روايات بقلم Somto Emmanuel

LucasThis was pure torture.There was no punishment worse than this. I had to sit here and watch others do what I wanted to do so bad.I was restless sitting on the bench. My legs kept tapping against the hard floor. The noise of the crowd was loud, but it just made me annoyed. I really wanted to jump over the barrier. I wanted to grab my stick and run onto the ice.My teammates were doing great. They were leading by three points. The fans were screaming and waving signs. But I was still not at peace.I wanted to be part of the action. I loved the cold air on my face. I loved the rush of adrenaline during a game. It was addictive. I needed that feeling right now to clear my head.Then I saw a girl in the stands. She was sitting a few rows up. She had dark hair and looked just like my Lori.My attention shifted instantly. I stopped looking at the puck. I stopped caring about the score.But then the girl laughed out loud at something her friend said. I sighed in disappointment. It was

Lori“What do you think you are doing?” I shot back at her.I held her wrist firm. She tried to pull her hand away, but she could not.“Let go of my hand you silly bitch!” Elena yelled.When her clique started moving toward me, only then did I finally let go of her wrist.“You know what is funny?” she said with a sneer. “You are such a betrayer.”I did not care about her rubbish. “And how exactly did I betray you? We are not friends, Elena. And besides, you went after Travis. Now you are mad because I was with your ex? That is hypocritical.”She became lost for words.“Don't think I forgot about catching you two red handed on my freaking bed,” I added.With that, I turned and kept walking. I increased my pace. My knee began hurting so bad as a result, but I did not stop. I just wanted to get away from her.I finally entered the lecture hall and found a chair. Only then did I sit down and let out a calm breath. Then I pulled out my headset. I needed to listen to some RnB that would cal

LoriText1: I will expose you.Text 2: Leave Lucas alone, you evil bitch.Text 3: Lucas is mine and mine alone!!!I blinked in pure shock with every single text that flashed across my screen. Who the hell was this, and why were they spamming my phone with such psychotic nonsense?I didn't even realize my hands were shaking until the phone slipped from my grip, clattering face down onto the mattress. I scrambled to pick it back up, rereading the words over and over again. I would have assumed it was a wrong number if Lucas’s name wasn't written right there in black and white.The sender must have spotted Lucas and me walking together yesterday, sparking this sudden, jealous rage. But what did they mean by expose me? Expose what? What kind of dark secret did they think they had on me?I threw my head back onto the pillow, trying to force myself to breathe. I should just ignore whoever this psychopath wa

Lori“Uhm... I don’t really know what to say,” I stammered, my fingers flying up to tuck a nonexistent strand of hair behind my ear just to give my hands something to do.The entire moment felt like a total blur. Sitting here in a sunlit booth, having breakfast with Lucas Miller, watching him look at me like I was the only person in the room... it felt like a scene ripped straight out of a high budget rom-com. It didn't feel like my actual life. My actual life was usually a non-stop cycle of stress, letdowns, and heartbreak.Lucas blinked, leaning back slightly against the leather booth. “Okay, wow. That was definitely not the reaction I was expecting to get.”“I’m sorry, it’s just...” I trailed off, my eyes dropping to the half eaten plate of scrambled eggs and bacon between us.“It’s just what? Talk to me, Lori. I promise I don’t bite.”I shrugged, forcing myself to speak quickly before I lost whatever tiny sh

LucasMy day was finally starting to look up. I had been heading over to the campus gym, fully prepared to take my lingering frustration out on a punching bag since my workout yesterday hadn't done a damn thing to clear my head.But then I caught sight of Lori limping out of the athletic center. The slight frown pulling at her features told me she was deeply trapped in her own thoughts. She didn't even notice me approaching.Smiling to myself, I did what any guy would do when he wants an excuse to get a girl’s attention. I deliberately shifted my stride and stepped directly into her path.Exactly as I’d expected, she walked right into my chest. I caught her by the shoulders, watching attentively as her big brown eyes widened the second she recognized my face.“Hello, stranger,” I murmured.She muttered something back that I didn't quite catch, though it sounded like a breathless little hi. I wasn't about to wast

LoriI spent the rest of the afternoon buried under my covers, completely numb. My mom's devastating news about the divorce felt like the final blow. My life had already been tilting dangerously out of balance. But today, the entire foundation finally crumbled to pieces.Ann and Jessica could obviously tell something was wrong. They had cut their endless debate about whether Lucas liked Jessica short the second they saw my face, but I didn't have the energy to explain. I just blamed it on family drama, retreated to my bedroom, and shut the door firmly behind me.I cried until my eyes burned and there were simply no tears left to cry.It was another call from my mom later that evening that finally jarred me awake. It was only then that I remembered she had asked me to meet her in town for dinner. Pushing through the exhausting ache in my chest, I threw on the most casual outfit I could find and focused entirely on keeping my stride even, trying desperately not to limp as I walked out