Chapter 8
Brendan and Matrix were sprawled on the bed, tangled together under the sheets, their bare skin pressing against each other in a way that felt almost like a slap in the face.
Matrix broke the silence first, tracing slow circles on Brendan’s chest as he whispered, “Aren’t you going to be late for school?” His voice was soft, playful, and Brendan responded with a lazy grin, his eyes half–lidded as he ran a hand through Matrix’s hair.
“Yeah, but it’s okay,” he murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. “I’ve got my trump card to get my dream job. So, I don’t give a damn about that bullshit school attendance” He rolled onto his back, stretching with the confidence of someone who thought he had the world in his grasp.
Matrix’s gaze grew serious, his fingers hesitating as he traced Brendan’s arm. “How long do we have to hide like this?” he asked, his voice soft but edged with a hint of vulnerability.
“Not much longer, babe.” Brendan leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on Matrix’s forehead, a gesture so familiar it twisted painfully in my chest. I’d once thought that kiss was something special, meant just for me. Now it felt sickeningly rehearsed.
“Does Matrix know about us? Is Brendan playing with both of us?” Questions like that ran through my mind, but his next reply answered them all.
“I just need to meet Dan Sterwalt and win him over. After that, I’ll create a situation where I play the victim and break up with Lucy. I’ll use our breakup as leverage, Brendan said, pulling Matrix closer as his tone turned smug, with a hint of frustration. “First, I tried being friends with Kaiden, but he didn’t even bother to look at me. So now, I’m using Lucy. I’ll use her to secure my dream job at Sterwalt Constructions.”
Matrix’s brow furrowed as he glanced up. “Do you really think breaking up with her will help? Won’t that just ruin your chances even more? Why would she help her ex get into her stepdad’s company?”
Brendan smirked, eyes gleaming with a devious excitement. “Easy. After the breakup, I’ll act like I’m heartbroken and get Lucy to put in a good word for me. She’s such a good girl. She’ll help me for sure if I fake a few tears–after all, first love can be hard to forget for girls like her.”
Matrix looked unconvinced, glancing away as his fingers traced aimless patterns on the sheets. “But…. what if you end up actually falling for her? You know, like in those cliché stories where the guy using the girl falls for her?”
Brendan let out a dismissive chuckle, tugging Matrix back into his arms. “Come on. You’re the only person I love, babe. I won’t fall for that Lucy- she’s not my typer. The only reason I’m putting up with her is because of her last name.” His voice dropped to a cold whisper, his expression hardening “In fact, the minute her mom divorces Dan Sterwalt, I’m dumping Lucy. Without her ties to the Sterwalts, she’s useless to me.”
My anger, my heart, my pain–everything was screaming at me to slam the door and confront them red–handed, but my gut wouldn’t let me. My hands were shaking violently against the door handle, which made a slight noise that caught Brendan and Matrix’s attention. But I dodged their gaze as I hid beside the door.
Brendan approached the door and shut it without even glancing outside, completely unaware that I was hiding just beside it. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if he caught me in that position. Would I scream at him? Would I hurt him? Confront him? Or would I just break down and cry, helpless and pathetic? Beg for him to love me for real? Give him another chance if he asked for forgiveness? What would I do?
There was only one way to find out: knock the hell out of that door and reveal that I had heard everything about his selfish plot. But I couldn’t gather the courage to do so. The last time I let my emotions win, I nearly killed someone. That’s why I was sent to a boarding school. Not that I regret my past decision, but I also don’t want to re–live it.
“I don’t want any drama in my life. I already had enough in my past. I will just go to school and next time when I meet Brendan I will just break up with him, saying that it’s not working between us.” That was the plan when I left the dormitory. Yet, history proved once again that nothing ever goes as planned–especially not when your plan has zero drama in it.
I was late for my hockey practice because I walked all the way from Brendan’s dormitory to West Sterlingo High. Yes, I could have taken a taxi or a bus or any help, but I didn’t, because I needed some alone time‘ to cool myself down.
Walking alone on a long, lonely road didn’t help much to ease the pain in my heart, but it did give me some nice company, as both of us were lonely and had always been used by people around us. I could feel the similarities between me and that road. But I am also grateful that the road is a non–living thing, and it doesn’t have emotions, because if it had emotions, it would have cracked all the way down to hell.
“I’m so sorry, Coach,” I gasped, skidding onto the field and trying to catch my breath.
Me. Evans gave me a stern look but nodded. “Alright, don’t make it a habit. Now, go get changed. We’ll restart the match for you.”
“Uh… about that,” I said, fidgeting with my bag. “I couldn’t find my jersey. Can I just play in this?” I gestured to my plain white T–shirt and shorts, as close as I could get to the uniform without actually wearing it.
“Seriously?” Coach Evans shook her head, clearly unimpressed. “A jersey represents our school–it’s not just about the practice. It’s about showing up prepared” She turned to the cluster of girls on the field, raising her voice. “Rubina!”
Our captain, Kulina, sprinted over, slightly winded but alert. “Yes, Coach?”
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3:26 PM
e
Chapter 8
“Do you have an extra jersey for Lucy?”
Rubina hesitated, looking at me with a mix of confusion and irritation before answering. “Um… I’ll have to check.”
Ms. Evans narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean, ‘you have to check“? You’re the captain. If you don’t even know where your spares are, you can say goodbye to that title.”
Rubina’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Coach. I’ll find it for her.”
With a tight–lipped expression, Rubina disappeared into the locker room and returned a few minutes later, shoving the jersey into my hands without a word.
That day, during overall practice, Rubina wasn’t acting like a professional captain; she was acting like a bitch. She did everything in her power to make me fall, hit me with the hockey ball, or nudge me harder with her shoulder. She was furious with me. I knew it, and didn’t mind it because, even though her anger was childish, it was still understandable. I lost my jersey, yet Ms. Evans didn’t even yell at me much, but she yelled at Rubina without any reason, and I was the root of it. So, obviously, she had every right to show her anger towards me, even though I didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.
After the practice, the pain was insufferable, so I grabbed the pain–relieving spray from my bag and tried to spray it on my shoulder, but nothing came out. Soon, I realized the spray bottle was empty.
I could have asked one of my teammates for the pain–relief spray, but doing that might have just given them another reason to prove me as a careless person. So, I put my bag in the locker room and went to the nurse’s office.
As I walked back to grab my bag afterward, I heard Sheela’s voice drifting out of the locker room, echoing down the hall. “Why were you so harsh with Lucy today on the field?” She sounded almost accusing.
I froze, my heart pounding. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but now that I was the topic, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know what my teammates thought–especially Rubina, who was not only my captain but also someone that I looked up to.
To be continued…
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