Until we meet again

Raids

This chapter is dedicated to @Cilnus. Thanks for the support luv😘Now on with the chapterrrrr!!!!

Maria POV

I turn to look at him, quirking my right eyebrow as if telepathically asking if he was serious or not. He offers the cheekies smile, his icy orbs glazed with alluring confidence . By the look on his face, I surmised that he was indeed not joking.

Looking back at the window I say, "Not happening."

"Oh come on,don't be such a spoiled sport," he whined before his lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Or you just scared that we might actually win?"

"Our school never makes it pass the first round, so why should I be scared?"

"Coz our team is a lot better this year,'" he replied before turning a curve. " We've been  preparing for God knows how long, so we might have a chance this time. Andddd, let's not forget our bet. If winning means that I'll get to kiss you , then I'll make sure of it."

My eyes snapped back at him, only to find his gentle gaze set on me already. He offers a simple smile, before redirecting his eyes forward. I did the same, pondering on his last few words that held a promise that I wasn't so sure I was ready to fulfill.

When it came to a guy like Zane, a bet, promise or anything related was taken very seriously. It's often times over the most childish of things too. Like just about a week ago, we had to take a pop up quiz for Maths. But before doing so, the guy made a bet that the person who got the lowest score between us, would have to do the winner's homework for a whole week.

He's the top student in Maths, so you'd think it would be an easy win for him. But by some strange miracle, I got the highest this time .

Joking around, I took out all the sheets of homework  I had in my bag at the time and handed them to him. Shockingly, he took them all and brought them in the next morning completed and ready for submission.  Payback never felt so sweet after losing so many bets to the guy, so I had no choice but to indulge myself a little, making sure he completed every single homework I got.

That was just one in a million examples of when he took a bet too seriously. I honestly enjoyed it sometimes, no matter how childish they were. They brought  back sweet memories that I shared with Jacob, the countless pinky swears and promises we made to each other everyday.

He was almost too identical to Jacob sometimes, especially when it came to his personality. It was almost like he was a reincarnation of Jacob himself. Don't ask me how that made any sense because I honestly think it doesn't . But it's just strange sometimes you know, they are just so alike.

That in itself was both blessing and a curse.

A blessing, because to me, he was like a substitution for Jacob, placed on earth to be there for me. To save me, to shed a little light in the darkness where depression itself continues to consume me. To protect and shelter me...love me. The brother and friend that would help fill the void that I've felt all these years after losing so much.

A curse, because there was always this underlying feeling all of it was fleeting. That he would eventually leave as well and the memories we're making here and now would flutter away with the wind like it never existed, continuing the cycle that my family left off. As much I've tried to pretend that that didn't bother me, it really did. The pain I feel to this day, was something that couldn't easily be forgotten or cured from. It's like a permanent scar to my ongoing existence now.

But with all of that, I still love to think that things could be different with Zane, that things could be better. A smile grows at my cheeks with that thought. It wasn't just him doing my homework or ensuring I got lunch on time, it was just everything that came along with him. He can so easily bring joy after a bad day without knowing, warmth after a chilly day. He gives me hope that giving life yet another chance wasn't so bad after all.