My Crush My World

CHAPTER TWELVE

~Christabel's POV~

I was standing on top of the sack, clutching it tightly, waiting for the race to start. I wasn't even ready, not that I wanted to do it, anyway.

Mr. Frederick blew the whistle, and the race began. I felt a wave of nervousness wash over me as everyone's eyes landed on me. My body tensed up, and before I knew it, I fell.

The juniors on my team stopped clapping and cheering. I managed to get back up while Mr. Frederick and a few teachers rushed over to check if I was hurt.

"I knew she wouldn't win this race," a girl muttered under her breath.

Belinda stormed over, stopping right in front of me.

"That was our last race, our final chance to win, and you ruined it," she said angrily.

"You're so useless at everything. I thought that since you're terrible at studies, you'd at least be good at sports," she thundered.

Why was she calling me dumb? I wasn't dumb,I was just an average student, struggling with my grades, but at least I was trying.

"Belinda, stop. It's just a game for fun," Daniel interjected.

"No, Daniel, you should be ashamed of your team because of this... this dumb, useless human," Belinda spat out.

"If you're so good at sports, or if Christabel is so terrible, why didn't you participate? As far as I know, I didn't see you in any event today." Michelle's voice cut in. She looked at her nails, blew on them, and gave Belinda a challenging look.

I was stunned. Why was Michelle defending me? Was she actually helping me out?

No, it couldn't be that. She probably just didn't like Belinda. Who would? Maybe her friends, who were clearly doing an excellent job of tolerating her attitude.

"Annoying people," Belinda said, rolling her eyes as she stormed off.

"Everyone, gather around! It's time to announce the final results," Mr. Frederick called out.

"I think Senior Belinda is right," a junior whispered to another, glancing at me. "If Senior Christabel isn't good at sports, why did she volunteer for the sack race?"

"Seriously," the other replied sarcastically.

"What are you two doing here? Didn't you hear the coach?" an SS2 student snapped.

"Sorry, Senior!" they both mumbled, scurrying away.

I felt a wave of shame wash over me and decided to walk away too.

......

The garden was quiet when I got there, with no one around because of the sports events. Sitting on the swing chair, I lost myself in my thoughts.

I loved it here,peaceful, quiet, no one to stare or whisper, no one to say anything hurtful.

Maybe Belinda was right, and the juniors too. I should've just said no when the PHE teacher asked me to join the race. I should've made up an excuse. It was my fault.

"Blaming yourself won't change anything, or help our team win," a voice said behind me. I turned to see Michelle standing there, arms folded.

How did she get here? Was she going to insult me too?

Surprisingly, she walked over to the swing and sat beside me, her expression unreadable.

"Are you here to scold or insult me like before?" I asked, looking forward.

"Just because I called you out once doesn't mean I hate you," she replied calmly.

"And I didn't insult you, I just told you the truth." Her eyes met mine briefly before she stood up.

"Letting everyone walk all over you is frustrating to watch. It shows you're helpless. Besides, you did your best out there, joining in was part of the fun, and that's the point of this event. Your heart doesn't need to be weighed down by Belinda's words or anyone else's." Her words struck me in a way I hadn't expected.

Michelle turned to leave.

I should thank her for standing up for me. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," I said nervously. She paused and looked back at me.

"I wasn't sticking up for you. I was just putting Belinda in her place. You need to learn how to stand up and fight for yourself," she said, then walked away.

Her words left me wondering what kind of person she really was.

Daniel's pov

The sports event was over, and students were lingering around in small groups. I was scanning the crowd, searching for Christabel. After the incident with Belinda, she had disappeared, and I hadn't seen her since.

"Bro, I've been looking for you." Benjamin said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I was thinking, maybe we could check out that new arcade tonight?" he added.

"Yeah, I heard it's really cool and just opened up down the road," Wisdom chimed in, his eyes bright with excitement.

But I wasn't really listening. My mind was set on finding Christabel and making sure she was alright.

"Daniel?" Wisdom's voice broke through my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied quickly, not wanting them to catch on. "Hey, have you guys seen Christabel?"

"Nope," Benjamin said, giving me a curious look. "Isn't she in your group?"

"She left right after the sack race," I explained.

"Oh," Wisdom said, his mouth forming an understanding "O." The three of us fell into silence for a moment.

"So... what's with you and this Christabel girl?" Benjamin asked, his tone teasing but his eyes questioning.

Wisdom was watching me closely too, as if trying to read my expression. I could feel them waiting, wondering what was going on. But I didn't want to get into it, not now. I just cared about finding her, that's all. Christabel was a nice girl, and making her feel safe and happy wasn't a bad thing, right?

I turned to go, leaving Benjamin and Wisdom standing there. They didn't call after me, just watched as I walked off toward the school garden,the one place I figured Christabel might be if she wasn't here or in class.

Just then, Amara stepped in front of me.

"Hey, Daniel! I've been looking for you," she said with a warm smile.

"Hi, Amara." I managed to smile back, though my mind was elsewhere.

She studied my face for a second. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to sound convincing. She gave me a quick hug, resting her head on my chest.

"I'm so tired," she said, her voice muffled as she pouted against me.

"Have you seen Christabel?" I asked, and she instantly pulled back.

"No, I haven't," she said, shaking her head.

"Why are you looking for her? I mean, it's not like she's your friend," Amara said, eyeing me suspiciously.

I didn't have time to explain,it would only waste precious minutes I could use to find Christabel before she went home.

"Why don't we grab some ice cream or yogurt from the cafeteria?" Amara suggested, trying to keep the conversation light.

"Not now, Amara," I said, brushing her off gently and heading in the direction of the garden.

This was turning into a long day.