Chapter 25
After school…
groups of
The main gate thrummed with activity–bikes screeched to a halt, sneakers shuffled across the pavement, and students clustered around like flocks of starlings, their voices rising and falling in bursts of laughter and buzzed
conversations.
Normally, I would head to hockey practice right about now, but today was one of those rare days when I had no practice after school. This early departure left me with an unfamiliar sense of emptiness as hockey was the only thing that made me happy. On the field, while playing, especially with Rubina and Sheela, I felt like myself, far from being my mom’s daughter or Kaiden Sterwalt’s stepsister.
Near the gate, I spotted Kaiden near his sleek black car while his attention was on his phone. He stood there with a natural ease, as if the entire space bent to his rhythm, drawing subtle glances from everyone passing by. His posture was casual, but there was an edge to it—a quiet arrogance that demanded attention without even trying.
I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to go with him or just take the bus home. But deep down, I knew I needed to make a conversation.
“You have to ask him, Lucy!” I said to myself.
With a resigned sigh, I approached the car and opened the front passenger door without a word.
Kaiden glanced up, his hazel eyes flicking over me briefly before he asked. “No hockey today?”
I don’t know why, but I felt a slight pang in my heart when he asked me that question. I thought he knew I didn’t have hockey practice today, so he waited for me, but it turns out he was just casually standing there and scrolling, not waiting for
- me.
“No,” I muttered, slipping into the seat and shutting the door firmly behind me. “No hockey today.”
He also got in and started the engine, the low growl of the car filling the space between us.
I stared out the unopened window, watching the scenery blur past, my fingers fidgeting with the strap of my bag.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Queen Bee’s post–about how it had vanished, how her entire online presence had disappeared, and the possibility that Kaiden had something to do with it. And worse, that he knew about the dream. The shame coiled in my stomach along with confusion and hope, tightening with every passing second.
Should I ask him? Could I? What if my questions make him remember about my dream?
“Just say it, Lucy. Ask him,” I urged myself silently, my heart pounding against my ribs like a drum. My palms felt clammy, and the strap of my bag dug into my fingers as I clenched it tighter. “What’s the worst that could happen? I know you don’t want to bring up that stupid dream,” I scolded myself inwardly, my nails digging into my palm as I tried to push the shame aside. “But, hey, it’s Kaiden. Don’t forget how shameless he is.”
My mouth felt dry, the faint taste of nervousness lingering on my tongue. “Don’t forget what kind of dirty things he said to you in the past.” I continued in my mind, the heat in my cheeks spreading to my ears now. The memory of his smug smirk flickered behind my eyelids, and my grip on the bag tightened further. “If anyone here should feel ashamed, it’s him. If he hadn’t made those disgusting threats, you would never have ended up dreaming about him… would you? NO! NEVER! It wasn’t a steamy dream of desires–it was a nightmare.”
I glanced at Kaiden again, the calm rise and fall of his chest contrasting sharply with the erratic thud of my heart. The car’s quiet hum filled the silence, but all I could hear was the pounding in my ears.
“People who suffer near–death experiences also have nightmares,” I reminded myself, my gaze flicking to the blur of trees outside the window as if the scenery could anchor my spiraling thoughts. “That doesn’t mean they want to die. It’s just trauma. And so is your freaking drea-” The glimpse of that dream flashed over my eyes. “Nope! Not even a dream. It was a
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Chapter 25
nightmare! A freaking nightmare. Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare!”
+45
The word repeated like a mantra, but the heat in my cheeks refused to fade. I exhaled shakily, the faint vibration of the car under my palms grounding me just enough to push forward. I had to ask him. I had to.
Focus, Lucy. You’re here to clear your confusion, not to dive into it.
“Um…” I started, my voice barely above a whisper, before faltering,
Confidence, Lucy. Confidence!
Kaiden’s gaze flicked toward me briefly, his profile calm as he focused on the road.
I swallowed hard, gathering every ounce of courage I had. “Can I… ask you something?”
“Okay.” His tone was light. “But don’t make it too mind–consuming. I’m driving, you know.” He joked with a straight face, his eyes never leaving the road.
“Of course, I know you’re driving.” I scoffed, feeling a little offended. “I’m not blind.”
“Then why were you ignoring me the whole day?” The smooth seriousness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Ignoring him? That wasn’t even the right word. If anything, I’d been actively avoiding him.
Reason number one: the shame.
The dream. That stupid, mortifying dream that I couldn’t shake from my mind and the fact that Kaiden read about it in detail.
Reason number two: the deeper shame.
Because every time he looked at me, every time our eyes met–even in passing–my stupid, traitorous heart whispered something I didn’t want to hear. A part of me, a small, reckless part, hoped it hadn’t just been a dream. That it had been real. That he had touched me like that. That he had wanted me like–no, don’t, Lucy! Don’t go there.
The thought made my face burn, and I was suddenly grateful for the hum of the car, for the way I could turn my head and pretend to be interested in the scenery outside. Anything to keep him from seeing the chaos in my expression.
To be continued…
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AD
