10. What if I liked?

A few minutes after Ty's alarm started going off in his room at 6, I shut down my laptop and leaned back on the chair whilst yawning. I slept late yesterday and only got less than five hours sleep because I woke up at 4 Am to work on my coding skills. 

 

I had to almost plead my legs to drag me to the bathroom instead of towards my bed. But once I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I felt magically lively. Then I quickly went and got dressed up for school. 

 

If you are wondering why I'm getting ready so early, then I'm going to school along with Ty. He has basketball practice at 6:30. I'm going with him not because I like so much to watch his practice but because I'm very eager to meet Aaron. 

 

Aaron is on the Football team and he too has practice morning. I want to meet him and know whether my plan worked or not. I mean whether Asher taught him yesterday or not. I didn't have Aaron's number to call him and ask. But I of course tried texting him on FF. He didn't even see the message. Maybe a lot of girls text him every day and he doesn't check his DM's. 

 

I was the one who drove the car today. Ty opened the door and jumped out of the passenger seat even before I parked the car in the students' parking lot. Then he was running as if his life depended upon it. We were a bit late and he didn't want to get late for his practice. 

 

I unbuckled my seat belt and then hopped out, afterward locking the car. I decided to go and see Aaron first. After all, I came here for that. I walked in direction of the football ground and when I reached there, the footballers were doing warm-up and running around on the ground. Soon I found Aaron jogging wearing a blue jersey. 

 

"Hey, Aaron!" I called out to him and he looked around surprised. When he saw me, I waved at him and he waved back smiling. Then he started coming running towards me. He looked really energetic today. 

 

"Hey..why early?" he asked me as he reached near me. 

 

"Just thought to come with Ty and watch his practice," I replied. 

 

"Okay...then what are you doing here ?" he asked. 

 

"Just thought to see you. Did that Asher tutor you yesterday?" 

 

Aaron chuckled. "He came to my house but didn't tutor me." 

 

"Why?" I asked anxiously. 

 

Aaron laughed. "As soon as he opened the text to teach me, he wanted to use the toilet and he barged into my bathroom. He spends an hour inside there. And then he came out all tired and sat back on the chair. But after a second, he again rushed to the bathroom and spend another half an hour inside. When he came out again, I yelled at him to get out of my room and he immediately left without protesting." 

 

Yes! My plan worked! I broke out laughing uncontrollably. Aaron furrowed his eyebrows at me. "Did you do something?" 

 

I somehow controlled my laughter and dramatically opened my mouth wide. "Me?? What!? I didn't do anything," I shook my head innocently. "And what can I possibly do to lock him inside the toilet? Maybe something wrong with the food he ate." 

 

"Uhmm..maybe," Aaron nodded suspiciously. 

 

"Okay then, bye. You may go back to practice. Oh, wait! Give me your number. I tried to contact you yesterday through FF but I couldn't," I said fishing out my phone and handing it to him. 

 

"Oh..I don't usually check Dm's," He said as his fingers danced across my phone screen. Then he gave it back to me and smiled. "Why you tried to contact me?" 

 

"Just to make sure you are alright after the tutoring section with Asher," I replied. He laughed and shook his head at my reply. 

 

"Bye then. Let me go watch Ty's practice," I said smiling. 

 

" Yeah bye. I'll catch you later," he said and jogged away, joining the other footballers who were jogging. 

 

I went to the basketball court and found somebody sitting hunched up on the side steps, watching the others play. It was none else than Mr. Pale face, I mean the basketball captain Asher Carter. He looked tired. 

 

Oh..how is he supposed to look energetic? He must be really tired after yesterday. Let me go check whether he has got any doubts it's me who troubled him. 

 

I suppressed my evil grin and walked toward him. He looked up furrowing his eyebrows at me but I kept a blank face and then went and sat a little away from him. He tilted his head sideways and looked at me. "You came with Ty?" he asked. 

 

" No, Ty came with me," I replied. 

 

"I see." he hummed and then averted his attention to his team members who were practicing. They were all throwing the ball into the hoop one after another. 

 

"Why don't you go practice? Or is it that you are so good at basketball, so you don't need to practice anymore?" I asked. He didn't reply anything which kind of annoyed me. "So captain only sits and watches? Doesn't play?" I asked again. 

 

"I'm not well," he finally replied. Yeah, how are you supposed to be well after messing with me? I suppressed a grin. 

 

"Oh..what happened to you? You were perfectly alright yesterday," I said. 

 

"Food poisoning," he mumbled. 

 

"Oh! Food poisoning?? How?" I asked pretending genuinely curious. I was actually laughing inside. 

 

"Don't know." 

 

"Anyway, you look so tired. You threw up a lot?" 

 

"No.." 

 

"Then??" 

 

"Why are you suddenly so interested in my matter?" he asked tilting his head to me, annoyed. 

 

"Nothing. Ty told me you are a great person. So I thought I'd get to know the great person, the great person who efficiently sends people into detention," I said sarcastically. 

 

He sighed. "You haven't left that matter yet ?" 

 

"No. How am I supposed to leave it when I still have the detention you rewarded me?" 

 

He pinched his nose before looking at me. "Okay, It was my fault. I'm sorry." 

 

I chuckled. "I don't want your sorry. Maybe you can go and say sorry to the person you are continuously troubling." 

 

"You mean Aaron?" he chuckled back at me. 

 

"You guessed it right," I faked a smile. "And you can stop troubling him. Or you know, you will face troubles." 

 

"Are you threatening me?" he chuckled again. 

 

"You may take it like that," I smiled again. 

 

"Don't make me laugh please." He said shaking his head and letting out another chuckle. Then he tilted his head to me and his face suddenly became serious. "You know, you are the one who's gonna face real troubles if you join him. I won't mind you being Ty's cousin. And what? You liked that Aaron a lot?" 

 

"What if I liked?" I asked. He glared at me hard. 

 

"You are gonna face a lot of trouble girl!" he growled. 

 

"That's the exact thing I also want to tell you. You know Asher, I'll soon bring your real face in front of Ty. Your good boy image in front of teachers will soon fall down. Your tragic downfall is near. Wait for that!" I snapped 

 

His intense glare intensified further. But it didn't shake me a bit. I smirked at him before I stood up from the steps and walked out of the basketball court. I could feel Asher's eye burning holes into my back as I walked away. 

 

Now, what should I do? Hmm...I would better go and sleep in the car or something. Or I would go watch football practice or run two rounds with the footballers. 

 

I think I better choose the latter option. You know exercise is good for health. And I rarely do that. I'm not very strong physically but I actually don't mind it. Anyway, today let's have some exercise and shake off this lazy body. 

 

I went back to the football ground and joined the footballers who were jogging. Aaron was surprised to see me again. We ran two rounds around the ground together. After that, he went to practice dribbles. 

 

I completed three more rounds, during which a few of the footballers came running side by side with me to talk. They wanted to know a lot of things, like where I studied earlier, why I transferred school, What happened last day at the principal's office, how long is my detention, etc etc. I just gave them some answers which I got in my head at that moment. More than half of them were lies. 

 

Anyway, soon I got tired, both from running and from answering these boys' questions. So I went and collapsed down on a side. I sat watching the guys practice until I got a text from Ty. He was calling me to have breakfast in the canteen. I quickly replied and stood up, walking towards the canteen. And when I arrived there....oh the devil is there! 

 

Yes, Asher was sitting along with Ty at a table in one corner. Actually, I should have expected this. Anyway, I walked to the table and sat beside Ty. We had a more or less silent breakfast. I and Asher glared at each other while Ty wasn't looking. 

 

I wanted to again mix some sodium phosphate in his breakfast or coffee. Shit! I should have actually saved the powder I dusted away. I could have used it again.