77 Abase

"Why is she- what?" Brianna froze, her mind stopping at Vixen's answer.

"You act like everything I do and I did was for your own good," Vixen sighed, "do you expect me to tell you that I spend time at another person's cell because of you?"

Brianna looked away from Vixen, unable to say anything.

"This is literally hell, who I stay with longer literally does not affect you. This isn't a brothel, it's an asylum," Vixen's eyebrows furrowed, "do I like her? Do you think I could like anybody? Think before you say things before you end up sounding really stupid. I don't deserve to like anyone."

"Then why? You never avoided my questions about anyone when I asked. Why are you being so secretive about someone you don't even want to protect?" Brianna asked, hiding her face from Vixen for a moment and then turning back to him with tears in her eyes, "if 'she' isn't even someone that you can acknowledge then why not answer my questions? You're contradicting yourself."

"If you think for a second that just because I was able to tell you more about other people or be freer with you than others means I have to tell you everything on my mind, you must have recalculated somewhere in that selfish equation. I am not obligated to spill everything to you like you're that diary you keep under your bed," Vixen refuted, "and to be honest, you can continue to think this way but don't expect me to tell you any more than a greeting when we meet."

"Then I'll ask as a friend who has no interest in you. Do you like her?" Brianna pressed.

"That's funny, because I have no friends and I certainly won't be answering that question even if I did. Unlike you, I don't stay in this place to make flimsy bonds since this isn't a playground," Vixen retorted, his glare at Brianna growing colder by the moment, "Your questions are rhetorical because I'm not going to be answering them and they have no answer. Just stop asking."

"How can you be so cold to someone you've known for so long. Can't you think from my perspective for a second? Try to figure out why I'm like this? You're not a robot, try to have a heart. The way it comes out my mouth may be pathetic but my thoughts are worth answering and aren't some comedic act you can laugh at then walk away from," Brianna snapped, "YOU AREN'T SOMEONE WHO CAN DISREGARD OTHER'S ISSUES JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T FIT IN THE RULES YOU'VE FORCED YOURSELF TO FOLLOW!!"

Vixen looked up at the clock on the wall and then turned back to Brianna, a sigh escaping his lips. "I'm sorry my heart isn't one that likes to sympathize with others. If my heart seems inhumane, then find someone with a better heart to suit your needs, because I am not the one," Vixen yawned, "I don't expect you to understand my rules just like how you should start realizing that you shouldn't be expecting me to suddenly crawl into your arms."

"That you don't know how to move on," Vixen blandly replied.

Brianna opened her mouth to speak again but ended up shutting them as tears flowed down her cheeks unto the table below. "You really suck."

"Not the first time I've heard that and probably won't be the last," Vixen shrugged.

They sat in silence for a bit while Vixen eyed Brianna, a scowl forming on his face. He handed her that handkerchief.

"What even is the point of this conversation? To get me to reject you for the millionth time? Are you a masochist or something because by the third rejection a few years ago, you should've known to stop."

"I'd rather have you waste your time on rejecting me than have another girl think you have enough time for them to somehow slip into your life," Brianna softly replied, with a trembling voice.

Vixen leaned backwards a bit and ran his fingers through his jet black waves, a long frustrated and ticked off sigh seeping out his lips.

Brianna's eyes took in his figure for a moment before letting out a pained chuckle, "what happened to your phase? You should've called me pathetic by now."

Vixen's lip's twitched in anger. "I've said pathetic so many times today that it's sounding like a foreign word to me," he looked down at Brianna's crestfallen face with a sigh, "and you have heard pathetic enough times to fill a lifetime of degradation, your self-esteem is basically a myth now."

Brianna wiped her face with the handkerchief furiously as the tears refused to stop coming down. 'Ha…' She thought to herself, 'he never questioned his words before.'

"I don't get it," Vixen muttered, staring down at Brianna, "why do you keep getting yourself hurt over things that aren't even worth it?"

"One man's trash is another's treasure," Brianna sobbed.

Vixen glanced on the clock again and began standing up from his seat, twirling his phone in his hand one more time before placing it in his pocket. "I just thought of something so ridiculous, but seeing how you think at times, it may not be that far off."

Brianna ignored his insult, "what?"

"Am I the reason why you haven't left this hell yet?" Vixen asked.

Brianna's hand froze in the middle of whipping of her tears and a shiver ran down her spine. She didn't want to look up. The stare was so daunting that she could feel the sharp rays of disgust beaming down on her shoulders. She could feel her presence slowly shrinking in Vixen's eyes, smaller and smaller as the room grew taller, looming over her tiny figure. His glower was so abasing that whatever remained of Briann's self-esteem or confidence was diminished.

She didn't want to look up. She couldn't look up… because he already knew the answer.