The Tangent Lines

Chapter 32 - I knew you won't ever leave me alone

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"There is nothing broken that is not beautiful. Art was never meant to be perfect, it was meant to make you feel something." 

— Chris, Lovely Poem

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Chapter 32 - I knew you won't ever leave me alone

"Damn damn damn," Jake chants in panic, freaking out like the world's going to end. I see that his entire face flashes with worry just before he slammed the door of the tutor center, causing everyone to lose their focus. I cringe at the sound he just caused. 

Today was pleasant, or supposed to, I guess. Tyler is taking Alice to the ball, and Alice is freaking proud of it. Everyone's been talking about them and wherever Tyler goes, she follows. Well, not actually. Today, she visited our table only to drag Tyler to her table. And just that, he went. He left us. He never came back to our table since then. Of course Will and Kyle were still there, although they kept quiet about them. And today, Alice was proposed to the ball, or at least that's what she told her friends so enthusiastically after school.

Well, it's not like I'm going to cry over it. I'm really fine, like, really fine that I could still feel the fresh disappointment right in my heart. What was I thinking? Another thing going on is that we still act normal despite our not-so-good talk a week ago. No, not the happy-normal thing, but awkwardly-formal-normal. 

Yeah, I know the consequences so well. I think I kind of deserve it. I was being an ass to Tyler, especially for my quick temperament that fires up when I saw him kissing Alice. Why would I get mad about it? I am no one, just another close friend Tyler made. Why would I dare to question Tyler's choice just because I felt a pang of jealousy? 

Back to reality. Jake jogs to my table right after he mumbles sorry in front of everyone, so quickly that I kind of worry that something is happening. He's out of breath, a result of running all the way from the field to the tutor center, perhaps. "Jake?" I call out to him just before he slams my table, startling my Mathematics classmates I'm tutoring.

"Chels, have you known?" he says, breathing so fast that his words stumble out like a train. His hear is totally messy, and he carries his navy football helmet on his right arm. He should be on the middle of practice. No, no no no. Is something happening on the field?

"Calm down, Jake, what happened?" I ask, frowning, still calm despite a lot of speculations are rising in my brain.

"I've told all of you in the group! You don't read your phone," he exclaims, sweat dripping on his forehead. "Tyler's passed out and— "

That.

I stand up so quickly from my chair that my pencil drops on the floor. "What?"

"Tyler got a concussion and he passed out, he's now in hos—"

No no no. A concussion. No, please don't tell me he's going to get all the traumatic crap. I know concussion is so common to football players, and they don't always pass out, but still, I'm worried so much my heart beats like a drum that I begin to wonder a lot of things. He passed out. How many minutes did he lose his consciousness? So he won't be playing versus Eastwood? What if . . .

"Where?" I cut him, not caring how rude it sounds for a second.

"Kyle's going there, let's go." It's all he has to say just before I say sorry to all of my friends and jog outside, following Jake to the parking lot. "I'm not allowed to go since we have Eastwood game this evening. Only Will and Kyle."

Once we get to the parking lot, the sun is still shining so brightly that it hurts. The game is starting in 3 hours, and this game is so special and uptight since we're facing Eastwood here. Eastwood is our arch rival, and has always been. Last season they beat us, and they can't shut up about it. Chris himself is really stressed. It's pretty annoying, really, our rival against Eastwood isn't in sports only. In academics, music, and name it— they would always get compared against us. "It's okay, good luck Jake." I pat his shoulder and he only nods, jogging to the field back.