Downfall of the nation's hero

Chapter 4

Nope. I'm not doing this right now.

I turn on my heel and head towards the exit. The last thing I want after a fight with Sophie is to be in the same place as Ren fucking Martin. That American for sure knows how to ruin someone's day.

"Running away already, Matonis?" Ren puts on her teasing voice.

It makes my skin crawl. I stop and turn around to face her. The typical smirk on her face is my last straw. Fine. Two can play this game.

"I wanted to clear my head, not to be punched in it." I cross my arms on my chest. "So yeah, I'm not wasting my time here with you. I'd rather keep my distance."

Ren rolls her eyes at me. "Could you please let it go?" The smirk on her face disappears. She's no longer playing any games. For now, she's sincere. "Look, I said I'm sorry. How many times do you want me to apologize?"

Normally, I wouldn't poke her anymore, but today is an exceptional day when I'm actually looking to pick up a fight with her. With anyone, really, besides Sophie. There's this flame burning inside of me that wants more and it's not running out of fuel.

Maybe that's why I close the distance between us and whisper into her ear. "I don't know. How about you get on your knees and start begging for forgiveness?"

Ren's eyes widen. "Okay, Matonis, you're scaring me now." She gets back to her nonchalant tone. "I'm usually pretty good at this game and you got me there, but this ain't you. You don't play dirty like this. So tell me, what happened?"

Even though it's the last thing I want to do, I need to vent to someone. And since no one else is here, I guess Ren will have to do.

"Sophie and I got into a fight." I confess.

Ren lightens up. "Was it about me?"

It makes you immediately regret your past decision. Technically, she's not wrong, but she's not right either. Not everything revolves around her.

"Fuck you, Martin." I whine, "I know it's hard to believe, but you're not always the main topic of our conversations. You're not that special."

Ren theatrically places her palm on her chest where her heart is and gasps. "Ouch, you're hurting my feelings now, Matonis. I really thought we had something extraordinary going on." Then her eyes challenge me and she adds. "I'll have to call Taylor and tell her you dumped me."

Taylor Scott. Ren's best friend and another young American star. You could say she's their second-best player, the Robin to Ren's Batman. And just like Ren, she never misses a chance to get under your skin. Ren is annoying on the court, but damn, Taylor is unbearable on the floor. It's not a surprise that these two get along so well. Sometimes, I think they are twins separated at birth, because it's just not possible that two assholes like this were born in the same year in the same country to two different parents.

"I'll never understand why Sophie likes the two of you." I shake my head.

Ren just shrugs. "She's Canadian, they like everyone. You are the perfect proof of that." Her hand lands on my shoulder and she squeezes it tight. "Besides, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover or based on people she associates herself with. Tay is actually a pretty nice and kind person."

I take a step back to get out of her reach.

"You don't understand..." My right arm starts itching, but I don't dare to scratch it. "I have to judge every book by its cover... There's a reason why I started wearing long-sleeved t-shirts or shooting sleeves after the Olympics."

"What do you mean?" Ren's face drops as she gets serious again.

I roll up the right sleeve of my hoodie, revealing one of my deepest secrets. Only Sophie, my parents, and my psychologist know about it, not even Adomas. I never would have imagined Ren becoming part of that club as well, but here we are. Her eyes are fixed on my forearm where the twenty perfectly healed scars serve as a reminder of my lowest times.