Chapter 34: Chapter 33

Amelia's POV:

I pushed through the crowd, kneeling beside him. “Are you okay, Akira?” I asked, my voice trembling with concern.

Akira winced but managed a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Amelia. Just a bit dizzy.”

The coach called for the school nurse, who arrived quickly with an ice pack. She examined Akira, making sure there were no signs of a concussion. “You should rest for a bit,” she advised. “No more playing today.”

Akira nodded, still holding the ice pack to his head. I could see the frustration in his eyes, both from the unexpected injury and the interruption to the game.

As the crowd began to disperse and the match was called off, I stayed close to Akira, helping him to his feet. Aiden approached us, his expression unapologetic. “Akira,” he said earnestly. “You okay?”

Akira, ever gracious, nodded. “I am, Aiden. It’s alright. Just a freak accident.”

I looked between the two of them, the tension in the air thick. “Let’s get you to the nurse’s office,” I said to Akira, trying to steer the situation back to care and recovery.

As we walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. The incident had left a mark, not just on Akira, but on all of us. It was a stark reminder of how quickly things could change and how fragile the balance of our lives could be.

After Akira was taken to the nurse's room, I couldn't contain my anger any longer. I spotted Aiden standing alone, looking too calm for my liking. Without hesitation, I stormed over, grabbed his arm, and dragged him to the back of the grounds where we could have some privacy.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled, my voice echoing off the walls. Aiden's face remained blank, his calmness only fueling my fury.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his tone annoyingly serene.

"I know you did that on purpose!" I shouted, my voice trembling with emotion. "I know you aimed to hurt him. What's your problem? Are you some kind of psychopath? What if something worse had happened?"

Aiden's eyes flickered with something I couldn't quite identify. "Amelai, first of all lower your voice."

I shook my head, my fists clenched at my sides. "No! you wanted to hurt him. You are a freak. Admit it!"

Aiden’s eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite identify. "Yes, I did it. Wanna know why?" he asked, his tone suddenly sharp. "I was jealous. I am kind of jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" I demanded, taken aback.

"Jealous of seeing the two of you together," he admitted, his voice rising. "It's been just a day since he's here and you guys are already sticking around as if stuck by glue. And I hated it. I hated seeing you with someone else other than me. Let alone sticking to that person for an entire day, and it felt like an eternity. I hated it."

I felt a strange sensation in my stomach at his words, but it was quickly overshadowed by the realization of what he had done to treat that jealousy. Anger burned through me, quenching the fleeting butterflies. "And that means you could hurt someone so badly?" I snapped.

"He wasn't hurt that bad," Aiden retorted, his tone dismissive. "I knew what I was doing. I have been playing this game for years. And I know how to kick a ball just right—not with enough force to do serious damage. So stop making a fuss about it."

"Fuss?" I echoed incredulously. "You know what? You are a psychopath, and you will never understand my point."

He stepped closer, his eyes darkening. "I will not get your point until and unless we are together."

"What?" I asked, taken aback.

"Yes, I want you to be mine, Amelia, and I won't stop. I cannot control this."

"I will never be with someone like you," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me.

"Then I will never stop," he replied, his voice low and intense. "And if you know me even a little bit, you should know that I will actually not stop until you are with me."

His words hung in the air, heavy and menacing. I stared at him, my mind racing. I had to find a way to deal with this, but right now, I needed to get away from him. Without another word, I turned and walked away, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination.

I cannot take this. It's too much to handle, too much to digest. My heads spinning as if I'm the one hit by a football . I walked away from Aiden, my mind spinning with the weight of his words. I needed to get to Akira and make sure he was okay. My footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as I made my way to the nurse's room.

When I reached the door, I took a deep breath before pushing it open. Inside, Akira was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking a bit pale but otherwise okay. The nurse was checking his vitals, and he gave me a small, reassuring smile when he saw me.

"Hey," I said softly, stepping inside. "How are you feeling?"

"Just a little dizzy," Akira replied, his voice calm. "The nurse says I’ll be fine. Just need to rest for a bit."

I nodded, relief washing over me. "I'm so sorry about what happened. Aiden—"

"It's not your fault," Akira interrupted gently. "But what was that all about?"

I hesitated, the tension from the confrontation with Aiden still fresh in my mind. "He... he's jealous. He thinks we’re... well, he didn’t like seeing us together."

Akira’s expression darkened slightly. "That doesn’t give him the right to hurt someone."

"No, it doesn’t," I agreed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. "I need to figure out how to deal with this. He’s not going to stop."

The nurse finished her check and left the room, leaving us alone. Akira reached out and took my hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "We’ll figure it out together, okay?"

I nodded, grateful for his support. "Okay."

Just then, the door to the nurse’s room swung open again, and Aiden walked in. His eyes locked onto mine, a storm of emotions swirling within them.

"Amelia, we need to talk," he said, his voice tense but controlled.

Akira squeezed my hand, a silent show of support. I stepped forward, facing Aiden. "There’s nothing more to say, Aiden. You crossed a line."

"I know," he admitted, his voice raw. "I won't do it again if you hated it that much. I just couldn't control myself back then."

"This isn’t just about you," I shot back, my own anger simmering beneath the surface. "You hurt someone because you were jealous. That’s not okay."

Aiden’s jaw tightened, and he looked past me to Akira, who was watching the exchange with a wary expression. "I know you’re angry, but I care about you, Amelia. I can’t just switch that off."

"I don’t expect you to," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But you need to respect my decisions. And right now, I don’t want anything to do with you if you can’t control yourself."

The tension in the room was palpable, a thick fog that seemed to close in around us. Aiden looked like he wanted to say more, but he just shook his head and turned to leave.

As the door closed behind him, I felt a heavy weight lift from my shoulders. But the tension didn’t disappear—it simply shifted, settling into a new form as I turned back to Akira.

"We’ll figure this out," he repeated, his eyes full of determination.

I nodded, knowing that the road ahead wouldn’t be easy. But with Akira by my side, I felt a glimmer of hope. We would face whatever came next, together.

..........................................

After leaving the nurse's office, Akira and I headed straight to our last lecture of the day. Missing this class wasn't an option—it was crucial, with attendance counting towards our final exam. The room was more packed than I'd ever seen it, buzzing with the usual pre-class chatter.

We slipped into our seats just as the professor began discussing marketing strategies, specifically the impact of digital marketing. I tried to focus, scribbling notes and nodding along, but the events of the day kept replaying in my mind. Akira sat beside me, his presence is somehow comforting.

Rose Amelia and France are seating across the room due to lack of spare seats.

Just as the class was winding down, the door creaked open. Everyone turned to see a man struggling to hold an enormous bouquet of white roses. The flowers were stunning—large, fresh, and beautifully arranged. The bouquet was so massive that the man could barely carry it with both hands and arms.

Whispers spread through the room as everyone speculated about the bouquet's purpose. My curiosity quickly turned to shock as the man approached me, the sea of students parting in his wake. He stopped at my desk and, with a polite nod, extended the bouquet toward me.

My hands trembled as I reached out, unable to grasp the sheer size of the bouquet. It was about to topple when Akira stepped in, steadying it and helping me place it on the table. I glanced at him, my confusion mirrored in his concerned expression.

The room fell silent, all eyes on me. My heart pounded as I spotted a small note tucked among the roses. With shaky fingers, I pulled it out and unfolded it. The message was simple but chilling:

"I won’t stop until you love me back."

A wave of emotions crashed over me—fear, anger, confusion. I looked up, my eyes scanning the room until they landed on Aiden, who was watching me intently from across the class. His expression was unreadable, but there was a determined glint in his eyes.

The professor, sensing the disruption, cleared his throat and resumed the lecture. But the air was thick with tension, and my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

Won't stop until I love him?

I mentally roll my eyes.

What kind of bullshit is it!

As if love is a house chore I can do in return of the bouquet.

A girl behind me leaned forward. Her tone was a mix of curiosity and admiration. "Amelia, you’re so lucky!” she said, her eyes glued to the massive bouquet. “I can’t believe you have such a dedicated boyfriend.”

Another girl next to her leaned in too, practically buzzing with excitement. “Seriously, Amelia, having a bouquet like that during class? I’d die for something like that!”

The buzz in the classroom grew louder as more students took notice. “This is like something out of a romantic movie,” someone said, their voice tinged with envy. “I wish someone would do that for me.”

Their admiration felt like a spotlight on my already frayed nerves. I glanced around, their comments feeling almost too much to bear. The attention was suffocating, the classroom suddenly feeling much smaller as I struggled to process the situation.

I mean yeah I would love to have all this from my boyfriend but not from a creep who thinks he can trade my love somehow.

I looked down at the bouquet again, the note’s message echoing in my mind. The way everyone was reacting—celebrating what felt like anxiety and it only deepened the confusion and discomfort I was already feeling.

I stood up, struggling to balance the enormous bouquet in my hands. The sheer weight of it seemed to press down on my shoulders with every step I took. I murmured an excuse about needing to freshen up and hurried out of the classroom, trying to avoid the curious glances and whispers that followed me.

The bouquet felt increasingly heavy, and I knew I couldn’t just leave it lying around for everyone to see. My arms ached as I walked, the bouquet feeling heavier with each passing minute. Eventually, I found a spot on the stairs and set the flowers down, taking a moment to rest.

A group of girls passed by, their eyes widening in surprise as they saw the bouquet. One of them said, “Wow,” with a mix of envy and admiration. Their reaction stung more than I expected, making me feel even more self-conscious. I sighed, realizing that the bouquet was drawing more attention than I wanted.

I'm afraid. What if someone asks me details about all this, about my so called non-existent boyfriend. What will I say? Aiden gave this. Never! I can't even imagine the drama afterwards.

Reluctantly, I picked up the bouquet again, my heart sinking. I loved flowers, often keeping them long after they had wilted, but this bouquet felt tainted by its purpose. The idea of throwing away something so beautiful was almost unbearable, but I knew I had no other choice.

Hard decisions may end hardship.

I continued to the back of the building, where the garbage area was tucked away. The flowers, once vibrant and full of promise, now seemed like a cruel reminder of everything that had gone wrong. As I reached the trash bin, I hesitated, holding the bouquet close for a moment. It felt like I was betraying something precious.

With a heavy heart, I placed the bouquet in the garbage. I could hardly believe I was discarding such beauty, but the situation left me no other option. As I walked away, the sadness of wasting something so lovely lingered, even though I knew it was the only way to handle the situation.