Chapter 11: Chapter 11

I can't understand what's with the students here. How can they just be spectators when some of them are about to kill each other? Even now, my knees are still weak, and my hands are trembling from watching the fight earlier. I don't know which gray wolf fought with the ash-gray one, but they were both equally strong. They were evenly matched; when one struck, the other retaliated.

I abandon the idea of going to the music room and end up sitting on a bench in the park, sipping mineral water until it's gone, hoping to calm my trembling.

"What are you doing here?"

Byurrrrr.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't know you were drinking," Jeni apologizes, feeling guilty, and I wipe my wet mouth, staring sharply at her.

"You startled me."

"Sorry," she replies with a wide grin.

"What are you doing here?" she asks again.

"Calming down," I mumble.

"What?" she asks, prompting me to take a deep breath before I start asking.

"Do you know what happened in the hallway earlier?" I inquire.

"Hallway," Jeni murmurs, thinking for a moment, and I wait.

"Ah, the fight between Gray and Ramon. Of course, why?" she asks, then places her biology bag on the table between us.

"Why did you all just watch and let them potentially kill each other?" I question, bewildered by their indifference.

"Come on, they won't die. Incidents like this are a common spectacle at NYHS," Jeni answers casually, and my forehead wrinkles even more.

"You mean they fight often?"

"Sometimes. I mean, Gray does. After being here for a while, you'll get used to hearing about Gray beating up anyone. One of his tougher opponents is Ramon. You could say they're evenly matched," Jeni explains, triggering a memory.

"Ramon," I murmur, trying to remember the name. I feel like I've heard that name before, but where? Sorry, you know my brain's memory isn't great. Oh well, I don't care about their fights. I take another sip of my water.

"Jen, do you still have classes?"

"No, why?"

"You promised to take me to Maudy, right?"

"Ah, yes, I forgot. So, are we going to meet Maudy now?" she suggests, making me nod eagerly. Of course, I've been waiting for this since yesterday.

Jeni and I get up from our seats and head towards the swimming club room, hoping Maudy doesn't have a class.

Tok tok tok.

Jeni starts knocking on the door once we've arrived at the club room, which surprisingly isn't far from the swimming pool.

"Come in!" someone responds from inside, and Jeni opens the door, leading us in.

"Hi, Jen. Can I help you with something?" she asks.

"Are you busy?" Jeni asks, then leads me to sit in one of the chairs in front of Maudy's desk. I look around the room dominated by bright blue colors, with several trophies and medals displayed in a glass cabinet next to the table. Wow, they must be quite accomplished judging from the number of awards they've received.

"No, I'm just handling preparations for the upcoming season's competition. What's up?" Maudy asks, her attention now on me.

"My friend wants to join the swim club," Jeni says, touching my shoulder, and I smile at Maudy.

"Hi, I'm Aurelya. I want to join the school's swim club," I say, extending my hand, but she just stares at me.

"I've never seen you before. I mean, there are many students in this school, but I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if you were part of NYHS," Maudy says, making Jeni sigh.

"She's a transfer student from Indonesia," Jeni explains, causing Maudy to nod in understanding before finally shaking my hand.

"In that case, nice to meet you. I'm Maudy, the club president. Are you skilled at swimming?" she asks, resting her chin on her hand as she looks at me. Skilled? Well, I don't really know, but I can swim.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I can't judge my own abilities, but I can swim, and I enjoy it," I reply, making her raise an eyebrow, then she stands up from her seat.

"Then let's see your swimming skills," she says, opening one of the cupboards behind her and taking out two bags whose contents I'm not sure of. She tosses one towards me, and I reflexively catch it, glancing at Jeni in surprise.

"Come on, let's follow her," Jeni says, making me nod and follow Maudy, who's already leaving the room.

She leads us to the swimming pool building, and before we go any further, I scan the pool area, afraid that my eyes might catch something disgusting again. I breathe a sigh of relief as this area is clear.

"Aurel, hurry up," Jeni prompts, and I start walking again, approaching Maudy, who's already dressed in a swimsuit and other gear. I quickly change my clothes; it turns out the bag Maudy tossed contained swimming equipment, and luckily, it fits me well.

"I'll accept you into the club if you can beat me," Maudy says, stretching her arms. I follow suit, so one of the requirements to join the club is to challenge her. Well, I'll be optimistic because back in Indonesia, I could beat my friends in swimming races.

Maudy and I walk to the edge of the pool and get ready according to Jeni's countdown.

"You can use any stroke you're comfortable with," Maudy says, glancing at me while putting on her goggles. I just nod.

"One, two, go!" Jeni shouts, and we both dive into the water. I opt for freestyle. Ah, a feeling of happiness envelopes me as the cool pool water surrounds me. It's been so long since I last swam, and I'm excited. But wait, where's Maudy? I catch a glimpse of her far ahead; damn, she swims really fast. I focus again and try to catch up.

One lap finishes, and Maudy wins. I remove my goggles and grab onto the wall of the pool.

"Good job, Aurel," Jeni encourages me, even though I lost to Maudy. I can only smile, as it's clear I won't make it into the club. Hopefully, Maudy would be willing to have a rematch.

I see Maudy leaving the pool and standing in front of me, still submerged in the water.

"Not bad," Maudy says, then squats down and approaches me. I'm just staring at her, confused if that's some kind of praise for me.

"Congratulations, you're accepted into the club," Maudy says, smiling at me, while I remain frozen and unresponsive for a moment before I regain my senses.

"Really? But I just lost to you," I confirm, hoping Maudy is serious with her statement.

"Of course," she replies, making me smile at Jeni.

"I told you she'd like you. Congratulations," Jeni says, making me nod happily.

"So, we'll discuss and introduce you to the other members in the club room later," Maudy says.

"Um, Maudy, can we do it tomorrow?" I ask, hoping she'll allow it.

"I haven't swam for a long time, and I want to enjoy my time here," I explain, hoping she agrees.

"Sure, take your time swimming. Oh, and one more thing, can I have your phone number?" she asks, making me nod. I provide my number to both Maudy and Jeni before they leave.

I initially wanted Jeni to accompany me, but she suddenly had something to attend to. I then dive back into the water and swim for a few more laps. This is so enjoyable; now I can swim whenever I want.

"Your swimming is quite good," someone says, causing me to quickly turn towards the source of the sound. After hearing his voice quite frequently, I can definitely identify the owner.

My eyes widen when I see Gray, bare-chested and wearing only tight shorts. When did he get here, and what does he want to do? I'm flustered as Gray starts diving into the pool, swimming closer to me.

"What are you doing?" I finally manage to speak up, and he just smiles, getting closer until we're only a few steps apart.

"Swimming, of course. What else would people do in a swimming pool?" he replies in his usual cold and arrogant manner. Like having sex with your girl the other day? Ugh, why did I have to think about that again?

I choose not to engage with him any further; he always shows up when I want to enjoy my time. I turn around, about to get out of the pool, but he stops me again.

"Did you join the swim club?" he asks, still standing there and looking at me as I'm facing away. I just glance at him briefly.

"Not your business," I reply shortly, making him chuckle. Where's my humor in that response? Weird.

"So, you lost to Maudy?" he says, making me stop once more and turn towards him, furrowing my brows.

"How do you know I lost to her?"

"Come on, anyone who joins the swim club has to compete with Maudy, and only those who lose to her get accepted," Gray answers, making me narrow my eyes. Is that how it works? I wonder.

"Never mind, don't think about it. You're lucky you lost to her. So, do you want to try your luck again?" he asks, and I start thinking. It sounds like a good idea, but what if I lose?

"If you win, I'll grant one request from you," he adds, making me contemplate even more. I thought about it for a moment; it seemed like a decent deal.

"Alright," I answer, then swim towards the edge of the pool and get ready.

"Count of three," I interrupt him, and he responds with indifference. I put my goggles back on, and he does the same. I start counting, raising my fingers, and after the count of three, without further thought, I swim as fast as I can. I have to win, even if he says he won't ask for anything if I lose. But who trusts men's words? About 80% of what they say is a lie, and the rest is just nonsense.

Just a little more, I'll reach the edge of the pool, and yes, I touch the wall and immediately turn around, taking off my goggles.

My inner self cheers as I realize he's falling behind me, arriving a few seconds after me. He removes his goggles and gazes at me. I'm captivated by his sharp and radiant gray eyes, beautiful is the word that pops into my mind, especially from such a close distance.

"You win," he says, snapping me out of my reverie and making me slightly flustered, as he surely knows I was admiring his intense gray eyes.

"Y-yes," I stutter, trying to regain my composure. But look, he's giving me a mocking smile. He moves closer, and for some reason, my legs fail to step back. Instead, I find myself looking up at his face, which is getting closer.

Okay, Aurel, think of what you want. I force my brain to think quickly. Stay away from him, that's a good idea. I'll ask him to keep his distance from me, at least a two-meter radius. Yes, that's it. I'm about to open my mouth, but he swiftly grabs my waist and his other hand gently touches my nape.

The cold water only intensifies the shock that's spreading through my body as Gray's lips meet mine. I'm frozen, unable to move as he presses his lips against mine. He starts moving his lips slowly, and I... I can't do anything. I'm paralyzed as he gently captures my lower lip with his, his fingers softly caressing my nape. Without realizing it, I'm gripping his chest, my long nails probably leaving some scratches on his skin. Gray presses harder, his lips taking control of the kiss with slow, gentle movements. He keeps playing with my senses, making my stomach flutter with thousands of butterflies.

His hand moves down my back, nearing my buttocks. He touches and squeezes, and suddenly, I'm jolted back to reality. I open my eyes wide, what's happening to me? I can still see Gray's closed eyes as he seems to enjoy our kiss, or should I say, his kiss, since he's the one making all the moves while I'm completely still.

Before I fall into his trance again, I gather all my strength and push him away with all my might. I can see his annoyed expression, probably because of my sudden push. He looks angry, but honestly, who cares? It should be me who's angry. I raise my hand, and with determination, I slap him across the face. Did I slap him too hard? I see his cheek turned to the side, red from the impact. But I don't care about him, I rush out of the pool, grab my belongings, and don't even glance at him. Will he be angry or try to hurt me? I don't care.