Chapter 35: Need a Hand?
The sports festival came.
"Let’s go, team!" Andy shouted, hyping our classmates, and they returned his energy by letting out a roar. "The first game is the solo race, so we’ll count on you, Ellie." I nodded as I began stretching.
"Good luck, Noelle." One of my classmates said I remembered her name to be Carla. "Here, let me tie your headband." She said as she helped me tie our pink headband. Andy chose the color pink because he said it’s my favorite color. It was sweet of him.
It looks like the advanced classes are also competing in the sports festival. They used to always skip it before. Maybe they’re forced by their adviser now. That’s how they are. They’re so smart that they think of sports festivals as something absurd. ’Okay, let’s stop thinking about that now.’ I shook my head as I took a deep breath.
"You can do it!" My classmates shouted. It’s rare for them to cheer for me like that. Is this the new type of bullying?
And as expected, I won the solo race. "You’re truly a beast!" Andy gave me a thumbs up, but he received a bonk on the head from Ace.
"Stop calling her a beast."
I won, but it’s slower than my record before. Am I not good at running anymore? "Here, drink this and go to the shaded area to rest." Ace said as she pulled me near the huge tree beside the student council’s tents. "Don’t push yourself too much. I know you can’t say no to Andrei."
I giggled after drinking from the bottle of water Ace gave me. "It’s not that I can’t say no to Andy, but I want to win too. I need the extra grades." Ace smiled as she patted my head again. She’s doing it frequently these days.
"Should I teach you mathematics tomorrow?"
My eyes sparkled with excitement after hearing that. "Really? You’ll do that even if you’re busy?"
Ace scratched her cheek. Her usual expressionless face was nowhere to be found, and I could only see her flushed cheeks. "Yeah, I’ve been busy these days, but I think I might get a break tomorrow since it’s also the sports festival. We can both skip day two." She said, making my smile go wider. "I also still haven’t treated you to ice cream like I promised before."
She still remembers that? No way! It makes me really happy that she’ll spend her precious time with me. It feels like forever since our last hang out with just the two of us. "I’m so excited."
"Really? You’re excited to be with me rather than watch your prince run?" Ace pointed to the field, and there I saw Night running for the solo race male edition. "Your prince is indeed perfect. How can a human run so fast like that?" I wonder that too, but then I realize that Night isn’t a human. He’s a monster.
"It’s just...." What should I say to make Ace’s suspicions go away? "Ever since my parents were gone, I can’t focus on him anymore. It made me realize how coddled I am, and now I am forced to face the world alone."
Silence came over the two of us until Ace decided to talk again. "It’s good that you realize that now, but I still want you to enjoy your life like before." She said. "I know I’m busier than before, but I still care for you a lot." Ace said.
I couldn’t stop myself from pulling Ace into a hug. I love her so much, and I’m so glad I still have someone like her in my life. "Thank you for being my friend, Ace." She patted my head while I hugged her tighter.
The sports festival continued, and the cosplay relay came without a hunch. "You’ll be participating in this one too?" Ryzen talked to me while we went to the field. "Andrei’s pushing you to your limit, don’t you think so?" He added, which made me laugh.
That’s just how Andy is. He has always pushed me to the limits since we were children, and that’s how I consistently surpass my past selves. Andy’s someone who can help you improve.
"Just make sure not to get injured, okay?" Ryzen reminded, and I nodded.
In the cosplay relay, we’ll be running in the track and field again, but this time, there’s a black tent on our way, and inside that black tent are costumes. Since it’s a mixed-gender race, I think the black tent is pure darkness inside. We must find costumes to change into and rush to the finish line. That’s what Andy told me during the break. Does it count as cheating since he already told me information about the game before it started?
All the players are in their respective positions. "Ready... set... and go!" We heard the toy gun sound, which was our cue to start running.
"Go, Ellie!" I could hear Andy’s loud cheer from the sides, making me smile. Kaoru’s also competing in the cosplay relay; he’s running behind me. I didn’t even know that I was much a faster runner than him. "Beat them all into a pulp!" Andy added.
"What the—"I can’t believe how dark the inside of the black tent is. I can’t see anything.
"Hey! Don’t touch me." I can hear other players shouting inside and fighting. It must be because it’s too dark and they can’t avoid hitting each other accidentally. Fine, let’s just find our costume. Andy said that the costumes were placed in black bags. I can just grab anything since it doesn’t matter what kind of costume it is.
I crouched and started moving my hands, searching for a bag. "Where is it?" I can hear other people getting out of the tent already. What use does speed have if I can’t get out of this place as soon as possible? "There it is!" When I got a bag in my hands, I immediately opened it and started changing clothes. Why do I feel something pointy inside, though? Ah! I don’t know. I just need to get out of here.
The moment I changed into a costume that felt like a gown and pointy high heels, I rushed out of the tent and was surprised by how bright the sun was. "And there we go! Princess Noelle is back to the race." I heard the commentator say. Wait, what? Princess Noelle? When I look down at my clothes, it is a gown. A huge pink ball gown. ’That explains why it’s so hard to change into it.’
"What? Did she really bring her own costume?"
"She still has a princess complex, I see."
"It’s funny how she can dress like that."
I hear the other female students’ voices saying how they think I brought this costume on my own. "Don’t listen to them! Go, Ellie! Run!" After hearing Andy’s voice, everything cleared up. My feet started moving independently, and I tried to run my fastest while wearing high heels. ’Who would let anyone wear high heels on a race?’ I thought while panting as I tried to catch up with the others.
I passed them one by one and felt like my smile was getting wider while the sweat from my temples ran down my face. ’This is fun. When was the last time I had this kind of fun?’ I thought as I felt exhilarated, passing everyone one by one.
"You can do it, Ellie! Only three players left!" Andy will suffer from a hoarse voice tomorrow because he keeps shouting with all his might. But thanks to his cheers, I feel like someone’s boosting me from behind, and it keeps me wanting to run.
"Princess Noelle is on the fourth spot! She’ll become the winner with only three runners left to pass." The commentator said. "But look at this! The god-like prince of our high school is chasing right after her."
What?
That’s when I noticed that Night’s behind me. ’He joined this race?! I thought I shouldn’t seek attention? Why is he joining such a race then?’ I thought while running. He’s even wearing a knight’s outfit, and it suits him. The girls on the sides are squealing because he quickly passed me by. My competitiveness suddenly flared out, and I didn’t want to lose to him. I can accept losing to anyone else but not to this petty jerk.
"That’s right, Ellie! Beat that guy’s ass!"
I could feel blisters on my feet because of the loose high heels I wore, but I didn’t stop. Night passes the other players, and he’s pacing up. ’Shoot, I can’t keep up.’ When I got near one of the players from class C, I felt someone’s leg tripping me. I immediately lost my balance as I rolled to the ground because of this dress’s petticoat. ’That hurts!’
"Ellie!"
My face’s on the ground, and I can feel stings on my arms. The impact was too strong that I felt my head spinning. It must also be because of the heat from the sun. This outfit is too thick and hot. I tried to remove the sand on my face as I looked up. Someone’s standing in front of me, but my vision isn’t clear because of the bright sun. I can only see his silhouette.
"Do you need a hand?"
