Chapter 32 The not so simple touch
Stephanie
It's been hours since the unfortunate run-in with Noah at the pizza place, and I was still brewing with rage.
Also, my fingers hurt.
I hadn't expected to punch him, I didn't even think about it before doing it which was so unlike me.
But those words had triggered the violent part of me, and the next thing I knew, my fist connected with his face and the satisfying crunch of his bones filled the quiet air.
To be honest, it was satisfying to see him fall on his butt and wail like a baby.
I kid you not, that was exactly what he did. Doris ended up intervening and escorting him out of the place not so nicely. She gave him a stern warning not to return and he promised to write a terrible review about the pizza place. I assured Doris I would help her deal with it.
That was hours ago. Now, I sat in the living room, holding my injured hand with the other and staring at the fireplace. The pain had reduced to a dull ache, but it still hurt. Though it doesn't hurt as much as the one in my chest.
Seeing Noah again was… I couldn't really describe the feeling of seeing him again after all these months. I didn't have feelings for him—god forbid—but it made me wonder why I went out with him in the first place.
Well, aside from the fact that he was the only guy who's ever asked me out, Noah and I were so different. I wonder why I never noticed all his red flags before I agreed to date him.
Kendrix’s voice boomed through the space as he walked towards me. “I can't find the first aid kit. I think Maria must have moved it. But here are the remaining ice packets in the freezer. It seems our parents had a party while we were at school and used up all the ice.”
He handed me the packets when he got to me and sat on the couch..
“Thank you.” I muttered. I placed the ice on my injured hand, a sigh escaping my lips at the cold sensation.
We sat in silence for an extended period of time, both of us in thoughts. Mom and Will had eventually came home after we left to host some lunch for one of their business associates, but they had left before we came back.
I was happy that mom was adjusting well to her new life. She was happy, and she don't have to worry about leaving me alone with my deranged father while she was working.
But sometimes, I wondered what our lives would be like if we just spent some time together like a normal family. She hasn't even known about what Emily did yet. The promise she made on our first day here was long gone. We’ve hardly spent any time together, and we definitely haven't talked.
“Do you want me to help you with that?” Kendrix voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, no, I'm fine.” I said.
He nodded and looked away.
“Hey, listen, I'm sorry for how things turned out today. I really wanted to help you take your mind off the championship title, but things didn't exactly do the way I planned.” I said.
“No, it didn't.” He shook his head then grin. “It was way better.”
My brows draw together in confusion. “It was an absolute disaster.”
“Yeah, but the good kind. I watched you punch someone in the face. That was kinda hot.”
I blinked. Because there's no way Kendrix just said I was hot.
Okay, he didn't technically say that, but the implication was obvious. He seem to realize what he said.
His eyes widened slightly. “I mean, he deserved it for being such a prick. It was nice to see you put him in his place. What he did to you was really shitty. You deserve better than the both of them.”
“Thank you.” I smiled genuinely. “You know, if you still want to talk about it, I'm here to listen. We can make coffee instead of the pizza I originally planned.”
He was silent for a while. I expected him to brush off the subject. I almost felt guilty for bringing up something that clearly hurt him, but if there's one thing therapy has taught me, it's that we always want to talk about things we pretend we don't care about.
Kendrix let out a long sigh.“Well, it really sucks that we're not state champions anymore. I mean, I knew it was only going to be for the season before we had to compete again, but I kinda thought we would always win. But not only did we lose the title and the cup, we have to compete with Diamond High School next week. As much as I hate to admit, they're our toughest competition. Like a thorn we can't seem to get rid of.”
“Wait…DHS? Isn't that where the dickhead from the Vault goes?” I asked as I tried to remember the guy's name.
The only I could remember was that it started with a S.
Steve? No, that doesn't sound right. Spencer?
“The who?” Kendrix asked.
“The guy I raced against the other day. Seth something. I forgot his name.”
“Sebastian. And yes, he goes there. He's their captain, and the one we suspected leaked the info about the requirement to the state board.”
He does seem like the type to pull such move. I spent less than twenty minutes with the guy and already had a lasting impression of him.
“Well, since you already suspect it, you just have to find evidence to back it up and present it to the board. Maybe they'll rethink your case.” I suggested.
“I don't think it works that way. If it did, Coach would have tried it. He told us we can't do anything about it. At least, not until they've carried out further ‘investigation’ and confirm at didn't break any other rules. The match with DHS is supposed to be our redemption. Until then, we're just sitting ducks.” He threw his head back on the couch.
“That's not true. There's something else you can do.”
His eyes darted to me, brows drawn. “What?”
I placed the ice packet on the floor and adjusted my sitting position so I was facing him.
“Beat DHS at the upcoming game and show them why you became the state champions in the first place. It doesn't matter if some board says you're not, everyone saw you win that game. We know who the real winner is.”
Without really thinking about it, I placed a hand on his and stroked gently. He tensed under my touch but doesn't remove it. I was about to remove my hand when he hooked his thumb with my pinky finger. My breath caught at the single touch.
“Thank you.” he responded with a smile. “I really needed to hear that.”
“I'm happy to help.” I smiled. I try not to focus on the fact that he was touching me, or that he was looking at me, those brown eyes lightened with an emotion I didn't want to admit.
Then he inched closer, just a little, his eyes still locked with mine. I should pull away, I should stand up and go to my room before I did something I couldn't take back, but I didn't.
“Come watch the game next week.” He said in an almost whisper.
We weren't doing anything wrong, we were barely holding hands, but somehow, it felt like more. It felt forbidden. Thrilling.
“I don't know anything about football.” I replied in the same tone.
I've never been a football fan or sat through an entire game. Except the time when Emily was dating a guy on the football team and forced me to go to games with her to keep her from “falling asleep out of sheer boredom”. I'd spent the entire match reminding her to cheer for her boyfriend whenever he got possession of the ball. The game ended badly.
“It doesn't matter. I want you to be there.” he said softly.
And just because the situation was starting to elicit some strange emotions in me—a particular warm and fuzzy feeling that I'm not a fan of—I decided to pivot to my usual coping mechanisms instead of wondering where the hell those feelings came from.
Pretend. Deflect. Rage.
This time, I chose deflection.
“Aren't you worried that your stepsister would cause more trouble for your instead?” I smirked.
His eyes twitched in a way that revealed he didn't appreciate the topic change, but he replied anyway.
“All the more reason for you to come. Don't wanna miss a Stephanie drama.”
“Alright then, I'll make sure to bring a whole lot of entertainment for you.” I grinned.
We gradually moved on to other topics, mostly stories about DHS students, and how they were all bunch of assholes. Kendrix told me stories about KSE's clash with them while I laughed.
Throughout the conversation, he never let go of my finger, and I didn't remove my hand.
Eventually, I fell asleep. My dreams were filled with strong arms and rough words muttered into my ears.