CHAPTER 56 ~ Hannah’s game
CHAPTER 56~ Hannah’s game
KYLIE’S POV
I’m not sure if my little tactic was an epic fail or not. For one thing, Elijah was able to see right through what I was doing, so what exactly did that say?
Well, it said, he indeed was different, that he truly had something to hide, but that was not anything new. Of course, I was aware that Elijah was hiding something.
I stalled a bit after the team testing to see if he’d be out on time, but when he began to take too long, I decided that I had to leave.
I would bump heads with him some other time.
I gathered my things and left, and was a few blocks away from my house when I was stopped by a couple of familiar faces from uni. I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, so I was shocked by why they stopped me until one opened up his mouth.
“hey pretty girl, I see you around from time to time. Want to grab a drink?” he reached for my hand, but stepped away from him. He smelled of alcohol and sweat, and he was giving me PTSD without having to try so hard.
“I’ll pass,” I said and wanted to go around them, but his friend grabbed my hand and began to laugh.
“you don’t have to be in such a hurry. We only want to have a good time.”
The slap came before I could think it through, but I smiled because I knew it was going to leave a mark, and I loved it.
“Bitch!” the guy spat, reaching for his sting.
“you stay away from me!” I ordered and tried to take another route, but the first guy grabbed me by my waist and pulled me close to him.
“let me go!” I cried and kicked him from behind, his grip loosened and I kicked him again until he finally and totally let me go.
I tried to make a run for it, but there was a third friend, appearing in front of me, looking all big and surly.
“shit,” I whispered, feeling very locked in.
“why not, pick on someone your own size? Hmm?” we both turned to the sound of the voice, and I swear I nearly wept in relief.
“Elijah,” I whispered as he walked closer to the big guy, his two other friends advancing on us
“stay close to me,” he said to me and I nodded.
He took them on, all three of them, as effortlessly as he would if there was only one of them, and they ran away in fear. Limping really, and I think they could only escape because he had no desire to maim them.
“Are you okay?” he asked when it was just us.
“I.. Think I am. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here just now.” I said and reached out to hold him, but he pulled me into his embrace, hugging me close.
I breathed in the scent of him, and it felt like safety. I suppose it was safe to say that there had never been a time when Elijah showed up where I didn’t feel safe. And as I tried to figure out things about him, I needed to keep that in mind.
“you’re safe now.” he whispered, running a hand down my hair, “you’re safe now.”
He walked me home, and I didn’t object. In any case, those guys could have simply shown up again, and I didn’t want to be alone when they did.
“Are you excited about the game this Friday?” I asked when the silence became too deafening. He simply shrugged.
“I guess a part of me is. The part that wants to do my best. But nothing serious.” he said and shrugged, “you?”
“me?”
“yeah, are you excited about the game?”
“In general, I guess I am. We always win, you always make sure of that. So I guess that’s something to look forward to.”
We fell back into more silence, but it wasn’t so bad this time.
When we reached my apartment, I saw a familia en parkest in the intente sped.
“What’s wrong?” Elijah asked, and I shook my he
“it can’t be.”
“What?”
Successfully unlocked!
“my mother.” I said, turning to look at him, “She’s here.”
1/2
CHAPTER 56- Hannah’s game
“for what?”
“I don’t know.” I said and shrugged, “I guess we will have to find out.”
I took my time going to the building, wondering what exactly Hannah meant to say to me. She had left me to fend for myself all this while, so what could she possibly want now?
I wanted nothing more than to be wrong, but I wasn’t, and in front of my apartment door, there she was, waiting for me like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Kylie.” she said with a smile, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Mum. What a surprise.” I said. There was no perfunctory hug, no real hug, no nothing, “what brings you here?”
“Let’s go in first. I’ve been standing here all this time.”
“Right, forgive me.” I sorted out my keys, and opened up the door, waited for her to go in first.
Elijah and I made a face at each other before we followed her in.
“Forgive me that I haven’t called all this while and just simply show up here. But this is quite urgent.”
I walked to my fridge and got out water, gave her one, as well as Elijah’s, and drank as I waited for her to speak.
“Well, you’re here now, so you might as well, tell me what it’s about.”
“Kylie, our family needs you.”
“our? Are you sure? Because the last time I checked, I was sort of kicked out to fend for myself.*
“and you’ve done so good for yourself,” Hannah said rising, and I shook my head.
“Then don’t ruin it. Sort out whatever mess you all are in and leave me alone.”
“I wish we could, Kylie. I sincerely wish we didn’t have to include you, but there isn’t anyone else who can do this.”
“do what?”
“Commit to the arranged marriage your father and I have planned.”
“Oh, brother,” I said and rolled my eyes.
“don’t be that way, our finances depend on it.”
“and like I said, deal with it yourselves. Because you all left me to fend for myself. So leave me out of this!”
“you would benefit from it too. Your standard of living would improve immensely.”
“I like my standard of living just fine. So leave it be.”
“It’s this boy, isn’t it?” Hannah spat, sneering in Elijah’s direction.
“be very careful, ma’am,” Elijah said in a low tone.
“enough,” I said, holding up a hand, and looked directly at my mother.
“I am not interested. And that Is my final word.”
E
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