CRUEL

CRUEL|THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CRUEL

[SEASON THREE]

"Jeez, I'm telling you, that bastard fell on me on purpose! He didn't want to go down alone!" Dom exclaimed angrily, standing next to Arezou. "I knew it. He was showing off, throwing winks at Zou during the race!" Shelly chimed in. Arezou swallowed nervously as she remembered the creepy guy who had given her the creeps. Tea nodded, feeling sorry for her. "Yeah, this weirdo totally likes you, Zou," he remarked flatly. "Don't remind me," she whined.

"Ugh... If it wasn't for that fall, I would've finished the race... damn it," the older brother said, clearly annoyed. Minu smiled at him while calmly nibbling on some of the food Arezou had brought. Even though they were just small bites, it was enough for her. "Still, you changed the game. That was a good move; you did well. Your speed got faster than before, am I right?"

"Hoo Hoo... I'm currently practicing a secret move called the Dog Herder Rush," he said proudly. "I told you to stop calling it that... It's lame, Oppa," Arezou replied, looking embarrassed. Minu turned toward her, and Tea now looked just as proud as Dom did when he talked about his move.

"And you, Tea. The move you both pulled off, how you both broke through their formation, it was crazy! Since when are you both such a good duo?" Minu asked, capturing everyone's attention. Tea smiled cheekily and ruffled Arezou's hair. "Damn, I'm telling you! The number of times I fell off my bike while practicing this move? One hundred!" he exclaimed. Arezou pulled out her phone, showing Minu a picture of Tea falling into the sea. "Look! Isn't this a good picture? I've got more!" she happily proclaimed.

"By the way, Zou, how did you find Jay?" June asked the girl, stopping her from showing more photos. Arezou's eyes twitched as she remembered what she had done to track down the elusive guy. "Where else would he go? It's pretty obvious," she lied, trying to downplay her efforts. (Fingers raising to play with the little hummingbird that dangle around her neck-) Tea, however, wasn't buying her story. 

"Is that so? Then why were you bothering me for the past month?" he inquired, an amused smile tugging at his lips. Arezou flinched and averted her gaze nervously. She mumbled her response, almost too low to hear. "I tracked his phone..."

"You did what?" Tea teased her.

"I tracked his damn phone, okay?!"

This admission earned her laughter from the boys. Her brother patted her head playfully, grinning at a slightly embarrassed Jay. (Shelly narrowed her eyes-) "That's my sis! Jay, you should appreciate her more!" he said with a cheeky smile. Arezou tried to cover her brother's mouth, but he easily dodged her, giving Jay a thumbs-up. "I'd totally ship you two!"

(Something twisted in her guts as Shelly heard that words-)

Shelly's eyes blazed with jealousy as she strode purposefully toward the boy, her gaze locked onto him like a hawk closing in on its prey. With a pointed finger and a dangerous glint in her eyes, she confronted him. The boy, feeling the intensity of her anger, took a nervous step back until he hit the wall, his back pressed firmly against it.

The rest of the group exchanged nervous glances, sensing the tension that crackled in the air between Shelly and the boy. The atmosphere grew increasingly charged, and they could practically see the sparks flying between the two. Meanwhile, Arezou stood between them, her expression one of bemusement as she wondered just what might happen next. (She looks like a nervous bunny-)

"Just to be perfectly clear," Shelly asserted, her voice carrying a weight of determination that echoed through the room, "I'm not about to hand her over to you and let you win that bet."