Chapter 20
The next day, we had breakfast at Rubina’s, and then her dad drove us to school. To be honest, last night and this morning were the best night and morning I’d had in ages. It must feel so good to have normal families, normal friends, and normal nights out.
I walked into my class, relieved to find my embarrassingly radiant throne gone, replaced by my usual desk and chair.
Thank god! Sitting on that thing all day yesterday was mortifying.
“Hey…” Barbara appeared at my side, her expression dimmed, lacking its usual brightness. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her brow furrowed as she looked at me. “What were you doing with Rubina and Sheela?” Her voice was tinged with doubt and irritation.
“Um… I…” I hesitated, shifting my weight awkwardly. Not that I felt guilty or thought I’d done anything wrong, but just because I wasn’t wrong mean it wouldn’t hurt her.
“Should I just lie?” I thought to myself, biting my lip.
didn’t
Barbara’s gaze hardened, her arms crossing defensively over her chest. “I saw you getting out of the car with Rubina and Sheela, and that old hag didn’t look like Kaiden’s,” she said, a hint of accusation sharpening her tone.
“Okay. I can’t lie,” I thought, swallowing hard as the truth felt heavier than expected. “Actually, Barb… I had a…” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the words catch in my throat. God, I felt like a boyfriend caught cheating.
“A…?” She raised an eyebrow, her stare narrowing on me.
“A night out!” I blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer.
“With them?” Her mouth dropped open, shock rippling across her face, quickly followed by a flicker of hurt. “But why? A–are you mad at me or something? D–did I do something wrong?” She blinked rapidly, her voice dropping to a fragile whisper, and it made my chest twist with guilt.
“No! I’m not mad at you, Barb,” I said, reaching out to take her hand, hoping to soothe her. “I’m really sorry I made you feel that way. It’s just… I had some stuff going on at home, and Rubina sort of… found out. It’s something I don’t feel ready to share with anyone, not even myself. But since she offered to help, I didn’t say no. I really needed it,” I admitted, lowering my eyes, feeling the weight of my confession.
“Oh… but you could have asked me to help,” she said, her voice trembling as she pulled her hand from mine, looking away with a hurt expression.
“I know. I could have,” I said softly, my heart heavy. “In fact, you were the first person I thought of. But if I’d asked you to help, I would have had to explain everything… and, as I said, I really didn’t want to talk about it.” I scrunched my face into a playful, guilty puppy look, hoping it might lighten her mood. “I’m sorry. Really, I am.”
“Fine.” She let out a long sigh, sadness still clinging to her words. “But… you could’ve at least invited me to come along. I know Rubina knew about your situation, but you never mentioned anything about Sheela. I mean, Sheela was there too and if she can join in then why not me?” Her arms dropped to her sides, her gaze searching mine, trying to understand.
“Yeah, but…” I held her hands again. “It was Rubina’s home, not mine. It was already surprising she let me in, and I just…” I had no idea how to explain that I didn’t want her to join because I didn’t want her to spill the beans about my whereabouts to Kaiden. “Umm… Sheela!” An excuse popped into my mind, easing the knot in my stomach. “You and Sheela, you did have that little wrangle, so I thought it might be a bad idea, especially since it was Rubina’s house and Sheela is her best friend.” I leaned in closer and whispered, lowering my voice as if we were sharing a juicy secret. “Trust me… Sheela would definitely use that to get even with you for how savage you were with her yesterday.”
She was silent for a while, her gaze flicking between my face and our joined hands. I held my breath, waiting, hoping I’d said enough to manipulate her and defuse the situation.
God! I know I’m being a really bad friend–manipulation, lying, and all… but… oh, god, I have no other option. Well, I have options… so let’s rephrase that: I have no other ‘safe‘ option.
“Yeah. You’re right. That does make sense.” She nodded slowly and that made me feel an overwhelming sense of relief. I could practically feel the weight lifting from my chest, and I was so relieved I almost wanted to jump for joy.
After our hockey practice, everyone left except me. I stayed to practice more because, with my current skill level, I might be good, but not good enough to do justice to the title of captain. I know I got the captaincy out of nepotism, but that doesn’t mean I’ll disrespect it.
Actually, I told the coach to give the captaincy back to Rubina, but she surprised me again by saying she was fine with being just a regular team player if I promised to practice hard and do justice to the title. She’s truly the sweetest person in the world. I still wonder what could’ve made Kaiden turn so cold, pushing him to ghost her, shut her out of his life, and destroy her father’s career.
It was hard to shake off those thoughts, but I sighed, shook my head, and turned back to my practice. I needed to focus.
I started with quick dribbles, feeling the familiar rhythm of the ball against my stick. Each tap was sharp, each movement purposeful. I took a few steps back, positioned myself for a shot, and lunged forward, striking the ball with all I had. It flew cleanly toward the goal, landing dead center with
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Chapter 20
a satisfying thud. Sweat dripped down my face, and my breathing was heavy, but it felt good. I repeated the drill a few more times, each swing harder than the last, as if I could shake the lingering questions from my mind.
After a few rounds, the exhaustion finally set in. I walked to the edge of the field, threw my stick into my bag, and took a quick sip from my water bottle. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I made my way to the locker room, the familiar scent of the turf clinging to me. As I reached near my Jocker, I dropped my bag on the floor with a sigh, ready to unwind and put today behind me.
“Nice gameplay, Introvert,” Kaiden’s voice echoed through the empty locker room, shattering the quiet and jolting me so hard I nearly dropped my water bottle, My eyes widened, my heart racing like the horses in a flat race, each beat galloping faster and harder, threatening to burst out of my chest.
What the hell is he doing here?
To be continued…
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