“I’m fine,” I reply, my voice carrying a little so he can hear. “Thank you for all your well wishes, and thank you to everybody in this class who checked up on me.”
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs, before turning back to face the class. “Alright, that’s about enough. We’re about to go on to another topic today. Get your papers out. This should be interesting.”
After a whole hour, the class is done, and I feel like I can do this. I didn’t get queasy at all, nor did I feel constipated. In fact, my body was good all through, which is a miracle, seeingas Alexei would probably tell me to stay home if I got a little queasy. And Sasha watched me throughout the entire lecture like a hawk. Like, girl, give me a little bit of peace. You don’t need to look at me all the time. That’s kind of creepy.
And now, speak of the devil.
“Mrs. Romanov, I think you only have one more class today. What would you be doing in your free time? Do you want to go back to the estate, or do you want to get something to eat? You should probably rest, and then maybe we can check your blood pressure and your sugar levels…” Sasha rambles, coming towards me.
“Sasha,” I stifle a groan. “I am fine. Thank you very much. But I think I’m just going to relax a little bit. So if you don’t mind, I would prefer a little bit of peace and quiet.”
I heard there was a hockey rink in the school, and because I’m kind of into it, I move towards it. If Alexei is going to put people on me, then I’m going to find out where they are. And I’m going to escape. I need to find a way to see my boss today. If not, the chance I have to help him is going to be gone.
I make my way inside the hockey rink, sitting on the bleachers. Scouring my surroundings, I spot about twenty more people perched around the rink, doing one thing or another. But I know my main focus. It’s on the ones pretending to be students.
One, two, three, four - oh, five, six, seven, and lastly, the one pretending he’s on the phone: eight. Eight bodyguards were sent to watch me. Oh, Alexei, you are smart, but not smart enough.
I begin to map out the area mentally, finding every possible exit point. That’s when I start to hear voices coming from the entrance to the rink - pounding and boisterous. Then I see them, about twenty men entering the rink.
They’re a loud bunch, and a few of them have their arms slung over their shoulders as they walk. Their silver and whiteuniforms stand out clearly against their bright blue pants. They all look so excited, and I wonder if they won a game or if they’re just training for a game coming soon.
Taking my focus off them, I continue with my surroundings. I need to be able to move without alerting the people watching me. Yet, as always, Sasha is seated about three chairs away from me. Not close enough that it feels suffocating, but not far enough that I can slip away from her sight.
The bleachers soon get a little fuller, and the whistle goes off, signaling the start of the games. Cheers erupt in the light crowd, and a few more students saunter in, milling around the bleachers with focused attention in their gazes. From the corner of my eye, I start to see a bunch of students crowd a particular area. I peer in that direction, spotting a very familiar, beautiful face.
Well, well, well. I guess the school beauty does come around here to watch the boys play.
Pyrene.
Seriously, though, she’s a gorgeous girl. I won’t lie about that. But her attitude sucks. The way she treated Larisa has been etched in my memory, and I cannot forgive or forget. She’s surrounded by so many men and women, all pining for her attention. But her gaze is fixed on the match being played. She doesn’t even bother to hide the contempt and the haughtiness in her eyes, looking at the people pining for her attention.
I stare towards the rink to check who she’s watching. But when I find the guy, I’m a little disappointed to see that he looks like a normal jock. There isn’t anything special about him. Sure, he’s tall. He has nice blonde hair. But that’s about it. Maybe he’s rich, but Pyrene is rich as well, according to what I heard.
I’m about to turn my gaze back to my laptop when I spot a face I didn’t think would be here. A gasp leaves my mouth. Sasha must have heard me, because she immediately inchescloser. Her gaze follows mine, trying to find what has gotten my attention.
Stanislav.
What is he doing here? Is he part of the hockey team?
I never imagined he would be the type to play such a rough sport, since he looked so quiet and reserved. And these boys playing the sport just seem so much like the outgoing types. Quickly returning my gaze to my screen, I take a deep breath, trying to act casual. Sasha keeps peering, searching for who I was looking at. But my eyes stay glued to the laptop. The last thing I want is for her to know about him.
About twenty minutes into the game, a fight breaks out between two boys on the team. Spectators start to gather around them, trying to get the full story for themselves. And knowing myself and the job I had before, my curiosity sparks. Immediately, I turn off my laptop and begin to head down the stairs towards where the rink is. It’s covered by metal bars separating the rink from the bleachers, but I need to get close enough to see what’s going on.
I don’t take more than ten steps - getting closer and closer to the metal bars - when I feel a hand tug me backwards.
“Ma’am, this is quite dangerous. I don’t think you should be here,” Sasha says, her grip firm on my arm. “Why don’t we watch from the other side? You’re getting a little too close.”
“Sasha, I’ll be fine,” I murmur. “It’s just boys fighting. And besides, there’s a barrier separating them and me. I can’t get hurt unless they have some magical powers that’s going to blow up this entire place. So relax and take a chill pill.”
I tug at my arm, trying to free myself from her grip. And I would say she is one strong motherfucker. She lets me go eventually, and I walk down to see the fight. But when I get there, I realize I don’t even know them. It feels like two strangersin a street fight. It’s getting a little bit messy and bloody, but I have to stay for the details.
“Hey, do you know why these guys are fighting?” I ask somebody beside me.
“No, I don’t,” the person answers. “But I’m pretty sure it’s about a girl. That’s the team captain right there.” She points at the blondie on top, landing the most blows. The same guy I saw our school’s most popular girl stare at.
Oh. So this is about a woman. I was wondering why they were so intent on killing each other. In the past, women have started wars. They’ve ended empires. And I’m not even surprised that somebody as beautiful as her would start a fight between two guys on a hockey rink.
Well, whatever. I figured out what I wanted to figure out. What’s the point of staying here? It’s not like they’re fighting for world peace.