Hated By All, Loved By Four

:─❦•:She's My Stalker:•❦─:

•❅─✧❅SEBASTIAN’S P.O.V.❅✧─❅•

I stood in front of the net, watching the other team stretch as they prepared to face us. It’s Friday. Physical education day. There are no classes besides club activities such as painting, reading, performing.... etc. On this day we either train our minds or our bodies. It’s to ensure no one gets physically sick, or weak during the years that they’re meant to spend here.

I chose volleyball because it was the sport I played in high school. I’ve got the height and build for it. Malcolm chose basketball because he loves the game. Watching and playing. While Kaito swims. He does it alone because most people are too afraid to join a club he’s in.

He does it by himself, and he says it relaxes him. Friday is one of those days where our little trio is split for most of the day. We meet up for food in between. But for the most part, we don’t see each other until our activities are done.

A guy on my team patted me on the arm gently. That’s not done out of respect or fear of what I might do to him. It’s built out of fear of Malcolm. If there’s one thing Malcolm doesn’t f**k around with it’s the people he cares about.

So they assume that because my skin is a bit pale Malcolm might kill them if he spots a single bruise. And while they’re not wrong, I don’t bruise easily, and as long as it wasn’t malicious Mal won’t do anything. He only resorts to violence if he has to. I can defend myself just fine.

“You should start stretching too. We only have fifteen more minutes before the game starts.”

I respond with a soft nod and begin to stretch my limbs when I notice something. Some students, monitors, and teachers are gathered in the stands to watch us play. This is normal, they like to observe and it gives the students something to be loud about since everything here can be eerily quiet.

But that isn’t what I noticed that was out of place. It was a certain blonde sitting in the front row with her phone out, peeking over it and shooting glances my way.

Is this girl stalking me? I see her everywhere.

What does she want?

My other eye is shut, so playing the game would be as difficult as always. I’ve been partially blind since I was I guess ten, maybe eleven. I’ve learned to do almost everything with just one working eye.

I can win this with just that eye, but still if the other was working then perhaps I could see her better without having to turn my full head that way. Deciding I’d stretched enough, I went over to ask my new stalker why she was there. Even if students watch us play for a good two hours or until one team wins, they still have their activities to do after.

As a freshman, or a new inmate, shouldn’t she be preparing for her first physical activity?

And if she wanted to watch someone play a sport why did she pick this?

“Hello.”

“G’day. Ooh!” She makes a weird sound like she just realized who she was talking to. “I... uh, I swear this isn’t what it looks like.”

I c**k an eyebrow up. “You aren’t watching me?”

Her mouth moves like she’s trying to come up with a good defense but falls short.

“Okay, so I am. I was looking for an activity club to sign up for. I have art, but they said I needed something sporty too. So I was looking around. Can’t do track, running and I am not compatible. I can’t join the basketball team. Everyone there looks jacked as f**k. I was coming by here, not even considering volleyball when I saw you. I thought I’d come-” I reached forward, and pinched her lips shut with two fingers.

“You talk a lot. You don’t wanna do volleyball. Everyone on the team is super competitive. And we’re full. All the clubs are full besides track and swimming.”

I winced the moment I said that. Her eyes lit up, and I realized she thought it was a good idea. It isn’t because that is Kaito’s spare time to enjoy the water and not be watched. I’ve just ruined it.

“I could sign up for the swimming club. But I can do that after your game. You’re gonna be so freaking cool, mate. You fit the part of this angelic sporty guy.” she murmured

I’m even more confused by my stalker now. The funny thing is, I still have my hand on her lips. She could still talk. She is most definitely a talker.

I sighed and released her lips. My fingertips tingle, I glance at them and then at her lips as she rubs the place I’d been holding.

“Come with me.”

I tugged her out of the bench and dragged her to the other side of the court where my towel and bottled water were. “Sit, don’t move. I will take you to the swimming club after my game.”

“Sure. I won’t move. But can I...” she lifted up her phone. “It’s so boring. I have nothing on this phone. Please. Let me take videos of you.

Creepy? No. Strange? Yeah. She might be sick.

I brought one hand to her forehead, and the other to mine. Her temperature was normal. Then I stepped away, walking back onto the court and waiting for the sound to go off. Announcing the start of the game.

It took us forty-eight minutes to win the first two sets. The rules are best of five. To win we need thirty points. We’ve got twenty. We might not need the other two sets if we win the third one. The opposing team is doing their best, but like I told Valeria, my team is ultra-competitive. Most of the people here have a compulsive disorder they tackle by obsessing over something not toxic- according to them. Such as winning.

We were given a five-minute break before the third set began. I moved to the middle of the team, envisioning how to kick off the third rally. Each set consists of multiple rallies where teams compete to score points. A rally starts with a serve and ends when the ball touches the ground or a fault is committed. Points are awarded to the team that wins the rally.

Then my other eye activates itself for no reason. I spot something dark, but it’s moving. The darkness takes on the form of my mother, and her decaying body wobbles its way over to... Valeria. Her phone is up, she’s smiling, eyes shining as though she’s in awe. My darkness finds its way to her. My mother’s fingers move to touch Valeria’s hair.

I know it’s not there, at least, I think it isn’t because Valeria suddenly shudders and whips her head around to see who had touched her. With the sound of the whistle going off from the ref, my mother vanishes and a confused Valeria brings her gaze to me.

We lock eyes. The alpha in me urges me to move as he senses an incoming ball, I backhand it. Keeping my eyes on her, and the ref whistles. I assume it’s not a bad sound since people are clapping. The ball must have gone back over the net and the other team couldn’t stop it. It’s a short rally.

I don’t focus on any of that though. The game can continue but everyone must sense my distraction. I snapped myself out of it before my teammate could tap me.

“Hey, is that girl bothering you?”

“No, I just.... I’m not feeling too well. You can complete the third set right?”

“Sure, we can. But are you really okay?”

I didn’t answer him instead I went over to Valeria to grab my things. “Meet me outside in a few minutes, I need to shower and change.”

Sweat clings to my body, and so does my hair. I don’t like the feeling. In fact, I don’t like anything right now.

I rush through my shower and changing process. Texting Malcolm that I’m feeling off so he knows to come find me after his game.

Valeria was outside the building by one of the large flower pots. She was staring at it intently, behind her stood my mother once again. She repeated the motion, eyes locked on mine. Her fingers brushed Valeria’s hair. And she leaned in to whisper. I can see the dirt that clings to her body as it falls, touching Valeria’s skin.

The girl whips around full three sixty. She frowns deeply.

“What the hell?” she whispers. “Creepy school.”

I feel tense. I feel really f*****g tense. I feel like I can’t breathe.

I cleared my throat to get her attention and to keep my panic at bay.

“Oh hey, are you okay? You kind of freaked me out when you stared at me.”

“I’m fine. Come. I’ll take you to the club.”

I have a meditation and yoga class in two hours. That is my second activity. It helps clear my mind. My doctor recommended it.

But two hours is a long time. And I don’t want to return to my house alone. I walked silently with Valeria, every now and then she’d look at me. My eye only catches the dark figure of my deceased mother. A figure who continues to plague me with her tattered clothes, and wounded skin that can barely stay together.

Her death hadn’t been easy, and I wish every day things had ended differently. But sometimes families disagree, and it ends in someone dying. The guilt threatens to suffocate me each day. I took my father’s mate away, and I deprived my sisters of their mother.

I’m not a good person. I just seem that way because the people around me refuse to let me face the truth, they’ve chosen to love and forgive me instead. They’ve chosen to want me to become the better version of myself rather than rot away.

We arrived at the swimming club in one of the massive buildings on campus the building also housed the basketball court and the yoga studio- along with several other things- I would be going to in an hour and thirty minutes.

I was counting down the minutes in my head.

“We’re here.”

“You know, I’m shocked the swimming club has an open slot. I figured it’d be full like everywhere else.”

We went in, and the sound of water slapping against our skin could be heard. The entire place was quiet, the lights were dim, and an air of peace filled me.

“There’s a reason for that. The swimming club has only one member.”

Valeria looked stunned. “Really? Who?”

Right on cue, Kaito did another lap back to the other end of the pool where we were standing. At first, Valeria didn’t recognize him. He planted both hands on the tile and hoisted himself out of the pool and onto his feet.

“Kai, what’s up?”

Her gasp could be heard around the whole area. Kaito swam in only his long black swim trunks, he wore nothing to cover his eyes or hair.

He looked at me, then at her, then back at me. I dug my hands into my pocket. He didn’t say anything out loud but his eyes asked me to explain.

“Well, you two have fun. I’m gonna go see my boyfriend. Bye.”

I turned away from them and focused on the door. My mother’s figure followed me. Her gaze was firmly planted on mine. She kept her distance from me though.

She’d gotten close to Valeria, but not me. Never me. Even while dead she’s made it clear she still wants nothing to do with me.