Chapter 17: Chapter 17

I had just dozed off when the ringing of my phone interrupted my sleep. Feeling extremely lazy, I stretched my hand to reach for the flat object and opened a message from Maudy.

"Open our swimming group chat, I just added you to it."

Maudy's short message fully woke me up, and I began to sit up, checking other messages. There was a new group called "NYHS Swimmers," as Maudy had mentioned. Besides that, there were messages from Aunt Anna and Rex. First, I had to reply to Aunt Anna's message, then to Rex, before checking the announcement that Maudy had added to the group.

"This evening we will have our usual practice. Everyone should come without accepting any excuses for absence."

Maudy's command message left me speechless. I had planned to spend the entire day in my room, but it seemed like everything would fail. I couldn't possibly miss the first meeting at my new club. I decided to clean myself up and have lunch as Aunt Anna had instructed in her message. Right now, I was alone at home, as Rex mentioned he had something to do outside.

I looked at the omelet and fruit salad on the table that Aunt Anna had prepared, and I was more interested in the fruit salad that I took to the living room. I ate my food while occasionally checking my phone, but in the next moment, I was startled by a loud thud coming from the second floor. I immediately got up from my seat and looked towards the staircase leading to the second floor. What was that, I wondered. The sound was so loud, like a heavy object falling onto the floor.

Ah, I was too scared to check, especially since I was alone at home. I hoped it was something that fell from the attic or whatever it was. But once again, the sound echoed, making my eyes widen. It felt like it was right above me, maybe Rex's room, I thought. Slowly, I approached the stairs and began to ascend them cautiously. Even just swallowing my own saliva felt difficult right now, but there was no other way—I had to see. At least to make sure nothing was wrong in the house. However, just as I was about to reach the last step towards the second floor, someone suddenly appeared out of nowhere, causing me to flinch and squeeze my eyes shut. I hadn't even had a chance to see what was now in front of me.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hold on," I recognized the voice, it was Rex's voice. He immediately grabbed my waist, nearly causing me to tumble back down the stairs.

"What's wrong with you?" Rex asked, making me look at him with annoyance. I hit him quite hard on the chest.

"What are you doing in this house?" I asked, and Rex now raised an eyebrow while looking at me.

"This is my house, after all. Why do you look so scared?" he asked, which made me turn around and start descending the stairs. I hadn't even finished half of my fruit salad.

"I just read your message. You said you weren't at home and had some business to take care of outside," I said as I sat back on the couch and reached for my fruit salad. The feeling of hunger had disappeared, replaced by the fear I was experiencing.

"I arrived just as you were in the bathroom. I checked your room before changing my clothes," he explained, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

"Then what was that sound just now? Did you fall or do something in your room?" I asked again, but Rex's silence made me look at his expression.

"Are you okay?" I asked when I saw sweat on his forehead.

"I just finished working out," he replied shortly, which once again left me baffled.

"Why don't you go outside if you want to exercise? Why work out in your room?" Rex walked past me and took the fruit salad from my hand, then ate it greedily and casually.

"Hasn't Mom arrived yet?" He seemed to disregard my earlier statement.

"Maybe later in the afternoon. Aunt just said she prepared lunch on the table," I explained, causing Rex to nod. He even finished half of the fruit salad I was enjoying.

"I'll be going to school later in the afternoon," I said, stopping Rex's hand.

"But aren't you off today?" Rex asked, making me nod my head.

"I just got a message from Maudy. She told the swim club to have a practice session this afternoon, so I have to go. I can't miss it on the first day," I explained.

"Alright, what time will you leave? I'll drive you," he said, and I immediately shook my head.

"I know the way to my school well enough. You don't need to drive me," I explained, not wanting to be constantly chauffeured by Rex like a child. Besides, I had seen a new bike in the garage earlier. It seemed Rex had kept his promise of getting me a new bike, which was much better than being sent to the dormitory or having to take public transportation.

"Alright then, just let me know if anything happens or if you need me to pick you up later," Rex said again, making me nod. He then got up from his seat and handed me the remaining fruit salad with just a few spoons left.

"I have to go now. Remember to call me if anything happens," he said once more, making me raise my index finger. I was already too bored to answer all his repeated commands. Was he really that worried about me? He sounded more nagging than Aunt Anna.

I spent my time watching TV and occasionally checking social media until it was time for the club meeting. I pedaled my bike slowly towards my school, taking about fifteen minutes to get there. The atmosphere was quite quiet, probably because some classes had already finished for the day. I glanced at the parking lot where luxurious cars and expensive motorcycles would usually be lined up, but it was empty now. That meant Gray and his friends were no longer there. For some reason, I found myself sighing in relief. I truly felt relieved knowing Gray wouldn't be around. It's a good thing, I thought, as I walked through the school hallway towards the back building where the swimming pool was located.

From a distance of a few meters, I could already hear some shouts coming from inside, and eventually, I saw Khloe and Kylie wrestling over something. Maudy was seen doing warm-up exercises, and Jace was already in the pool. There were also a few other people I hadn't met yet.

"Hey," I greeted, causing them to turn and fix their gaze on me as I walked closer. I had forgotten about the events of last night. Were they worried about me because of what happened at the party? I was about to ask Maudy about it when she beat me to it.

"How were you last night? Who did you go home with? Why did you suddenly leave? We couldn't find you anywhere. Did you go home with Jeni?" she asked, furrowing her brow. I didn't even meet Jeni and hadn't received her message until now.

"In fact, I wanted to ask you guys. Who took me home last night? All I remember is passing out after the game with Megan," I said, confusing them. They exchanged glances as if unsure about the question I threw at them.

"During that game, it just ended with Jace losing, but there was something strange. Megan let us go just like that. I immediately looked for you everywhere and couldn't find you anywhere," Maudy explained, leaving me speechless. So who had brought me home to Miss Brenda's house, I wondered, as all these questions surged back into my mind.

"Never mind, just forget it. You're fine, right? I heard I didn't attend class today?" This time, Khloe asked me.

"I was a bit tired after coming home from the party last night, and I didn't want to miss my first meeting at this club," I explained, causing them to nod.

"Are there only a few members in our swimming club?" I asked again, making Maudy nod her head.

"You already know that the swimming club has very few enthusiasts, and they're just students who need the pool but aren't part of the actual Club," Maudy explained, making me smile. I chose to get ready, change into my clothes, and rejoin them. We did warm-up exercises, swam a few laps, and before I knew it, two hours had flown by in this meeting.

"Aren't you packing up?" Kylie asked, already dressed.

"I'm going to do a few more laps before I finish," I replied, and Kylie looked around the pool area.

"You'll be alone if you do that. Everyone else is already outside, and it's just us left," Kylie responded, causing me to nod.

"I haven't swam in a long time, so I'll be fine. You can go ahead," I said, making Kylie finally nod.

"Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. This school is safe, and there are a few other clubs around the field near this building. Oh, and tell Security to lock up the pool so no one does anything strange here," Kylie said, winking at me. Did she also know that someone had been using this place for their personal matters?

After a few more laps, I decided to get out of the pool. But I was utterly surprised when I saw Gray, who knows since when, sitting in the spectator area. I wondered if he had been there all along. For some reason, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze.