Two steps back
66. Two steps back
🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍
Ever since I met Natalie, things have been one step forward, two steps back.
I had such a blissful time with her on Friday evening. Despite my worse coming out experience and argument at home. I would say it was one of the best nights of my life. We shared so much, enjoyed each other’s company, and had our first kiss. It was exhilarating.
In morning, she woke me up before sunrise.
“What!! It’s so early...” I told her while rubbing my eyes.
She gave me a quick peck on cheek and it shooed away my drowsiness.
“My dad sometimes wakes up early. I can’t risk that. Let’s go.”
As she freshen up, her kiss lingered on my face and I wondered if we still need to wait a week?
That blissful feeling barely lasted half an hour. As she was about to enter her house, her father opened the door.
He was waiting for her.
I was in the car but I saw it all happen. He gave me a stern look from his front door. It grilled holes in my head even when I was fifty yards away from their house.
She texted me an hour later, explaining her father had woken up early. It was our sheer bad luck he was in the living room when my car pulled over near their house.
Me: ‘I kinda feel like it happened because of me.’
Dull-Mean-Happening-Girl: ‘Don’t... I was the one who came uninvited. Never saw Dad this much disappointed in me. :(‘
I wanted to tell her how much her uninvited visit mean to me. It led to conversations we probably would never have had. But that seemed like a dick move, considering she was upset about her father’s reaction.
Mom and Dad came to get me back home on Saturday. Dad is talking to me as if nothing happened. If he is back on talking terms, it’s his way of saying let’s forget and move on.
So I have to get over it. No matter what he said.
I still applied to some colleges in the same city as Natalie’s college. Chances are slim. I have resigned to the fact If I have a hundred thousand dollar loan in my fate. I cannot help it.
This morning Natalie texted me her dad would drop her to school from now onwards. My heart literally sank. He probably forbade her to meet me. I guess there wouldn’t be any study sessions. I won’t get to drop her home either.
The only silver lining was she acknowledged me in class today. It kind of made my day.
.....
In the cafeteria, Norris and Millie join me at the table. I look around to spot West and Riley.
“Did you see West today?” Norris asks me.
I realize I indeed haven’t seen him today. Did he take a day off?
Riley comes to us at lighting speed, slides a phone on the table, and says, “Give it to West. I am going home.”
Her face is smeared and red. She has probably been crying.
“Hey..” I get up quickly and hold her by arm before she can move away from us.
“Are you alright? What happened?”
Riley looks at me and Norris, then says, “Talk some sense into him. Please, you guys... Talk some sense into him. I am tired. I cannot take it anymore.”
Then she goes away. I stand there, confused about what exactly happened. I look at Norris and he shrugs. “No idea what she is talking about.”
Barely a minute later. West joins us.
And It’s bad... We all look at him, stunned.
“What the fuck happened?”
His face is battered, and he has a warm bandage on his hand.
This is such a piece of bad news.
He shrugs. “Got into some fight.”
He takes a seat and winces. Probably his ribs are bruised too. How will he play? It can affect his performance for the evaluation matches in upcoming weeks.
It’s rare for West to get into fights, but when he does, it’s usually bad. But this is the worse I have seen him.
He picks up the phone Riley left on the table for him and says, “Oh, I need this one.”
He takes his phone out of his bag. It’s broken. If his face wasn’t bruised this badly, I would have cracked a joke.
“Can you get it fixed? I cannot afford a new one right now.” He says to Norris.
“Yeah sure. It will take me a few days, though.”
Norris takes the phone from West. He inspects it, then chuckles. “What up with everyone breaking their phones? Millie broke her phone this month too. Beyond repair that one...”
Millie rolls her eyes and says, “Told you... It just happened...”
After a while, Norris and Millie leave and I am alone with West when I ask, “How bad is it? Your injuries.”
I want to know if there is something hidden under his clothes, too. The coach will be pissed.
“I am fine, Jacob. Stop pitying.”
“It’s not pity.. with upcoming evaluation-“
He snorts and cuts me in the middle. “You had no problem taking up a fight with David over a stupid girl a few weeks ago. So you don’t get to tell me to keep my nerves calm.”
I clench my fists to control myself. I could totally throw a punch into his bruised face. But I know he is being an asshole on purpose. When West behaves like this, there is no point in engaging him. I take my bag and head to the next class alone.
West can be freaking toxic sometimes. God bless Riley for dealing with him.
