THE NERDY GIRL

👓 Chapter 32 : Something new.

Tristan had thought about it severally and all that came back to him kept being confusing. What Wren had said during the party that day, how she knew about his mother. He always tried to wave off the feeling as he forced himself to believe that she didn't really know. She didn't mean what she had said, she was only talking randomly, she didn't know about his family, well, how could she? She was Wren, after all.

He stood up, picked a ball and bounced. The court was sparse and empty, just the echo of the bouncing ball was heard. There was no practice today but he wanted to stay back in school.

He had a strong feeling that she knows a lot about him than he knows. What if she had been spying on him? What if she had been in his house before? Knows about his mom, his dad and everything. Thinking about it this way didn't help him at all.

Thinking of all of this made him bounce more, thick sweat rolling down the sides of his face. One was rolling fast down his nose, then down to his lip as he took in the salty taste and spat out.

He heard of her father's death. He felt bad for her, but he knew what she wanted from him wasn't pity. She had been a jerk to him recently and that's all she's going to see him as — a monster.

He recalled how she cried in the hospital and when he held her when she cried, how she confided in him with everything, and how she thought of him as a friend, smiling that her sweet smile to him. But now.. All he received from her was a scowl. Of course he deserved it. He even deserved more. He frowned, inflating his mouth with air, he ran with the ball in hand, and threw it into the basket. He wasn't counting, but he bet it was more than ten goals now – Not like it meant anything. He ran his hand through his now wet hair rather roughly. He couldn't get these thoughts out of his head.

He took in to his ego and said all of that to Nathan about Wren. They were lies, of course –But he loved the satisfaction he got when he made Nathan mad, he loved it, he'd do it again and again. He couldn't help but feel he was a terrible person. He used Wren to get back at him, and he had a sick feeling in his gut.

Then, Andrea. He was trying to get back at Rachael for kissing Nathan,  but he was so hurt he went as far as having sex with her. He wouldn't blame it all on Andrea, who obviously wanted that and even more.  He only regretted that Wren was there to see everything, shame washed through him at that moment, and the look she gave him –No one ever looked at him that way, it would've been better if he was punched hard. He wished he could wipe the memory from her head, the feeling alone caused him to throw up.

Yet, he had gone ahead to hurt her by saying all those hurtful things during the party. He didn't just know what came over him, he just wanted to be justified from the nasty looks and the bad judgment she must've had of him. She had to look so hot that day, so pretty standing next to Ryder and he got angry.

He waited for her to come back to school so he explained things to her, say sorry to her, even if she wouldn't receive that from him, he'd manage. At least he cleared his mind. But that was the day the news of her father's death came to school. He came by her house, but Ryder was there. He was the perfect gentleman and she deserves someone like him in her life, and not a lowlife like him. He had watched the video of them kissing. He didn't know why it gave him a sick feeling. And that Wren started the kiss, made him even more sick. He tried to convince himself he didn't care. But he had gone into the boys toilet and punched the wall so hard, his fist bled.

He came by the hospital a few times, but she was always asleep. Then, when she was awake, Ryder was there and he leaves.

"Hey, Tristan! " Someone disrupted his thoughts, their voice echoing in the empty space.  He perceived a very familiar cologne, then he looked up to find Andrea in her sports wear – a really short skirt that displayed most part of her thigh and lap. The neckline so low, her cleavages were threatening to fall out. Since the day at the toilet, she had always been clingy, she didn't get the jerk and leave. She had been all over him, and followed him everywhere, cheered him during practice, sometimes came over to his house. Especially now she was no longer friends with Rachel.