Chapter 3: The Play
Melissa and Lydia boarded a cab to see Dennis's play. Lydia had brought a flower to give to her boyfriend. Melissa asked her if it wasn’t supposed to be the other way around. Confused, Lydia replied, “What do you mean?” Melissa explained, “I’m talking about the flowers. Isn’t it supposed to be the guy who gives the girl flowers?” Lydia countered, “That’s just an old custom; times have changed, and now girls can also give boys flowers.” Melissa shrugged and said, “Okay, if you say so.”
When they arrived at the venue, the girls found their seats and settled in. Lydia had planned to give Dennis the flower before he went on stage, but they arrived just in time for the show to start, so she missed her chance.
The girls enjoyed the play, which was a horror drama. When Lydia saw the knife and the fake blood on stage, it put her mind at ease again, especially since she had seen those props earlier with Dennis on the day of the murder. Not that she had ever doubted him. As the play ended, they applauded the actors as they headed backstage.
After the performance, Melissa and Lydia went to find the actors' changing room to compliment Dennis and give him the flower. As they opened the door, they noticed something that caught their attention: two people were kissing. While they couldn’t see the guy’s face, they only saw the girl’s back. They knocked, and the couple broke apart, startled. Lydia asked, “I’m looking for Dennis,” but she quickly stopped when she saw him standing right in front of her. Dennis was cheating on her less than a month into their relationship.
Immediately, she turned around and began to walk away. Dennis chased after her, trying to persuade her to listen. Startled, Lydia couldn’t find the words. Melissa intervened and told Dennis to leave as he attempted to explain that the girl was his ex-girlfriend, whom he hadn’t expected to see, and that she had kissed him before he could process the situation. Lydia told Dennis this was the end of the road for them as she grasped Melissa's hand and walked away. Despite Dennis's pleas that he had never cheated and couldn’t bear to live without her, Lydia focused only on what she had seen.
Melissa tried to comfort Lydia, but she didn’t want to be consoled. Lydia said she wanted to go home alone and would see Melissa the next day.
As Melissa walked home, she reflected on how the day had unfolded. What started as a happy occasion for her friend had ended in sadness. She tried to think of reasons why Dennis might have cheated, but couldn’t understand it, especially since Lydia was much prettier than the girl she had seen him with. Lost in these thoughts, her phone rang. It was Dennis. Hesitant to answer, she ultimately picked up.
Dennis apologised for how a day filled with plans had fallen apart. Melissa told him he didn’t owe her an apology, but he did owe one to Lydia, who was hurting because of his actions. Dennis begged Melissa to help him, saying he wanted to see Lydia since she wasn’t answering his calls. He explained that he was caught off guard by his ex-girlfriend, who had suddenly appeared in his changing room and kissed him unexpectedly. Melissa replied that it was no excuse; he could have pushed her away, but it seemed like he was enjoying it. Dennis insisted he was shocked and froze at that moment.
He continued, saying that he loved Lydia deeply and could never betray her, as he had been cheated on by a girl he loved before. “I know how much it hurts to be cheated on,” he told Melissa, “and I would never do that to anyone, especially not to Lydia.” He reassured her it was all a misunderstanding and that he would try to get his ex to confess the truth to Lydia.
Dennis pleaded with Melissa to help him meet Lydia, wanting to explain the situation to her in person since she wouldn’t answer his calls. Melissa told him that she and Lydia would be at school the next day for tests, so Lydia couldn’t afford to miss class. She asked if Dennis could come to their school in the afternoon to talk to Lydia. She genuinely worried for her friend, who seemed devastated.
Dennis thanked Melissa and hung up.
Melissa then messaged Lydia, asking, “Are you alright?” Lydia replied, “I’m trying to get it out of my mind.” Melissa asked if Dennis had been reaching out, and Lydia responded that he had sent her several messages and had called her nonstop. Melissa inquired, “Don’t you want to talk to him?” Lydia replied, “It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, but I can’t bring myself to do it.”
Melissa encouraged her not to dwell on what happened and urged her not to cry alone. Lydia reassured her, “I won’t cry. And they both wished each other goodnight before ending the call.
The next day, Melissa and Lydia met in the school hallway and headed to class together. As they walked, Melissa asked, "How are you feeling today?" Lydia replied, "Much better than yesterday."
Peering into the classroom, they noticed their lecturer was already there, so they hurried inside and took their seats. After the girls completed their test for the day, Lydia approached Melissa and asked how she thought it went. Melissa said, "It was much better than I expected." Lydia agreed, saying, "It was the same for me. I thought it would be much harder, but luckily, it was easy."
Melissa kept checking her phone until a message she had been waiting for finally came in—it was from Dennis. He informed her that he was at their school. Excited, Melissa grabbed Lydia's arm and said, "Come on, let's go!"
Lydia asked, "Where are we going? I haven't packed my bags yet." Melissa replied, "Lisa said we'd come back for them." She pulled her friend toward the school café. As they approached, Lydia spotted Dennis and stopped, asking Melissa why she hadn't told her he was coming.
Melissa explained, "I understand if you are upset with me, but I thought it would be better for you two to talk things out instead of avoiding each other." Just then, Dennis walked up to them and knelt down.
He said, "Lydia, I know this may sound like what every guy says, but what you saw yesterday wasn't what it looked like. I understand if you hate me, but I can't bear being hated by you for no reason. Please listen to what I have to say, then it's up to you to decide whether to believe me and come back to me. My whole life feels empty without you."
Melissa said, "Lydia, please, I'll go get our bags. You two can talk. I'll be sitting outside the café waiting for you. Take your time, and don't forget to unleash all your anger on him." She then left to pick up their bags from the classroom.
Suddenly, it was Lydia running down the dark corridor again. "Lisa! Lisa! Help me! I don't think I can take it anymore. He's coming! Lisa, he's coming! Please call the cops. I can't breathe! Lisa! Lisa!" Help!
Melissa woke up, soaked in cold sweat.