Mocked: A Marcel Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two



I pull myself together and follow after Veronica to do our assigned job. I keep my hands pressed against my front and avoid eye contact with everyone. I'm not sure if they saw, but I feel embarrassed.

Apparently, referring a volleyball game requires Veronica and I to stand on half ladders across from each other at the mid point of the court. I look down at the floor a couple feet below me. I'm grateful it's a girls' volleyball team and not a male one. They would instantly hit me with the balls, sending me to the ground.

I lean myself against the top of the ladder, hiding the front of my slacks from view. Maybe if I just focus on other things like before, it'll go away.

Coach blows his whistle and shouts to the girls about the game beginning. Veronica explained to me that all I have to watch for are outs and fouls. It seemed simple enough to me.

I am mistaken. My reflexes are too slow to catch whether or not someone fouled or if the ball flew outside of the line. I end up calling foul on things that are legal and I get yelled at for doing so. Veronica tells me half way through to just let her do it and I agree.

Volleyball is an intense sport. The girls work hard together, always yelling out things in order to get the ball over the net. Turns out you've got three hits in order to get it over or you lose the point. And if you or any team member hold the ball, it's a loss as well.

Maybe I should give volleyball a try. It doesn't seem too hard.

The whistle rings again and the ball is dropped to the floor. Veronica gets off the ladder and I follow suit. I'm guessing that practice is over for the day.

"Good job girls, I'm sure that championship is ours," Coach boasts with pride and everyone gathers into a group hug. I take it as my cue to leave.

I walk away as the team starts yelling some sort of chant. A hand touches my elbow and I look to my side.

"Veronica," I greet her.

"You're in a hurry," she notes as we leave the gym. I head towards my locker to get my things I dropped off before joining the troublemakers. "Any particular reason?"

"I made a deal with my mother," I tell her even though its none of her business. I stop at my locker and put in the combination lock. Veronica watches looking bored.

"Fourteen, six, thirty-one," she says and I realize she recited my locked combination. "So what's the deal with your 'mother'?" She air quotes.

I close my locker, sling my bag over my shoulder, and shove my glasses up my nose. I start walking away from Veronica, feeling somehow fed up with her supposed caring.

"Are you just going to walk away?" Veronica asks when I make it apparent that I'm not in the mood to talk.

Her words make me roll my eyes. I spin on my heel and face her. Veronica stands a couple feet away, her arms crossed. "Am I just going to walk away?!" I scoff. "Isn't that your forte?"

To my surprise, Veronica drops her gaze to the ground. She kicks at the floor. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I'll let you walk away," she mutter.

Great, no matter what she does, it flusters me. I feel the tough guy act drain out of me as quickly as it came. "I made a deal with my mother saying that I'll try my best to be the son she wants. And right now, I've got to be home in about fifteen minutes to meet that standard."

Veronica kicks at the ground again before looking up at me. She shrugs, a small scowl on her face. "So, you're not...I dunno...leaving cause you want to get away from me?" Veronica asks quietly, her voice softer than I've heard it.

Oh. Who is this Veronica?

"Of course not," I tell her, knowing I mean it. She drives me crazy, but there's just something about her. "But I really did make the deal and I've got to get going," I tell her rushed. I glance at my watch and note I have just over ten minutes to get home and I live about eight away.

Veronica nods and walks back towards me, a smile lit across her face. "Just checking," she tells me, her breath fanning across my face. I note that it is devoid of smoke.

"Have you stopped smoking?" I ask her as we walk outside.

"No, but I'm trying to better myself," she says.

"What made you think you had to do that?"

Veronica gazes at me, her brown eyes searching mine as if I'm hiding something from her. She sighs and I wonder if she found it.

"Some drunk guy told me that it was the most unattractive thing about me," she explains. I can't help but start laughing at that. Veronica? Unattractive?

"That guy is an idiot," I chuckle. I unlock my car and drop my stuff in the back.

"Yeah, an idiot," Veronica agrees. She opens my passenger car door and gets in. I slowly open my door, looking in at her as she gets strapped into the seat.

"Uh...what are you doing?" I ask, getting in and shutting my door. "I've really got to get home." I look at my watch, eight minutes. I'm going to be cutting it close. "I don't have time to drop you at Aiden's today."

Veronica props her feet up on the dashboard and leans backwards. "Oh, I don't want to go there."

"Then can you get out of my car?"

"Nope," she pops the p and turns lazily towards me, grinning widely. "Because I'm coming with you."

If I was driving, I would have crashed. "Wh-what? You're going where with who?!" I exclaim, my voice reaching that high pitch I had taught myself to forget.

"Your house. With you. To meet your mother," she says clearly. "What? Never bring a girl home, Harry?" She teases me.

"You know damned well that I haven't." I'm in shock and horrified at the thought of showing up at home with Veronica accompanying me.

"Another first between us." Veronica grabs my wrist and looks at my watch. "Better drive fast. You're late," she tells me.

I feel like puking. Walking in with Veronica? This isn't going to be good. I want to tell her to get out, or at least that I'll drop her off at Aiden's, but my watch tells me to step on the pedal and just drive.

I mean really, what's the worst that can happen?