Chapter 15 #3
I blushed and smiled shyly at her. Then Aish started sharing her opinions on the fights, and I let her ramble about the students' performance since she clearly enjoyed chattering. Training continued, and after Breno won his match, he sat down beside me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“I can't even believe you got a win. Man, you beat Adele!”
Breno pulled me against his chest and squeezed tight.
“Thanks, Breno,” I mumbled breathlessly while patting his arms. “You can let go now—I can't breathe.”
“It's great that your win was today, because we're going to celebrate big at tomorrow's party.”
I agreed, a little anxious about the event. Breno let me go but kept smiling like an idiot. Then he exchanged a few words with Aish and Hiro, who already seemed close to him.
I didn't even need to look to know that a certain general wasn't happy with Breno's hugs.
But I didn't pull away. After all, part of me liked seeing Zion bothered—as if I were somehow getting back at him for all the tears he'd made me shed.
I was just afraid Breno was taking this too seriously.
Lately, he'd been getting unbearably clingy, and I wondered if he enjoyed playing with death or if he simply couldn't sense the danger—which was impossible, since anyone would notice Zion's scowl.
Training continued, and at the end of the afternoon, Zion announced that classes were canceled the next day—the director had given us the day off to celebrate the Rosnir holiday.
It was the holiday commemorating Interion's victory in the Great War and was named after the warrior responsible for saving the city.
As soon as he dismissed us, I headed to the locker room to grab my bag.
The place was buzzing with chatter and gossip.
The girls were all excited about the next day's party and talked enthusiastically about clothes, shoes, and makeup—things that normally weren't part of my daily life, since I didn't go to events.
When I opened my locker to get my earrings and leave, I noticed a strap hanging from the top.
I pulled the strap and was happy to see it was my bag, which Adele had returned.
I unzipped it to check if everything was inside as I'd left it, but when I reached in for my belongings, I felt several small pieces.
I pulled one out, trying to figure out what it was—it looked like an electronic circuit board.
Then I dumped everything out on the table.
The pieces were the remains of my cell phone. Adele had completely destroyed it.
The locker room fell silent as I stared at the mess of little pieces.
I looked around, searching for her face.
I wanted to kill her. Shit! I wanted to punch her until her face turned to mush under my fists.
But she wasn't in there. She must have run off earlier.
Feeling humiliated once again, I grabbed the trash can from the end of the lockers, set it on the edge of the table, and swept the mortal remains of the device into it.
I took a deep breath to calm the searing rage tearing me apart. I told myself it was an old phone and it was time to replace it anyway, but that didn't help—I still wanted to kill her.
On the outside, I shrugged, slung the bag over my shoulder, and pretended I didn't care as I walked out of the gym with my head held high.
Δ
I walked back through the quiet streets of the neighborhood, thinking about everything that had happened in those two months.
A cold breeze wrapped around my body, making me huddle inside the green jacket I liked best. The stars were visible in the sky now that summer had ended, giving way to autumn.
The climate barrier had been removed, revealing an incredibly starry sky.
The countless orange five-pointed leaves rustled on the ground as I passed, and a dog barked somewhere in the neighborhood.
I took a deep breath, smelling the rain fritters coming from some house nearby.
Somehow, it seemed like my body was more aware of everything around me, or maybe I was just trying to escape my own thoughts.
These past few days, my mood had been all over the place. Sometimes I felt like I was on the edge of a precipice, balancing between loneliness and rage. I felt overwhelmed with everything: the hospital, training, final exams, and especially the emptiness.
Cars passed by, the wind blew through the trees, and a couple holding hands laughed on a bench in the side garden. Life went on, and I felt stuck in time, like a broken clock they'd hidden in the attic thinking it might be useful for something someday.
There would always be the hospital and all the purpose it brought to my life. Apart from that, I felt hollow inside. Empty and terribly alone, to the point where I couldn’t see any way out of the feeling.
I crossed the small daisy garden at the front of the house, kicking at the white pebbles along the path that led to the front steps. Feeling melancholy, I went inside and leaned against the doorframe, taking in my surroundings. Everything was dark, silent, and lifeless.
A perfect reflection of my existence.