Chapter Twenty-five

So Close

“Hey!” Claire Summers surprised Louis.

Louis got startled when his girlfriend jumped beside him just as he shut his locker after grabbing a textbook for his next class.

Claire’s blonde hair glowed as if she had magic glowing hair due to the sunlight that was going through the school window illuminating her hair.

“Blimey! You gave me a fright!” Louis touched his chest.

            Claire giggled. “Is that really how British talks?” Claire flirted with her long lashes. “Suddenly, you’re sounding like Harry Potter.”

            Then, they both laughed.

“Are you free this afternoon?” she sheepishly asked as she was swaying her body a little. She even slit back a tiny strand of her hair to her left ear using her left index finger.

“I am,” Louis answered, “why?”

Claire walked her right index finger and middle finger on Louis’s chest, “Well... I was thinking if you could come over to my house and... tutor me?”

Louis bit his lips and was quite tempted. “Sure, it’s a date.”

Then, his attention was caught when Clint Whitman was driving his wheelchair on the hallway ten feet behind Claire.

Clint was giving Louis a straight stare. Their looks were glued to each other.

Claire turned around and saw Clint. She glanced at Clint and looked back at Louis.

After Clint passed by, Claire agreed on what Jade had told them in the cafeteria about Clint. “Louis?”

“Yeah?” Louis snapped.

“I think we should get to class.” She suggested and held his hand.

Louis felt the softness and the temperature of Claire’s hands. “That’s cool!” He wanted Claire so badly and made his whole body throbbed.

Hold on, it wasn’t his body but it was his Blackberry inside his Lacoste jacket. He was a bit tinkled by it because his phone kept on buzzing.

“Hold on a sec.” He pulled out his phone from his pocket and pressed Read on the keypad.

“Come on,” Claire pulled him. “We’re gonna be late.”

 While walking, he immediately stopped as he read the text message:

Looking for answers? Talk to Wad Rosenwald. Reply Yes and I will give you the address, if No, I won’t give a damn. –E

Louis squinted and read the text message couple of times. He was thinking why. Was E helping them now? Maybe this is a trap, isn’t it?

“You okay?” Claire asked.

Louis quickly nodded resumed in walking. Then, he typed YES on his keypad and sent it to E. Louis thought if he was being lured or something. However, he also thought in giving it a shot.

“Grayson!" Coach Justin McIvor called. “Focus!”

That afternoon, Richard Grayson was with his team on the field practicing for their upcoming Football game on Friday. Stressed out, he was not that concentrated in practicing.

Jude O’Brien

yelled at him and told him to sit down. Richard glared at him implying that he does not want to sit.

“What’s wrong? Losing your football skills? I might kick you out, bro!” Jude insulted.

Richard went pissed and made him wanna punch Jude’s skull. He stopped in the middle of their practice and removed his helmet. He ran towards Jude but was stopped by Leonard – Travis’s younger brother and Rich’s teammate.

“Wo, man.” Leonard blocked Richard. Richard turned to be really irascible at that moment. “Calm down, Rich”.

Jude smirked and removed his helmet.

Coach Justin McIvor blew his weasel to stop them. He also recommended Richard to relax and to call it for the day.

“I’m still gonna practice, Coach,” Richard begged.

“You looked bothered, Grayson,” Coach McIvor said.

“No, it’s just that...” Richard argued, “I’m going through a lot. I promise it will not affect this time.”

Coach tentatively nodded. “Okay, take a seat first.”

Richard went to the bleachers and rested his legs on it. His face was soaking with his sweat. He grabbed his water jag and sprinkled water on his face. Then, he shook his head like a wet dog. Suddenly, he saw a teammate of his approaching him.

“Hey?” Leonard removed his helmet. He wiped his face with his towel.

“Oh hey, Leonard,” Richard greeted.

“Shaking your hair like a dog,” Leonard created a conversation.

Richard smiled and took a swig on his water jag.

“I’m not in demeanour right now,” Richard replied.

Leonard smiled and swig from his bottle either. Then, he continued talking, “You’re suddenly becoming like Travis.”

Richard snapped and stared at Leonard.

“You’re having the same behaviour,” Leonard added, “no offense, but you’re becoming weird... like him. If this is about Edward, I understand you but you gotta move on.”

Then Leonard ran back to his teammates without letting Richard respond.

Richard thought for a second. He was going through a lot especially a twisted asshole threatening him and his friends and not just threatening but killing people closed to them. He has too many hindrances for him to focus. Then he remembered what his dad told him that morning. Hindrance will not be a hindrance unless you made it possible.

Then, he heard Coach McIvor weaselled. He stood up from the bleachers and went back to the practice.

Ismail Ambani and his girlfriend, Jade Anderson, came to see Richard’s football practice. They sat on the top bleachers.

During the practice, Jade saw Jude O’Brien. He removed his helmet and his sweaty aura made him looked so sexy which made Jade melt.

“Jude! You’re so hot!” Jade climbed up their seat and yelled.

Ismail got a little bit jealous and pissed because friends hate their best friend’s enemy.  

Richard heard Jade cheering so he glanced at them on the bleachers and waved at Ismail.

Ismail waved back.

Then, Richard went back to the game.

Jade sat back and held Ismail’s hands to ease his jealousy. “There’s nothing wrong in cheering. That’s what we are, right?”

Ismail shrugged.

Jade then grabbed Ismail’s head and put her mouth on Ismail’s lips and started smooching.

While kissing, Ismail was stunned when he saw a guy standing on the exit door of the bleachers wearing black hoodie with black ski mask on just like what his best friend, Louis Lockwood, had described, watching them. Isn’t that E? It was definitely E.

Ismail stopped.

Jade moved back. “What’s wrong?”

Then, E rushed out the exit doors. Ismail shot up from the seat and started to chase E as Jade was left behind and didn’t know what just happened.

Ismail quickly lost E. Suddenly, he heard Jade calling him.

“Ismail?” Jade’s voice echoed from the walkway, “What’s going there? What was that about?”

Ismail thought that Jade might be E’s next victim. He would not let that happened. “Just stay there, Jade.” Ismail came rushing, “come with me.” Ismail held Jade’s hands and ran out from the field and went to his car to drive her home.

“What’s going on?” Jade demanded.

Ismail unlocked his car door, “it’s too dangerous.”

Jade was boggled by Ismail’s sudden actions. “What are you talking about?”

“The killer is here,” Ismail snapped as he unlocked the passenger seat. “Get in.”

“What?” Jade felt goosebumps on her skin. “Are you sure? Do we call the cops?”

Ismail breathed as if he was asthmatic. Then, he entered his car. Before he turned on the engine, his phone rang. He thought it was E. When he looked at the screen of his Sidekick, it was an incoming call from Richard. He tapped Answer on his keypad. “Richard!”

“Hey? Where are you?” Richard asked from the other end.

“We left,” Ismail answered, “the killer is in the campus?” Ismail answered then he ignited the engine.

“Wait, what?” Richard asked in confusion, “E?”

“Yeah,” Ismail turned around, “we’ll talk later.” Then, he immediately hung up.

Jade dialled Brittany’s number and talked to her about the killer being in school.

Before driving, Ismail saw his best friend, Travis Becker, walking with a teacher towards a car. It was Mr. Brent Jones. He saw Travis climbed inside Mr. Brent Jones Mini Cooper Mr. Brent Jones climbed in as well.

Ismail stopped his engine and turned off the front lights. Jade was still on the phone, though. She was not even seeing what his boyfriend was seeing.

Ismail continued watching them. E started to get suspicious. Inside the car, Travis and Mr. Brent Jones were laughing as if they were having a good time without the engine on. Suddenly, Travis leaned forward and kissed Mr. Jones which made Ismail gasped. He cannot believe what he just saw.

Jade was still talking to Brittany but was caught by Ismail’s gasp. Ismail quickly restarted his engine and drives home.

After calling Ismail, Richard went to take a shower with his other teammates. All his teammates were howling making their voice echo.

Richard started showering. Beside his cubicle was Jude O’Brien who just started showering as well. The cubicle was not that tall to cover an entire human. The height of the cubicle was breast down. You could definitely see someone’s privates if you leaned toward it and look. But at least it covers.

“Hey man,” Jude started as he applied shampoo on his head. “I’m sorry about... you know, a while ago.”

Richard scrubbed his arm muscles as the shower was sprinkling on his face. “I’m cool.”

“Thanks,” Jude smiled. “Since we’re teammates, I was hoping if I could make up to you?”

Richard tentatively glanced at Jude. Then, he grinned slyly.

“I mean, we should be friends,” Jude added and reached his wet hands to Richard. “Friends?”

Richard was just staring at Jude’s hands. Jude’s hand was still hanging on the cubicle border. Then, he pulled it back. “We used to be friends, right? I mean, Edward and I were. And you’ve attended my party last summer so why not make it up to you?”

Richard smiled and reached his hands as Jude reached his too and gave each other a handshake. Suddenly, Richard splashed water to Jude. Jude did the same and they started playing water with each other. They were both laughing as if they were having bromance going on.

Jude ended their conversation by saying the Cougar Catch-Phrase, “Once a Cougar, always a Cougar.”

Richard repeated it.

They gave each other a knuckle punch and continued in showering.

Somehow, Richard did not notice that his iPhone was ringing. It was in his bag outside the comfort room. On the screen was an incoming call from Ismail.

Someone wearing black gloves grabbed the iPhone from the bag and rejected the incoming call.