Chapter 35: Just Friends
Nina
When I saw Lisa run and jump into Enzo’s arms, I felt my heart break just a little bit. I knew we weren’t ever together, but it still hurt to see them being so affectionate with her. I had overheard Enzo saying some really sweet things about a girl in the locker room earlier, but as I saw them together now, I knew that he was talking about Lisa.
Enzo had played so beautifully during the game. Had it all been for Lisa? I didn’t want to stick around any longer, so I left without a word and slipped into the crowd. I just wanted to go home and cry.
“Nina!” I heard a familiar voice call from ahead of me. I picked up my head to see James standing by the exit with a soft smile on his face. Even though my chest ached from seeing Lisa and Enzo together, the pain lifted a bit to see James.
“Hey!” I said, putting on a smile and walking up to him “I didn’t know you were here.” “I actually came for you,” he said, making my heart skip a beat. “Can I walk you home? I found something that I think you’ll wanna see.” He gestured toward the door behind him with his thumb.
I nodded and we walked out of the arena together. We broke away from the stream of students and walked toward the quad. “Remember how Enzo’s PT results were significantly better than anyone else’s?” James asked as we walked. Of course I remembered. “Yeah, I think so,” I lied, not wanting to give away any interest I had in Enzo.
“Well, I was looking at some old records,” James said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a thin stack of papers. “I noticed that Enzo isn’t the first student here to have insane PT results. I thought you’d find it interesting.”
He handed me the papers, which I took with wide eyes. Was this more proof that Lycans were real, and that they had attended this school before?
“What’s even more interesting is that they’ve all been on the hockey team,” James said, stopping next to the large fountain in the middle of the quad. “1 mean, our hockey team has always been the best of the best, usually because there’s always one player at a time who has these insane abilities. So I got to thinking, what if there’s some sort of conspiracy here? Like drugs or something?”
I tried to hide the fact that I knew precisely that it wasn’t drugs as I thumbed through the pages. “That’s really interesting,” I said, looking up from the papers to see James smiling down at me. In the soft amber light from the streetlamps, his face looked even softer and sweeter. Part of me wanted to kiss him right now, to let him take me back to his room, but I knew that that was just my brain trying to comfort itself after seeing that Lisa and Enzo were back together.
“You should take a good look at those when you have a chance,” James said. ” Then, I was hoping… Would you wanna meet up again? To talk about the records, of course.”
1 blushed, and so did James. “U-Um,” I stammered, looking at my feet, “I think I’d like that.”
James let out a sigh that sounded like relief and tousled his blonde hair. ” Cool,” he said quietly, sounding just as nervous as I did. “Wanna grab coffee on Friday?”
I said yes I could hardly sleep that night with so many things swirling around my head. I was both depressed and relieved to see Enzo and Lisa together again, because while it did break my heart a little bit as I had genuinely begun to develop feelings for Enzo, this could also mean that he no longer thought I was his mate and that I was in the clear. Maybe the end of all of this drama was in sight and I could just be done with this strange supernatural world for good. I’d happily pretend that none of this ever happened at this point.
I was also excited about my upcoming date with James, the studious boy with a sweet smile.
Beyond that, however, I was most fascinated by the records that James had found. He was right, all of the previous people with superhuman abilities were on the hockey team, and there was always one. When one would graduate and leave the team, another would show up almost immediately after. It was strange… Why was hockey so important here that there would always be a Lycan on the team to ensure victory?
There had to be something else to it, and now I was determined to find out. The next morning, I went to class, Lisa gave me a dirty look when I entered the lecture hall, but she didn’t come over to harass me again — probably because she was already satisfied to be back together with Enzo and didn’t have to bully me out of talking to him anymore. Whatever, I thought to myself as 1 sat down. She can have him.
Even though it hurt to see them back together, I was at least happy to know that I had a chance with James. He was sweet and kind, and loved academia just like I did… And there was nothing complicated about him.
I needed someone uncomplicated I also needed someone who wouldn’t potentially kill me for not wanting to get together with him, if what K said was true.
After class, I had to go to work with Tiffany. We were supposed to be working in the office all day and tending to sick or injured students, so I was relieved to know that I likely wouldn’t have to deal with Enzo “So,” Tiffany said in a sing-song voice after a student with a migraine finally left. “You and James, huh?”
I blushed. “We’re just friends. Besides, how do you know anything?”
“I’m very observant!” Tiffany said playfully, folding her arms across her chest. “You know, I’ve been working with him for two years and I’ve never seen him show interest in anyone… But you’re so cute, so I can see how he couldn’t resist you.”
1 blushed even harder and looked down at my work to hide my embarrassment. Just then, the office door swung open. “Ah. Mr. Rivers,” Tiffany said. “What can I do for ya?”
I felt my heart practically leap up into my throat, my eyes widening as I continued to stare at my work. What was Enzo doing here?
“I think I fucked up my shoulder,” Enzo said. I looked up to see him standing in the doorway, massaging his shoulder with one hand. Tillany sighed and waved him over to an infirmary bed, where he sat down.
My face turned beet red as Tiffany instructed Enzo to remove his shirt. He stared at me the entire time he took it off, his gaze not wavering while Tiffany inspected his shoulder.
“Hmm,” she said, pressing here and there. Every so often she’d poke a new spot and ask if it hurt. “More in the middle,” Enzo said, pointing to the middle of his back.
She walked around him to get a new angle, pushing up her sleeves. As she moved, I caught a glimpse of something big and red on his neck. Was that a… hickey?
Enzo shot me an almost knowing look, as if to say that he knew I saw it. I looked down at my work and pretended That I didn’t see it, although my heart raced and my hands started to shake.
“How about here?” Tiffany asked. Enzo suddenly stood. “Actually, I think I’m okay,” he said, almost as if he only came in here so I would see his hickey. “Oh… Are you sure?” Tiffany asked.
“Yeah,” Enzo replied. Must’ve just been a muscle spasm.” “Well, come back if it starts to hurt again,” Tiffany called after him as he walked out of the infirmary.
I let out a soft sigh of relief as the door shut behind Enzo. That had certainly been a hickey on his neck… But 1 couldn’t get jealous. Even though it broke my heart knowing that he and Lisa were together again, and she had given him a hickey, I couldn’t let it get to me.
I had to get over Enzo Rivers.
