Chapter 34

" And where did he come from? He wasn't on the team last term...or was he?"

" No. I'd remember him if he was. That's not a face one can easily forget"

" Christ! He's like a polo professional, " 

I stood on the side of the field and silently listened as this group of girls talked on and on about J.R. They were so taken by him I doubted they were even paying attention to the game itself. They showered him with immense praise and said somethings about him that I prefer not to repeat since it would make my blood boil all over again. He was beautiful no doubt, and that is what the group of girls saw. Only that. They knew nothing about him yet they made all this assumptions about him and his character and morals because of the renowned stereotype.That as long as a male was physically appealing, then the chances of him being a... what's the term they used, ' player ' was high. And I was so riled up I couldn't help but turn towards them and clear my throat. They looked up at me in unison.

" He's by far the most clever and courteous student in this institution, " and he's mine I wanted to add but didn't. The girls turned to each other then they faced away from me and continued talking about something else. 

In the middle of the game J.R saw me and he inclined his head in my direction. I smiled and watched on for a few more minutes before I had to go. 

All the schools were competing in the swimming competition and each school had it's own number of players. I was to be in the first group alongside five other competitors. Three being girls who I had come to notice were quite good. I had seen one practice before we began and she was incredibly fast. 

Lovely as well. With dark hair that flowed to the small of her back and a look of utter focus on her ethereal face. According to the blazer I had seen her place on the side lounges,she was from the pristine Athena Rose girls school. The best girls school in the country and our strongest competitors as far as education went. She drew attention from everyone. Absolutely everyone. And not just because of her beauty, but because of the elegant way she carried herself, all her actions were so precise, so gentle and so well executed. But despite the allure, there was an aspect of her that prevented anyone from approaching her. It was like as it was in the romance movies my J.R loved, where all the boys were afraid of approaching the girl because they were sure she would turn them down. That they would simply not match up to her standards, and this particular beauty had extremely high standards no doubt. 

I went to the locker rooms and changed into my swim gear, then I picked my favourite book from my locker and read a bit to soothe myself and get rid of any lingering tension. 

" ..The truth does not hurt, it teaches. It trains and it moulds one into a shape suitable for reality. It forces one to live in the present, and therefore those who claim to be hurt by it are merely fearful to have it as a teacher. Because the lessons require them to let go of whatever comforts them, " 

It was a paragraph from the book and I liked it so much I folded the page with the aim of reading it to J.R later on. He loved it whenever I did that.

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Jeralds' POV

My team won the first round, and apparently we had breaks in between the matches. For my sake I assumed. You see, whereas the other players were only required to play a single game before another group came and took over to represent our school, I was to be a part of each one of them. The coach had planned it so. And since he didn't want me to die of fatigue before we officially won the entire thing, we were given twenty minute breaks in between the matches. 

As soon as the first round was over, I steered my horse to one of the stable keepers and got off immediately, handing him the reigns and telling the coach I would be back before the second round began. He asked me to make sure I wasn't late, there was such satisfaction on his features as he looked over his ' strategy book ' as he called it. 

I quickly made my way to the swimming pool area and through the crowds of people. There was so much noise there, not only from the people but also from some music system somewhere playing a song which was more for the purpose of entertainment than anything else. It puzzled me how the swimmers managed to concentrate with all that noise. 

Unfortunately by the time I got there, Calen had already finished his swimming rounds. And since all the Seville students seemed satisfied, I'd say he'd done a commendable job. He saw me while he was in the process of drying up his hair. His face lit up and he inclined his head to the locker rooms before grabbing a water bottle and heading that way. I followed behind him. 

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The locker room was occupied by three other Seville students when we got there, but they were all close friends of calen's and I had also interacted with them under different circumstances. He took a sip of the water and placed it down, then he crooked his finger towards me and beckoned for me to go to him. And I did. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him as if we had been separated for ages. 

My hands explored his bare chest, realising that despite having been in the pool, his skin was warm. I drew back and dug my hand in his wet hair. The others in the room went all " aaaaw " in a joking manner. But other than that they assumed we weren't even there. 

" I thought I'd get to see you, "

" You really do wish to see me swim, don't you?"

" Of course I do."

" You ought to have said so sooner, I would have given you a private show, perhaps even taught you a thing or two,"

 I shuddered and shook my head. I had no desire to learn how to swim. Something he was well aware of. He asked me how my first round had gone and I told him it had been okay. Then I buried my head into the crook of his neck and breathed in him. His clean scent made me dizzy in very good ways.

" I needed to see you before the second round, otherwise I feared I might fall off my horse due to lack of concentration."

" Well, we definitely would not want that."

" No we would not."

He lightly chuckled, then he pulled back just enough to give me another quick kiss. But after he did so, I noticed that something else had caught his attention and his eyes were now focused on the space in front of him towards the exit.

" May I help you? Are you lost perhaps? " I heard one of the other students in the room ask. So I let go of Calen and turned around.

My heart pounded so loud I feared my eardrums would explode. I had experienced this feeling before, back when I learnt that my father was in the principal's office. My breaths began coming in fast and rugged pants. I couldn't feel anything and I heard this ringing sound I my ears and everything turned into an incomprehensible motion. I felt like I truly was going to die. Calen must have realized this because I could hear him calling out my name, but the sound itself was so distant. He tried shaking me, but my eyes were glued to the girl who stood inside the doorway as she looked at me with this look of utter shock and unfathomable horror. My lips parted, and I wanted to explain, but at this point all I could say was...

" Aliyah? " 

My half-sister staggered back.

And I doubt I will ever forget that look she wore. Confusion and disbelief all mixed into one. She seemed as if she had a thousand things to say, but each time she tried the words were stuck in her throat. She reached for the wall and used it for support when she would have fallen. 

Calen was quiet and I knew why. I had told him about Aliyah a number of times, and he must have understood what was going on. This wasn't like the case with my father, this time she had seen Calen and I kiss... I was sure of it. I stepped toward her and she stood, looked around and quickly dashed out of the room. I heard her mutter a " sorry " as she did. 

And in that moment I knew that it was over. Aliyah and I had never been close, and sometimes I thought she  didn't even like me that much. So what was to stop her from telling on me?