♟️twenty-nine | Aella

♟️Big Girls Don't Cry by Cloudy Jane

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

He cursed as he found, "Finally, Princess. It took me ages to find you after you ran out," then he came to me and handed me my bag that I apparently left behind. "Here."

Soon Porthos came, running after him, huffing, "Found... you..." he hushed to us, eyes on me. "Are you okay, Princess?"

A nod, "I'm fine, it's not like I didn't expect Gemma to end up being like that to me. I'm actually surprised you haven't either," I chuckled, pointing to Sasaki. "No offenses, I just didn't see how it would be beneficial for any of you to be around me, I always expected you were around me because of something I could help you with, not genuinely."

That made them both freeze, probably because that's precisely what they seemingly needed me for. Well, Sasaki, since I've never been so close to Porthos, even if he's always be considerably nice.

Sigh, "You're not like Gemma, Sasaki."

He clenched his jaw, then put my backpack on his back instead, "You don't trust me yet."

"For all that's worth, I barely trust myself."

"That's a no then," he smiled sadly and for some reason, I felt bad. "I'll change that."

"We will," Porthos added, inviting himself to be something close to a friend to me. "Sasaki is not Gemma and neither am I, Aella. It's okay, you have obvious trust issues, we'll show you that we're worthy of your trust, that we won't backstab you like she did."

"Can I... can I ask why you refused to help?"

I stared at Sasaki for a long second, then at Porthos, and back to Sasaki, "I have a bad history with deep water," it's all I said, thankfully, both just nodded.

"We are you going now?" His real boyfriend asked.

"I need to train," I passed a hand over my hair. "Sorry about that, by the way," I told Porthos, pointing to my lips, meaning how I kissed his boyfriend, which is weird to even talk about.

"I wasn't there, it's alright, and necessary," he winked at me. "You should keep on doing that, make it believable. Just don't actually fall,"

"Sasaki is hot, but not my type," I whispered.

"She has a crush on Tristan," Sasaki said.

"No, I do not," I clenched my teeth.

Porthos chuckle, "Well, he certainly does ravages you with his eyes."

I felt my skin burn, "He does no such thing."

"He does," both chuckled.

"No, he does not. I don't want to hear about that bastard either, he's nothing, I don't care about him or what he thinks. I have to train, if you want to come, you're invited, if not, you're uninvited," then, I strode out of there, going for the ice rink.

"We'll tag along," Porthos claimed as they ran after me, Sasaki still with my backpack. "We won't leave you alone there."

"It wouldn't be the first time," I muttered under my breath. "Your call," I told them, "it doesn't mean much to me. As soon as I get on the ice, I'll forget everyone else either way."

As we were arriving close to it, Sasaki turned to me, "Don't you need to get your skates first?"

"Can't you feel their weight in my backpack? They are in it, I'll just change clothes in the female locker room close to the rink. You can go on first," I turned to him, halting in my steps, then I grabbed the key from my back pocket and tossed it to Porthos. "Open the rink," I took my backpack from Sasaki, "I'll be there in less than 10 minutes!"

"Okay," they chanted together.

As they ran out of the hallways, turning left, then left again, heading towards the rink, I took a deep breath and adjusting the backpack on my back.

"He doesn't eat me with his eyes," I mumbled under my breath, still feeling my skin burn, "they are hallucinating!"

We're talking about Tristan De Vere Beauclerk, after all, and he's not the type to do that in front of everyone, he does looks at me with that filthy gaze of his when we're alone and he's provoking me, but it's just to mess with me. He wants me to give signs that I'm, in any way, attracted to him, that I want him, so then he'll be able to use that against me. That's not gonna happen, both because it's not the case, and I'll never give him the satisfaction.

Bouncing my head to shake those thoughts out, skin still heating up, I turned left and then right, lost in my thoughts, when I bumped onto none other than Keira and Yohan. Because I'm just that unlucky. A curse slipped my lips and I tried turning away, but he grabbed me by my backpack and freaking lifted me of the ground as if I weighted nothing.

I hate hockey players and their dumb strength.

"What?" I hissed at him, glaring.

"What are you doing here?" He purred.

"Did you forget what sport I play?" I snapped.

"The ice rink is by the left," Keira pointed.

I glared at her, "And the girls locker room to change clothes so I can go train is this way, is it not? I'm the one who should be asking you why you are here."

"I'm a hockey player," Yohan countered.

"Who will only start training after lunch, and you clearly was not around to change and go train. Which you definitely should be doing if you intend on winning against the Lions of Hempstead. Training, I mean, you won't win that game just by aggressively forcing your way onto those bastards, not when just got Piotr Kerzhakov on their team, as that guy moved to the UK, you're definitely out of his league right now," I poked him.

Keira tensed and Yohan clenched his jaw, "What do you even know of Hockey?"

"My father was a hardcore fan of Hockey since before I even came to life, he forced me to watch and learn about this stupid sport for years. So, I know more about what you do, than you do about what I do!" I glared at him, "Let go of my bag."

He finally put me back on the ground, "You are a pain."

"Better a pain than a tumor, because that's what you and your little bunch feel like to me," I snapped viciously and both froze again. "A growing tumor, each interaction feels like it's going to grow worse enough to kill me."

"How can you joke about tumors?" Yohan groaned horrified.

"Because there is a huge chance of me dying to one in the future?" I snapped, making them flinch. "I think that gives me free pass to joke about it before it kills me."

"You're sick," he gasped.

"And you only noticed that now?" I scoffed.

"Let's go, babe," Keira intertwined her arms on his, "leave her, she's messed up right now. But Aella," she met my eyes and I did my best to hide my shock with how she called me by my first name so softly, no one here ever did that, "just because Gemma was a bitch to you, it doesn't give you free pass to be a bitch to us. We are not her, the same way your siblings are not like you, even if you raised them."

As they vanished out of my sight, I stared at where they had been standing, that sick feeling growing, the feeling that I'm wrong, that I should apologize, that I'm being what hurt me, but my pride wouldn't let me.