Celestial: Fallen

Chapter 7-A Game of Unexpected Revelations

It's Friday, and today we're headed to watch Clayton's game—he invited me, remember? I'm kind of excited.

I texted Josh to meet me near the student council office while I freshen up. Just as I'm about to head out, someone blocks my way.

"Hey!" I exclaim, looking up to find Jaimes standing in front of me.

"Angel..." he says smoothly.

"Arwen, that's my name, not Angel," I reply, trying to sidestep him.

He grabs me by the waist, preventing me from moving. "Where do you think you're going?" he whispers, his tone playful yet firm.

I'm stunned, especially with so many classmates watching us. "And what do you think you're doing?!" I hiss, shooting daggers at him with my eyes.

"Well, I'm picking up my girl. We need to go somewhere, right, angel?" he announces loudly, making sure the audience hears.

I stare at him, utterly confused. "What the hell are you playing at, Sullivan?" I ask, my voice serious.

"I'm serious. We need to talk," he insists.

"If this is about our previous project, I think we did well. There's nothing to discuss," I respond, trying to dismiss him.

"Just go with me. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Probably next time, Sullivan. I need to be somewhere else," I say, but he still doesn't let me go.

I attempt to pull away, but before I know it, he's dragging me along.

"Let me go, you brute!" I protest.

He doesn't budge and continues walking, leaving me no choice but to follow. "Oh! How I hate you!" I hiss as he pulls me toward the parking lot where his bike is parked.

I'm furious now. He even has my phone, having snatched it away when I tried to call Josh earlier. And now he's not even talking to me; he's on the phone with someone I couldn't care less about.

When he finally hangs up, I turn to him. "What do you want?"

"Here." He hands me his cell phone.

I see there's an audio file. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Listen to it."

"I don't have time for this—"

"Why don't you just hit play so we can finish sooner?" His irritation is palpable.

Reluctantly, I tap the play button.

"Hey, dude—that's Sullivan's girl. The one we saw at the billiard hall."

"Is that her?"

"Yeah, now I remember why she looked familiar. She was the girl Nicholas was always with."

"Oh no, not Latrelle—"

"Come on, Clay, this is our chance to get back at the dickhead!"

"I don't know, dude. I don't want to face Latrelle; he makes me nervous."

"I think they're not together anymore. Go talk to her; she's with Joshua Brandt."

"Damn! If I get to date her this Friday, you'll organize the party, Eddie."

"Ay, yay, Captain Clayton!"

The recording ends, and I stare at Jaimes in disbelief. "What is this?!"

"Isn't it obvious? Clayton's going to use you to get back at me," he says, lighting a cigarette.

"I don't understand—why? I mean... I don't even know you!"

Jaimes glares at me and takes a puff of smoke.

"You know what I mean, Sullivan," I say, sitting down on the gutter in frustration.

He walks over and sits beside me. "You do know Latrelle?" he asks without looking at me.

"Who?"

"Latrelle, the guy Clayton's minion mentioned."

"Latrelle?" I repeat, feeling lost.

"Yeah, Nicholas Latrelle," he replies, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Of course, I know him. He's my brother," I say matter-of-factly.

"Nicholas is your brother?" Jaimes looks at me, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, since birth. Is that a big deal? I know he's popular with the girls, but I didn't realize he was this well-known," I pout.

"How come?" Jaimes asks, seeming incredulous.

"You're starting to insult me. Why is it so hard to believe? Do you want my birth certificate?!" I stand up, feeling indignant.

"Give me my phone," I demand.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asks, standing in front of me.

"I need to talk to Josh, and I think I'll just go home," I say, picking up my bag from his bike's seat.

"You're not going to watch Clayton?" Jaimes asks, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Of course not! I'm not stupid enough to go near him again. By the way, can you share that audio file with me? Come on, give me my phone," I say, extending my hand.

I watch him take a deep breath, then pull my phone from his front pocket.

"Here—"

"Oh, thank you very much!" I say, snatching it from him and quickly unlocking it.

"Okay, share it with me. I'm going to let Josh listen to it," I say, waiting for him to send the file.

He starts tapping on his phone, and in less than a minute, I receive the audio.

"Thanks, Sullivan. I owe you one," I smile at him.

"Oh, I just want to repay your kindness from last week for waiting for more than three hours. In a way, it's my fault that d!ck saw you," he smirks.

"Come on, let me walk you to where you'll meet Joshua," he says, starting to walk.

"Before I forget, how did you know my brother?" I ask, keeping pace with him.

"Latrelle?" Jaimes glances at me, and I nod.

"Well, I met him at the racetrack," he says casually.

"What? I wasn't aware he was racing," I whisper.

"I didn't say he was racing; I said I met him there," he replies curtly.

I choose not to respond, just glaring at him. I can see Josh and Leroy near the school garden.

"Well, thanks again, Jaimes. I don't want to take up too much of your time," I say, smiling at him.

"Don't mention it. See you around," he replies, waving at Josh before turning back.

I watch him walk away, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and annoyance. I hope that beyond being partners in class, we can actually be friends.