Chapter twenty | Cherry blossom talks

Chapter twenty | Cherry blossom talks

The people around me were acting weird. After returning from Andrea's place, Cynthia had been eerily quiet. Her eyes had a lost look as she seemed to be in a faraway place.

"Cynthia, are you fine?"

She jumped hearing my voice and broke out of her trance.

"Huh?" She had a stunned look on her face.

"I asked, are you fine?" I repeated slowly, trying to make her understand.

"No," she hastily replied. "No, I am fine."

Her response did nothing to reassure me, but I nodded nonetheless.

We drove to school in silence. It wasn't comfortable but suffocating with tension. The air was heavy, making it impossible to get words out.

She quickly stepped out of the car as I parked it in. The gravel crunched under my feet as I did the same.

My eyes searched Cynthia, trying to find the familiar tiny figure. But she was long lost in the sea of students, making me sigh in dejectedly. Pushing past the cherry red doors, I entered the buzzing hallways.

Words electrified the air as I made my way towards my locker. I stopped short when I caught sight of a figure leaning against it.

Once long hair that reached her waist was now cut in a small sleek bob, barely touching her shoulders. Navya was leaning against my locker with eyes closed as dark bags made her swollen eyes more pronounced.

I gulped and looked around for any signs of Connor.

Feeling a hand on my back, I jumped up in surprise. My best friend was giving me a bright smile, looking better than he did yesterday. "Why do you look vampire pale, Elias? Trying to be the next Edward Cullen?" he asked with amusement shining in his eyes.

My eyes nervously darted towards Navya's form. By now, she had noticed us and was staring right in our direction.

I gulped as Connor followed my eyes and froze.

Connor's body deflated as his cheerful expression fell.

"You can talk to her. She is a friend, after all. I will need time so I will meet you in class." With his words barely above a whisper, he moved away from us. Both mine and Navya's eyes followed him as far as we could.

Finally, left with no choice, I sighed. As I got near my locker, I gave her another concern filled once over.

"How are you?" My voice was soft and cautious.

She took a hesitant step closer and bit her lips. "I think I am fine, but I am not sure," she muttered. Her voice was weak, lacking the normal strength.

I sighed and gathered her in my arms. Pulling her in for a hug, I rubbed her hair as she sobbed.

By now, we had gained attention, with a few pointing cameras in our direction. I glared at them, but a few seemed unconcerned.

"Mind your own fucking business!" I hissed venomously. Students seemed to be taken back by my words and tone, hesitating for a moment.

"Come on," I whispered as a few unrelenting folks continued poking their nose in. "Let's go somewhere else."

She pulled away and nodded weakly. Her eyes were glassy with tears as tears made a path down her cheeks.

I pulled her hand and made my way to the school library.

We moved to a relatively empty corner and settled down on the floor between the tall walls of books.

Once again, the barrier broke, and she cried her heart out. "I am so sorry," she whispered between her sniffles.

"There is nothing you need to be sorry about, especially to me. It wasn't my heart that you crushed but Connor's. You need to talk to him and tell him," I said firmly.

She hesitated but nodded.

I sighed and leaned my head against the bookshelf. The school bell rang in warning, but I ignored it. I wasn't ready to go to class yet.

"Who was the girl?" I asked as my voice was barely above a whisper, echoing against the bookshelves.

She pulled her legs closer to her body and shook her head. I closed my eyes as she explained.

"I can't tell you because she was drunk, and she is in a relationship."

Her statement made my eyes snap open. A small thrum of anger buzzed my veins.

"She not only destroyed your relationship but also cheated on her partner?" I hissed.

Navya shook her head vehemently and pleaded her next words. "It was going to be over soon, anyway. It was on my mind for a long time. The girl just concreted my decision."

Her words were sharp and pinched my skin. I turned my glare towards her. "Is it true that you never loved Connor?" I hissed venomously. "If yes, then why did you waste three years of his life?"

Somewhere deep, I knew I was behaving unjustly, but I couldn't control it.

She flinched as if my words were a harsh slap on her face. She hung her head low and fiddled with her fingers.

"I think I loved him at one point, but it just faded away with time."

"Then why remain in a relationship? Why not just break it off?" I gave her a long stare, waiting for the answer.

She froze for a moment and then looked up to meet my eyes. "I was scared of losing both of you." She bit her lips, biting back her sob.

I couldn't help but scoff. Getting up from my spot, I straightened my clothes.

Her face displayed a panicked expression as she did the same.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

I turned and pinned my eyes on her. My face was void of emotions, just like my eyes.

"I am trying to be impartial here, but it is hard. Watching Connor being so hurt because of you is hard for me to digest."

"But my sexuality is not something I could change. Are you angry about that?" she screeched as she came closer.

I shook my head disappointed. "No, I am not angry about it, and neither is Connor. I am angry that you tagged him along for years and played with his emotions. You knew how much he cared about you. If you couldn't reciprocate, then you should have broken it off when it was still early."

She was at a loss of words as I made my way outside. I know it needed to be said, but I think the way I said it was a bit too harsh.

Cynthia was right, I couldn't remain unbiased in this case. Somehow, I had singled out Navya and pinned her for the pain when it wasn't entirely her fault.

It wasn't anybody's fault, just the situation's play.

I sighed as the tension in my shoulders left, making me shake my head.

My thoughts were a messy jumble, and I needed some peace to clear it. I still had time before my next class, giving me ample chance to self-analyze.

I kept lurking in the corridor, with my mind a mess. A few students were still in the hallway trying to pass their time like me.

I jumped a little as the art room door suddenly flew open.

Stopping short in my track, I noticed Aaron step out with his clothes rumpled and hair wild. What shocked me more was when Cynthia stepped out next, trying to tame her dark tresses. She paused when she noticed me standing there.

After a few seconds of painstaking silence, she gave me a guilty smile and averted her eyes.

"I will see you soon, Cyn," Aaron murmured, placing a kiss on her lips.

I felt my heart clench painfully, making me tighten my jaw.

"Hey, Elias! See you at practice," Aaron greeted me as I nodded in return. Uncaring to the awkwardness, he walked away.

I nodded towards Cynthia too and walked away from her. It was obvious what they were doing, and I had no intention of getting to know more about it.

"Eli!" she called out after me, making me come to a halt.

"Yes?" I couldn't help it, but my voice was curt.

"Uh-h, wanna hang out till the next period?" she asked hesitantly after my rude tone.

"Ok," I whispered. With barely any students there, she heard it.

Click-clack of her heels moved closer to me as she stepped by my side. We walked in silence, around the halls, avoiding the corridor monitors.

"Are you with him?" I asked, not being able to resist my curiosity. She gave me a questioning glance, but with a long look from me a realization drew in.

"No, I am not. It is more of friends with benefits kinda situation. You know scratch each other's itch, kind of thing. No feelings whatsoever," she replied hastily.

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly even if her last statement made my heart ache a little less.

"What do we do next?" I asked, trying to divert the topic from this conversation.

She paused in her steps, making me turn around and frown towards her. "What happened?"

She shook her vigorously and picked up her pace. "We can get a tattoo?" she suggested some steps later.

I glanced at her and scoffed. "That is out of the question. I don't want those toxic inks in my bloodstream, and second, they are just not my thing."

"Oh! Come on! Tattoos are not that bad. Even I have one!" she over-exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

I gave her a surprised look. "You do? Where?"

She had a mischievous look on her face as her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Just below my breasts. Wanna see?"

I blushed a million shades of red and pink and shook my head. "No, thanks. But what is the tattoo, and when did you get one?"

"I got it this summer when I was visiting my mother." She pouted for a second. "It was a horrible season to get one as my skin was sensitive after that, and I had to avoid any bikini. Well, for the tattoo, I got a cherry blossom twig tattoo. It is in light pastel pink shades."

Just as I was going to ask more, the bell rang. Students ran away from their previous classes and poured in the hallway. The noise of feet scraping along the floor and people chattering wildly, drowned any other sound.

"I have to go! Bye!" I said hurriedly and moved away from her, trying not to imagine her tattoo or where it was.

I was leaning over my shoes, tying my laces, getting ready for practice after school.

"So, she got bored with you too," I heard a smug voice say behind me.

Turning around, I glared at Jacob. "Seriously, don't you have some friends to socialize too?" I asked, already annoyed with his presence.

His smirk fell right off his face, giving an angry scowl its way in.

"Watch your fucking place nerd," he hissed, leaning closer to me. "Or I will show you."

I just scoffed at his words and rolled my eyes. Could this dialogue be anymore cliche?

"Oh, I am scared," I retorted sarcastically.

He gripped the front of the shirt, squinting his eyes at me. "Don't be so smug about the little reputation you have bug. It will be crushed soon, anyway. Cynthia will find someone else to fill her up. Or maybe she already has."

Jacob's eyes moved behind me meaningfully as I felt a presence behind me.

"Back off, Everett," Aaron warned.

Jacob's words brought a maniac rage over me. I shoved his hands away from my shirt and landed a punch straight on his face. "Shut up! You fucking piece of shit!"

His nose was bleeding a bit as my knuckles throbbed. With a twisted scowl on his face, he launched on me.

Nobody could react for a moment as the fight broke out. Spectators collected all around us as boys encouraged us to fight more.

He punched straight on my eyes, surly giving me a black eye. After a few punches here and there, I felt Connor and Aaron pull me back as some of Jacob's teammates pulled him back.

I looked at him and smiled at the damage I made.

He had a bleeding nose and swollen cheeks.

Hearing all the fuss, the girls had gathered at the locker rooms too. Right at the entrance, they waited for us to come out.

As I stepped out, Cynthia observed the scene with a horrified gasp along with Andrea. Both of the girls' eyes were wide as shock paralyzed their form.

"Oh my, God!" Cynthia was the first one to speak. "What the hell happened here?"

I glared at Jacob and then turned my eyes towards Andrea. "Nothing," I huffed and freed myself from Connor's arms.

"You all right dude?" Connor asked me concerned, looking at my swollen black eye, busted lip, and the bruise on my chin. I just nodded in response.

Cynthia rushed to my side and cradled my face in her hands. "You are going to the medical room. It is badly swollen," she declared as she lightly touched my eye, making me hiss.

Andrea was still in shock as she gazed into the blank space.

"Why did you guys fight in the very first place?" Cynthia asked as we walked to the medical room.

Jacob had already left the premises as we stopped in front of the room.

"Nothing," I muttered, meeting Connor's eyes. I gave him a warning look, silently asking him to keep his silence on the matter.

He nodded in understanding as Cynthia gave a huff. "Nothing doesn't lead to fights," she whispered just before the principal rushed into the room with the school nurse.