Kim got her bags and began walking to the door, and then she saw Kevin standing in the doorway. “Kevin,” she said in shock and disappointment. “What are you doing here?”

He smiled, “I wanted to see you. I haven’t seen you in awhile.” He walked into her classroom. “This is what you work in? I haven’t been in a classroom in years.”

She chuckled, and jingled her keys, maybe in desperation that he’d know she was about to leave. “You know, I’m in a hurry, actually.”

He looked at her, “Have dinner with me.”

Kim sighed and looked at the clock right above the door just as her students do everyday. “I don’t know.” He made a sad face, and she smiled. The bright side, once she had the last date, she’d end it, right? “Okay, maybe a quick one.”

He got up and held out his hand. Kim smiled and took his hand unwillingly. They went back to the place where they had their first date. Kim sat uncomfortably. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, “I just…I’m not exactly dressed in proper attire.”

“You look beautiful,” he said.

Kim ordered a smaller dish and ate it quickly. “Kevin, there’s actually something I need to talk to you about.” Kim might as well get it out while she could.

Kevin looked up at her and saw her serious expression. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re an amazing guy; smart, funny, cute, and sweet.” She put her hand on top of his, and he grabbed it in his. “But…”

Kevin looked down, “Of course there’s a but.”

She looked down, “Yeah. I’m sorry. I really wanted this work out, but it’s not.” He began laughing and she found that weird. “You are taking it rather well.”

“Well, yeah. I know it wasn’t going to work out.” He admitted.

“What do you mean?”

He laughed again, “Well, to be honest…I was planning on breaking up with you on our tenth date.”

Kim chuckled and raised both eye brows, “You had a schedule?”

“Not me, I’m not that cruel. A friend of mine, well, actually he’s not a friend of mine, he just sort of came to me. Anyways, he wanted to show this girl an experiment and it happened to be you.” Kim’s heart stopped. “He said he’d coach her and by the tenth date, break up with her.” She looked away, “But now I don’t have to since you already did.”

Kim took her hand back, and bit her quivering lip. “I have to get out of here,” she said.

Kevin got up and grabbed her arm to stop her, “Kim, it’s okay. It was just a joke.”

She spun around and slapped him across the face, causing eyes to turn. “A joke?” She spat. “I’m not a joke you can laugh at. I can’t believe you’d do this to me,” she said in teas and walking away.

She fumbled with her tears, and it took her three tries to open the door. She knew better to drive in such a state, so she called her sister who happened to live nearby. Kim hopped into the passenger seat and got comfortable. She wiped her tears away before getting in the car, so her sister had no idea. “So, I chose periwinkle as the MOH colour and bridesmaids, and I keep telling James that his groomsmen need to match…” her sisters eyes reached Kim’s distant ones. “So I told them to go instead, you think that’s a good idea?”

“It’s a great idea,” she said uninterested.

“Kim!” Lakam slapped her thigh, “You’re not even listening to me!”

“Yes I am.” She defended herself, adjusting her body.

Lakam scoffed, “So you agree that the groomsmen should go ?”

“Yeah, it’s your idea. If you think that’s how they’ll match, go right ahead.”

“Okay, what’s the matter with you?”

Kim sighed and looked at her sister, “Nothing’s the matter with me. Maybe I’m just upset. I am allowed to be upset since I just finished working a seven-hour work shift with troubled teenagers who don’t cooperate and also a three hour interval doing last minute wedding stuff for a wedding that’s not even mine, and I just found out that I was made into a fool for people’s entertainment usage. So maybe I’m not in the mood to hear about your happy ending that you’re gonna get because I don’t care anymore!”

“O-kay. You’re angry, I can see that. You mind telling me what boy is responsible?”

“Can we just drive in silence please? I’m not exactly in the talking mood.” She said turning her head so the tears could fall discreetly.

Lakam dropped her off in the front, “I’ll drop off your car later, okay? It’ll be here in the morning.” Kim nodded. “Okay, I love you. Be careful, it’s cold tonight.”

“Bye, Ate. Love you, too.” She said getting out of the car.

Kim entered her apartment and went straight to her bedroom, changing into sweats and jumping immediately into bed. She didn’t have the appetite to eat anything.

Apparently she fell asleep because she was jolted awake by her doorbell. Kim got out of bed and opened her door. On a regular day, she would’ve jumped for joy in his presence, but today wasn’t a regular day. “I’m not in the mood, Ge.”

He noticed the smeared mascara around her eyes, and stained lips. She obviously didn’t bother to take care of herself before hopping in bed. “What’s wrong?” He asked in genuine concern.

“Just leave,” she tried to close the door.

But Gerald stopped it with his strength. He wasn’t about to leave her while she was in this state, he’d take care of her. That’s what real men who are in love do. “Hey,” he let himself in when she was defeated. “Tell me what’s wrong. What happened?”

Kim knew she looked like crap, but it was his fault to begin with. “Maybe you should tell me what happened.”

“What are you talking about?” He asked.

“So what did you offer Kevin to go out with me all those dates? I bet you were the one who paid.” She saw his face fall. “Yeah, Kevin told me everything. Surprised? Did you really think I’d never find out?”

He didn’t know what to say, “Kim…”

“Of course you didn’t. You had everything scheduled, everything planned. Once that tenth date happened and he broke up with me, you’d be wiped clean of this mess and then you’d get me bed with you. Well, you did your job.” She said bitterly.

“Don’t do that,” he closed his eyes.

Kim scoffed, “Don’t do what? That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? That’s how you got your reputation. Don’t worry about that, Gerald. It’s still intact and you were even able to continue doing your job. You taught me what men really are. You’re pigs. So congratulate yourself, you did what you were asked to do.” She gave him a weak applause. “I think that night could count for the dinner I was supposed to owe you. I mean, you did get me in bed, more than once. But then again, that was the plan.” She her dry, cracked lips.

He saw no sign of forgiveness on her face so he wasn’t going to try. “But that’s what you wanted, right? I proved men aren’t this fairy-tale saviour of yours.”

“You’re right; they’re mean and they’re cruel and selfish. I just thought that some men were different. Or maybe it was just you that I wanted to be different; that I wanted to live up to my expectations.” She wiped her eyes. “How silly of me to even think after what we shared, you could’ve changed.”

“What do you want me to do, huh? Do you want me to get on my knees and ask for your forgiveness? Do you want me to grab you and kiss you like it’s the last time we’d ever spend together and profess my undying love for you?” He became more angry and more cruel by the second. “Did you want me to channel Romeo and drink a bottle of poison because I wouldn’t have you in my life anymore? They’re characters, Kim. They’re not some outline in which we change into once we meet the women of our dreams. They’re not real, that’s why they call them stories, make-believe, fiction. They’re not some answered prayer for desperate women to cling onto. Wake up, Kimmy. This is what men really are…you said it yourselves, we’re selfish pigs. A leopard can’t change his spots, sweetie. We’re born that way.” He knew they were the words she wanted to hear, needed to hear.

Kim couldn’t look at him anymore. He walked to the door but paused and stared at her tortured face, “Or maybe it’s your fault. That you had this incredible vision of a perfect man, of what they should be…and you didn’t think that the perfect man could be inside…you just needed to accept his flaws in order to see it.” He sighed and his voice became softer. “No one’s perfect, Kim. There’s no such thing as perfect…so who do you blame? The person who’s not perfect, or the person who wants to believe in everything, and can’t seem to look past the imperfections?” He shut the door himself.

She put her back to the door and slid down to the ground. Gerald was right…she needed fairy tales to come true, for the perfect man to exist that she probably pushed away the only person she really loved because of something in her own doing.

I TOLD YOU GUYS IT WOULDN’T BE A HAPPY THING. SO AFTER HEARTBREAK, THERE’S ALWAYS A HAPPY ENDING, WE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT. STAY TUNED FOR MORE, KIMERALD FANS. DOUBLE DOSE TONIGHT, MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME!!!! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!!!!