly. “What were you saying?”

“And so what happened?”

“Well she told me she’s now with Nate. When I asked how that happened, she said that he asked her out.” Well that was quick… Crystal didn’t know how to respond. When these things happened, she rarely did.

“Oh… So are you guys still together?”

“I don’t know; she hasn’t spoken to me since or informed me otherwise.” Seth was thoroughly confused. And while talking to Crystal usually made things clearer or made him feel better, it wasn’t working this time.

“Go call her.” Crystal suggested mildly but firmly.

“You think it’s a good idea?” Seth was unconvinced. He wanted to call her, but maybe they should just let things cool off a little first…

“Definitely. You guys need to clear things up. I’ll be here if you need to talk later. If not, just text me.” I’m always here, aren’t I? Crystal mused for a moment, then smiled at Seth.

“Alright. I might not be able to come back later, I’ll tell you what happens though.” Seth walked off into the distance, fumbling with his phone.

So you guys are supposedly still together although she broke up with you. Crystal shook her head, wondering how that works. Seth, such a complicated child, though not really a child at all, was he? And Leila, oh Leila, she’s two-faced. That’s the only good way to put it. Crystal wondered what others said about her, and she hoped it was good things. God knows how much she hoped it was good.