Chapter Four: You Lied

Lena's POV

I spent forty minutes getting ready that morning, which was thirty minutes more than I usually spent, and I was not going to think about why.

I changed my outfit twice, styled my hair in different forms until I finally let it down.

Priya had told me a lot of times that I look prettier with my hair down.

I stood in front of the mirror and practiced my "hi" and also how I'd laugh instead of my very weird hyena laughter.

"What the hell are you really doing Lena?" I said to myself as I packed my bags

Priya showed up with her father to pick me up, which I had not asked for but also did not have the energy to argue about.

The moment she saw me she stopped walking and just stared. Of course, she is an over reacter of a friend.

"Okay," she said slowly, looking me up and down, "who are you and what did you do with Lena."

"Good morning to you too," I said, grabbing my bag.

"No seriously," she said, falling into step beside me as her father waited by the car,

"you look nice, like actually nice, you even did your hair, what is happening? Is this my same Lena? Thought you love baggy, what made you wear a fitted gown today?"

"Nothing is happening, I just got dressed."

"Lena, I have seen you get dressed for two years, this is not just getting dressed, this is getting dressed for something," she said, squinting at me like she was trying to read something written very small on my face,

"or someone."

"Priya." I snapped and rolled my eyes.

"Is it a boy?" She asked, jumping right at my front and staring at me deep.

"Can we please just go to school, please?" I scoffed.

She laughed but let it go, which I appreciated, and we got into the car and I spent the whole ride staring out the window pretending I was not thinking about tonight.

School brought me back to reality fast.

The test deadline notice was on the board the moment we walked into the building. Priya glanced at it and then at me.

"Have you sorted the money yet?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet," I said.

"Lena..." She called out, giving that worried look.

"I know, I know," I said, cutting her off gently because I really did know and hearing it again was not going to fix it,

"I'm handling it."  I added.

"You should talk to the lecturer," she said, lowering her voice as people moved around us in the corridor,

"Mr. Danes Is chill of what I've heard of him. He has given extensions before, just go explain your situation, the worst he can say is no."

What she said made sense but I did not want to do that as i hated asking for anything from anyone, especially from people who had the power to say no and enjoy it, but I also had no other options I could see right now, so after class I straightened my jacket, walked to his office, and knocked.

He told me to come in.

At first it was fine, he listened, nodded a few times, said things like

"I understand" and "these situations happen"

I started to feel like maybe this was actually going to work out but then I noticed a little change in his movement.

At some point, he leaned back in his chair and looked at me

"It can be sorted out, you know" he said very quietly, stood up and moved around the desk toward me.

I took a step back.

"There are ways these things get handled," he said, his voice dropping lower, and he reached out toward my breasts.

My body reacted before my brain had fully processed what was happening, I just started backing up until my back hit the wall but l hard.

He stumbled backward, hit the edge of his desk with a sharp sound and grabbed it to steady himself and I could see how bad he winced.

Good for him! How dare he try to take advantage of my situation? We both just stood there for a second not saying anything.

Then I picked up my bag and walked out. I did not even run. God knows where a broke girl like me got that confidence from. I wanted to, but I did not.

When I got back to class later he was already there with one hand bandaged. The look he gave me when our eyes met really told me I was in trouble. Priya was still busy trying to hold her laughter in because I had told her earlier and I just stared right back into his eyes until he got tired and looked away.

Now, whatever chance I'd had was gone.

After class I went straight to the bank. Although it took longer than it should have as I filled a lot of forms and questions.

Waited for about an hour and then more questions, but by the end of it I had secured a small student loan under my name and I sat outside the bank afterward with the confirmation slip in my hand.

"This would so" I said and smiled because at least this one thing had worked out, even if it was another debt sitting on top of everything else. It was something.

Then ichecked my phone and my stomach flipped immediately. Oh my God, the meeting!

I had almost forgotten.

I got there with five minutes to spare and stood outside the restaurant for a moment fixing my dress and checking my reflection in the glass door

"Lena, calm down. it's just a person you have been talking to for two years, there is nothing to be nervous about." I told myself silently but that was a lie because I was extremely nervous.

I pushed the door open and walked in, scanned the room slowly. Although I was not sure what I was even looking for since I had no face to match, but then across the room someone seated alone raised their hand slightly.

Their face hidden under a cap pulled low and a mask covering the rest.

I walked over slowly and stopped in front of the table.

Neither of us said anything for a moment.

"Hi," I finally said, because someone had to.

He nodded once.

"You can sit," he said,

"So," I said, "you wear a mask to first meetings, that's normal."

"You came anyway," he said.

"I'm regretting it," I said, and he made a sound that might have been a laugh under the mask.

We didn't say anything for about 10 seconds more

before he then pulled the mask down first.

Then the cap came off. It took a while for me to process because I had to confirm if I wasn't hallucinating or dreaming.

I pinched my hands a bit but nothing changed. It was Kael Arden.

What the actual fuck!

It's been  two years of messages and arguments, voice notes and late night conversations but it was him?

The same player I had been insulting to his face for two years without knowing it?

He watched me put it together and said nothing. No, I've had enough for today.

I stood up, picked up my bag, pushed my chair back, and walked straight out of the restaurant without a single word because I did not have any, not one.

I just kept walking and did not look back.