Chapter 34 THE RECONCILIATION
RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Leonid sat in his seat at the back of the classroom, one earphone plugged into his ear, the faint sound of gunfire and game music leaking from it as he stared down at his phone, fingers moving with sharp, effortless speed. His attention was nowhere near the board.
Beside him, Kira sat upright, eyes on the teacher, her notebook open and pen moving neatly across the page.
She suddenly nudged his shoulder.
"The teacher's eyes are on you, Leo" she whispered.
Leonid glanced up lazily and sure enough, the teacher was already staring straight at him.
"Come over here and solve this equation on the board" the teacher said, tapping the marker against the massive formula written behind him.
Leonid didn’t even bother standing up.
"The answer is negative three over two" he said calmly, eyes already dropping back to his phone.
A stunned silence followed.
Then... Gasps.
Whispers and murmurs filled the classroom. A few girls stared at him like he had just performed magic.
The teacher blinked, then checked the solution on his paper before nodding slowly.
"Good one, Volkov"
The bell rang seconds later, loud and sharp, signaling break. The teacher grabbed his files and walked out.
Kira turned to Leonid with wide eyes.
"Gosh, I wish I had your type of brain"
Leonid shrugged nonchalantly, still focused on his game. "It’s overrated"
A group of girls immediately rushed toward their desk, giggling nervously, holding wrapped boxes, chocolate bags, and small gift packs.
Kira sighed, already used to it.
"Just drop them on the table and leave. He appreciates" she said lazily.
The girls obeyed, setting the gifts down, sneaking glances at Leonid, blushing hard, then walking away in flustered excitement.
Kira stared at the growing pile.
"Can they just stop already?" she groaned.
Then suddenly her eyes lit up.
"Oh! I just remembered something"
She turned toward him.
"My parents won’t be home tonight. Can I come over to yours?"
"No" Leonid replied flatly.
"Why? You never let me come to your house. You know my house but I don’t know yours. I’m your best friend!"
"Still no"
She folded her arms and pouted.
"Sulking doesn’t suit you" he said with a faint grin.
"Can you move your eyes from your phone and just look at me?"
"No"
She groaned dramatically. "I hate you"
He smirked slightly.
"You didn’t even let me visit you when your brother died last year" she muttered, quieter now.
Leonid froze.
His fingers stopped moving on the screen. The game continued playing, but he wasn’t seeing it anymore.
Kira turned her face away, annoyed.
Slowly, Leonid lifted his head and looked at her.
•••
VOLKOV'S UNIVERSITY
Liana stood in the dimly lit parking lot of Volkov University, her breath hitching in the cool night air. She looked stunning and why not?
She had spent two hours on her makeup and was wearing a deep emerald dress that hugged her curves perfectly. But at 8:00 PM, the silence of the car park was deafening.
Viktor was nowhere to be found.
"One hour," she hissed, checking her phone for the hundredth time. "The nerves of that guy. Who does he think he is?"
Anger flared in her chest, masking the stinging humiliation. She turned on her heel, as she marched back toward the female hostel. The romantic evening she had envisioned was dead, replaced by a bitter desire to just crawl into bed and forget the day.
She slammed her hostel room door open. Raina wasn’t in.
Liana tossed her clutch onto her bed and walked over to her vanity to begin the process of wiping away her wasted effort. As she reached for her makeup remover, her hand froze.
Sitting right in the center of her jewelry tray was a familiar glint of gold.
She leaned in, her heart skipping a beat. It was them. Her gold earrings. They looked untouched, shimmering under the overhead light as if they had never left. Raina had actually returned them?
The door creaked open behind her. Liana spun around to find Raina standing there. The girl looked like a shell of herself... her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, her skin deathly pale, and her frame seemed even smaller inside her oversized hoodie.
"I'm sorry, Liana" Raina whispered, her voice barely audible.
Liana stared at the earrings, then back at the broken girl in the doorway. The rage that had been fueling her all day suddenly evaporated, replaced by a heavy, complicated guilt. Without a word, Liana crossed the room in two strides.
Raina flinched, expecting a blow, but instead, Liana pulled her into a tight, fierce hug. Raina froze, her body stiff with shock.
"Thanks for returning them," Liana murmured against her hair. "They mean everything to me"
Suddenly, Liana began to sob, her tears soaking into Raina's hoodie.
"Just comfort me," Liana choked out between gasps. "My crush... he stood me up. I was waiting like a fool"
Raina, still comfused from the sudden affection, slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around Liana, providing a steady anchor. "I'm sorry about that," she whispered softly. "I'm so sorry"
They remained like that for several minutes.