Checkmate (Sequel to Game On)

Chapter 7: Done

I feel my face lose all of the colors it had worn, even though I'm already pale.

I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it, but it's true. I'm not hallucinating. Nick and Vince are really here, in my school, in my freaking class, only a few meters away. If I could have it my way, I would want it to be thousands and thousands of miles between us but do I ever get what I want? No, not since Nick came into my life, not since Nick ruined it.

The teacher says something to the class but I don't hear what. All sounds around me melt together and it's impossible to make out any words. It feels like I'm under the surface in the sea, and the rest is talking around me.

I want to scream so badly, I want to rise up from my seat and tell everyone who the two guys in the front of the class truly are. I want to call the police and I want to leave this classroom and run into the girls' bathroom and cry my eyes out and scream in frustration, but I don't.

I sit still in my seat, barely moving at all, and watch Nick and Vince take two seats in the back. They walk past my row but I avoid looking in their direction. I can't stand seeing them. I can't stand being in the same room as them because of one simple reason. I can't stand them.

I don't know if Nick or Vince looks at me as they pass but I honestly don't want to find out either.

Truth to be told, I'm actually pretty surprised that I haven't got a panic attack or something because it feels like I'm going to break down any second.

I may look calm on the outside but on the inside, I'm a total chaos of mixed feelings I'm trying to control.

Trying is the keyword in that sentence because I don't know how well I'm doing.

Something suddenly comes across my eyesight right in front of me and I flinch and snap back to reality.

"Are you alright?" Nathaniel asks and stops waving his hand in front of me. He looks at me with a worried expression on his face. I try to laugh or at least force a smile on my lips to shrug off the fact that I got scared for such a silly thing as his waving hand, but I fail miserably.

"Y-yeah", I manage to say and silently curse myself for stuttering.

He raises his eyebrows in a questioning gesture.

"Ya' sure? Because it looks like you've seen a ghost and your hands are shaking."

I clench my hands together into fists in an attempt of stopping them from shaking.

"Actually, I think I'm going to go to the nurse. I suddenly feel sick", I say and silently pray that he believes me.

"You want me to come with you? Do you know why you're feeling bad?"

I shake my head and decline his offer. "No, it's fine, and maybe I've just caught a cold or something, you know that I don't dress properly for the weather."

I'm not sure if he buys it or not, but he slowly nods and I force a smile onto my lips and takes his hand into mine, giving it a gentle squeeze before raising my hand for the teacher to see and excusing myself to go to the nurse.

Even though I have my back against the class as I walk out of the door, I can feel Nick's eyes burning holes in the back of my head.

As soon as I exit the classroom, I practically run towards the girl's bathroom and close myself into one of the toilet stands. I don't cry my eyes out and neither do I scream, but I do put my fist into my mouth to prevent myself from actually doing it.

It takes a few minutes for me to calm down and I hesitantly pick up my phone to see if I have any new messages. I don't, and a sigh of relief leaves my mouth. I don't know how well it will be going, but I decide to ignore Nick and Vince as much as possible. I won't look or talk to them at all unless I have to. I'm not ready to face them again and I don't think I'll ever be.