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ღ Finding Cinderella-20 ღ

-Tristan-

I had a bad feeling inside.

You know the one-a twist inside your stomach that creates so much uneasiness, yo u feel it physically, a gut-wrenching feeling that something is either about to go wrong or already has. I had no idea why I was experiencing this kind of sensa tion so suddenly, but I wouldn't let it ruin my day.

"Show me what you got, Hartford," Grey said aggressively, bending down slightly with extended arms.

"If you say so, Walter."

The ball made a loud thumping nose on the court as it bounced harshly off my han d. Every time I attempted a slide in the opposite direction, Grey would coordina te his movements with my own; as expected from a football player, he was fast. H e kept trying to steal the ball from me, and my shoes squeaked as I tried to fin d an open space in their defense as quickly as possible.

I quickly switched directions and dribbled hard, rapidly whisking the ball behin d my back. After that, everything happened so fast- two quick spins and a slide later, I was escaping Grey and the other opponents' defenses.

The hoop was finally in front of me again, and before anyone from the opposite t eam could block me again, I speedily headed onwards and performed a slam-dunk.

Score!

Several whoops followed, mostly from the female crowd sitting on the bleachers. They were giggling and cheering with excitement, as if this were an actual compe tition.

A loud whistle came from the back, and a plump guy with a black gym coat moved f orward.

"Okay, good game, boys!" Coach Condor's voiced boomed. "Since team B won, they w ill receive the highest mark for this test!"

My teammates crowded around, giving pats on the back to each other and handshake s to the opposing team.

"Man, how'd you do that trick?" Grey asked.

Gym class was finally over, and we guys were fixing up ourselves in the boys' lo cker room.

"I swear I didn't see that coming," he added, brushing his damp blond hair with a towel.

"Might have been my adrenaline kicking in," I said with a shrug, then took a gul p of tepid water from my bottle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Justin plopping down on my other side. He ben t down to tie his shoelaces.

"Have you heard those girls? They're screaming your name like it's a ritual," he said as he ran his fingers through greasy, dark brown hair.

Grey leaned closer to my ear and muttered, "He's just jealous that you took the final shot."

I took out a fresh shirt from my locker and pulled it on. "Shut up, man," I said , shaking my head.

"But you know what?" Grey said loudly as he pulled away and twisted his torso. " With that agility and ball-handling skill of yours, you should be a shooting gua rd for the Rebounders. Right, Justin?"

Justin offered us a quick nod.

Ah, the Rebounders - one of the Broadway Heights' assets. The team held a four-y ear winning streak, the longest out of all other high school basketball teams in the state, and playing on the team was something to be proud of.

"You were joining the basketball team back in middle school," Grey reminded.

"Yeah, but... nah, forget it. Basketball isn't really my thing," I said as I ben t down to grab my back from the seat and hoisted it over my shoulder. "Besides, I have other plans in mind, and engaging in any sports falls at the bottom of my list."

The three of us got out from the room and headed to the cafeteria to grab some b ites before we could proceed to our next classes.

"So, how's the finding Cinderella operation going, T?" Grey asked as he slung hi s arm around my shoulder. "Any luck?"

I shook my head.

"That chick has probably not any interest to show up to you," Justin told me. "S he's quite a catch, but she's just so hard to get."

"I know, I know," I said huffily. I pulled away from Grey and stepped in front o f them. "But you know what, guys, this might turn out really weird to say, but I 'm having this feeling-"

 

Someone bumped my back real hard. I turned around and saw a skinny dude scrambli ng his feet away from me to his friends.

"Shoot, I-I'm sorry, uh, man," he stammered. "I didn't mean to. These idiots wer e the ones who pushed me."

I nodded without saying a word, and then signaled Justin and Grey go on.

"Wait, Hartford!" the guy called. Was he in one of my classes? I wondered what h is name was, since I hardly noticed anyone who wasn't worth my attention. He cau ght up behind us, and said, "You know Kylie Harris, right?"

"Obviously," I said with a sneer, turning to him. "Why?"

"She's in the clinic right now."

"What?"

"Y-yeah, I saw a guy carrying her to the clinic a while ago. She must've fainted or something," he said, brushing his frizzy hair. "I'm not so sure... but well, I just thought you wanted to know, seeing that you two were close. Sort of."

This may explain why I've felt so troubled!

"Hey, Tristan!" Grey called out when I started to sprint towards the clinic. "Yo u're leaving-?"

"I gotta check on Kylie," I said, jabbing my thumb at the back.

The path blurred as I ran, feeling a surge of adrenaline. Their calls rang in my ears, but my mind remained focused on the place, or rather the girl, I needed t o check on. The clinic came into view, and I slowed down. I reached for the doo rknob, but when it wiggled, I stopped halfway.

The door flew open, and I took a step back, frowning.

No. Way.

"Thank you, Nurse Lloyd," the guy I'd encountered said towards the room behind h im as he shut the door.

He faced me, and in a flash, the upward curve of his mouth fell down and was rep laced by a thin line. My eyes grew larger. Hundreds of thoughts began to swim th rough my brain, and I had no clue what to say or do.

With a final gulp, I raised my head and demanded, "What did you do to Kylie?"

"Hey there, Hartford," Erik said, coolly shoving his hands into his pockets. He must've seen the glare on my face, since he added, "You look kind of worked up, huh? You okay, man?"

That's the answer to a question I never asked.

"What did you do to Kylie?" I asked again, emphasizing every word through gritte d teeth.

Erik let out a snort, shaking his head. "Whoa, keep it cool, Tristan. I didn't d o anything to her, so don't accuse me like that," he said. "Besides, you should be thanking me for being with her when things went wrong; otherwise, no one woul d've saved her from her fall."

I exhaled, trying to dispel the heat inside me. "Whatever," I said, though the h arshness in my voice failed to disappear.

"I didn't know you would be that concerned when it came to her."

"Why? Does it kill anybody to show a little concern?"

"Well, I just thought you hated each other's guts. It's obvious from the way you treat each other... or more exactly, the way she treats you."

"Yeah, I may fight with her a lot," I said, fists clenched, "but if you lay a fi nger on her, you'll be facing me."

"Hey, are you trying to say that I'll do something bad to her?" he said, the coo lness and boredom in his tone ever-present and thoroughly pissing me off. "Oh, c ome on, T. Why are you complicating this conversation? Look, don't even say stuf f like that, 'cause it's obvious you still don't know me. Think twice before you react."

I laughed drily. "Did I touch a nerve?"

"I'm not that kind of guy, and Kylie knows that."

"I doubt that." Yeah, she may have known him, seeing as she'd liked him a long t ime ago, but ever since that incident had happened, I'd sensed there was somethi ng about him that Kylie couldn't possibly figure out.

Erik tilted his head. "What are you trying to say, Hartford?"

"I don't trust you, Taylor."

"Huh. That's cool, I'm fine with it. It's not like I can do anything to change y our mind. Kylie trusts me, and that's all that matters now. "

"Huh, right," I muttered, reaching for the doorknob.

Erik stepped aside and gave me a half smile, saying, "There are some things you just don't know, T." He was about to turn around when he added, "Oh, and just a piece of friendly advice: you gotta take care of her."

Something in his tone bothered me-something venomous laced through his words, so mething whose meaning was concealed from me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked coldly.

He simply shrugged, turned his back on me, and walked away without saying any wo rd.

Something important popped into my mind, and I opened my mouth to call him back, but then shut it closed. Erik was the only person besides me who the mysterious girl had danced with, and there might have been a chance that he knew something about her. Yet I opted not to talk to him, since I might finally lose it. Havin g just one talk with him was enough. I'd figure out Cinderella's identity withou t asking anything from him.

Cold, citrus-scented air rushed past through as I entered the room. There was no noise except for papers flapping on a wooden table, which was located near an o pen window. I walked slowly through the room, scanning it to search for Kylie...

...and there she was, lying peacefully on a white bed in one of the curtained st alls.

I was about to proceed in her direction when an elderly woman in a white suit po pped out from nowhere, making me jump a couple of feet away.

"Nurse Lloyd," I breathed.

"Oh, Tristan, it's you. May I help you with something?" she asked in her sweet, raspy voice.

I broke into an uncomfortable grin. "Nothing much. I'm just checking on Harris. How is she?"

Nurse Lloyd turned her gray-haired head towards the patient with a smile. "Oh, s he has a high fever from excess fatigue- she must've been exposed to the rain, w hich would've worsened her condition even more."

"Yeah, she was out in the rain," I said, remembering how she'd been drenched aft er she'd walked away out from the coffee shop. That idiot clearly didn't know ho w to take care of herself.

Nurse Lloyd shook her head, mumbling something I couldn't hear, and said a littl e louder, "Well, there's nothing too bad about her condition right now, so don't worry, dear. She just needs enough rest and some supplements, and I'm happy to say she's recovering quite quickly."

"That's... good to hear."

"Oh, have you by chance met the boy who brought her here? He just left a moment ago, and if I remember correctly, his name was Erik Taylor...?"

"Uh, yeah. That's his name," I muttered. But our meeting didn't go too well.

"Oh, yes, yes. I don't see the boy around too often, so I easily forget his name . Forgive me for that. Anyway, don't you have class, Tristan?" she asked, her da rk eyebrows rose.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the bare white sidewall. "Nope. I still have t wenty minutes before my next class starts. So, uh... is it all right it I just s tay here for a while?"

Her hazel eyes glanced at me in possible amusement, her pale lips shaped into a small smile.

"Well, if that's what you say," she said with a nod. As she grabbed a stack of file folders from the table, she added, "Anyway, it's good timing to have you ar ound here, since I have to deliver these papers to the office. Is watching the c linic for a while fine with you? Or is that a huge bother-"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind." I waved my hands at her and said, "Please, go on. "

After giving me a pat on the shoulder and a smile, Nurse Lloyd went out. Soon I was pulling out a chair and sitting beside the bed, where Kylie was snoring soft ly, her hands resting on her stomach. All the muscles in her face were totally a t peace, and no twitches or any other movements were visible.

Who would've thought that this person, who always acts like a behemoth during th e day, could seem a little more child-like while she sleeps?

I pulled the blanket further towards her chin and touched her forehead to check if her temperature was any better. Nope, it definitely wasn't- she was burning h ot.

As I stared at her, I realized there were some things I'd never noticed about he r until now. For example, Kylie had an elegant, strong bone structure; with chee kbones so sharp, you could slice bread on them. Even though her forehead was lar ge and her nose was small and a bit crooked, the little flaws made her appear be tter than an airbrushed model would have. My eyes moved down to her thin, peach-colored lips, parted as they puffed out warm air.

I had to admit, Kylie could be pretty if she at least fixed herself up.

When she shifted a little in bed, her pageboy hair fell over her cheeks in a mes s. I swept the strands off her face, but my heart almost skyrocketed out of my c hest as I came to a sudden realization:

Holy crap, I'm checking her out!

Heat uncontrollably rose to my face, and I turned away.

What am I doing?

I gazed back at her. She was still sleeping soundly, yet at some moments she wou ld suddenly jerk to the other side of the bed or rattle off something incomprehe nsible. I was glad she wasn't awake, or else she wouldn't have hesitated to whac k me in the face with the pillow.

Swallowing a huge lump in my throat, I tried to compose myself, yet as each seco nd passed, I felt the rhythm in my chest begin to race. I couldn't tell exactly why I was so anxious when I studied Kylie. Even if I didn't want to believe - I never wanted to believe it but...

...why did I have the feeling she was the girl I was looking for?

-Kylie-

 

White.

Everything around me was white.

"She's conscious," a distant voice echoed in my ears.

Blinking in surprise, I turned my throbbing head to the side, and I could see a mass of red curls looming over me through the haze. Julianne was watching me wit h her wide eyes.

"Hey," I managed to say through a dry throat.

"Hey yourself," she said with a scowl as she stood up straight. "How dare you ge t sick and leave me all alone? I can't bear to be with those goons in our classe s, you know that? And see? This is what you get when you don't listen to me."

I forced a smile. "Gee, I'm sorry, Mom. It won't happen again."

"Kylie! Oh gosh, are you feeling better now?" Lacey exclaimed as she popped out of nowhere. "My fever must've transferred to you or something." Her face was pal e with much anxiety, and she gripped my arms with her clammy hands.

"That's silly. Relax, Lace. I'm totally fine now..." I said, rubbing my head. "O r so I think... How did I end up here, by the way?"

Julianne and Lacey looked at each other and shrugged.

Wait, the last person who was with me a while ago was...

Even though the fragments of what had happened were fading fast before my eyes, I felt my face turn even hotter at the sudden thought.

No, Erik couldn't possibly be the one who carried me here!

Thinking about it made me want to crawl in hole and mope from embarrassment. Wha t did Erik think of me now? Maybe he was appalled, since carrying a person like me was like carrying a toothless orangutan to a vet. It wasn't my fault my weigh t was in the tons.

I pushed the thoughts aside and tried to close my eyes, yet there was no way sle ep would find me once again. Turning my head, I noticed a guy in a gray shirt le aning over the nurse's table, his head buried in his arms. My mouth froze open o nce my brain had instantaneously recognized him.

"What's he doing here?" I asked with a glower.

"Isn't he so nice?" Julianne wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Tristan totally skippe d his last class just to watch over you."

"What!" I shot up from the bed, but moaned and rubbed my temples when pain shot out of my veins. "Aw, damn. My head."

"You shouldn't force yourself. You're still in a recovery state," Julianne remin ded me.

"Wait, is my face clean? No marker, paint, crayon, anything?" I cried out, touch ing my face in complete terror.

"What are you talking about? Of course, it doesn't have any marks except for tha t drool on your mouth."

I quickly wiped the corner of my mouth with my hand, breathing a sigh of relief. One time last year, Tristan had drawn all over my face while I'd been sleeping; that incident had made me the huge laughing stock of the whole class, and it wa s something I never, ever wanted to happen again.

A groan from Tristan made us turn around in alarm. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and running his fingers through his messy, tangled hair.

"What's with all the noise?" he complained, then yawned. Seeing me fully awake, he added with a glare, "Ha, of course it's you. You're the only one in this roo m who can be that noisy." He stood up and stretched his body.

 

"Way to make me feel better, Tristan," I retorted. "And since you're here, I thi nk it'd be best for me to leave."

Pulling off the blanket, I jumped down from the bed, but at that moment, my whol e body began to ache right along with my dizzy head. The black mist surrounded m y field of vision again. I felt my body falling lifelessly through the air like a piece of paper, but before I could land on the floor, something circled around my waist.

I gasped.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard," Tristan said, staring down at me with see mingly cloudy eyes.

How the hell did he catch me so fast?

Feeling his hands around my wrist and my body, I shoved him away, as my chest wa s beating erratically.

"Back off," I said, taking tiny steps back. The warmness from his grip remained on my skin, contrasting with the coldness of air inside the room. It freaked me out even more, and I was sure I'd be having seizures in no time.

Julianne was scratching her head, while Lacey was covering her mouth. Both weren 't saying a thing, not even looking at us, as if they too felt the excess of awk wardness in the atmosphere.

I cleared my throat and said with composure, "Julianne, Lacey, let's go now."

Lacey's eyes widened. "But you're still weak and..."

"I told you I'm fine," I insisted, grasping Julianne's arms in case I fainted ag ain.

"Here, let me help you," Tristan said, facing his back to me and bending his kne es slightly.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" I exclaimed. Was he going to fart in front of me? Oh, gross. That wasn't the kind of medicine I was looking for at th e moment!

"I know you won't be able to walk long distances for now, so I'm offering you a piggyback ride."

"Piggy-what? Excuse me?"

"C'mon, don't make me wait."

"But I didn't ask you to do it! I'm not a kid anymore, T. I can handle myself."

"Don't be such a pain in the ass, Kyles- I'm ignoring my pride right now just to offer you some help. Stop asking questions and get on already."

Wow. That was a surprise. But riding on the devil's back? That just screamed mad ness! Jeez, I couldn't even bear to picture it.

"I won't."

"Yes, you will."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I said, "Why do you always like to argue with m e?"

"Why do you always have to argue with me?" Tristan barked back.

"Sheesh. You're being immature right now."

"You're also being immature right now."

"Hey! You can't just copy what I-"

"Um, guys?" Lacey cut us off tentatively, stepping in between us. She looked at me, then at Tristan, before sighing deeply. "Can you two stop with the bickering , please?"

Smirking, Tristan raised his eyebrows at me, and I did nothing but roll my eyes. There was no freaking way I would ever ride on his back.

***

"Oh my God, this is so embarrassing," I muttered as I lowered my head and closed my eyes.

Yes, I was allowing him to carry me out of the school building, where many peopl e would see how close we were. We'd been debating for a couple minutes back in t he clinic whether I should have agreed or not, yet I'd been soundly creamed when Julianne and Lacey had gone to Tristan's side.

"I swear I'll never do this again," I groaned again. Out of my peripherals, Juli anne and Lacey was trailing to the side, but their distance from our spot was wa y too far, as if they were trying to ditch us. I gave them a defeated face, and they just gave me an apologetic smile in return.

What great luck I had here.

"Do you think I wanted this to happen, too?" Tristan snapped at me. "My reputati on's already crumbling, Kylie, and I don't want it to turn even worse."

"Bah! You really care about that stupid thing?"

"Can't I? And it's not stupid."

"It certainly is! Oh, what a bigheaded jerk you are."

"Shut up."

"Huh, touch a nerve, Tristan?" I pinched his ears, making him pull his head away .

"Hey, knock it off you little-"

With a devilish grin, I craned my neck over his shoulders to see his pissed off reaction. Not only were the tips of his ears turning red, but his cheeks were as well. I didn't know why was that so. Sweat was running from the tips of his hai r down his pinkish neck, and I suspected that he was having a hard time carrying me. Oh, yes, he should have been making a little sacrifice, because he was the one who'd chosen this.

We walked for a couple of feet in silence, and I'd almost dozed off when Tristan faked a cough.

"Kylie?"

"What?" I grumbled.

"May I ask you something?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shoot. It's not like I can stop you, anyway."

"What's with you being so snappy? I was just going to ask where you were during Val..." He paused, as if thinking twice about what he should say, then finally s hook his head. "Nah, scratch that. Never mind."

There. He'd better have been finished talking, since my mind was full of steam r ight now, and I didn't want another round of arguments with him.

At the parking lot, several kids were glaring at us while whispering to each oth er. I frowned at the sight of them. Great, now this scene would instantly be on the front page of the school paper. Two of the most well-known archenemies in th e history of Broadway Heights having a piggyback ride? Wow. That was equivalent to dropping a nuke overall the state of Connecticut, and I wasn't even kidding.

Don't worry, Kylie. This won't last long.

I felt my face go as colorless as it could. I guess this was the most disturbing thing I'd ever done in my seventeen years of existence, but even so, the warmth circulating through my body told a different story. For some reason, it felt we lcoming and... safe at the same time. Strange and downright stupid, I know. My h eart still hadn't stopped its wild beats, and I felt butterflies-no, screw butte rflies; I could feel the entire zoo erupting in my stomach right at that moment.

Feeling utterly mortified, I couldn't do anything but bury my face in Tristan's back. From his shirt, I could smell the familiar scent of detergent I was always using at home, and faintly... Tristan's scent.