CHAPTER 7
INTRODUCING THE COLLECTION
The new official couple is on the news in the Apollon Academy—the famous top-tier athlete polo player holding with, intimately more than ever with the top-A plus-plus list. Tytas Oskar snatched the championship for the Apollon Polo team and snatched the ice-loner princess Letizia Serafinne's heart, both in his hands. Does it mean he is a prince for our Academy?
"Geez—" I read the school newspaper. The headline is Tytas won the championship, and the second big, bold line is about me. There's a picture of the polo team members and Tytas holding the trophy and a smaller picture of Tytas and me before the game starts, smiling.
That is—how I smile? I look at my own face.
"Did you hear the news!?" Irin shouts as she rushes to me at my table.
I pop my eyes over the newspaper to see her.
"No—not this one, " she says, folding the paper for me. She leans toward me and looks very serious. "About Vik—" she pauses.
I look at her intensity, which makes me a bit nervous about what she will say since yesterday we ended abruptly—as usual, but yesterday was different.
"He's in hospital, and he had a car accident last night." She says,
My eyes widen, and I almost gasp. "How bad?" I ask,
"I heard that he's still unconscious." She whispers.
I bite my bottom lip, and I hear footsteps entering the room. The blond hair with the puffy eyes, Felicia glares at me and walks past me without saying anything to her seat. Irin looks at her and shifts to me.
"She must be crying her eyes out," Irin whispers,
The nerves in my brain started to trigger my thoughts and provoke my curiosity—they must have had a fight after I left. I couldn't imagine what would happen, but I could predict it bit by bit. I know nothing and am presuming things aren't the best.
"Tytas didn't say anything?"
I shake my head slowly, "Did you—say last night?" I ask,
"Yep, people said he went to the party—probably drank too much—"
"He's upset." I interrupt.
"Hm? Upset about what?" She asks,
I hold my tongue while I'm having a war in my head. I should tell her—or maybe I shouldn't.
"Zia—" She glares at me, "you kept a secret from me—a lot these days," she pouts her lips, "Am I not your best friend anymore?" She asks,
I keep quiet.
"Right, right—you're not trusting me—after all those years I've been by your side—I couldn't be—"
"Okay—but not right here," I say. Irin smirks at me, and after seeing my reaction, her smirk fades,
I think she senses something from my energy even though I'm good at keeping calm, suppressing inside my stomach; she always knows something. "Tonight—at my house?" she suggests.
I nod.
The Apollon Hospital, the only hospital that the Apollon town has had since nineteen something, is one of the history books I'm not interested in reading. It's big and grand, has everything that covers almost all you need, and is the only place where workers aren't local—perhaps two or three. The doctors and nurses are outsiders, or the high rank of the name lists, the professionals of each medical field. In my opinion, they were chosen to transfer here and took the offer to be in the small privileged town because of the big bag of money. There aren't many locals or people in Apollon, so what is better than this?
However, working with them or at least under their names or power can support my portfolio even better if I get a recommendation letter written by one of them.
"You will do great, Zia." Tytas drives me to the hospital
"Thank you for driving me," I say, holding my bag. He has my hand, and I turn to him, wondering.
"This Friday night—Will you have dinner with me—with my family?" He asks. My eyes open wide, and nothing comes out of my mouth. "At my house, my mum wants to invite you—my dad as well,"
While he's asking and rubbing my hand, I'm still shocked. Not because it was the first time he asked, but because it will be the first time I have to say yes, and they will acknowledge that we are together—together.
"Your dad?" I ask surprisingly,
"He asked for you himself, and I also—really want you to join us. It must be wonderful having you there—again." He says.
And How can I deny that? Shit.
"We'll make sure you will have a lovely time. I promise." He raises my hand and gives me a kiss on it.
"Formal?" I ask lightly,
And he smiles so brightly, "Whatever you want," he leans to me beside my face, "It's a bit formal because you're the guest—but I want you to wear whatever you want." He says softly, holds my face, kisses me slowly on the cheek, and gives me a look, "Is that a yes?"
I nod,
His line of smile curls up, and he kisses me on the lips, this time softly, and slowly pulls his lips back. "I'll pick you up around 7:30, " he whispers, and he is about to kiss me again, but I pull myself back before his tongue comes out.
I smile, "Thank you for the ride, Tytas." I say, and leave the car with him.
One of the receptionists took me on a tour of the front building and the main building, only some floors, only the section that needed to be introduced or at least I was allowed to see. While watching the clean sight and modest decorations, which contrast with our town style, she interviewed and asked random and general questions like what I'm interested in, my plan after graduation, and why I chose to volunteer in this field. Surprisingly, she didn't ask me about my family stuff. Before the end of the tour slash interviews, she offered me a position in another building—a patient building. And absolutely, I take that offer with a smile on my face and the screams inside my chest.
Mostly movie night, switching to Irin's and mine each weekend, but this night it's an urgent night, and not because she gets the high quality of a new release movie before someone else does. Irin's room is pretty big, even though he has her stuff all over the space. Irin turns the light down, and then the light on her big-ass TV brightens up our faces. It seems I'm in the spotlight in the investigating room. The sound of the drum from the beginning of the movie is rising loudly and clearly, beating along with my chest. I sit while leaning my back on her comfy, puffy big ass cushion, like a giant nest for fragile baby bird eggs, and I am one of the eggs about to crack by her intense aura.
"I rather you shoot me the questions—" I say,
She glares at me and softens her eyes. She sighs tiresome air out of her mouth along with her nose, but her eyes are still soft. "Why did you say—Vik is upset?" She asks,
"Because—" I pause, the long f-pause. I have to start from the beginning of the story. "You need to promise that you have to be patient while I'm telling you," I say as I look into her eyes.
"Yes," she says, and I look at her deeper. I'll try, " she assures me.
I breathe in and breathe out lightly but long one, "I was the one who broke his hand—" I say, her eyes widen, "that night—the first time we went to watch the team practice—the day that Ivan was there—" I say, she nods, "That night while I was running, Vik kidnapped me—" Her eyes open wider, "He tried to rape me in his car."
"WHAT!!!!" She shouts with the highest pitch from her throat.
"But I was fine—He didn't—" I say,
"Didn't what!!!?" She shouts. I put my index finger over my lips because there's not just us in the house. "He didn't—you meant you didn't have sex with him." She says,
"No, we didn't. I was—" I hold my tongue as I think of the helmet man, "I hit him with the mallet on his hand and his face."
Irin's jaw drops and hangs there as she looks at me.
"And—the big game day—he was about—-to go down on me and confess his feelings." I say, and Irin's jaw is even lower, "Felicia came, Tytas came, and it was all tangled, and I left."
"Ha—" She sounds like her brain is processing faster than her reaction—her jaw is still hanging. I touch her jaw, and then she closes her mouth. "That's why you think he's upset…" She says, fading her voice. "He came to the party--drunk--and got into an accident?" She tries to process and predict her thoughts. "You went to the hospital today. Did you see him?" She asks,
I shake my head, "No," I say,
Then her eyes widen again, "WHAT THE FUCK! That bastard tried to rape you! THAT MOTHER FUCKER! Karma is a bitch, right!? It ran to him fast! Hmpt!" She can't stay still as she hits the pillows beside her body after her thoughts are done progressing. "Wait—Did Tytas know?" She lowers her voice. "Does everybody else know?" She asks softly.
"After that—I told Tytas." I look at her, "I didn't tell my father or—anyone else." I say,
Her eyes drop, and then she hugs me, "Fuck." she says and hugs me tighter. "I'm sorry—I really am sorry." She says,
I hug her back.
She sighs and pulls her body back, "Tytas knows—then what's next?" she asks lightly. "You and him seem even—closer from my perspective—outside perspective." She leans back to the soft cushion and shifts her eyes to the movie we haven't paid any attention to.
"Speaking of the accident, no one saw it…" she says, putting her arms around my left arm, "and we heard the news two days later—the party was on Saturday night." she glances at me.
I listen to her quietly, following her hypothesis, and to be honest, there's a chance—the slightest chance—that it was not a typical car accident and someone was behind it.
And the only person that appears in my mind. He has been helping me—a lot, behind his mask.
"How did you make up with him?" She asks. I look at her, "Tytas." She says, with the eyes of inspection.
"After dinner at your house—he came to my house," I say, and she keeps her eyes on me and blinks slowly and turns to the TV. "he wanted to make things right—I guess. I don't know. He apologized and wanted to be—"
"With you—" She continues, and back to the proper position, "Hey, can I ask you something… Do you like him?" she asks, and then I nod. "Don't get me wrong, Zia—when I see you with him, you seem to like him, yes—but not as much as he likes you."
"What are you trying to say?" I ask softly,
She shakes her head lightly, "I am concerned, worried—I love you, Zia. I want you to be happy and feel—happy. I can see—people can see that he treats you very well, right?"
I nod, "He treats me like a princess—also when we're alone." I clear her thoughts.
She smiles, "He's fallen down to you so bad, hehe, which is good. I see some side of you, and I haven't seen it before—lighter. If you are happy, then I'm glad."
"Speak," I say,
She swallows her saliva, "Who is into you real bad like that—can turn to something—bad." She says, "Like Vik—he did something terrible and unforgiven."
Like the biker guy who follows me everywhere, creeping in the dark and watching me, but I'm not sure that he's into me or obsessed with me anymore after that night. I haven't seen him since then.
"All I'm trying to say is be careful because I can't order you to break up with him since you haven't faced anything like that—yet, and he treats you so good, and you're happy—and also I had rooted for him from the beginning." She says, shifting her eyes to the side and back to me. She holds both my hands. "He's your first boyfriend ever, so I'm worried and excited for you at the same time, and I bet no one can service—and provide like him—he can do anything—really—anything." She says and gives me a look.
I nod; I know what she is trying to say.
"So—he was down on you, ha?" She says, "Felicia must be wriggling and losing her shit, haha—hahaha," she laughs like a villain as watching the movie. "What is this movie all about?" She asks,
"I have no idea," I say.