Chapter 285
What a mental mess. My mind was swinging from the 'forgive him, he loves you and he's doing this for you' to 'stand up for what you stand for.'
I yanked my backpack off my shoulders, zipped it open and pulled out a pen. I tried to wedge the pen in a gap in the rope's knot to ease it out. That didn't work.
I kept pulling and hurt my finger trying to undo the rope. Why was I so useless? I couldn't even untie the damn rope!
"I can't..." I started, feeling the helplessness overwhelm me.
Axel broke away from the line and walked past Zenon, brushing firmly against Zenon's shoulder.
"Here," Axel said, coming round to my side and kneeling beside me to help.
I let go of the rope and sat back as Axel pressed a hand down on Kaden's shoulder to stop him from moving. He then clenched the rope tightly and pulled it apart.
I watched quietly as Axel did in one second what I failed to do in five minutes.
"Thank you," I said.
Kaden wheezed as his hands broke free and the chair rocked back, no longer tied to him. He pulled his hands forwards, rubbing his red wrists, and sitting up. He looked around, his face also red and his hair disheveled.
Kaden didn't say anything else. He just got to his feet, stumbled for a minute, and then ran towards the doors, banging against it as he tapped loudly to be let out.
"How is not a single teacher here?" I whispered, still on my knees as I watched Kaden's escape.
Axel, who was sitting beside me, stood up, "Coach has been letting Zenon run practice this week to work on their team spirit. He thought they could do with less structure."
"Wait until gym class rolls in," I muttered, getting up.
"Candace, maybe you and Zenon should talk outside," Axel suggested, looking between me and his best friend. Axel looked sadder than the two of us combined.
"OK. I can't stay here any longer anyway," I said, staring directly at Zenon.
I was willing to talk. I wanted to find a solution to this, to understand what had gone through his mind.
People fight in relationships, we learn in relationships... and hopefully we can grow. Right?
I leant down and grabbed my backpack, forgetting that the zipper was still open. I swung it over my shoulder and heard something fall to the ground with a clang.
Oh no.
I spun round to see what had fallen. The empty, mini bottle of whisky clattered against the floor...
For the whole basketball court to see. Oh. Snap.
I overheard someone say 'alcoholic' from the stands.
I changed plans. And not because that rhymed, but because I was mortified.
Forget this. Forget everything. It's not like I have a lot of self-confidence to begin with. After standing up to Zenon today, throwing myself into the center of the Kaden Interrogation and now this... I needed to tap out. It was too much for me.
I didn't say bye. I just rotated on my heels and rushed towards the exit, my backpack bopping up and down on my shoulders.
But the walk felt so damn long, like a catwalk, where people on the stands were watching me go. I picked up the pace and started to trot.
I needed to escape.
Thankfully, the doors opened for me and I found myself shoved back into the crowd in the boy's locker room. It wasn't a graceful exit, as I was swept from left to right, within a crowd that had become belligerent trying to get in.
The loud noise dulled my thoughts and I started to push my way in the opposite direction, feeling weaker by the minute. I didn't want to cry.
I was so tired of crying.
Where's Zenon?
I half expected to hear his voice behind me and to feel him pushing everyone out of the way. Was he coming?
They were all strangers. Faces I didn't recognize and faces who didn't recognize me. When I finally left the locker room, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
The hallway was empty. It felt like half the school was crowded in the locker room, but in reality, it couldn't have been more than 40 people.
I turned around and looked back at the closed door of the locker room. I heard the sounds on the other side, but the door didn't swing open.
I expected it to fly open and for Zenon to walk through.
Is Zenon going to come? At the beginning, he would've.
Summer camp Zenon would've raced through those doors.
"Zenon?" I whispered, like he was a dolphin that could hear ultrasonic sound waves.
Nothing.
~Axel's POV~
Welcome to the twilight zone.
Candace Turner was everything to Zenon. Her quirkiness lights up his day.
Heck, it lights up mine.
So what the hell is happening right now?
I picked up the whisky bottle that had dropped out of her bag, rolling the glass bottle in the palm of my hand. The others were judging so I wanted to keep it out of sight - to keep it out of mind.
Good whisky though.
The girl has taste.
Before I could say anything to her, she bolted off, head staring down at her shoes. Despite what anyone else says, I know she's a good influence in Zenon's life.
She crashed into his world and his world's started to bite back. The jealousy, the gossip, I don't blame her for wanting to run away. I've done the same.
Zenon was standing near me when he saw his girlfriend go. He said, "Thanks for helping her."
I was surprised he thanked me. Last time, he blamed me.
But Zenon lives and he learns. If people think he's bad now, they didn't see him as a freshman.
Zenon didn't wait for my response, because he was already walking after her.