Page 4 of Tell Me Everything
Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd known it was a bad idea to come. He should have followed his intuition and pretended nothing had happened. Why had he agreed to come when he knew full well he couldn't waste time on other people's bullshit? He could barely handle his own. Then again, he didn't manage that well, did he? Alex drew a deep breath tokeep his cool.
“Sorry, I didn't know.”
“Of course, you didn't know. You don't know anything about me!”
Angered, Elena threw away the magazine. Coming here had been a mistake. He'd thought that because they knew each other, his visit might not bother her too much. But Alex was facing a caged lion who wasn't going to hesitate to rip him to shreds. He placed the teachers' papers on the table and headed for the exit.
“Get well soon.”
Chapter 3
Elena
The next day, Kelsey was the one who came to visit. As always, she was radiant. Seeing her smiling like that when I was at my lowest immediately put me in a bad mood. Deep down, I knew it was wrong to want the whole world to suffer with me, so I kept quiet. But all I wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs.
“Hello, gorgeous!” she exclaimed.
Her optimism was exhausting.
“S’up.”
She sat down in the chair Alex had sat in the day before. For several seconds, she stared at her freshly manicured nails. When I'd seen Alex, I'd realized she had better things to do than visit me. I'd hoped it would be for something more important than a stupid manicure, but apparently, I was worth less than that.
“Nice nails.”
“Thank you!” she said, a big smile on her face.
“Is that why you asked Alex to come instead?”
I should have had more respect for him. He hadn't asked for anything, and yet I'd been horrible to him. He’d deserved better.
Kelsey’s eyebrows went up in surprise. We'd known each other since kindergarten. Obviously, I would figure her out. What astonished me was that she thought her candy-pink nails would go unnoticed. I was naive, but I wasn't stupid. The fact that I was being taken for a fool made my bad mood increase. I took a deep breath, trying not to spit venom.
“Oh, I'm so sorry! But you know, this appointment had already been scheduled for two weeks. I couldn't cancel. But I promise I'll make it up to you!”
Kelsey put her two hands together like she was begging for forgiveness. Of course, she wouldn't make it up to me. I knew her all too well. At this point, that was the least of my concerns. The only thing I wanted was to disappear into a hole and not come out again for a few months. Or longer.
“Anyway, how are you?”
“Bad,” I admitted.
What was the point of lying? I didn't want pity or “compassion”, but pretending wasn't something I cared about right now.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He says I'll heal, but I may not fully recover. This could jeopardize my dancing career.”
“I’m so sorry.” Kelsey took my hand and placed a sweet kiss on it. It was a gentle, affectionate gesture if you ignored her cheerful air.
“What about you?” I asked, faking interest.
“I've got a date with Tiago tonight!”
Tiago. Of course... He was one of Alex's best friends and one of the best players on our school soccer team. Alex was a part of the team, too. She'd been circling this guy for months just to get so much as a glance from him. Deep down, I couldn't judge her. I, too, had been crazy about a guy in my dance class for years, even though he'd never shown the slightest sign of interest. Kelsey was the same way with Tiago, just as I'd been with Robin. Except this was how it went: guys like that didn’t see invisible girls like us. Until today, it seemed. All the girls were after him, as if a guy chasing a ball would automatically attract the ladies. Alex was also coveted by three-quarters of those girls. They were both handsome and good sportsmen. But where Tiago was known as a real flirt, Alex had the reputation of a dangerous and mysterious young man. Physical attraction was a strange thing. Let's just say the hormones were to blame.
“I'm happy for you. Tell me, did you put your plan into action and pester him to answer you?”
“I didn’t even need to!”
