The Transtempus Penalty (ERERI//RIREN)

Chapter 14

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!! There has been a data breach in Wattpad's database, and 270,000,000 people's information is being seen and sold. Real quick, go change your password... I'll wait. And when you get done with this chapter, I'll tag the person that actually did their homework on it for us, so that you don't have to.

The next day we all sat together during lunch hour to discuss final details of our Homecoming plans, but all of us knew better than to bring up the events of the day prior. Levi still seemed to be a little dazed by the aftershock of whatever drugs he'd taken, which Farlan and Isabel informed me was actually heroin, if he'd had the correct street name. It was understandable that he was still out of commission, I figured, casting a glance at his dreary eyes that swept the occupants of our table. Ollie and Riko wanted to see the game, Petra and I weren't entirely enthusiastic one way or the other, but Levi seemed to be vehemently against the concept of watching a football game for whatever reason, but wouldn't explain himself when we asked about it. It was decided that we would go to the game, but only the latter half, so that we could see who won, before we made it back for the dance.

When Friday finally rolled around, we did just that. Marco drove his bus around like it was public transit, stopping at each of our houses and letting us board. It was late afternoon, and the end of the game would give us two hours of time to get ready for the dance. Marco then drove to the football field where we were immediately met with the whoops and hollers of excited high school students and their parents. I could feel some immediate anxiety from the sheer mass of the crowd we were wandering into. The amount of words spoken between Levi and Petra during that week was at a record low. Levi's bad decision on Wednesday was enough to make Petra too upset to speak with him any more than she needed to, and Levi's baseline blase mannerisms weren't helping one bit. Having them both in close proximity for the entire evening was more than an invitation for a bomb to go off.

"Hey, uh, I don't think I'm gonna go in," Levi muttered as we got in line to pay for our tickets. "Too many people."

"Do you want me to wait out here with you?" Petra asked, resting her hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. She was clearly trying to extend an olive branch, but Levi only seemed to brush her off.

"I don't know. Do whatever you want," Levi sighed while the others began to get their tickets from the ticket booth. The air that night was alive, buzzing and warm while the players fought for victory. I had never been much of a football person, and so was relieved that there would be at least one person waiting outside of the game in case I wanted to wait with him.

"Well," she said, teasing his hair with her fingertips. "I think I'll probably wait out with you then. It gets so loud in the stands." Her words and actions were innocuous enough on the surface, but I knew better than that. She didn't trust him. She didn't trust that he wouldn't get high like he had the other day, but was too polite to tell him that. I could see the worry in her expression when he started to shake his head.

"You don't have t-" Levi started to say, but Petra spoke over him in clipped frantic chirps.

"I- I think I will," she replied, toying with a strand of her scraggly red hair, twisting it between her fingers and letting out a sigh. "Ya know, I'd rather, um be out here, in case."

"In case of what?" He prompted, but I could see that he knew what. All of us knew why Petra was anxious, but Levi was the only one spiteful enough to bring it up. He was egging her on, and I was shocked when she took the bait.

"Why do you think?" she finally snapped at him, shaking her head while the rest of us froze and waited for the thick tension between the two to subside, but as long as we waited, the tension only grew thicker, drowning us in their argument.