CRUEL

CRUEL|THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CRUEL

[SEASON THREE}

One leg was hiked up on her bike, poised and ready to kick off the race. Around her, a cacophony of screams erupted from the fangirls, who were going absolutely berserk. Arezou exchanged an annoyed glance with Shelly, who mirrored her feelings of irritation. The relentless screams and unabashed adoration were pushing their patience to the limit.

"I swear, I'm going to go deaf if they don't shut up," Arezou muttered irritably, fumbling with her helmet straps.

Shelly turned her head towards Arezou, her eyes catching a glimmer of something shiny. "Huh? Did you get a new necklace, Zou?" she inquired curiously. Arezou's cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she recalled the person who had gifted her the necklace. "Yeah, I got it as a gift," she replied softly, her fingers grazing the pendant nervously. She could still feel the warmth of his touch and the tingling sensation it had left.

Shelly narrowed her eyes, picking up on the telltale blush on her friend's cheeks. "I'm not going to let him win," she declared firmly, redirecting her focus back to the road ahead. Beads of sweat began to form on Arezou's face as she grasped the implications of Shelly's words. "Hey, I thought we were done with this topic," she retorted with a mix of anxiety and annoyance.

"This is it! Hummingbird versus Punk Prince on the eight round! And I see Punk Prince are popular among the ladies as usual! But Hummingbird is just as Popular!"

As the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers, the crowd's excitement reached a fever pitch. The Iranian girl couldn't help but notice Chan, the boy from Punk Prince, looking at her with a slight blush. 

Confused by his actions, she turned to him briefly, only to immediately regret it as he winked at her. A shiver of discomfort ran down her spine, and she snapped her attention back to the track, doing her best to ignore his chuckles, which were probably fueled by the assumption that she was just being shy. (God beware-)

Inhale.

"All ready!"

Hold.

"Go!"

Exhale.

Arezou and Tea rode close to each other as they always did, racing alongside the others. However, just a few meters from the starting line, a shower of petals began to rain down in their view. It not only distracted her but also her brother. "The fuck..." Tea muttered next to her, his voice tinged with annoyance. Arezou's eyes narrowed, and she glanced to the side, frowning at the spectacle. Fans of Punk Prince were tossing petals as if they were at some kind of idol event, not a race. It infuriated her.

"This bitches..." she cursed.

"Princes! Race on Petals!"

"The fuck are they doing?!" her brother's voice rang out in frustration, but she couldn't allow herself to be sidetracked by their antics. She turned her attention back to the road, pushing to catch up with her brother. "Oppa! Don't get distracted!" she commanded, determination in her voice. 

"Roge—Argh!" Tea choked on a petal that found its way into his mouth, causing his sister to deadpan at him. He glared back, his expression a mix of irritation and determination. "Stop with that shit! Imma burn'em if you don't stop! " he yelled angrily.