Kora

It was a new day, a new week, a bright day. A better day, and as far as I was concerned, I wasn't going to let the days before it define this one. For the first time in a long time, I was happy. Not too much, but I felt less alone. Maybe it was because I had someone that wanted to know me, to listen to me. A new best friend, Grace.

It had barely been a week, but the last weekend had made me realize how much we both clicked. Grace and I, it was like we were the same. We loved the same celebrities, thought the same comedians were boring, we loved the same food, and the same people, and places, gone through similar heartbreaks, and most importantly, she was a marlian. She was a MARLIAN! Talking to Grace the entire night, about almost everything in my life, and watching her just listen made me feel so warm, so loved. I had even forgotten how to cry, or the fact that my day could not have gotten any worse. I told her everything. At least the parts she needed to know. I told her about Luke and Racheal, and Jeremiah of course. Talking about Jeremiah, he was yet another reason why I had a really bright smile on my face. I couldn't remember the details, but I was sure we had spent the entire night talking about things that didn't even matter to him or me. Just talking about a lot of funny and cool things, and most importantly, we had fallen asleep, talking to each other.

It had only been a couple of months, but he had become a really important part of my life, especially since Luke and I broke up. I didn't know what it was about him, but he knew just how to make me forget. How to make me forget about everything, and when I talked to him, nothing else mattered. I could watch the whole school burn and still feel safe when I was with him. That was the energy I felt whenever we talked. Jerry said we click so well because we are almost the same. People with similar stories, broken, even though we didn't really know the details about each other. I didn't even know his last name or where he lived, and I was sure as hell he didn't know mine. That was how we were. We really didn't care about knowing much about our pasts. It felt like he didn't like talking much about his, and I was okay with it because it meant I didn't have to talk about mine, especially since I wasn't the person he thought I was.

I just figured the less we both knew, the better for us, and besides, I knew all I wanted to know anyway. At least the important stuff. What mattered was that we were slowly becoming really close and important to each other, and he was becoming a pillar I could really lean on. He knew how to always make me laugh, and he knew exactly when I needed him. More like he could always feel it, and he never stopped, even though I was a horrible texter sometimes. Anyone would think we were becoming too attached and obsessed with each other, especially since we talked everywhere. In the bathroom, classroom, library, when I'm having breakfast, when he's having gym classes too. We were slowly becoming at the center of each other's worlds, and everyone around me could notice how my phone was always staring at my face, everyone including Grace.

She had always wanted to know who it was that had me smiling, and of course I told her it was him. I just never thought she didn't need to know much. She was surprised how we clicked the way we did without even meeting once. Not like we couldn't. Jerry had proposed we did, once or twice but because of you-know-what, it seemed almost impossible.

Grace's chuckle mixed with mine echoed around the almost empty hallway. I tried to keep it cool, but goodness, she was so funny. She kept telling these jokes that brought tears to my eyes, even as we climbed the stairs. I had my eyes focused on her face as I listened to her wholeheartedly, on our way to the dressing room. It was football day today, and just like every other Tuesdays, there was a competition in NAUN, between departments or levels or sexes, and for this week, our level was playing against the seniors. Not like I could play, but Grace could, and she had been looking forward to being on that field the entire week. According to her, there was someone she wanted to impress, a senior, and she had planned to give the match her best at playing defense, Grace wasn't entirely the only reason I wanted to be at that field. He was, Luke.

I know what you're going to say. Not again Kora. Let that guy go already. Yes, I had spent the entire week convincing myself that I was over him, and the entire morning cussing myself for even caring after I
thought I didn't, but I guess when you've loved someone for half your life, it is going to take more than a couple weeks or months to just forget about him. I knew he left me, and I knew he chose Racheal. I couldn't be less clueless, but I also knew one thing, He loved me. Our love was just too real to pretend like he didn't. I knew I could get him back if I just tried or waited for him. Luke was my second half, my destiny, and you can never really run away from destiny-

"Kora watch out!"

I wished Grace had warned me a little bit earlier, before I felt my head hit hard on a harder body part in front of me. A chest apparently. I froze, my head still where it was, as I narrowed my gaze towards my feet. It felt like one of them wasn't balanced anymore. More like it was stepping on something harder. I gulped the moment my eyes spotted the louboutin leather shoes underneath mine, with golden spikes. Emphasis on expensive. I knew about those shoes. Mum had saved so much to buy a pair for my step father and she said it cost her a lot. About three million? Yes. Exactly.

I took my feet off his immediately. I could see the dust prints my shoes had left on it.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry."

I could hear a tiny scoff, even as I bent over to clean it, right before Grace grabbed my arm to stop me. I didn't even know why I wanted to do that.

"Don't do that." She whispered to me as I turned to look at her. "Let's just say we are sorry."

I turned back to the really tall boy that was still standing right in front of me, his eyes focused in mine, like he was really waiting for an apology.

I squinted the moment I had remembered his familiar set of brown eyes.

Wait a minute-

"Jerry!" Grace hurried in my defense the moment she had noticed how lost and numb I had become. Her loud and surprised gasp brought me back to consciousness. I had been so lost in his eyes that I had almost forgotten what exactly I had done. "Please forgive my friend. She just got carried away."

I lowered my head quickly, trying to hide my face, hoping he didn't recognize me, from the other night. gosh, this was so embarrassing. I was so embarrassed.

"Move." He finally said, his cold voice bringing my face to his again. I stood still, not sure of what I heard. My mouth almost dropping as I just stared at him, hoping he could say it again, because I wasn't sure I knew what he meant.

"Ehn?"
He raised a brow at me, and then tilted his head a little bit to his side.

"Get out."
Grace gulped slowly, and then reached for my arm, while I just stood there. She tugged it.

"You're in his way." She whispered to me, pulling me away from him. My legs were shaking. I had never seen someone look so cold, stern and still so handsome while he was still at it. And that last look, that last look he gave me right before he went on his way took me off guard, even if it wasn't anything close to polite. I watched him roll up his sleeves in place, exposing his tattoo filled arm as he walked away.

"Kora. " Grace called for my attention, pulling my arm, I slowly turned to her. "Let's go. The match is going to start soon."

"Oh."
I knew I had to brush off all the thoughts in my head, just as I watched her pull me up the stairs, right until we got in front of the red plastic door. We could hear chuckles from inside, tiny laughters just as we opened the door and walked in.

There was a lot of smoke, and the air conditioning and air freshener weren't even helping. I waved my hand so I could see beneath all that tobacco and cannabis. They looked like they were getting really ready for the game. "Weed boosts your performance, keeps you on your A game" so I was told. Funny how the students of NAUN weren't even trying to hide it, concerning NAUN's strict rule against drug abuse. You lose some, gain some. That was their motto. There was literally nothing you couldn't do, and even take, when you have money and power.

I coughed so loud, joining Grace as we headed towards the free lockers at the second locker row in the room. We were almost late. It looked like everyone were already dressed in their jerseys, and ready for the match. Grace and I were almost the last ones left. I opened my locker quickly. I could see my jersey inside, just as our female coach said I would, when she handed me my locker number. Everything I needed was inside, including a pair of sneakers too. I hurried to take off my shirt, right before I heard a loud bang from beside me, from Grace's locker, and it made me jump. Make that the both of us.

I turned quickly holding on to my shirt. It was her. Seven and the rest of her girls. The same girls that had hit Grace the other day.

I turned to Grace. I could see how scared she was already looking, even through all that red light. She was literally shaking all over. I turned to Seven who had her eyes focused on me, with a huge smile on her face. I took a step forward, right before she turned back to Grace.

"What are you doing?" She asked Grace, looking right into her eyes. "Why are you trying to take your shirt off?"

"I-" Grace's voice was shaking. I watched how Seven slowly reached for Grace's tie with both her hands and it made Grace tremble the more. "T-the-"

"You're not thinking of being at the match today, are you?"

How could she even ask that? Grace wanted to. She had been looking forward to that day for the whole weekend. Of course she wanted to play.

"You have a black card, ma. A card I'm not ready to revoke yet."

"Please." Grace whispered, shutting her eyes. "Just today. Can I have a break just for today?"

Seven grabbed her by her jaw quickly and really hard. I could imagine how hard it must have been, since Grace kept wincing in pain, and couldn't even bring her head down. The room became so quiet all of a sudden. I found my legs taking another fearless step towards them. I wanted to help, but I just didn't know how to start.

"Do you want to get beaten and stepped on like the other day?" Seven glared at her.

"N-no."

"I'm trying to be really nice to you right now, nicer than I have been with any other person. I'm going to tell you what you're going to do, and you're  going to say thank you, and then do what I said, new young money, do you understand?"

"I understand." I could barely hear Grace, especially since she wasn't exactly talking like she used to. How could she, when she had a hand clenching hard on her jaw?

"You're going to take everyone's uniforms from their lockers, and you're going to wash all of them, dry them, iron them, and place them back in their lockers, every single one, and you have to do this before the second half of the match. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes." There were tear drops falling from Grace's eyes. "I understand."

"What are you supposed to say?"

"Thank you." Grace whispered. God, she had to be in a lot of pain, especially since she was crying now. I could feel my heart break into pieces.

"What?" Seven pulled her ear towards Grace's lips, pretending like she didn't hear her the first time. I just wished Grace had bit her ear off.

"Thank you!" Grace said a bit louder, then the chuckle came. Her laughter had to be the most annoying I had ever heard. She let go of Grace's jaw immediately, and then turned to the rest of the small crowd that had already stopped what they were doing to listen.

"Okay everybody, Grace has volunteered to help us all do our laundry before the second half of the match, so please leave your lockers open so she can do her job, and I mean it. Every single one of you."

She turned back to Grace.

"You heard me abi? Some uniforms are customized and all that, especially mine. My jacket is Givenchy, quite expensive so you better not mix it up or I'll kill you." She frowned at Grace, staring at her for a second, then she smiled like nothing had even happened. What kind of lunatics were all these people?

"See you outside." She placed a hand on Grace's shoulder, and then gave it a hard squeeze. She turned to leave, and so did the rest of her clique. "Okay everyone, the match is about to start in ten minutes. Let's all be out there."

I waited for a second. I needed to be sure she wasn't coming back. That she was leaving the room, just like the rest of the other girls that did, right before I rushed to Grace.

"Grace." I gently reached for her arm, looking down at her. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at me. I could see the tears in her eyes.

"It's just a few uniforms isn't it?" She sniffed, forcing a smile on her face. "I'm sure I can handle it, and meet up with the match, if I'm fast enough. After all, I can use the washing machines at the dorm. You can go on, I'll catch up."

How on earth could she be okay with any of this? How was she supposed to wash, dry and iron over twenty uniforms without mixing them up, if she didn't do them one after the other? I felt so sad for her.

"I'd help you." I volunteered, raising my sleeves. "It'd be faster if we do it together."

She looked at me, cleaning her eyes slowly.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, forcing a smile on my face.

"You're the only reason I wanted to be in that field at the first place sef."

"And Luke." She chuckled.

"And Luke." I admitted, as I moved to one of the lockers. "Like you said, it's just a few uniforms. We can make it work, and in time too." I opened the locker and then took out the pair of uniforms in it. "First halves in football are always boring anyway. The second half is always where then fun is."

I moved towards the counter, retaining the smile on my face as I dropped the uniform on it.

"Let's get to work?"