Fifty-eight

I listen to the assistant announce the teams that have qualified for the next round of the tournament. I can't believe that our school has three teams, while we didn't even manage to get one crystal. Hiro is as shocked as I am.

"How is it possible we didn't even have one crystal?" he asks out loud.

"Let me finish please," the assistant says. "There are also all the teams from Haruto high school, Fugito high school is eliminated because all their members were seriously injured and it will take them at least one month to heal. And also today there will be no ranking, it will only start from tomorrow. From now on you are free to go to your room which are designated and those who want to go to the infirmary you can go there now."

" For the occasional tournament, a boarding house will be set up so that those who participate in the tournament can sleep in it."

"Yes," we all say in unison.

Everyone disperses to their own rooms or other places. I follow Naoka, Naoto and Yugo to the infirmary. Yugo was badly hurt during the fight and I feel guilty for not being able to protect him. He is my friend and teammate, after all.

We wait for the nurse to examine them. I hope they are not too serious.

"Well, let me assess them please," the nurse says.

She observes Naoto and Yugo carefully.

"Well, Naoto only has a minor injury, but Yugo you'll have to stay here for at least a week. I'm sorry, but your injury is too serious for you to continue."

"Yes, I understand," Yugo says with a sad voice. "I would have liked to continue the tournament."

I feel a pang of sympathy for him. He must be so disappointed.

"Are you alright, Yugo?" I ask him.

"Yes, don't worry, but could you please leave me alone?" he says.

He probably wants some privacy. I respect his wish.

"Yes, of course, let's go," Naoka says.

We leave the room and close the door behind us. I hear Yugo start to cry. It breaks my heart.

"We have to avenge him, what happened today must not happen again," Naoka says with determination.

"Yes, let's eat now," Naoto says.

"Yes, good idea, let's go Eloise," Naoka says.

I nod, but I have something else in mind.

"You can go on without me and I'll join you later," I say.

"Alright, see you later," Naoka says.

They leave and I stay behind. I have to see the girl from earlier. The one who helped me when I was in trouble. 

I walk towards the garden behind the infirmary, hoping to find her there. But on my way, I stop next to a room. Not just any room. It's Amber's room. T

I decide not to enter, but I can't help listening to their conversation. Maybe I can find out why they are together. Maybe I can make sense of it all.

"I know this is probably not the right time, but I wanted to talk about what happened the last time when we were at my place," Jade says.

" Yes, that day I didn't really expect it, but I must admit that I liked that kiss," Amber says.

I feel a surge of anger and jealousy. Kiss? They kissed? No, Jade can't do that to me. She cheated on me.

I start to have tears in my eyes. I can't bear to hear more.

"Yes, that kiss and well," Jade says.

She doesn't even have the time to finish his sentence when Amber kisses her. I see them through the window. They are so close. So happy. So in love.

I think I've seen enough. I can't take it anymore. I run away with tears in my eyes. I don't care where I go. I just want to get away from them. From the pain.

I arrive at the place where Ella is waiting for me. She sees me and smiles. She doesn't know what I just saw. She doesn't know how I feel. She doesn't know how much I need her.

I feel a warm embrace around me. It's the girl who 'saved 'me earlier. She has a gentle smile on her face, but I can see the concern in her eyes.

"What's the matter, why are you crying?" she asks me softly.

I quickly wipe away my tears. I don't want her to see me like this. I don't want anyone to see me like this.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious," I lie.

She doesn't seem convinced, but she doesn't push me further. She just holds me in her arms, making me feel safe and comforted.

"I know you don't trust me, but don't keep everything to yourself. If you need to talk about it, come to me," she says.

I nod, but I don't say anything. I don't know how to tell her what I just saw. How mys supposed girlfriend kissed someone else. How they betrayed me. How they broke my heart.

"Yes, don't worry about me, but tell me, you asked me to come here," I say, changing the subject.

She releases me from her hug and looks at me with admiration.

"I just wanted to tell you that I think it's great what you did today. Your speech shows that you have confidence and that you're not afraid of anything. I, for example, would never have wanted to do that. You've changed a lot since high school, so it's really nice to see you again," she says.

I blink in surprise. High school? Did we go to the same high school?

I look at her more closely. She had long black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wears a simple white dress and a necklace with a pendant. She looks familiar, but I can't place her.

"Wait, we went to the same high school?" I ask.

She nods and smiles.

"Yes, we did. Don't you remember me? I'm Ella, your old friend I just dyed my hair" she says.

I gasp. Ella? My old friend? The one who used to sit next to me in class? The one who shared her snacks with me? The one who always made me laugh? The last time she was here she kissed me goodbye. But now that I remember, my cheeks are starting to turn a little red.

"Ella, it's you! I haven't seen you in a long time. You've changed a lot in a short time. I almost didn't recognize you," I say.

She laughs and shrugs.

"I haven't changed that much. I feel like I've stayed the same. And you've gotten bigger than me in height," she says.

I smile and hug her again.

"Yes, it's really nice to see you again," I say.

Suddenly, her stomach growls loudly, making us both laugh.

"Let's go to the cafeteria to eat," I say.

"Yes, I think that's a great idea," she says.

"Let's go," I say.

We walk to the cafeteria, holding hands. I feel happy and hopeful. Maybe things will get better. Maybe I can forget about Jade and Amber. Maybe I can start over with Ella.

We join Naoka and Naoto at a table. They look surprised to see me with Ella, but they don't say anything. They just greet her politely and make some small talk.

"Tell me what you've been doing all this time," Naoka asks me.

I shrug and smile.

"Don't worry, nothing special. Let's just finish our meal and I can't wait to go and have a shower," I say.

"Yes, that's true," Naoto says.

We eat our food and chat about the tournament. I try to act normal, but I can't help glancing at Ella from time to time. She smiles back at me, making me feel warm inside.

After lunch, we part ways. Ella says that she has to go back to her room and that she will see me later. 

I decide to go to my room as well. I need some rest and some time to think. I walk along the corridor, humming a tune.

But then, I see her. Jade. She is standing in front of her room, looking at me. She has a guilty expression on his face, but she tries to smile.

"Hi, Eloise," she says.

I feel a surge of anger and hurt. How dare she talk to me? How dare she act like nothing happened? How dare she pretend that she cares?

I ignore her and walk past her. I don't want to see her. I don't want to hear her. I don't want to feel her.

I go to my room and slam the door behind me. I lock it and throw myself on the bed. I bury my face in the pillow.