Zenon's Game Chapter 163

After Zenon and Kaden left the theater room, the mathletes swarmed me. They had a million questions as to why Zenon Albert was dragging a junior mathlete out of practice.

I gave the five second summary, "Kaden bought a basketball player jersey and it's the same jersey that was used to intimidate me. I don't know or what he wants but-"

"He bought that jersey for his girlfriend," Toby said, confused, "His new girlfriend I mean. Not you."

Oh. My. God.

With that explanation, I ran out of the auditorium, shielding myself from the million more questions the mathletes fired out.

It's. Not. Kaden.

I ran down the empty hallway. The sun was streaming in through the windows and bounced off the metal lockers.

I skidded on the linoleum floor as I tried to make a sharp turn for the exit. I ran as fast as I could towards the front entrance and got there just in time to see it happen.

"Please don't! Stop!" I yelled.

I was a second too late.

Zenon punched him. And it created a movie sound effect. His arm moved fast and an oof came out of my mouth as I witnessed the impact.

Kaden keeled over, clutching onto his stomach, crying out loud. He stumbled on his tip toes, before falling over.

I ran onto the grass where they were and crouched down next to Kaden, who was rolling around in the fetal position.

Axel and Bryce stepped back to give us space.

I tried to help Kaden, but he swiped my hands away. His face was a pinkish blue and he was groaning.

"Why did you do that?! I told you not to hit him!" I yelled at Zenon.

Zenon looked down at Kaden without any pity.

Axel tried to make me feel better, "At least he didn't hit the face..."

"Unfortunately," Bryce commented. "So is that it, then? I came all this way to watch you end Kaden and this is it?"

Kaden cried out for help. My eyes were locked firmly on Zenon. Violence is not the answer, and I was not OK with how Zenon just attacked a fellow student.

"I won't hit him while he's down," Zenon said, glancing at his knuckles to see if they were red at all. "But if he gets up..."

"Then you still won't touch him," I told the boys.

Do they not see what's wrong with this situation? I dislike Kaden more than any of them but this is not the solution.

I was crouching beside him as he rocked back and forth. I pressed my hands against the damp grass beside me to try to calm my nerves.

"He didn't deserve it!" I said even louder, "Even if he was the blackmailer, which he isn't by the way, beating him up isn't the answer!"

"What do you mean, he isn't the blackmailer?" Zenon asked.

I explained, "He bought the jersey for his girlfriend."

"Which one?"

Good question, Zenon. I wish I had asked that.

While Kaden and I were still together, he was also seeing Kelly and Julia - and he continued to see them after we broke up. He was the kind of person who simply did not understand the word 'faithful.'

I looked down at Kaden and nudged him, "Which one, Kaden?"

"Ju- hu- lia."

Julia. My former best friend.

"Go figure," Axel looked disappointed, "This isn't much of a mystery."

After my very public fall out with Julia at the Laughing Heads bar, and the subsequent bar fight, everyone and their mother knew that story.

That's exactly why I doubted it. Julia had done me dirty in such a public way... would she cross the line into criminal?

I didn't trust Kaden, that's for damn sure. So why should I trust what he says?

Out of his two girlfriends (there could be more), I was more suspicious of Kelly. At Bryce's circus party, I had spoken to Kelly just before my necklace went missing.

"Not Julia. The jersey was stolen from her," Kaden wheezed, still in pain, "I gave it to Julia, but she lost it. Please let me go."

"He might be covering for her," I said.

Kaden squeezed his eyes shut before he opened them to glare at me. I think this was the moment he realized I was really over him.

I'm not covering for Kaden, now or ever. And I won't believe a word that comes out of his dirty mouth.

I may not have wanted Zenon to beat him up, but that's because I don't want Zenon to get in trouble. I cared about Zenon, not Kaden.

"Are we not going to ask why these dweebs are buying basketball jerseys?" Bryce asked, "Where are you planning to wear that?"

Bryce nudged Kaden with the tip of his white shoe.

Kaden groaned, "Julia wanted to host a basketball themed party after one of your games. We didn't think anyone would sell their jerseys, but Toby asked one of the players and they agreed."

I glanced at Zenon.

"They're not going to know what hit them," Zenon mumbled, not believing how stupid his team had been.

It sounded like he was going to turn next practice's 'warm-up' into a 'wipe-out'.

And Axel playfully commented, "Will Candace let you?"

I smiled. My no violence speech had at least been heard by one of the boys.

The mathletes had slowly appeared at the entrance of the school to stare at Kaden rolling around at Zenon's feet.

I know Zenon had wanted to cause more pain, but he had humiliated Kaden enough. One punch and the guy had completely crumbled.

"Don't touch him again," I muttered to Zenon, grabbing onto his arm.

It was more of a symbolic gesture, since I couldn't physically stop him. Zenon stood over Kaden and his shadow cast darkness over the boy.

"You heard her," Zenon growled, unforgiving. "Go."

Kaden scrambled to his feet and hobbled, still bending over his hurting stomach. He reached the mathletes and fell into them.

They were all staring at Zenon as if he was the hulk. Kaden had been partially idolized amongst our little crew. That's how he was able to turn them all against me after we broke up. He took all my friends away from me, except for Jul-

Yeah, all my friends.

Now, he had been reduced to a dribbling mess in front of them.