Chapter twenty-two | Girl love

Andrea got on her tip-toes and framed Navya's face in her hands. Forcing her face closer, she kissed Navya soundly on her lips.

The gasps echoed in the canteen, matching mine and Connor's gasp. It would have been a comical sight if it wasn't my best-friend getting sucked on by my crush.

Everyone in the room was busy staring at them as they made out in front of the entire school. A few students, who had their camera lenses directed at the fight between Andrea and Jacob, turned towards them.

With concern shining on her face, Cynthia shifted towards Connor and me. Her eyes analyzed our expression with worry.

While Connor was too busy absorbing the scene in front of us, I pointed my gaze on Cynthia.

The lack of shock on her features was sign enough that she knew. Before I could question more, my eyes turned towards the scene as more commotion occurred.

By now, Navya had pushed Andrea away. Her breathing was harsh, matching Andrea's. Navya had lipstick marks all around her mouth as Andrea's purple lipstick was smudged on the edges.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Navya bellowed as she crossed her arms.

For a moment, her eyes flickered our way.

I wanted to turn around to look at Connor's face too, but I was scared. I was afraid of the heartbroken look, I might see it.

Connor was slowly returning to normal, coming out of the shell he was in after the breakup, but this would make things difficult for him.

"I-I kissed you. I shouldn't have without asking you." Andrea's last words were a mumble by the end.

"You should have never kissed her. She is a girl, and you are fucking straight," Jacob shouted in anger. He stomped closer to Andrea, making everyone tense.

With her eyes blazing, Andrea pinned him with a glare. "I am a bisexual, not straight. Get it through your thick brain!"

Jacob stared right back and then turned towards Navya. His shoulders sagged as realization drew in. "She was the one you cheated on me with," he stated.

His mouth lifted in a snarl, but he pulled away. Scoffing, he stomped his way out of the canteen.

"Well, that was dramatic," Connor commented as Jacob made his way out.

Surprised, I whirled around. I was going to question his statement, but my words died on my tongue.

He fixed his eyes on Navya as he fiddled with his fingers.

His face was impassive, but the pain in his eyes was clear. Making jokes was Connor's coping mechanism.

Feeling my stare, he looked down at me and smiled. It was a sad smile, displaying a wide range of emotions.

"Seems like both of us got ditched for the other gender," he joked, bringing a smile on my face.

"Well, it seems like it."

The bell rang after a few tense moments, helping in dissipating tightness. Cynthia was watching both of us with a guarded expression.

I was sitting in my class, listening to our teacher drone about some mathematical terms and notations. My attention was away from the class, stuck in the events that occurred in the canteen. My phone pinged with a text message, gaining my attention.

Quickly turning it to silent mode, I pulled it open under my drawer.

Cynthia: 'Are you ok?'  

The simple text from Cynthia was enough to make me feel warm.

Elias: 'Yes.' 

I could see three dots popping on the screen as she typed the next message.

"Mr. Rodriguez, are you using a phone in the class?" Our mathematics teacher asked rhetorically.

"Uh... No?" It was more of a question than an answer.

Shaking his head in disappointment, he wrote down on a slip of paper. "Detention for you, Mr. Rodriguez."

I wanted to say something against it, but I knew that talking back would get me more detention.

Unlike popular belief, I have gone to detentions before. Rarely, but I have been there a few times. Usually, for sleeping in boring English lectures. Another reason why that teacher might hate me.

I huffed and sat through the lecture, gazing at the clock overhead again and again.

On the way out of the class, he handed me the detention slip with a disappointed shake of his head.

Walking into the hallway, I stopped in front of my locker. I exchanged the books for my next period and closed it behind me.

A hand banged the locker right beside me, gaining my attention.

"Why didn't you reply to my texts?" Her eyes were wide as she stared at me expectantly.

I rolled my eyes at her words and turned towards my class. "I am a busy person, Cynthia."

Her small little feet tried to match my pace as I walked in the corridor.

"I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Over-exaggeration

"I got detention because of you," I said as I shrugged my shoulders. "Shu-Shu, go back to your class," I joked with the last statement.

She gave a dry laugh and jabbed me in my ribs, making me both wince and laugh.

"I am not your lapdog," she grumbled under her breath.

She took the right turn while I walked forward in the hallway. Without turning around, she waved me bye as I did the same.

I was sitting in the classroom, reading through my textbook, and trying to list ideas for my college essay. This was going to be hard, considering my lack of expertise in the innovation area.

I turned my attention towards the grounds where players and cheerleaders practiced. I had to miss out on my tracks practice because of the detention. Aaron wasn't happy, but he let it go.

Rumble of clouds above caught my attention as a gray stormy sky formed around.

Rain poured heavily by the time I got free from the detention. As the teacher locked the door behind him, I placed my phone in the inner pocket of my bag.

I unlocked my car and ran towards it, trying to keep myself as dry as possible.

The practices were dismissed by now because of the rain. Cynthia ran her way to my car and pulled the door open. Unlike me, it soaked her to the bone.

"God, I hate rain," she grumbled as she settled in the seat. I gave a slight noise at the back of my throat and nodded.

It was a quiet drive back home as she looked outside the window, playing with her wet strands.

Her attention was somewhere else, and it was evident from the lack of words from her side. She wasn't one to remain silent.

Parking in her driveway, I waited as she collected her stuff and bolted towards the door. The rain was still pouring down, chattering against the cemented ground.

I parked the car in the driveway and ran towards the main door. Opening the door, I made my way towards my room. The heavy thump of my feet echoed in the empty house.

I pushed my bedroom door open and peeled the clothes away from my skin. Quickly getting into a scalding hot shower, I threw my phone on the bed.

A bell sounded on the door as I quickly pulled some pajamas on. Bare feet, I ran towards the door, a bit confused about the untimely arrival of someone.

Pulling the door open, I sighed, noticing the person in front of me.

"Of course, it was you. Who else could it be?" I mumbled under my breath as she scowled my way. Pushing past me, she entered the house.

"I thought you were used to people showing randomly at your doorstep?" Cynthia said as she made her way up the staircase, towards my room.

I rolled my eyes and followed her in. Pushing my wet hair as they flopped in front of my eyes, I kept my silence.

I dropped the towel hanging around my shoulder in the laundry basket. Cynthia made herself comfortable on the bed as I pulled a random t-shirt over my head. Her eyes were piercing as she stared through my blue ones. She pursed her lips as she held herself from saying something.

Cynthia was seeking answers, and I had no problem providing her with them.

I sighed and slumped down next to her." Ask what you want to ask, Cynthia," I stated.

She bit her lip and turned her head towards me. "How was Connor feeling?" she asked hesitantly.

Her question shocked me a bit. I was expecting her to ask something related to me or Andrea, but not Connor.

I licked my lips as I thought about the response. "He said he was okay. He is hurt, but he is coping up well too. He is finally coming to terms with the fact that Navya doesn't hold feelings for him beyond platonic ones. It will take him time to get over the breakup, which is all right, considering how long their relationship was and how much he loved her. But he will be fine."

She smiled at the response, satisfied with the answer.

"You knew, right?" I blurted the question, not being able to reign my curiosity.

She went silent and gave me a guilty look. "Andrea told me she cheated on Jacob when I went over her place once. The same day you dropped me off at her house." Cynthia sighed as she got the words out of her lips. "She said she was drunk and kissed another girl. But, the girl pushed her away. She felt guilty about cheating on him and kissing the girl without permission."

"When I nagged her about the name, she told me it was Navya." Cynthia gave me a guilty look as she spoke her next words. "She asked me to keep it a secret, so I agreed."

She was nervously fiddling with her fingers as she looked at my face, looking for emotion on the impassive mask. "Sorry," she whispered.

I shook my head and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "It's fine. You were just helping your best friend. I would have done that too."

She leaned against my side and nodded.

We stayed silent as we absorbed the events from today.

"How are you feeling, Eli?" she asked, with her head still buried in my shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a bit confused.

In my words, she huffed and pulled back from my side. I frowned a bit as the cold empty feeling followed as she moved away.

"The girl you like a lot, maybe borderline love, just batted for the other team with your best friend," she spoke slowly as if I was a kid. "How do you feel?"

I contemplated her question and tried to sort my thoughts out. "I am a bit sad, but it is more for Connor's sake. On a personal level, I don't feel any pain. I feel like I don't care about who Andrea ends up with anymore. Is it weird that I don't have romantic feelings for her anymore?" I didn't wait for her response.

"I no longer see her like that, just a friend, nothing more. So, truthfully, it doesn't hurt at all."

My response stunned Cynthia for a second as she scrutinized my expressions. Giving me a mischievous smile, she leaned closer. "Well, shit. Looks like all my hard work went to waste," she joked, making me chuckle dryly.

I waved my hand dismissively. "I will call it a confidence-building exercise. I would never have gone to a party again if it wasn't for you. Also, I don't mind continuing it. Being popular sounds interesting," I said as a sudden thought struck me.

Is she going to leave me? Now that the deal is over, will she stop talking to me? Will everything revert to what it was before this?

Before I could voice my concern, she leaned into my side and snuggled closer. "Even if the deal is over, you are not getting rid of me. You still have to tutor me, but this time for free."

I chuckled as relief washed over my body. Cynthia is not leaving.

The thought gave me more happiness than it should have.