Chapter 20
1381 Words
Chapter 20
Patrick has been coming home every night after 12.
I tried telling him I wasn’t so comfortable being alone with Evander, but he brushed it off like it was nothing.
I’m currently standing on the track watching the sun come up. I stretch my arms and close my eyes just as the sun starts to peek over. I brushed my fingertips over the place his mouth touched my shoulder. I imagine how it would feel when his lips were harder. More demanding and I snap out of it as my phone rings.
“Hi!”
“Hi Pumpkin! Why are you up so early?” he asks and I stare at the field where the rest of my teammates come walking up the field.
“I’m stressed about Friday that's all.”
“I remember my last meet! I was stressed too! I know it's like the whole state competing and everything, but remember how calm I was with my last race? It was because I knew it was my last time. I decided to enjoy it even if I didn’t win!’’
‘’But you did win?”
“EXACTLY! Just enjoy yourself!’’
I look at my feet.
‘’You want to go on a date tonight? Just me and you?”
He’ss quiet for a moment and I feel suddenly overwhelmed.
‘’Patrick, what is going on with you? You’re never home? You feel so distant?” I whisper and I can hear him swallow hard on the other side of the line.
‘’I’m trying Alena, I really am! I don’t know what you want from me.’’
He hangs up.
I try to call him back and after five reps I race home to confront him, but when I get there he’s already gone. My car keys are also gone. I kick the counter and curse words fly as I grab my toe. I feel eyes on me and see Evander slowly open his door wider.
“You ok?” he asks and I almost throw him with something.
“Hm,” I grab my phone and try to call Patrick again. I get so mad when it goes to voicemail that I kick the counter again.
#####
Later that day.
I walked into the gym and spotted Layla on one of the treadmills. I watched her for a second. What if Patrick was cheating on me? Would he actually do that? Would he after everything we’ve been through? HE was the first guy I trusted with everything that happened to me. He wouldn’t. I got a notification of a photographer wanting to collab. I started to text her back, but that's when I see Layla smiling at her phone. I keep watching her. I decided then it was time that I introduced myself. I needed to know who this girl was and why the hell she was bumping into my boyfriend on the dancefloor and acting like she didn’t know me. As I'm about to introduce myself, she suddenly gets a phone call. I awkwardly act like I’m busy with one of the machines. Layla started nodding frantically and I wish I could hear what she was saying. She then quickly runs out of the gym. Her eyes briefly flash towards me, but yet again she acts like she doesn’t know me. Something was really wrong. Something was off about her. I needed to figure out what it was. I see Jacob come into the gym with the rest of the team and he eyes me.
“Why are you so early, Alena?”
I then started to gym my arms like I’m some kind of valkyrie getting ready for battle.“Alena! Go home!” Jacob suddenly shouts at me as I started with my sixth rep. I let the bar fall to the ground and glared at him.
``You're breaking my focus Jacob!”
He walks towards me and pushes the bar away with his foot as I try to grab it again.
“You’re not going to be able to run if you overwork yourself two days before, go take an ice bath right now! You look like sh*t!”
I look at myself in the mirror and realise how terrible I look and how right he actually was.
I have bags under my eyes. My ponytail is all over the place. The red crop top and black leggings at least looked good. I gave Jacob for a second a pleading look and he shook his head.
“Go home.”
I just nodded giving up, because I knew there was no use in trying to defend myself. He was right. I needed to rest my muscles. I needed to figure out what the hell was going on in my relationship and what was going on in my head.
I started to walk to the locker rooms, but then I saw the part was closed with the ice baths.
I see a janitor and he points to the door.
“We had an issue with our air conditioning! The people across the street know it and are helping out!” I pause as he says it. No. I was not going to go take an ice bath in the boxing club where Evander was. It just felt absurd.
“I also need to go! I’ll walk with you,” Stacy from my team says, and some part of me is grateful, because I knew I needed an ice bath to calm my muscles. As we walk across the street, I’m grateful when I don’t see Evanders' car.
We walk in and a guy who looks like the owner spots us. He looks so much like the actor that plays Rocky that I had to stifle my laugh at the cliche. Some of the guys whistle as we walk into the locker rooms.
“Is there a girls locker room here?” I ask when I only see eight huge ice baths lined up, four already in use by bulky guys who look absolutely deadly.
“Just a toilet! The locker room is unisex. You can use your undergarments or do it naked. It's a free country after all.’’
I gawk at the old man. He just walks out before I can object. Stacy is already undressing, staying in her tight shorts and sports bra. I’m grateful for my own shorts underneath my leggings. I wait before I start to undress. Glaring at the men and how they checked out Stacy by corning their necks. This felt wrong, but I couldn’t ditch Stacy now. I swallowed my pride when I heard voices coming down the hall. I try to undress as quickly as I can. My leggings were giving me trouble and I was trying really hard not to pull both of my pants off .
As I finally get my leggings off, someone clears their throat behind me. I pulled a face and didn’t even turn around as I greeted him.
“Hi Evander,” I said and just walked towards the tub next to Stacy. She was already sinking in pulling a face of pure distaste.
I dip my finger in and goosebumps run over my whole body. s**t, this is freaking cold. I can’t do this. I hear clothing fall and two other voices murmuring something. Some of the guys already in the tubs whistle as I climb up to lower myself in the water. I threw dagger eyes toward them. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes as I slowly climb in. s**t. s**t s**t.
“I put a timer for us for 5 minutes,” Stacy says between stuttering teeth. I just nodded, unable to form words.
I see the new arrivals climb into the last remaining tubs separating us from the others and I’m immediately embarrassed because Evander wasn’t among them. So everyone in here probably thinks I’m crazy speaking to myself.
I start to look back but Stacy gives me a funny look.
“What?” I ask her.
“You know him?” Stacy asks, her head dipping back and, just as I look back, dark eyes lock on mine.
“Yes she does,” Evander says as he steps into the bath behind me.
- Writer
