Offside Love

Chapter2

Their voices died instantly. The only sound was the kettle whistling on the stove. Father's hands froze midair as he glared at me.

I swallowed hard to calm my racing heart, but my mother kept staring with her mouth open.

Oh God! I wish I hadn't said anything. I should have gone to my room and covered my ears with music like I always do.

He stormed towards me, his jaw clenched tight and fists balled at his sides. My hands trembled, the steam from the boiling water filled the air, choking me till I could barely breathe.

“Have you lost your mind?” His teeth gritted and his eyes red.

I could hear my heart pounding loudly, and I worried that he had heard it too.

“Don…don't you dare touch her!” My breath caught. The words came out before I could stop them. I wanted to tell him I didn't mean to say it, but it was too late.

His brows narrowed, the veins bulging on his forehead.

“Or what Amy! What will you do?” He slammed his hand on the wall.

I flinched, my whole body shaking.

The room was unbearably hot, yet goosebumps still crawled across my skin.

He grabbed my wrist, squeezing it tightly. A sharp pain ached while I struggled to take his hands off, but he wouldn't let go.

“Father, stop, you're hurting me. ” I cried out.

Mother gasped, she threw her hands in the air as she rushed towards him. Her knees fell to the floor and she clung to his trousers.

“Please… Please stop

I beg you please.” She sobbed uncontrollably.

My chest tightened, I couldn't stand seeing her like that.

Father gave me a stern look, dropped my hands forcefully, and pointed a finger at me.

“Try me again, and it'll be your face.” He frowned, looking down at mother, who was still clinging desperately to his leg.

He pulled his leg back and her face hit the ground, while I whimpered, moving away from the door.

He stomped toward the table, his fists swinging as he snatched the car keys. The glass plates on the table crashed to the floor, but he didn’t shudder. He spat at me and slammed the door so hard that the windows rattled.

Silence stretched between us again, and I let out a heavy sigh as my heart finally slowed.

Mother looked up to me not saying a word, but her eyes said it all.

“ Mother, are you okay?” I knelt beside her.

She wrapped her arms around me, kissing my head.

“Poor dear…I’m so sorry you went through this.”

Her hug felt warm on my skin. I wanted us to stay like that forever, just the two of us.

“Is that smoke?” I coughed, clutching my throat.

“ Ah, the kettle! The kettle! Mother screamed, standing.

The floor creaked as she walked, reminding me of cheer-practice and how I had lost the captain.

I didn't want to remember how Daniel resented me like I was nothing. But now I have lost everything to Samantha.

I closed my eyes hard, I couldn’t tell her, she'd been through a lot. When mother opened the windows, the cool breeze enveloped me, giving me a sense of relief. She stood by the counter, squinting her nose.

“Honey, go take a shower, you stink,” she teased, looking at me.

“Yes, mum,” I uttered.

I didn’t want to go yet, I wanted to lie on her lap while she patted my hair.

Even as I sat in class, the weight of yesterday gripped me.

The last bell rang right after Mrs Corti handed out our English assignments and bashed out.

Earlier, she had argued that we talked too much, not knowing when to be quiet.

The look on her face was funny when her nose wrinkled and glared at us like she perceived a foul smell.

The moment she left, the noise only grew louder. Scraping of chairs and stamping of books made it unbearable. Last night I couldn't sleep. I drowned in tears while listening to James Arthur.

The air smelled of chalk with the loud chatter from students as they rushed out of class. I barely focused, I kept staring at the pages of my book till the words blurred.

“Mrs. Corti isn't easy, is she?” Olivia groaned, rolling her eyes and dumping her bag on my desk. She paused when I didn't respond then sat beside me.

“Hey, what's wrong?” she whispered, leaning against me.

I didn't look up, I kept staring at the pages.

“I’m fine.”

Olivia wasn't buying it, she leaned closer, trying to read my expression.

“I know that look, Amy, what’s the problem?”

I sighed and closed my book.

“I’m not going to cheer practice today.”

Olivia’s brows rose.

“You can't skip, not today.”

I pressed my lips hard and looked at her.

“I can, and I will,” I said quietly. “ I don't want to see him.”

She took a deep breath then placed her hands gently on my shoulder.

“You can't let Daniel scare you off. You lost the captain, not your place on the team.”

For a while, I didn't respond, I kept scribbling pen on the desk.

“But he said I wasn't worth it,” I muttered, blinking back tears. The words stung, leaving a dull ache in my chest.

Olivia’s gaze softened, but her voice was firm.

“Then go prove him wrong.”

Olivia’s words still lingered in my mind as I walked slowly into the gym. A sharp squeak of sneakers echoed off the walls and blue practice mats covered most of the floor.

And there he was, the one person I was running away from.

He stood by the bleachers, his fingers moving through Samantha’s hair as he helped her tie it into a ponytail.

My heart fell and rose again. How could he do this to me? After everything we’ve been through.

Samantha smirked at me, her blonde hair gleaming under the gym lights. My stomach twisted, and I looked away before she could see how much it hurt.

“Daniel!” Coach Harper’s voice cut through the music.

“It’s not time for basketball! Out!” she shouted, jabbing a finger at the door.

Daniel straightened. With a slight frown, he muttered something and stormed out of the room. Samantha crossed her arms, eyeing Coach Harper with irritation.

“Seriously? He wasn’t even doing anything wrong.”

I bit back a smile. Maybe the universe wasn’t always unfair after all. All through practice, Samantha’s eyes never drifted from mine.

She kept scowling until we were done for the day. My legs hurt, and sweat slid down my face.

Samantha stood in front of me, her lips curled into that mocking smile.

What does she even want this time?

“I’m so sorry. I know how shameful it is to lose–especially twice.” She let out a small wicked laugh.

I swallowed the words in, but for some reason, it didn’t sting like I thought it would.

“Samantha, stop it!” My voice was steady as I looked her in the eye.

Samantha’s brows rose, then she sneered.

“Ohh… Then stop me. Let’s hope you don’t fall this time.”

Why did she always have to be this mean every time?

The murmurs and chuckles from some of my teammates made me ashamed. My knees weakened,even though I tried to ignore their laughter.

“Leave her alone!” The voice was firm, behind me.