Try and Catch Me (Published)

Chapter 20: Hell Rises

Chapter 20: Hell Rises

"So," Sam said and took a seat next to me. "I hear that you have your counties game today." Sam swung an arm around me and pulled me close to her. Her skin tight dress clung to her body as she rubbed against me.

The lunch room was crowded, as usual. But what wasn't so usual was that Sam was sitting next to me. On a typical day, Sam sat on the opposite side of the lunch room surrounded by her friends. I was alone at my normal table, in order to focus on my studies. With soccer becoming so intense, it barely gave me anytime to do my homework or study. Even without soccer, I barely studied. Lunch was the period for me to get some food and knowledge in me.

That's what a normal day looked like in the cafeteria. Normal didn't consist of Sam plopping a seat next to me and talking about my after school activities.

It was a very strange moment and I felt extremely uncomfortable.

"What's it to you?" I snorted and threw her arm off my shoulder. She reeked of Pink perfume.

"I just want to wish my little sister good luck." She smiled. All I wanted to do was punch her. She always used the little sister term with me. She was literally born three minutes before me. That hardly gave her the right to be my big sister.

"Go away," I mumbled and buried my face in the sandwich Mom had made me.

"Will Aspen be going?" Sam asked with a cocked head. She watched me closely. A smile grew on her face. She knew that this was slowly getting to me.

I stopped eating. My sandwich fell to the table.

"Stop."

"I'm just curious." Sam shrugged and took one of my chips.

"Well stop," I said again. I was sick and tired of her always asking questions about Aspen. She had boyfriend for Christ sake! Shouldn't she have been spending the time worrying where he was all the time?

"I don't plan on doing that." She pushed away my bag of chips and stood up. "I'll see you at the game." Winking, she left my table and rejoined her friends who were all laughing.

. . .

Everyone came to the soccer game that day. It was a miracle that the girls got to counties. We always lost the game before this. Maddison was on the sidelines with me. The entire game she talked and talked about what was happening on the field. Hello! Maddison! I was watching the same game right next to her.

"Can you believe all these people showed up to watch us play?" Maddie said as she scanned the crowd. "It's so awesome." She smiled and began nodding her head.

"They're here to watch them," I said and pointed to the players on the field. "Not us."

"Mood killer," Maddie mumbled, but I waved aside her comment. If I engaged, there would just be more talking, and nobody wanted that.

Aspen was in the crowd smiling at me. I would have smiled back at him, but Sam was glued to his waist. At any minute, I swore that the entire field would catch on fire from my anger. Hell would have even risen above the earth's surface because of how mad I got just looking at Sam's flawless face. She really was that too: flawless. Somehow, she got no acne, while it felt like I was covered it in. She was even an inch taller than me, and even though it was only an inch, it bothered me. To make it even better -or worse, whichever was preferred- she looked even more perfect strapped to Aspen. The contrast between her pale and his tan skin just looked ideal together.

            "You rock!" Aspen called when he noticed I was watching him.

            I gave him a tightened smile and tried to wave, but my hand felt weak. My entire body felt weak.