FOREIGN ATTRACTION (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 21: CELEBRATION

Liam's POV

It was 9 pm, and the rain had been pouring relentlessly since earlier. We were all getting ready to leave the restaurant after celebrating our victory in the match. Everyone on the team was jubilant, especially coach, proud to bring back another win to the school. However, one person was missing: Gelo. Although I didn't particularly care about him, my mind kept wondering where he could be, especially in this upset weather.

Ran is still avoiding me maybe because of the fight we had during the training,or is it something else? Although he congratulated me, I can still tell he's off when talking to me. As everyone bid farewell to the team, I grabbed my bag, and as I lifted it, it collided with the chair, causing the keychain from its small pocket to fly to the ground. Retrieving it, I noticed it was a triangle ruler.

"Where did I get this again?" I pondered.

"It's just a little something for us architecture students,"

"Just one more year, and we'll be graduates."

Gelo's voice echoed in my mind. It was from him. In that moment, I felt an inexplicable pang in my chest, an odd sensation.

"Let's talk outside before you leave..." Ran's voice interrupted my thoughts as he stood before me. I hadn't realized he was still there; straightening up, I tucked the keychain into my pocket, deciding to deal with it later.

I had been texting Ceena earlier, asking about her whereabouts. She had mentioned she was going to buy something in the cafeteria, but she never showed up at the game. She was the only one I was looking forward to seeing at that moment. Something felt off; there had to be more to the story.

Heading towards the restaurant exit, my phone chimed with a notification from Ceena. She explained that she suddenly felt unwell, likely due to something she ate, and had to return home. She apologized profusely and promised to make it up to me tomorrow. I simply replied with an okay and followed Ran outside.

"Did you know what your sweetie pie did?" Ran's serious tone was laced with anger.

"Are we really going to rehash this now? I'm just too exhausted, man," I explained, trying to dodge the conversation. I couldn't handle it anymore; the day had drained every ounce of energy from me.

"I didn't bring this up earlier to not ruin our focus on the game, and now, I'm not trying to dampen our celebration either..." Ran trailed off as he scrolled through his phone and thrust it in front of me. "Just look at this."

The video began to play. It was CCTV footage of a girl entering the gymnasium, then proceeding to take Gelo's journal and snap a photo of it. As the scene became clearer, I finally recognized her...

Was it Ceena?

"What the hell is going on?" I was bewildered. "Exactly! What the f*ck is wrong with both of you?" Ran shot back.

"Is this even real?" I started to process the situation, feeling an inexplicable surge of anger. "I don't know, maybe with or without proof, you'll remain oblivious," Ran retorted, his gaze piercing into me.

"It doesn't matter anyway. At least Ceena was able to expose the president's true colors—" My sentence was abruptly cut short by a hard slap across my face.

"Snap out of it, Liam!" Ran's voice rose, drawing the attention of the few patrons inside the restaurant. He grabbed me, and together we braved the rain, seeking shelter under a nearby empty waiting shed. Maybe he isolated me in this place with only the dim street lamp illuminating us so he can finally kill me?