The Gang Leader's Shorty

Chapter 30

Lexi's PoV-

Cole and I haven't spoke since Saturday and it is now Monday morning. I am riding with Jess to school instead of Cole. Some might say I am being petty and that he was just caring for me but he knows how sensitive the topic of dying is for me after my mother died of the same condition and, whilst I might be being stubborn and moody, I would rather deny it. It helps me feel normal and at ease and I thought he would understand that. 

"Hey, Lexi. You okay?" Jess interrupts my train of thoughts, "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about my weekend with Ryder and how to handle juggling him with school," I explain, none of my friends from rounders know that I have pneumonia and that I am dying. I don't want them to know. The big game is tomorrow night and I don't want to worry them.

"No, it's not. You didn't ride with Cole and you didn't even say goodbye like you usually do," She says and raises one of her sceptical eyebrows whilst keeping her eyes on the road, "Seriously, it's fine. We just had a little disagreement on Saturday and we're both just riding off the frustration," I sigh, it's partly true.

"So giving each other a bit of space to think things through? You haven't broke up, right?" She questions and I chuckle, "No, still a tight as ever but, exactly, just letting each other think," I say and she nods in understanding, needing no further explanation. 

We pull up in the school driveway and wait outside for our friends, "So are you excited for the game tomorrow?" Are Gina's first words when she reaches us with Emelia by her side, "Yeah, I'm a bit nervous though," I say and Emelia raises her eyebrows, "Why?" Emelia scrutinises.

"It's just the fact that it's the final and this is our make or break game and the scouts are going to be there," I rush and Jess just shushes me, "Nonsense, we're going to be amazing! Plus we have practice at lunch today and tomorrow and tonight and we've been practising every lunch and after school for about a week now, so we're going to be great!" She encourages and we all smile and nod, although I'm not too convinced. 

The bell goes and I head to maths, time to sit next to Cole and Max. Max and I haven't made up after our argument when I was incidentally high. He said that I was irresponsible and embarrassing. Apparently my drunk words are my sober thoughts so he is convinced I meant what I said, even though I have insisted I can't remember that night at all. He's been frosty with me for a couple of months now and I personally feel he's being incredibly childish. 

***

I sit in my seat, Max and Cole already there and James sat in front of me, "Hi," I murmur and they look at me and then look back at the board, "So are you coming to the game tomorrow?" I ask quietly as the teacher rambles on, "Pfft," Max scoffs in sync with Cole; I take that as a no.

A few minutes later the teacher sets us work to do in table groups, therefore I am working with Max and Cole, "Okay, so how do you wanna do this?" I ask them both and they take the work from my hands and work on it together, completely excluding me from the equation. 

"So, if we add them together and then divide them by X then we should get the value of 7x, right?" Cole rambles to Max, "Yeah and then, to get Y, we need to do the opposite," Max replies.

"Why don't you let me do something?" I butt in and they look at me before looking back to each other, "Can you hear something?" Max retorts to Cole and I roll my eyes, such a little kid.

"Yeah, it sounds like the betrayal at the back of my mind speaking to me," Cole replies and I feel myself getting angrier, "I know, right! A bit of judgemental mixed in with it," Max adds and I blow up. I snatch the papers away from them, thankful for the racket being made by all of the other groups talking over each other. The two of them snap their heads towards me with wide eyes as I begin to speak.