Play No More (Player Next Door sequel) ✓

31 | Smile and Scowl

Hey @amsterdam_.1996, thank you for the very cool poster! I'm liking the forbidden games

Chapter 31: Smile and Scowl

After Luke and Kaden left the theater room, the mathletes swarmed me. They had a million questions as to why Luke Dawson was dragging a junior mathlete out of practice.

I gave the five second summary, "Kaden bought a basketball player jersey and it's the same jersey that was used to intimidate me. I don't know or what he wants but-"

"He bought that jersey for his girlfriend," Toby said, confused, "His new girlfriend I mean. Not you."

Oh. My. God.

With that explanation, I ran out of the auditorium, shielding myself from the million more questions the mathletes fired out.

It's. Not. Kaden.

I ran down the empty hallway. The sun was streaming in through the windows and bounced off the metal lockers. 

I skidded on the linoleum floor as I tried to make a sharp turn for the exit. I ran as fast as I could towards the front entrance and got there just in time to see it happen.

"Please don't! Stop!" I yelled.

I was a second too late. 

Luke punched him. And it created a movie sound effect. His arm moved fast and an oof came out of my mouth as I witnessed the impact.

Kaden keeled over, clutching onto his stomach, crying out loud. He stumbled on his tip toes, before falling over.

I ran onto the grass where they were and crouched down next to Kaden, who was rolling around in the fetal position. 

Austin and Chad stepped back to give us space. 

I tried to help Kaden, but he swiped my hands away. His face was a pinkish blue and he was groaning.

"Why did you do that?! I told you not to hit him!" I yelled at Luke.

Luke looked down at Kaden without any pity.

Austin tried to make me feel better, "At least he didn't hit the face..."

"Unfortunately," Chad commented. "So is that it, then? I came all this way to watch you end Kaden and this is it?"

Kaden cried out for help. My eyes were locked firmly on Luke. Violence is not the answer, and I was not OK with how Luke just attacked a fellow student.

"I won't hit him while he's down," Luke said, glancing at his knuckles to see if they were red at all. "But if he gets up..."

"Then you still won't touch him," I told the boys.

Do they not see what's wrong with this situation?  I dislike Kaden more than any of them but this is not the solution.

I was crouching beside him as he rocked back and forth. I pressed my hands against the damp grass beside me to try to calm my nerves.

"He didn't deserve it!" I said even louder, "Even if he was the blackmailer, which he isn't by the way, beating him up isn't the answer!"

"What do you mean, he isn't the blackmailer?" Luke asked. 

I explained, "He bought the jersey for his girlfriend." 

"Which one?"

Good question, Luke. I wish I had asked that. 

While Kaden and I were still together, he was also seeing Kelly and Julia - and he continued to see them after we broke up. He was the kind of person who simply did not understand the word 'faithful.'