Chapter 162
Zenon, Axel and Bryce took their time walking to the front of the stage. This was new to them - walking in on a mathlete training session in a theater room they had never seen before.
"This room has been reserved for mathletes from 2PM to 4PM," team captain continued.
Zenon, Axel and Bryce had almost reached the front by now - and they still ignored the team captain.
"What's a mathlete? Is that a made-up athlete?" Bryce asked Axel, still feeling uncomfortable about being at school on a Sunday.
Axel shrugged and replied back to the team captain, "It's 4.03 if you want to get technical, which makes this a free for all."
"Yeah, well, no one has this room after us so we can practice here-"
"You talk way too much for a guy who doesn't know what's going on," Zenon shook his head and asked me, "Which one is he, Candace?"
Zenon glanced over at me and I felt like an invisible insect just turned visible.
From onstage, one of the other mathletes piped up, "I think that's Zenon Albert. The senior that a lot of people talk about."
"We know who he is, Toby," Kaden scowled, on stage with the others.
Toby added meekly, "I think my girlfriend has a crush on him."
Zenon was looking at me to point Kaden out. I had frozen up, trapped between these two worlds.
It didn't seem real that Zenon Albert, Axel Thomas and Bryce were all here for me to confront my ex-boyfriend.
That sounds stupid. They were here to confront a cat killer, blackmailer and intruder. I was here for Roger and my feelings.
I pointed at Kaden, "You're a cat killer, aren't you?"
"What the- what kind of insult is that?" Kaden snapped back, "And why are these guys here? Are you friends with them now? That was not a thing when we were dating."
Kaden has heard the rumors about me and Zenon. I'd asked Zenon if we could keep our relationship low key, since I've only experienced negative attention from people finding out about us. But no matter how little PDA we did and how careful we tried to be at school, it had started to leak.
And Zenon was totally fine with that.
"That's her ex?" Bryce asked, staring up at Kaden, "Candace really traded up with Zenon."
"So this is... is that..." Kaden chuckled to himself to get things back under control. He always laughed when he was nervous, "She's still not over me. You must be insecure to be confronting me like this."
Zenon retorted, "Insecure is paying for a high school sports team uniform that I'm not even on."
Axel laughed and shook his head, "It sounds so stupid when you say it out loud."
"It is," Zenon said, staring Kaden with an I'm-going-to-end-you expression, "Very stupid."
Kaden's face turned to fear in a very similar way Art's did half an hour ago. His mathlete teammates stared at him, confused why he would do that too.
"Get down," Zenon ordered him off the stage.
"No."
"I am trying very hard right now not to lose my control," Zenon said, "Because my girlfriend wants me to be a better person. You are making it very hard for me to be a better person."
Axel took a seat in the front row. He looked like he was settling in to watch a show.
To them, Kaden was a nuisance. Zenon needed zero back up to handle this one.
"Are you threatening me?" Kaden asked, keeping hold of his aggressive tone.
He really should drop that fast.
Kaden wasn't used to dealing with Zenon or his friends. He was like the little king in own little pond and had never stepped foot into the ocean.
I tried to help out, "Kaden, you really should tell us what happene-"
"Since when do I accept orders?" Kaden snapped back at me, "You had to run to others to try to make me to-"
Zenon interrupted us then and there, "OK, Candace, I'm sorry but I tried. I gave him a warning, and he didn't listen."
"Don't hurt him," I said.
Kaden looked from me to Zenon and then back to me again, "Why? What's happening? What are you going to do?"
Zenon pulled himself easily onto the stage and walked towards Kaden, who was backing away in terror, yelling out no. He expected others to help out, but no one did.
"Don't hurt him!" I called out, louder.
It was embarrassing watching Kaden try to run away from Zenon, but Zenon grabbed hold of him and took him down the stairs.
"Walk," Zenon shoved him, "Have some dignity or I'll carry you out."
I couldn't run after Zenon and Kaden immediately. The moment they left, the other mathletes swarmed me to ask what happened. They had a million and one questions.
I looked to Bryce and Axel for help, but they calmly stood up from their front row seats and walked out of the auditorium. They were just following the drama.
"Kaden bought a basketball player jersey and it's the same jersey that was used to intimidate me," I gave the five second summary, "I don't know or what he wants but-"
"He bought that jersey for his girlfriend," Toby said, "His new girlfriend I mean. Not you."
Oh, mother of a weasel and flying ants.
We have the wrong guy.