“Let us go in together,” Andres said as he grabbed and pulled me closer.
“Please Andres… Not here please…” I begged, looking at him with pleading eyes.
His lips lifted in a cruel smirk as he leaned over and brushed his fingers across his jawline. “What is wrong? Don’t you want to keep Cassius away from all this supernatural shit?”
“I do but…”
He snorted and shook his head. “Do you really think he will give up unless he sees you happily dating someone else?”
My body went limp, and a defeated sigh left my lips. I let him hold my hand and lead me to the soccer field. Murmurs broke out in the crowd as they saw me with Andres.
“I thought Miraya was a decent girl.”
“Wasn’t she madly in love with Cassius? How could she dump him just because he lost to Andres?”
“She is such a bitch.”
“Have you seen Cassius? He looks so distraught.”
“I heard that he has been practicing nonstop for seven days. He didn’t even go home.”
A fresh wave of agony seared through me, hearing their comments. I didn’t have the courage to look at Cassius. So, I kept my gaze fixed on the ground.
“If you want, I can let him win today,” Andres whispered; leaning closer.
I looked at him, a small ray of hope sparking within me. “You will do that?”
“Why not? You have already agreed to my terms. There is no need to torment him unnecessarily.”
I was naïve enough to believe that Andres could do something out of kindness. He did lose the match that day, but the thing was he didn’t try at all. It was evident that he was doing it deliberately.
I stood there helplessly as the audience started commenting about the victory that was handed to him out of pity. The look Cassius gave me after losing the match scorched the deepest part of my soul.
This hatred, this helplessness; I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted it all to end. My eyes lit up with grim determination as I made my way to the biology lab.
I sneaked into the prohibited section and stole the vial containing tetrodotoxin. With shaking hands, I opened the lid and raised it to my lips, but before I could drink it, someone struck my hand.
The vial slipped through my fingers and dropped to the ground, shattering into tiny bits.
“Have you lost it, Miraya? What in the world do you think you were going to do?” Cassius snapped, as he shook me up angrily.
“I… I…” I couldn’t bring myself to speak as I met his concerned gaze. Why was he here? Hadn’t I hurt him enough? Drawing in a few deep breaths, I steeled myself and pushed him away with as much strength as I could muster.
He staggered and his feet landed on a shard of glass, but I forced myself to ignore it. I looked dead into his eyes and spoke in an icy voice, “What I do has nothing to do with you, Cassius. Stop being a pathetic fool and find someone else.”
At that moment, the door swung open and Professor Logan walked inside. His eyes widened in horror as his gaze landed on the broken vial. His furious glare drifted from Cassius to me. “Who did this?”
“He did,” I lied smoothly, looking into the professor’s eyes. “I was in the corridor when I heard the shattering glass. So, I came to check.”
Professor still didn’t look convinced; his gaze bore into mine as if he could see right through me. I didn’t know how long I could hold. So, I changed the topic. Taking a step towards him, I clicked my tongue, “To think that I once dated a pathetic man like you.” Turning towards the professor, I added, “Love makes one blind, aren’t I right, Professor?”
He got a bit flustered by the unconventional question and muttered, “I think so.”
“I need to give a test. So, I will take my leave,” I stuttered and left quickly, before he could react. My conscience weighed heavily. Why can’t you just stay away, Cassius? Why do you force me to hurt you over and over again?
My steps came to a standstill, and I closed my eyes; gulping. How I wished I could just tell him everything.
A sudden jolt pulled me out of my thoughts. Andres dragged me into the storeroom. He pinned me against the wall and gritted out, “That was one hell of a show.”
A soft gust of wind left my lips, and I swallowed. In a futile attempt to hide my intention, I stuttered, “I… I thought about what you said. So, I was trying to get him to give up on me completely. I pretended…”
Thump! His fist slammed against the wall beside me, causing some of the plaster to peel off and scatter on the ground. “Do you think I am a fool like your beloved Cassius!” He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me up. “I know exactly what you were trying to do with that vial of Tetrodotoxin, Miraya.”
“I… I….”
“If you try to pull such a stunt again, I will kill every single person you care about; Cassius, Stella, and your parents, I might even burn this entire place down.” He released me abruptly, causing me to dash against the wall with a thud.
“DON’T YOU DARE TRY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!” He warned again before storming out of the room. The sense of helplessness and frustration that had embedded deep within me intensified; choking me.
“Seems like even dying is not an option,” I whispered as I dragged myself out of the room; a strange numbness weighing down my heart and soul.
If only Stella was here. I could at least talk to her about everything. She never returned after she left with her aunt.
On my way, I saw Cassius being led to the principal’s office, but I didn’t feel any guilt. I had already come to terms with what I had done. It would be nice if he was suspended or something. I wouldn’t have to worry about him for a while then.
But what if he was rusticated? What if I could never see him again?
I turned my gaze away from the office and forced myself to walk along the corridor. That would be fine, too. I would never have to worry about him again.