CINNAMON

8. Chapter

Jason - eleven years ago

I stared ahead, completely unable to understand what was happening to me. For a week now, I'd been trying to figure out who she went away with. We spent that time at the training camp before the preparatory tournament, so I didn't have a chance to catch sight of her even on the way home and understand why she was avoiding me, although I didn't have the opportunity to get to know her properly, I still pondered over everything.

Voices buzzed around me, but the one in my head could drown out even falling elephants. In slow motion, I watched as my teammates scored, and the whole hall jumped to their feet. Everyone acted like this match would help millions of people, even though everyone had a free entrance, as these were university matches.

PJ sat next to me, he was interesting to this match like as me. For seven days, he'd been glued to that damn phone, and I couldn't get him off it. Giving him Clara's contact was the biggest mistake of my life, because they started seriously dating, or at least I thought so. He never commented on it outside of social media.

"There they are," he muttered to me amidst all the frenzy.

"Who's here?" I didn't understand what he was talking about.

"Well, Clara, of course," he rolled his eyes. "I invited her, but she couldn't find it. And she said she'd bring the girls," he winked at me, and the coach signaled him to go play. He still left me on the bench because of the incident two days ago when I beat up a guy at our school for disrespecting my mom.

I focused on how they were doing, and then I noticed five girls making their way to the imaginary bleachers in the gym. Loose hair, cropped tops, and skirts barely covering anything they had. I shook my head and looked down at the ground, praying I could go home soon. Dad went to Thailand for two weeks, so we had a peaceful household, and I spent more time with Mom than on my school duties; she knew I'd never be a studious type.

It was a week before Christmas, so we decorated the tree, and I showed little Tillie old childhood photos; we were finally like brother and sister.

The coach gestured for me to go play, and I threw off my sweatshirt and grabbed the opportunity, so at least someone could be proud of me.

"And the winner is... Nordic Wolves," I knew from the start we would win. They didn't stand a chance. The medal ceremony smelled somewhat sweet, but everything changed when I saw PJ flirting with Clara. They were talking to the girls who came with her, and only then did I notice she was among them. She said something and headed towards the restroom, so I followed her, like a stalker.

"Um," I leaned against the wall to get a good view of the door when it opens. "Hi," I approached her, but she didn't seem too enthusiastic.

"Hi."

"I didn't know you'd come," she shrugged.

"PJ invited Clara, and it's customary for us to go everywhere together," she smiled at me and wanted to go back.

"Who was that?" I couldn't help it, it had been playing in my mind for a week, like that bug that keeps playing the same song over and over again.

"Who was who?"

"That guy at the mall?" I saw her swallow hard, and I knew I was too obsessed with her, considering we were essentially strangers who had only talked for a few hours.

"That was just my brother," everyone in the room could hear the stone fall from my heart.

"So, if you want to continue pumping, I have to tell you I have to go," she headed towards the door back to the gym.

"Come out with me!"

"Excuse me?"

"I want to invite you out," she turned back with a smile on her lips, and I knew I won more than I thought, but she just nodded at me.

"When can you?" I left the choice to her because if it were up to me, we'd be traveling home by train.

"When it rains and dries," and she went back into the room. So, this is it now.

The ride was the worst. I had to drop off my buddy and his girlfriend, they couldn't get enough of each other, so I had to adjust the rearview mirror so I wouldn't see them in the back.

"So we're here, I won't turn around, so I'm informing you," I got out and moved to the passenger seat.

They bid farewell properly outside, but I had to interrupt their sugariness. I opened the window, and it brought such a chill inside that I'd be freezing until I got out again.

"Listen, could you give me Naomi's contact?"

"How do you know her?" she said it between kisses, so I didn't hear her well, but she probably didn't expect the answer because she handed me her phone with Naomi's number.

"Thanks," I handed it back to her, and immediately texted that we'd meet up in two days at the mall.

"So tomorrow," he finally gave her one last kiss and got into the car. Damn lucky guy.

At home, I headed straight to bed, but I almost had a heart attack when I saw Tillie sitting in the chair by the bed in the dark. I quickly turned on the light, which made her burst into laughter.

"Are you normal?"

"If you could see yourself, you looked like you'd see a ghost," she kept giggling. Ha, ha, very funny, I still want to live through something.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping already?"

"Dad's not here, and Mom doesn't care; she says I'm already a grown woman," she's eleven. To understand, she won't be a grown woman for a while.

"I just wanted to ask if you'll come to my performance on Sunday," she blinked at me with her puppy eyes, and I knew I was trapped.

"I can't, I'm going out."

"So you're ditching your sister," she put her hands up in a defensive gesture, a sign of the second position, blackmail.

"I was there last time," I protested. I'll probably find a few more bruises from those seats in the cultural center.

"You can come this time too."

"I told you, I'm going out with someone and it can't be rescheduled."

"Everything can be done if you want to. Those are your words, just so you know," yes, the ones I use when I don't want to stand up when I need something.

"Okay, I'll arrange it," she squealed and hugged me.

"Thanks, you won't regret it," and she disappeared.

I threw myself onto the bed and wrote another message to my unanswered one.

Change of plans. Be ready to go to the theater.