"I see you're not wearing your high ponytail, cheer," Kurt teases as he makes his way towards our group.
Kurt Crawford is my human version of a headache in Colorado. He doesn't let any moment pass without teasing me, mocking me and annoying the hell out of me. But he gets all whimpering back to his hell hole when I turn deviously calm and cold. There's only one person in this world who can face me and never flinch. Grayson.
As for the freaking ponytail, I used to wear a high ponytail, something that screams stereotypic cheerleader. Kurt always jokes about that and pulls it when he's messing with me.
"I see you're not wearing your letterman jacket, dick," I counter and he chuckles, shaking his head.
"You don't know?" he asks and my brows shoot up. Is this another episode of What Harley Doesn't Know show?
"You got suspended?" I ask at the same time I'm questioning myself why am I even bothering. This is Kurt Crawford, an irrelevant idiot.
Only now that he isn't that relevant because he is my hunch.
Kurt shakes his head as he smiles but I notice a tinge of grim in it. "I thought you know everything, Gold."
"If you were to compare the things I know compare to the maximum limit of information your brain can hold, then yes, Kurt, I know everything," I counter and the people behind me a.k.a my Lexus teammates who slipped my mind, chuckles ever so slightly.
Kurt looks at them before returning his gaze back to me. He dramatically rubs his chin with his fingers and then sighs. "I thought Allison told you. Oh very well, I guess the annoying Queen Bee wanna-be hates your guts now."
"Quit the 'I thought' part, Kurt. I know it's just a metaphor," I force a smile and as I'm about to pivot on my heels, Kurt drops the bomb.
"Everyone at Prescott thinks I'm a spy for Lexus," he says, confirming my hunch.
As far as I can remember, Principal Hayes mentioned Kurt during our times at his office. When Watson accused him of having a spy, I just put two and two together.
Before I could even react, Bridget suddenly scoffs. I send her a side glare because one, she isn't a part of this conversation and two, she doesn't even know Kurt Crawford. "How could you be a spy? We don't even know you."
From my peripherals, I notice Austin extend a hand towards Bridget's side and lightly pinches her on the skin just above her ribcage. Our drama queen winces and glares at him but eventually shuts up and steps a bit backward. I shake my head in annoyance.
"Exactly," Kurt points at her, his eyes shinning with the fact that someone finally spoke out the evident truth. "Just because Lyndon is my uncle doesn——"
"Principal Hayes is your uncle?!" asks everyone behind me in chorus. How cute it is that their minds are at sync? Take note, they're from two different groups and are supposed to be on not-speaking terms.
Kurt frowns as though he's been judged. Well, partly yes. No one really likes Principal Hayes so being related to him kind off ticks you off the somehow-desirable list.
"Your friends are equally annoying as you are, Gold," he tells me and I just shrug. He's right though.
Again, my hand unknowingly grabs Grayson's. I look at Kurt who gazes at that for a quick couple of seconds before turning back to me. "I want to say it's so good to see you but it really isn't. So I'll just settle with 'go back to hell'."
I don't have to tell my group to continue walking to the field. I bet they are as fed up as I am from all the Lexus-Prescott drama.
Everyone are eyeing me like I'm a piece of meat. There are series of whispers and taunting looks from people of different schools but I hold my ground. I hate spotlights but I was able to learn how to live with it.
Coach Bradford was able to save enough seats for us but the genius took a place close to the bunch who wants my head. So I send him a side glare which he returns with a sheepish smile. Looks like he got this because he didn't have a choice.
"Is that..." Bridget leans sideways to me and points with her finger the subject of her question.
Following the line from her finger stands a bulky young man wearing a white cap and holding a white board used for coaching.
"Ryan," I tell her and she nods.
Hiro's bestfriend is the assistant Coach of Kingston Knights. If only my brother is here, he could've gotten far with his career.
"He looks haaaawt," Bridget dreamily says as she drools over him.
"That's disgusting, Bri," I complain and she lets out a tongue. That is so mature.
"Only because he is Hi...." she stops herself from mentioning my brother's name and then sends me an apologetic look she shouldn't really have bothered.
"Let's just focus on the game," I say to divert her attention but when I turn to look at her, she's already staring at someone different.
Again, I follow her and my eyes land on Allison who's wearing the jacket I believe is mine. If she wore that in hopes that she'll get my attention, then she is winning. That is not her to flaunt.
I look back at Bridget to see for myself if she's familiar with the jacket but the brat already has her eyes set back on the game, which left me reeling with colorful curses that I could throw at Allison.
The game ended with Kingston as the winner. Westfields don't look as happy and as boastful as they were last year. Probably because their ace players graduated.
While everyone's busy telling each other about the game they all just watched together—typical viewers—, I decided to hunt down Clarke. Not to have a chitchat with him and talk about the old times but to ask him a favor that's completely out of the context of this competition. I just need him to get something of mine that Allison now possesses.
I dive through the sea of people at the hall that leads to the lobby of the stadium. Some are looking at me like I'm a celebrity and some are glaring because it's either I step on their shoe or I intentionally push them away.
When I see a mop of chocolate brown hair, I turn my mild shoving to a violent one. I need to get Clarke.
I don't usually do this but I really need what I will ask him to get. So call me desperate. "Clarke!"
As soon as he hears me, his head snaps to my direction and smiles. Every Prescott athletes are looking at him, waiting for his reaction. Will Clarke talk to a traitor? I roll my eyes with that unspoken question.
Fortunately, Clarke really isn't as narrow minded as everybody else. He doesn't even give a flying fuck of what others think. He walks through the squirming crowd and never stops until he reaches me.
"Miss me?" he teases.
"I need to ask you a favor," I say without even bothering for an introduction. I notice that and of course, so does he but he isn't offended or anything.
"Anything, Harley," he replies eagerly and then his face shifts. I know exactly what he's about to say next. "You know I love you as a friend and all but if it means I have to——"
"I'm not stupid, Clarke. I won't do that to you," I snap at him and he shoots his hands up in the air, surrendering.
"What is it then?"
"I need you to get the jacket Allison borrowed to me," I say and his face frowns.
I bet he's already thinking of possible ways to make Allison return that jacket to me. That girl is the sweetest when she likes you but she is nasty as hell when she's a bitch. Clarke sometimes want to strangle her everytime she gets all bossy on people she doesn't like.
"I'll see what I can do," he says and then turns his back to me as he waves his hand in goodbye. No need for explanation or any more convincing words. He just went off.
Guess I'm very lucky with people.
I walk back to where I left my teammates who are probably looking or waiting for me. When I reach the door, I hear voices from known people speaking and conversing with each other.
I was told by my parents that it's bad to eavesdrop but then again, I grew up with my brothers who had such good influence on me. Eavesdropping is never a crime to them. It's actually entertainment.
"I must admit, I'm expecting this to happen," Kurt proudly says.
"Look, we are not here to feed your oversize ego. They're asking you nicely," Grayson says and I kind of want to high-five him later for saying that to him.
"I'm guessing you're the boyfriend," Kurt says and with that, I hide myself behind the double doors, wanting to listen more.
This is new. Ever since last night, I've been fetching for informations. I never do that. I stopped doing that. But this time, it's different. I feel like my whole life is at stake here.
"Just answer the question, Kurt," Austin says, his voice evidently annoyed and in rush. I guess he's anticipating that I might walk-in on them.
"And you are the bestfriend," Kurt's tone is mocking.
"Come on, guys. He clearly doesn't know our Harley. Besides, we're the ones who know her from her petals to her roots. Let's just go before she sees us," Bridget interjects. I know it's only a part of her ploy to make Kurt spill his guts. My girl is a genius.
Kurt scoffs and I can already see confettis showering over Bridget's head. She just won a battle against a very gullible person. How rewarding.
"You just think you do," Kurt says.
"Really? You'll argue with us who spent all our lives with her and you just spent what, two?" Jace replies, obviously jumping on the train Bridget is driving.
"Yeah, but I know her with who she is now. Do you?" Kurt asks and everyone are dead silent.
I am more interested with how Kurt is going to describe to the people who has seen the old Harley so I lean closer to the half-closed door and steady my breathing. Of course, I don't want to be caught. Imagine the stain in the reputation of the girl who never gave a damn about everything and now she's eavesdropping?
"Harley is crazy when she's on her Alpha mode," Kurt starts. I was called Alpha for the reason that Prescott's mascot is a wolf. "When she handles us during practices, she doesn't know everyone. Not even Allison who's close to her."
"Bridget knows the feeling," Jace cuts in.
"No, you don't understand. Harley is terrible with caring for people when she's got an agenda going on inside that devious head of hers. You can't talk to her, you can't break what she said, you can't get a timeout until you're done with fifty laps, and so on..."
When it's coming from Kurt's mouth, I sound so harsh and ruthless. Maybe I am?
"But after we won the championships last year, we realized we became very disciplined. We learned how to control our emotions, handle our egos and most especially, get that championship title without even trying. I don't want to brag but it's true and you guys have seen it with your own eyes. We're bored out of hell playing the games because Harley's ways are more difficult, tiring and well, worthy of exceeding effort."
"Yikes..." Evo murmurs.
"Bridget's gone pale," Jace teases and then I hear a loud slap and I assume that's from Bridget.
"There came a time of course that we want to rebel against her but none of us actually did it. Even I who happens to dislike all her ways and I'm proud to show her," That's true. Kurt may be a pain in the ass but he's one of the best allies there is. "Deep down we know we need what she's doing. In order to be tough, we must be honed."
"Oh god, I can already imagine my everyday life," Jace comments again. Why is he so whiny?
"Yeah, always panting, always sweating and always sore," I can hear the grin on Kurt's face. It's like he's saying, 'I've been there. Now's your time to suffer.'
"So we just have to let her?" Grayson asks.
There's a few seconds of silence before Kurt replies. "Aren't you her boyfriend? You should know."
This boyfriend stuff with Grayson has spread like a freaking disease. It won't be long until the entire Lexus population gets a hold of this lie. I roll my eyes at the term boyfriend.
"As you said, we don't know who or how she is now. We experienced her devil-may-care attitude but we need to hear it from someone who survived her," Jaron gets on Grayson's side.
"I can take her. I will always have her b——"
"So I've heard," Kurt cuts in.
"...but I need to ask for them. This may be also their way of asking you to allow them have a glimpse of what they missed when Harley removed herself from them. Tell them about who she is in Colorado," Grayson says and my heart pulls a string.
What Grayson has just said smacked a painful realization in me. That I am a self-centred wallowing little girl who just took the easiest way of being pain-free.
When my brothers died, all I've ever known and ever felt is the hollow inside my chest. It's a daily—or hourly, or secondly—reminder that I will never be whole again and I'm missing a lot of things in my life and that I will never be complete again. When I left Chicago and decided to take Colorado by the storm that is me, I did the same to the people who loved me back here. I gave them that hollow, a hollow that can never be filled by anyone but me.
And I reliazed, they really are in search of me, of the good and bad me. They're eager to be with me whatever phase I am. They want to know me and be a part of me still. Just imagine my friends as a child who was lost for years and just met her mother. The child would want to know what her mother has been doing all these years. A deep metaphor but yes, it's the closest thing I could describe our situation.
"Harley's mom.." Kurt pauses and I can almost see his mind drift away with a memory with my mother in it.
Which is basically just my mom inviting them all over unbeknownst to me and she will tell them the tales of Harley and Lexus and her merry band of happy idiots.
"Told us a lot of things about you," Kurt chuckles. He is really reminiscing, even the part where my Mom even slipped something that put me into so much shame. "Your connection with Harley is very nerve wracking but it is really amazing when you see it with your own eyes."
"We are her home," Jace points out.
"I'm not here to argue with that."
"So the question, we're just gonna let her do her thing?" Austin asks.
"Yeah, of course. Just like what I said, we only realized what Harley did to us when we're through with the competition. We are a better version of ourselves thanks to her."
"Guess we just have to suck it," Jaron complains and a few others groan. I suspect that Bridget is one of them.
"Exactly. And if Harley was able to bring out the best in us, then expect that she'll do better with Lexus. After all, you are her home."
I thought it's the end of their conversation so I started straightening myself up but then I heard friendly slaps on the back followed by slight chuckling.
"I can't imagine how you guys were able to endure her cold stares and suicide trainings," Jace tells him in a tone that somehow resembles an amazement.
Kurt guffaws because he wasn't the type to endure me. He will complain and complain and complain and sometimes sabotage my ways but then again, he listens. He's well aware he never endured me.
"A word of advice?" Kurt asks and I suppose they all nod. "She's the devil herself but I suggest you pray."
Bridget scoffs. "Pray? Really? What are we supposed to pray?"
"I guess one Harley Mary would be fine," Kurt replies and I broke into a smile.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
I haven't proofread this one yet!
Pardon me for any errors.
And also,
Thank you so much for the love!
76k reads used to be a dream!
Another dream is to have the sweetest and nicest readers who were with me since the beginning!
✨
Thank you for making me achieve
that dream!
And to those who are just recently
reading my work...
✨
Thank you for choosing my book!
I'll do my best.
Til next time,
Elle. 🖤