ღ Finding Cinderella-22 ღ
-Tristan-
I should apologize to Kylie.
She must've been deeply upset with the way I'd approached her because it had led her to turn her back on me completely. Every time I tried to wave my hand at her or do anything to get her attention, she wouldn't turn in my direction. Not even give me a glance. Perhaps I shouldn't have forced that question on her.
How long would she stay angry with me?
Thinking too much could probably make your thoughts become real because as my friends and I were heading to the lockers, the first person I saw in the crowd was she. Kylie was leaning against her locker, books clutched in her arms as she stared at the floor.
Finally, good timing.
I was about to approach her when she suddenly turned her head in my direction. Little by little, a grin grew on her face as she started to walk toward me. I smirked. Just as I thought—she really couldn't handle missing me.
"Hi," I said. And cursed mentally. Out of all the things I could've said to her, why did it have to be 'hi'? But no one could blame me, really; I was tongue-tied. I couldn't move, and I couldn't look away from her.
"C-can we uh..." God, I was even stuttering. "Can talk for a sec—"
Then she passed by me as if I were invisible.
What the hell?
"Oh shit, dude. Burn." Clark laughed.
"Shut up," I grumbled.
I spun around, and my fists immediately clenched when I saw that she was heading toward Erik. The smile on her face was something I hadn't seen in a long time, and the worst part was, she was showing it to him. Then again, I couldn't be sure, but... I had a feeling she was faking it, seeing as the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
When Kylie wasn't looking, Erik looked back at me and smirked deceitfully before blending in with the rest of the crowd.
Something blazed in me. Dashing toward him, I pulled back my fist, but my friends fastened me in place before I could hit him.
"Whoa! Dude, dude, no!" Ryo said; his arms outstretched to block my path.
Kylie whirled around and exclaimed, "Tristan! What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?"
I struggled against my friends, still glaring at that bastard Erik who remained calm. My heart was pounding. My blood was boiling. Fuck. Just let me beat the shit out of him and be done with it.
"T, calm down," Grey hissed, tightening his grip on my shoulder. "Whatever this is, stop it before the teachers spot you."
Shaking my head, I yanked my arms away in full force and managed to break free. The almost-brawl had made the other students stop in their tracks and watch us. Gossip was spreading almost immediately between them, but that didn't matter much to me.
I grabbed Kylie's arm and pulled her closer to me. "I should be the one asking that. What are you doing, Kylie? How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from him?"
She pulled away with surprising force, and my face went rigid as I stared at her. Her face had gone red in anger and embarrassment.
"Whatever I do, wherever I go, it's not supposed to be any of your business, Tristan," she forced through gritted teeth. "Can you please stop now? Just leave me alone."
I took a deep breath to compose myself. "Fine. Your choice. I don't care what happens to you." I glared at Erik, but the bastard just gave me an oblivious look. Oblivious, my ass.
Kylie let out a laugh, but it sounded dull in my ears. "That's what I've been asking from you for a long time," she said, taking steps backward. "When did I ask you to be my bodyguard? Never, right? Thank God, you've finally come to your senses." With that, she turned her back on me and strode away.
Erik still hadn't said a word. He only tossed a malevolent grin at me before jogging after her.
Everyone else scattered the moment I glared at them. The chatter still went on, but it was gradually receding. I'd never been the type to start school fights or anything, but this time was different. I couldn't keep my emotions under control because seeing that bastard's face reminded me of what he had said about her in ninth grade. Up to now, I had kept it to myself. I didn't want Kylie to get hurt.
If I did, though, would she finally stay away from him or would she just hate me even more? Stupid girl. When would she listen to me?
"Is he okay?" I heard Clark whisper from behind me.
"Yeah, he's fine," Grey said like he knew what he was talking about. But then again, he was always like that. He released a huff of laughter, apparently amused by the chaos. "Just seething with jealousy."
-Kylie-
Why did my heart feel so bad?
This was supposed to be my chance to free myself from him. I was already sick with our stupid fights, his attitude, his thoughtlessness, the way we treated each other, everything. So I was ignoring him, and I should have been feeling glad. I wanted him to feel bad. I wanted to crush his spirit. Just like what he had been doing to me since for a long time.
Somehow, it worked; I could tell from his appalled expression a while ago. I should have been happy, but... I felt terrible at the same time.
"I've had enough!" I wailed as I slammed my tray onto the table.
Across from me, Julianne snapped her head up from her sub sandwich. "What in the world?" she snarled. "Really, Kylie, I'm eating here. Stop ruining my concentration."
I slid into my chair and began stabbing the meatballs in my spaghetti with a fork. "His attitude is so rotten. If he does that again, I swear I'm going to punch him so hard that his future kids are going to feel it."
Julianne choked on her orange juice and coughed. "So you're willing to punch your own children? Harsh!"
"What?"
She only laughed. "What did he do to you this time, anyway? Oh, wait, wait! Did he finally find out?"
"It's not that," I groaned. "He made a freaking scene in front of everyone, Jules. He tried to assault Erik! If his friends hadn't been there to stop him, there definitely would've been a bloody brawl."
"Shit. I can't believe I'm the last person to know about this." She shook her head. "I wish I'd seen the actual thing."
I pursed my lips in a 'really?' look. "So you'd have something to write for your gossip column?"
"Not only that. I wanna sell popcorn to the audience."
I put my hands on my face. "I should get an award for having the most embarrassing moment of the year. That jerk has definitely lost his mind. Why would he even do that? As far as I know, Erik has never done anything bad to him. Tristan's being so unreasonable."
After munching her sandwich, Julianne answered, "Maybe it's because of you?"
"What does that mean?"
"C'mon, let's be serious. There are guys who act aggressive like that when they see other guys around the girl they're into, even though they can't just be honest about it to the actual girl," she stated matter-of-factly.
My jaw fell. What was that? My thoughts were getting sluggish, and a few decades later, I put on my poker face and asked, "A-are you trying to say that Tristan likes me?"
Julianne dropped her sandwich on the plate and started a slow clap. "Hallelujah, at last!" she cried in awe. "Oh Heavenly Father, Buddha, Jesus Christ, thank you so much for knocking some sense into my friend's head! She's finally thinking!"
My brain exploded out of my skull.
"Jeez, Julianne, that's not it. That's impossible. Extremely impossible!" I cried out. "That's the most outrageous thing I've heard in my life!"
"The one who refuses the obvious is as foolish as the one who accepts the lie, Kylie. Please remember that."
I looked under the table and mocked, "Wow, Jules, you're so deep, I can't even see—"
"Shut up."
"Fine." I grimaced and sat up straight. "But still, Tristan liking me is a huge joke. He's annoying—"
"Thirty-third."
"—and insensitive and childish. I don't see any reason why I would like him."
Julianne heaved a sigh. "Now, now. Calm down, girl. Your lunch is getting cold."
I looked at my plate and realized that my meatballs had been poorly mashed by my stabbing. With my appetite lost, I rested my chin in my hands. "Let's stop talking about him before I develop high blood pressure."
"Hey. Mind if I join you two?" said a cheerful voice, interrupting my thoughts. My half-shut eyes grew larger when I saw Erik, his hands comfortably buried in his pant pockets.
"Uh, no, it's cool. Have a seat," I stammered, sitting up straight again and brushing the tips of my hair.
Julianne stood up and said, "All right, I'm gonna go get myself another drink."
I shot her an alarmed look, but she only gave me an apologetic smile before taking off.
Erik sat in her place. I forced myself not to cover my face with my hands. This was so awkward.
We remained in silence before I cleared my throat and said, "Um, sorry about Tristan earlier. I don't know what got into him to make him do that to you. It was very embarrassing, and I'm sorry again."
I shouldn't be apologizing on Tristan's behalf when he was the one that had instigated the trouble, but whatever—that jerk would never apologize to Erik, anyway.
Erik smiled—just a soft tilt of the corner of his mouth. "It's okay, Ky. It wasn't your fault so don't apologize. Come now, smile. Don't let it ruin the rest of your day. You're too cute to be sad."
Huh. For the first time in my life, a boy called me cute. Really? I looked like trash. But Erik was just trying to cheer me up so I snorted a laugh and accepted the compliment.
"Look, uh..." He paused, looking suddenly agitated. "This may be out of the blue, but would you like to go somewhere after school? If you're not busy or anything, that is."
I stared at him dumbfounded. Did I hear him right? Were my ears tricking me? Or was I hallucinating?
"What? Are you... um... are you asking me out?"
Erik rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. "Yeah. You know, just chill out, take a break from stuff, and talk. It's the least I can do to make you feel better, I hope."
"Ah," I said in realization. He meant it as a friendly date and nothing more.
"But if you're busy, it's cool, I understand. I can—"
"Okay," I blurted out. I felt a sudden churning in my stomach when I realized what I'd said, but I couldn't take it back now, especially when Erik was letting out a sigh of relief like he was really looking forward to it.
"Awesome," he said brightly. "Then I'll pick you up after school, okay?"
I nodded, forcing my lips to curl upwards.
Erik was about to speak when a beeping sound rang out. He patted his pockets and fished out his vibrating phone. "Sorry, I got a call," he said, grinning.
I signaled for him to go ahead, and he got up from the seat as he lifted the phone to his ears. When he was out of sight, I crossed my arms on the table and buried my face in them. Wherever Tristan was, I could sense his heavy gaze on my back, and it made me feel even worse. God, why was Julianne taking so long, anyway?
I was getting paranoid.
Why did everything seem so confusing?
-Tristan-
Why did everything seem so strange?
I noticed that she had been hanging out with Erik more frequently than I would like. Was there something going on between them? Something more than friendship? I had made it clear that I wouldn't care what would happen to her. It shouldn't be my business anymore.
But I still cared.
"T," said a voice, startling me. Turning around, I saw Lacey sitting next to me on the bleachers. "Spacing out? You don't look well."
I looked at the football field and the sunset beyond the buildings and trees. "Something just doesn't feel right these days," I replied with a shrug. "Wait, what are you still doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be home by now?"
"Yeah, but I was looking for Kylie. We were supposed to go home together. Do you happen to know where she is?"
I stared at her in disbelief. Didn't she know that her sister didn't want to see me at all? Lacey must've realized what I was thinking because she quickly snapped her mouth shut.
"Maybe she has an errand to run," I suggested. "Have you sent her a message?"
"I have, but she's not answering." She sighed. "I hope she's okay."
"Trust me, she is. I don't think anyone would dare cross her path. She can be quite the gremlin when not handled carefully."
"T!" she cried.
I laughed, and somehow, the heavy feeling in my chest eased up. "Sorry, sorry. But hey, honestly, your mother really needs to think about keeping her on a leash."
Lacey lifted an eyebrow. "Why? What's the new issue between you two, anyway, that started the fight this morning?"
"You know about it?" I hadn't seen her back in the hall during the commotion.
"Everyone knows about it."
Ah, of course. The rumors.
"It was just a little misunderstanding," I said hesitantly.
"Gee, I've heard that story before."
A humorless smile spread across my face. "It's getting tedious, isn't it? A never-ending cycle. I guess we'll never get along—like we used to."
"Hey, don't say that. You two will work it out, I'm sure. It may not be now, but someday!"
"Easy for you to say." I chuckled. "But that's cool."
Lacey let out a heavy sigh as if she was the one carrying the problem.
The area was slowly dipping into darkness, the temperature dropping. A gentle breeze blew over us, and Lacey tucked her hair behind her ear while I pushed my hands in the pockets of my jacket. We stayed like that for several minutes, just sitting in silence, looking at the football players and cheerleaders practicing in the field, watching the colors of the sky change...
Until Lacey broke the silence by blurting out, "T, what do you think of my sister?"
"What?"
"Do you like her?"
I blinked, my mouth hanging open.
She laughed. "I know I asked you this a long time ago, but you brushed it off. Now, I want to ask you again. So, do you like her?" She peered at me with heightened anticipation. When I didn't speak, she pleaded, "Come on, T. Please? Please answer me honestly, and don't leave me hanging. I know I'm being nosy right now, but pretty please?"
"You really wanna know?"
Her eyes lit up. "Yes!"
"The truth?"
"Yes! Yes!" she exclaimed again. "Answer me, do you like Kylie?"
Slowly, my smile widened. I tried to cover my mouth with my hand, but I could barely hide the uncontrollable grin that was forming. I knew I looked like an idiot.
Noticing my flustered look, Lacey giggled and sang, "Aha, my instincts were right all along!"
I chuckled. "Come to think of it," I said distantly. Her question had dug deep into my subconscious. "I've always been the kind of kid who teases the girl he likes just to hide what he feels for her."
Lacey gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my God. This is a major exposé," she said breathlessly. She opened her mouth, then shut it, then did it all over again. "So, um, when did it start?"
"Hmm, I wonder..."
"Why did you like her?"
"Uh..."
"Do you find her very special?"
I scratched my head. "Uh, does liking someone really need to have a reason?"
She shrugged. "Now that you say that... I'm not sure. Maybe it doesn't need a reason at all. I guess sometimes we just can't get to the root of how, when, and why we like a person. We just... do."
I smiled. Looking back, I realized there were so many things still waiting to be told. "That's right. I myself can't tell when it started. I just found her very weird and funny. She's herself no matter what other people said to her, and that fearless attitude of hers was really something. Before I realized it, she's already become so special to me, and... I just can't compare her to others."
I sucked in air when I finished. I couldn't believe I had finally said those words out loud. Getting them off my chest had given me a strange yet satisfying feeling. The things that I had been suppressing were coming to the surface, and there was no stopping them.
Lacey raised her index finger as if to point out something. "T, if you really like my sister, then why do you date other girls?"
A wave of regret suddenly crashed over me, and I swallowed hard. I could no longer deny this. I could no longer lie to myself.
"To try to get over her."
Lacey's eyebrows crumpled; her expression was a combination of disapproval and understanding. I knew—it was a stupid way to get over someone. And I regretted it now.
"But no matter how far I push my feelings away from Kylie, again and again they always go back to her," I said.
"If that's the case, then why don't you just accept those feelings and confess to her right away? I bet she'll be happy once she hears it."
"Happy? Are you kidding me?" I slapped my palm to my forehead. "God, I swear she's going to get mad. And there's also a huge possibility that she'll kill me."
"No, she won't."
"Yes, she will. She's Kylie, remember?"
"But—"
I sighed and said, "Trust me, Lacey, she'll kill me. She'll have me eaten by a lion, drown me in a bathtub, sink me in quicksand, push me off a building, run me over with a truck, fry me in the desert, and do so much more just to get rid of me."
Lacey wrinkled her nose. "Gee. You're exaggerating. Kylie will never do all those things."
"Still."
Kylie would never believe me, anyway. It was better if I kept this close to my chest.
"You know what, Lace?" I said after a moment of silence, "Because of this talk, I realized something."
"What is it?"
"Screw Cinderella and chase Kylie instead."
Lacey laughed. "It's really incredible to think that your heart can always tell who you're in love with even when your eyes don't recognize who they are."
I was clueless as to what she meant by that. Maybe she was referring to Clark; both of them were as hopeless as I was. Or maybe she was quoting some book again. She always did that whenever her head was in the clouds.
"Now that you said that, I guess I can't keep this from you anymore, T," she said, smiling apologetically. "I feel bad about it, I swear, so I'm sorry—I'm really sorry for lying to you."
"What... do you mean?" I felt my stomach drop.
"I know you'll get upset with me, and I know Kylie will get furious because I broke my promise, but I can take that. What matters right now is me telling you that"—she paused, her smile widening even more—"congrats, you did it."
I gaped at her. "I did what?"
"You found her!" She was almost bouncing on the seat in excitement. "You've already found the girl you've been looking for so long!"
It took me a while to process it all. And when I finally did, a shiver ran down my spine.
"Y-you mean—?" I wanted to speak, but a lump was in my throat.
Lacey patted her pockets to look for something. At long last, she slid it out, and my breathing stopped.
"I've been waiting for the right time to give you this," she said.
There was like a cord that had suddenly been pulled from the back of my head, making me paralyzed.
Christ.
It was the red string from the ball. The Heart string.
The one paired with mine.
The one owned by the mysterious girl.
Seeing the final piece of the puzzle in my hands made me speechless and out of breath. My hunch was right all along. Kylie. It was her. It had always been her.
Lacey smiled at me again, immeasurable relief on her face. "Kylie's lightning fast so you'd better go and find her. The clock's ticking. You have to say it before it's too late."