Chapter 32: PE Class
~~~
Kael pulled back just slightly, her wide eyes scanning my face for any kind of reaction. A hint of uncertainty crept into her features, her usual confidence faltering.
"You… you don’t mind it, right?" she asked, her voice uncharacteristically small. Her dainty fingers tightened around my hand.
I stared at her face for a second, she showed a slightly hesitant, vulnerable look. Different from the playful, teasing mask she always wore. A slight tremble in her grip followed as if pushing me to respond.
"I don’t mind," I said, “at least to a degree…”
The shift was immediate. As if a switch had flipped, Kael’s face lit up in giddy excitement, her tail flicking behind her as a wide smile stretched across her lips.
In an instant, she was inching closer again, her body cushioning against my side.
I hesitated, feeling the way her presence practically wrapped around me. "Maybe… we should keep a little distance, though," I tried to reason, my voice careful, not wanting to upset her.
Her smile vanished.
She didn’t say anything at first, her grip on my hand slackening slightly. Her ears twitched, and for a second, she just looked at me, expression unreadable. Then, as if shaking something off, she gave a small nod, her voice quieter now.
"Got it," she said.
Kael pulled away slightly. A sliver of space now existed between us, but her fingers still clung onto mine, her grip tightening even more.
"You don’t… dislike me now, do you?"
I turned to her, caught off guard by the sudden shift. She kept her gaze down, her thumb absently brushing against the back of my hand. "I was only doing what I thought would help," she muttered, drained from her usual energetic self.
I let out a slow sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. "Kael… you’re always helping me." I glanced at her, trying to find the right words. "You’re stubborn, a bit much at times, but you always mean well. You always stick by me, no matter what. Honestly… I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t there."
I stared at her face, maintaining a steady rhythm to my voice as I told my heartfelt feelings. "Even if we've not known each other much. Every moment I spend with you makes my time here a little more tolerable, and I can’t imagine how I could continue without you. You're important to me."
Her ears perked up. She peeks up, her expression flabbergasted as if she couldn’t believe what I’d just said.
"Do you really mean it?" She asked with a certain tepidness hidden underneath her voice.
I nodded. "Yeah."
She stared for a second, almost searching for something in my expression, before a small smile crept back onto her lips. Different from her usual confident, teasing grin. It was softer. More genuine.
"You really mean it. That you need me?" she asked, her fingers lacing more securely around mine.
"Yeah," I answered without hesitation.
Kael's grip shifted, coiling around mine completely. Her fingers got interlocked with mine, spreading its subtle warmth into my palm.
"I need you too, you know. I need you, a lot." She whispered to herself, her voice barely high enough to reach my ears.
I blinked.
She kept her eyes forward, but her ears flicked again, betraying just how much that admission had cost her.
Something about it made my chest feel lighter. At least she wasn’t sulking anymore. As I was about to say something, a sudden voice cut through the classroom.
"Alright, everyone," came the lazy yet sharp voice of our teacher, Rina. The chameleon woman leaned against the desk at the front, arms crossed, her tail swaying behind her as her tongue briefly flicked out. "PE’s coming up, so get yourselves ready. No excuses."
A few groans sounded around the room, students stretching or already complaining.
My eyes wandered for a bit as a prickling sensation crept up my spine. I didn’t even have to look to know that Selina was still staring.
I could feel it, her gaze, heavier than before, drilling into me from across the room. When I finally dared to glance her way, she seemed all too composed.
She sat there, chin resting on her hand, her dark, emerald eyes locked onto me with an unnatural intensity. Then, her lips curled into a slow, planning, devilish smirk.
You could tell, all the unspoken promises it held, with all the bad intentions she wasn’t even trying to hide.
Selina’s lips moved, mouthing some words to me.
"You’re mine."
Despite not being able to hear it, I could make out what she meant. Her smirk deepened, as she tilted her head dreamily, eyes narrowing as if she was enjoying every little syllable of her little threat.
But it soon came to a stop, a pair of hands slid into my vision, blocking her out entirely. It was Kael without question. Her hands lightly grasped my face, forcing my gaze away from Selina and straight towards her face.
"Eugh, no need to see that. You shouldn’t be paying so much attention to her," she muttered as if wiping dirt off a window. Her pink eyes searched mine as if trying to read what was going on inside my head.
Before I could say anything, her fingers tightened slightly, denying me any chance I’d look past her.
"You really shouldn’t let her get to you," she murmured, "besides," she went on, her lips curling into a smirk. "Your totally devoted, irreplaceable, breathtaking best friend and girlfriend is right here."
My brows twitched.
“That title is gonna take a while for me to get used to.”
She grinned. “I’m just making sure you appreciate me properly.”
I scoffed, but before I could move away, she kept her hold firm, her thumb tracing absentminded circles against my cheek.
“Okay, okay,” I sighed, raising my hands in surrender. “I won’t stare at her. You don’t have to keep your hands on my face.”
Kael’s lips twitched, a glint of amusement flashing in her eyes.
“Good,” she said, giving my cheek a light pat before pulling back slightly. “Wouldn’t want your obsession with her to get any worse.”
I nearly choked. “Obsession?!”
She hummed, tilting her head dramatically. “I mean, you keep looking at her. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you liked the attention.”
I groaned. “You’re the worst rat best friend, ever. Maybe in the entire history of rat best friends.”
“You’ll just have to learn to deal with it, my perfection comes at a price you know?” She gave a smug smile, fingers lacing tightly with mine as she started leading the way.
~~~
After changing into our PE uniforms, we headed out to the court. The squeaking sound of the wooden floors was immediate, the sun beamed in through the windows as the lights turned on one by one.
As I took a look around, Wryn was missing as usual. I hadn’t seen her since the start of PE class, and at this point, I was starting to wonder if she ever intended to stick around for these classes at all.
It wasn’t my business, but after the way she stepped in yesterday, I felt she wasn’t all that bad as rumours made her out to be.
"Alright, listen up!" Rina’s voice rang out across the court. The chameleon woman stood with her clipboard, eyeing whether each student. After a small attendance call that she marked on her paper, then she began.
"We’ll be sorting into teams for basketball randomly today, so don’t start whining if you don’t get to pick."
A mix of complaints followed, but she ignored them, already reading off names.
I barely paid attention until I heard Kael and I being put into the same team. Kael immediately cheered when she heard that.
Then Rina continued, listing off the rest of the teams, and I barely needed to hear to know where Selina ended up. Sure enough, she was on the opposing team alongside the usual jock group.
Selina’s gaze latched onto me the second the teams were sorted, the irritation palpable in her eyes are Kael continued to act on friendly terms with me.
Her gaze flicked down toward Kael’s hand, the one still resting on my arm. As if in reaction to Selina’s stare, she clung to my arm, her fingers digging in deep to make a point. With the smuggest grin I’d seen the entire day, she turned her head, just enough so Selina would have a perfect view.
It wasn’t subtle. It wasn’t meant to be. She was showing off. Like a kid flaunting a new toy. Or, in this case, her pretend boyfriend.
Rina’s sharp whistle cut through the tension, snapping everyone back to attention. The court buzzed with energy as everyone took their positions.
The moment the ball was thrown into play, the yard fell into chaos. Odhran stood like an iron fortress, not even attempting to grab the ball but instead blocking pathways, forcing players into inconvenient positions.
Misha, the rabbit girl, darted around like a shadow, never taking a shot but always moving enough to disrupt passing lanes, steering the game enough to disrupt our team.
Then it hit me, they weren’t just simply playing. The other players were gradually forced away, intimidating them to even dare take the ball. Some continued playing but most succumbed, becoming all the more passive on their part.
No one dared to actually push forward. No one made aggressive plays. It was as if they knew trying to get involved would be a mistake.
The energy on the court had shifted. Selina moved with slow, calculated steps, her green eyes never leaving me, like a predator circling its prey.
The ball came my way, and I barely had a second to react before Selina was suddenly there, closing the gap between us far too quickly. I tried to pivot away, but she was already pressing in.
“Going somewhere?” she murmured with a taunting note to it. Her arms were already spread, blocking any pathways as the orc and rabbit cut off any routes to manoeuvre from behind.
Selina arm shot at me, her hand grazed my arm, fingers trailing down to my wrist. Then she grew bolder, closing in further. Her chest bumped against mine, her breath quickening like she was savouring every second of this.
I jerked back, trying to reclaim some distance, but she mirrored me effortlessly, her athletic frame moving with that feline agility that belied her intent.
My eyes wandered to find Kael but I didn’t have enough time. She cut me off by stepping in again, her hip nudging mine. I turned trying to keep the ball away, but now her heated torso was leaning against me, molding into my back.
Around us, the other players slowed, their movements hesitant, eyes darting between us. Kael shouted something from across the court, her voice sharp with irritation, but it barely registered.
Selina’s hands found my waist, her fingers digging in just enough to anchor me as she leaned in, her lips hovering near my ear. “You feel that?” she whispered, her tone dripping with wicked satisfaction. “There's more where that came from.”
I tried giving her a forceful push, but she was like an iron pillar, barely budging. She shifted her weight, pressing her full length against me, chest, thighs, all of it. And then, with a sudden twist, she hooked her ankle behind mine.
The move was quick, dirty. My balance gave out, and we went down hard, crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
She landed on top, straddling me, her knees pinning my hips as the impact jolted through us both. A shiver rippled through her, visible in the way her shoulders trembled, her breath hitching audibly.
Her hands braced against my chest, fingers splaying wide, and she arched slightly, her body pressed lewdly against mine in a way that left no room for misinterpretation. Her eyes fluttered half-closed, a flush creeping up her neck as she let out a soft, shuddering laugh.
“Did anyone tell you how cute you look from this angle?”
“Selina, get off!” I growled, shoving at her shoulders, but she only leaned into it, her weight sinking deeper, her thighs tightening around me.
She didn’t care if anyone saw her. If anything, it fueled her desire, her lips parting as she dragged her gaze over me, drinking in my frustration like it was a prize.
“Make me,” she challenged, her voice husky, daring me to try. Her hands slid up to my collar, tugging hard enough to keep me pinned, her body trembling with a thrill she didn’t bother hiding.
“I’ll teach you, where you belong.”