Checkmate (Sequel to Game On)

Chapter 18: Rub Salt Into The Wound

I enter the classroom just in time before the bell rings and I choose to sit in the back beside Claire.

She flashes me a smile, which I return, and before we have time to say anything the teacher walks into the classroom and everyone quickly end their conversations.

"Today", our science teacher says, "I want you to work in your old group while working on the new project I'll introduce to you in a few minutes."

I feel my heart drop instantly. Our old groups. My partner was Nathaniel.

I glance around the room and my eyes stop as they find the back of an oh so familiar figure.

Claire, who sees my dreadful facial expression, put her hand on my shoulder.

"Celiné? Will you be fine?" she asks me in her soft voice and I laugh awkwardly in an attempt to act strong.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just a science project." Even I can hear the shaking in my voice and I bite myself in my lip to shut up.

The teacher takes the attendance and then introduce the new project. I only listen with one ear, my thought wandering to Nathaniel. I don't know what to think. I should be happy because this will give me a chance to talk to him but something tells me that he won't be willing to work nor talk to me.

As the teacher is done with the presentation I glance at the clock and realize that it's still forty minutes left of class.

"Okay" the teacher calls out and clap his hand together, "it's just to get into your groups and get started. Matt and Shane", he points at Vince and Nick, "since you guys don't have a partner, you build a group together."

Everyone in the classroom starts to move around to sit with their partner and I look up only to find that Nathaniel's seat is now empty. I find him in front of the class, by the teacher.

I slowly stand up and walk towards them and as I get closer, I can make out what they are saying.

"Mr. Hackett", our teacher says with a stern voice while shaking his head, "why would I let you change partner when no one else is allowed to? No, you're working with Miss Carpenter, unless you want to fail this class?"

Nathaniel mutters something under his breath and turns around and instantly stop dead in his track as he sees me.

"Nathaniel..." I plead but he put his hand up in my face and sigh.

"Don't say anything, alright? Just... I don't know. Let's just get this over with."

I find my myself nodding and we sit down at one of the free desks and I can't help but feel a little bit sad as Nathaniel takes a chair and sit on the other side of it instead for besides me.

As I watch the other groups I make eye contact with Nick who gives me a glare before flickering his eyes to Nathaniel and then back to me, as if to warn me to not tell Nathaniel anything.

"I'll work with the first paragraph and you'll take the second", Nathaniel says and let me tell you that I've never seen him so interested in a science project before.

"Nathaniel..." I try again but he hushes me. I keep going anyway. "Please! I'm sorry, okay? But it's not even what it looks like. I-I..." I don't even know if he listens and I lose my words as I don't figure out the right ones to say. I can't exactly tell him 'I got kidnapped and the picture you saw was from when my kidnapper, Nick, or as you know him, Shane, forcefully kissed me.

"You what?" Nathaniel snaps and surprises me by even showing me that he listened.

"I don't like... Shane", I say, "I ha-"

"Hey, sorry to interrupt", a deep voice says all of a sudden, cutting me off just as I was about to tell Nathaniel that I hate Nick. With anger showing in my eyes, I turn around and come face to face with the devil himself.

"Yeah, sorry, but I was wondering if someone of you guys could help me with understanding the text? I don't get what it says."

Nathaniel gives Nick a death glare and I can see that his jaw is clenched as well as his fists.

"Celiné can help you", he says with venom dripping off of his voice, "she's the brain here."

"But I-" I try to defend myself but Nick cut me off again.

"Perfect." He flashes us a false smile and practically drags me away to the desk where Vince sits and tries to hide his amusement.

Nick pushes me down onto one of the chairs and leans over the desk, his shoulder touching mine.

"Are you out of your mind?" he hisses with his back against the rest of the classroom. "Don't you think I could hear you? Because I could and I did. You better shut that pretty mouth of yours before I make sure that you'll regret ever speaking to him. It's bad enough that you're in the same group as him but if you start talking to him about other stuff than this project, I'll make you pay, got it?"

I stare him straight in the eyes, anger is flashing in his eyes as well as in mine and I stand up from the chair. He follows my movement and his face is inches from mine.

"What are you gonna do about it?" I whisper-shout, feeling somewhat secure since I'm in the middle of a classroom full of people. "You can't hurt me here", I taunt and my lips curl upwards into a smug smirk. However, it falters as fast as it appeared as Nick utter his next words.

"No, I can't hurt you", he says slowly, "but I can do this." In a swift motion, I feel his hands on my hips, holding me in place, and his lips on mine.

I put my hands on his chest to push him away but before I manage to do so, he breaks the kiss himself and pulls back. Now it is he who has a smirk plastered on his face. He leans in to whisper in my ear.

"Do anything else than acting sweet to me and I'll swear that I'll beat the living daylight out of Nathaniel", he threatens and releases his hands from my hips. He raises an eyebrow at me as he glances down to his chest where my hands still are and I feel my eyes widen as I realize what it must look like for everyone else. Quickly, and with a blush spreading across my cheeks, I take my hands off of his chest and turn around to walk away. Nick chuckles from behind me and I realize that practically everyone in the room stares at us, some of them with eyes wide as saucers and some of them with judging eyes. I think I hear one whisper something about how I'm such a bitch, kissing Shane in front of the whole class with Nathaniel in the same room, and all I want to do is run out of the classroom and cry, but I don't. I sit down opposite of Nathaniel again and I barely have the courage to meet his gaze, but I do.

His grey eyes meet my blue ones in a brief second before he quickly looks away, but the sorrow and betrayal his eyes hold is impossible to go by unseen and I feel my heart drop down my stomach. I separate my now trembling lips to say his name but before I have the time, he stands up straight, his chair giving out a loud squeaking noise, and exits the classroom without a word. Right before the door closes, with him on one side and me on the other, I meet his eyes once again. It feels like my heart breaks into a million pieces, once again, by the sight of the indescribable amount of hurt he shows. A tear escapes my eye but by the time it falls down my cheek, the door has already closed.