Chapter 5

Thorn Trevor's Point of View:

Our locker room was messed up, it was horrible, a big time. Some jersey uniforms and socks were strewn all over the floor. I shook my head watching some of my teammates singing without thinking about the tune of the song out of their happiness for the promise of our coach in winning tonight's game.

"Unwind?" One of our teammates suggested after the practice game. The tumultuous laughter of our teammates echoed in the locker room.

"Call." Kin respond. He was the point guard and the one who had never been absent from all the celebrations of our team.

"I'm in," Cody said while removing the lace of his shoe. He was one of the shooters on our team.

"I'll join." Tyron also responded. He was one of the rebounders of the team.

"How about you, Yzack?" Vaughn tapped Yzack's back.

"Maybe next time, man. I do have an event to attend." Yzack tried to reason out this time

"That excuse was used very often, man." He kept on insisting.

"I'm serious, bro. Next time, I'll come." He reasoned out. He wore his pure black shirt.

"That's recorded!" He nodded and took the high five.

"We don't need to ask Thorn. He's in, for sure." Vaughn said with a confident tone.

"I cannot this time." They looked at me as if I said something unusual, which was true. I was always present in all team celebrations.

"Is that a joke? No way, man. It's the first time in history that you refuse to come." I exhaled, half a laugh.

"I'm serious, bro. I will be killed by someone this time. Next time, I'll come." I wore a plain white v-neck.

"Okay, Man." I took the high five. I threw my hand on Yzack's shoulder.

"Do you have a date with that girl?" I said with my voice laced with a tease. He exhaled, half a laugh.

"Nah. We have a family gathering. How about you?" I was not sure if he was telling me the truth or just wanted to have an excuse for me to not open up about the girl he was currently dating. It was the first time he did not introduce her girl to me. Well, I won't mind.

"That monster will seriously kill me if I will not make it, man" He laughed and nudged my stomach.

"Hope this isn't the last time I can see you alive." He said, half a laugh. I shook my while and hissed.

"Stop nagging me, man." I laughed.

"I'll go ahead." He tapped my back. I nodded and I took a fist bump.

There were only a few students here since it was about 7 PM. I noticed someone walking in a narrow hallway to the vacant bleachers wearing an oversized white shirt paired up with jeans and her white sneakers. The lamp post was the source of light on the way. She was wearing a darker color of lipstick that accentuated her pale skin. Her long hair bounced as she was taking steps. She was someone talking with her phone. I often saw her with Alexey, but I never ask her about that matter. I was happy seeing my sister living her life doing what made her happy, even just for a while. I was aware that she was to keep on doing what her mom wanted her to do. I walked faster.

"Why are you already here?" She gave me an inquisitive look as he saw me already here. I yawned, acting up as if I was waiting for her for quite a long time.

"Why are you late? You didn't know that my time is precious? I canceled my meeting just for this, and now you're late?" I shook my head in disappointment. I liked watching her irritated expression. A smile automatically etched on my face and rubbed my lower lip.

"You've talked a lot." She said. A smile etched on my face as I realized that she had just stolen my line.

"I'm sorry-" I cut her off. I grinned to annoy her.

"Again?" She furrowed her eyebrows as she heard what I was just.

"I said, I'm sorry." She uttered exasperatedly. I shook my head with a scoff.

"Not sincere," I commented. I was just trying to play it cool as I noticed that her face was distorted with rage.

"I'm sorry." She tried to be polite. I exhaled, half a laugh.

"Happy?" She sarcastically asked me while raising her eyebrows. I hissed half a laugh.

"Here's yours." She gave me some of the papers she was holding. This activity was complex compared to our last activity.

"Check that. It is fair and square." She assured me that the division of labor was fair. I simply nodded my head in response.

"Thorn." I noticed her voice changed to a serious one. Her hair blew by the wind and like what she always did, she clumped her hair to the other side and tucked the hair on her face behind her ear.

"Uhm?" I shove my phone in my pocket. She looked so serious this time. She looked away and bit her lower lip. I could barely see her hesitant.

"About your sister," She said reluctantly and shifted her gaze to me.

"What about her?" I gave her an inquisitive look. She pursed her lips.

"I think you need to talk to her, 'cause earlier I accidentally saw her crying in the lady's room earlier. She told me that she is okay, but you know..." She did not continue, but I understood what she wanted to say. I simply nodded as a response.

"Thanks," I mumbled under my breath while rubbing my nape. Her fist slightly punched my chest as I barely heard her hiss.

"She told me not to tell you." I nodded as I understood that she wanted me to keep it secret.

"I understand," I responded. She nodded in acknowledgment. I saw her eyes fixed on me before she pursed her lips.

"I'll go ahead." She said. I look at my wristwatch.

"Is there someone who will fetch you?" She nodded in response.

"Yeah. Don't bully anyone on your way home." She reminded me. I hissed half a laugh.

"Don't eat anyone on your way home," I said to annoy her. She hits me.

"What's your problem? I'm just concerned about other people, you know." I shrugged.

"Liar." She rolled her eyes.

"Just go home. It's too late." She nodded as a response, then clumped her hair on the other side.

"Thanks for bullying me throughout the day." I hissed.

"Thanks for acting that you were bullied throughout the day," I muttered while watching her from the distance.

I was thinking about what Horizon's told me about Lex all along the way. The traffic lights turned red, I stepped on the break. My elbow was leaning on the window, I rubbed my lower lip and got my phone in my pocket, and stared at the conversation I had with Alexey. I realized that I never replied to any of her text messages. I hissed and threw my phone in the passenger seat.

-

Yzack and I went to the private gym, that was why there were so few people being around. The entire gym has a touch of a modern and fancy kind type of it. There were lots of various equipment available here. That was second to the last set.

"What is it?" Yzack asked from nowhere. I put down the dumbbell. I ran my finger through my hair that has been wet because of the sweat.

"About Lex." He stopped when he heard a serious tone from me this time.

"What about her?" He sat properly and was waiting for the next word that I was about to say. I let out a heavy sigh.

"I know that she's not okay yesterday. I was just thinking if her mom knew that she still has communication with me." He tapped my shoulder.

"Your setup is complicated, Man. I am always on your side, bro, but Alexey also proved that she is willing to disobey her mom's order just to have his brother, but you know, I cannot blame you." I seriously looked at him.

"I understand your decision because if I were you, I will do the same. 'Cause as of now, that's the only thing you can do to protect her." He continued. I let out a heavy sigh.

"Text her." He stopped for a while, then suggested.

"That will be surprising to her since, I never replied to any of her messages." I heard him chuckle.

"You want me to do it for you?" I immediately looked at him.

"No way, bro. I might kill you this time." He chuckled as he heard my over-protective brother warning against him.

"I will just ask, 'how was her?'" He raised his eyebrows.

"No way, bro. Focus on your dumbbells." I suggested while laughing. He got his dumbbell half a laugh. I knew he was also concerned with her. Even if he did not tell me directly, I already knew that he likes Alexey. When we were in third grade, he got his first fight in school when he saw Alexey crying. I knew that he joined me punching the faces of those bullies not because we were friends, but because he had a crush on her. I am not against it, it's just that, to be honest, I don't know.

"How about Horizon, you like her, don't you?" Yzack threw me a bottle of water, I caught it.

"No way, dude. She's a man living in the body of a lady. She's ridiculous!"

"Last set." Our gym instructor said. I nodded and got the dumbbell.

"I know you, man." I exhaled half a laugh and shook my head.

"She's not my type either." I defended myself.

"She's a tough girl to read, isn't she?" He took a glance at me.

"Exactly. I didn't know why, but I easily got irritated when the insults come from her." I shook my head.

"For once, there was a girl who wasn't throwing herself at you." I snorted as he chuckled.

"I told you, bro. She's not a girl." I laughed. He started his push-ups. I took off my shirt to start another repetition.

After our workout, we hurry up to attend our first class this morning. As usual, it was boring. I used our classroom as a nap room again.

"Here." I handed her the papers. She was wearing a crop top and jeans.

"You're already done?" She asked.

"Yeah. That's too easy." I showed a smug grin on her. I like it when I saw her irritated.

"So arrogant!" She mumbled under her breath then, clumped her hair to another side, as she always does.

"Why?" I laughed. She rolled her eyes.

"You were born to ruin my day." I barely heard her saying.

"You were born to accuse me of ridiculous things." I went to my seat.

"Our P.E. class will be on gymnasium, as for Miss Cine." Someone on the first row announced.

We were on our way to the gymnasium when I heard a lot of murmurs. A girl wearing a gray off-shoulder dress gripped my arm. I looked at her and took off her hand in my arm.

"Stop it, Xaine." I blocked her way to Horizon. She was so desperate. 

"Why? There's nothing wrong in what we are doing and besides, everyone knows that we are dating." She looked around.

"Maybe not everyone. You want me to inform her?" She was headed in Horizon's direction. I stopped her.

"Can you just stop messing around with someone just because of me? Don't waste your time, Xaine. Just a friendly advice, focus on yourself." She was always claiming that we were dating even though it was not. When Alexey thought that we were dating, she was mad asking if it was true since she knew Xaine and for some reason she hated her.

"I don't get you, Thorn!" Her face was distorted with rage.

"Okay, class, listen up!" Our P.E. instructor came in as if she was not seven minutes late. Her hair was cut shorter than the last semester. She calmly held her class as usual.

"For this semester, we have to discuss different types of dance." I heard murmurs and opinions.

"Miss Cine, who will be going to choose our partners?" Someone asked.

"I'll give you a chance to choose your partner." They acted as if she announced that we were having an early dismissal.

"But girls, I'll call you one by one to give you a chance to choose your partner." She started to call names. Horizon was writing on the back of her red notebook. I got it from her.

"Is there any problem?" She tried to get it from my hand, but I lifted it.

"I'll kill you when I get that." I just smirked as I saw her so determined to get her notes.

"Sure. If you can." I flashed a smug grin on my face to annoy her.

"That's mine!" She was holding my left arm, tried to pull it down.

"Horizon." Our instructor called her name, but her focus was on the notes I was holding. She overheard that our instructor already called her name.

"Thorn!" She shouted exasperatedly. We got the attention of the whole class. Thick strands of her hair fell on her forehead. She tucked the thick strand of her bangs behind her ear, that was blocking her vision.

"Thorn is mine, I'll seriously kill you." I heard murmurs.

"Okay, Horizon and Thorn."

"Wait, that's not what I meant-" She tried to explain herself, but I think

"Miss Cine, he's mine." I heard someone say.

"That's okay, class. Move on, okay next one, Krie" She continued. She hit my chest.

"I already told you to give that to me, see what happened." She furrowed her eyebrows. I was about to give it back to her, Yzack got it from my hand.

"Yzack, give it back to me." She cannot even get it from him as well.

"You did not tell me that you wanted me to be your partner." I was half-laughing to annoy her.

"Shut up, Thorn. That was your fault!" I laughed a bit as I saw her irritated.

"Why are you blaming me? You are the one who mentioned my name." I shook my head in disappointment. She shot me with her signature indignant stare.

She put back her attention to her friend.

"Are we still allowed to change our partners?" I smiled as I barely heard her seriously asking her friend.

Yzack handed me Horizon's notes. I opened her notes where the bookmark was placed. There is something is written on it, 'I am tired.' I looked at her, trying to ask someone if she can change her partner. Maybe something is bothering her. I cannot just tell because she was kinda hard to read. I clip the pages of her notes, I hissed half a laugh when I saw 'I'll seriously kill you, cruel-annoying guy' written on her notes.

After our P.E. class, we went back to the classroom for our last class period.

"Where's Yzack?" She asked me. I looked under my desk.

"He's not here." She hits me.

"Annoying! It was all your fault." I saw how irritated she was, then she rolled her eyes.

"Why?" I exhaled, half a laugh. She hissed as a response. Yzack was on his way here. She came to confront him. I shook my head. Good luck, man. I leaned on my table.

"She's odd," I mumbled under my breath.