Chapter 144 CHAPTER 145

Chapter 144 CHAPTER 145
CHAPTER 145
YAEL
The next day, I was walking to my first class when Sarah appeared out of nowhere. She fell into step beside me like we were old friends, even though we had barely spoken before.

“Hey, Yael,” she said with a sweet smile that did not reach her eyes. “I heard you and Knox are together. That’s so cute. He used to talk about how much he loved the single life though. Guess things change.”

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. “We’re together. That’s all that matters.”

She laughed lightly. “Of course. But just so you know, he used to say he never wanted to be tied down. He told me that last summer when we were hanging out at the lake. He said relationships were too much work.”

I did not answer her. I just kept walking. She was trying to plant little seeds of doubt, but I was not going to water them.

Later in the day, I was heading to the library when she showed up again. This time she was with two of her friends.

“Oh look, it’s Knox’s new girl,” she said loudly enough for people around us to hear. “I was just telling them how Knox used to complain about girls who got too attached. He liked his freedom. I wonder how long this will last.”

I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Is there a reason you keep following me around and saying these things?”

Sarah smiled innocently. “I’m just being honest. You seem nice, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable. Knox gets bored easily. He always has.”

I rolled my eyes again and tried to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me.

“You know,” she continued, her voice turning meaner, “some people are saying you’re just using him to make your brother mad. Is that true? Because if you are, you should probably stop before you get hurt.”

That was when I felt my patience run out. “Don’t test me, Sarah.”

She laughed and suddenly reached out, grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking it hard. “Or what? You think you can keep him? He’ll come back to me eventually. He always does.”

Pain shot through my scalp. I grabbed her wrist tightly. “Let go. Right now.”

She refused, pulling harder with a smirk on her face. “Make me.”

I did not think twice. I slapped her hard across the face. The sound echoed in the hallway. She staggered back, letting go of my hair, her eyes wide with shock.

I looked at her calmly. “I’m not competing for any man. If you want him so badly, you should fucking have him. But he doesn’t want you. He wants me. So stay the hell away from me and stop spreading your lies.”

Sarah held her cheek, staring at me in disbelief. People around us had stopped to watch. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She turned and walked away quickly, her friends following behind her.

I stood there for a second, breathing hard. Inside, I was laughing. I was not mad at Knox, but I low-key wanted him to grovel a little when he heard about this. He deserved to feel a bit of discomfort after that girl had been all over him yesterday.

I adjusted my bag and continued walking toward the Taekwondo gym. When I got there, the high school kids were already warming up. The moment they saw me, their faces lit up.

“Coach Yael!” one of the boys shouted. “You’re back!”

Rivera turned around and smiled widely. “Yael! We missed you. It has been too long.”

I smiled back, feeling genuinely happy to be there. “I’m sorry, guys. It has been a crazy few weeks. A lot has been going on, but I’m here now and I’m ready to train.”

The kids gathered around me, talking all at once.

“We thought you left us,” one girl said.

“Rivera said you might be busy with college stuff,” another added.

“Did you get hurt? Your arm is bandaged,” a boy asked.

I laughed softly. “I’m okay now. Just a small injury, but it’s healing. Let’s get into it, yeah? We have a lot to catch up on.”

Rivera nodded. “You heard her. Line up. Sharp and focused today.”

We started training right away. The kids were full of energy and happy to have me back. We ran through drills, practiced forms, and did some light sparring. They teased me a little when I moved slower because of my arm, but it was all in good fun.

“You’re still better than all of us even with one arm,” one of the boys said, grinning.

I laughed. “Flattery will not get you out of doing extra push-ups.”

After the session, the kids crowded around me again. They all pulled out their phones.

“Can we get your number, Coach?” one asked.

“Yeah, so we can make a group chat and remind you when you miss class,” another joked.

I gave them my number and they quickly added me to a group chat they already had. Messages started popping up immediately.

Rivera: Welcome back, Yael. The kids have been asking about you every week.

Boy1:Coach Yael is back!!!

Girl1:We missed you so much!

I smiled as I read the messages. “You guys are too sweet. I missed you too. Let’s make sure I don’t miss any more classes.”

Rivera walked over and patted my shoulder. “It is good to have you back. The kids light up when you’re here. You have a natural way with them.”

“Thank you,” I said. “It feels good to be back. I needed this.”

We talked for a few more minutes before I said goodbye and headed out of the gym. I felt lighter than I had in days. The training had cleared my head, and the kids’ excitement had lifted my mood.

As I walked back toward the dorm, I thought about Knox and how he would react when he heard what happened with Sarah. I was not angry at him, but I definitely wanted him to grovel just a little. He had been so sweet lately, but after seeing that girl try to kiss him, I wanted him to feel a tiny bit of what I felt.

I smiled to myself as I walked. The day had b
een full of surprises, but I was starting to feel like I could handle whatever came next.