Psycho X Psychic

Throughout the rest of the school day, Lina was jumpy and frantic. When break time came, her friends came to see her as usual but she just ignored them.

"What happened to her?"

The two whispered at each other, worried at her state. However, they were also discomforted by the stare that Lina was giving them.

Earlier, Lina thought that she would be fine. There's nothing to worry about. But when Teren came back to the room and sat behind her, she began sweating while her heart racing with anxiety.

"Should I still go back to class?"

She locked herself in the women's restroom to ponder. If only it was possible, she wants to get away and maybe, even escape from town.

Of course, she still has her parents and siblings to worry about.

'No, isn't that a good idea? If I stay, I may put them in danger…' she didn't know why she haven't thought of this idea before.

Why did she keep pursuing Teren?

"What does he want me to do?"

Teren said that she doesn't need to resort to her body. That she lacks confidence and that she's insecure.

What does that have to do with anything? She thought.

Time in the restroom was faster than Lina anticipated and it was already time for her to come back.

'I… don't want to…'

A moment later, she was sitting on her chair with a grim expression. 

"Are… you okay?"

Nick asked once again after taking a glance at his seatmate.

"N-no…"

Lina bit her lips and was unable to lie.

"Do you want me to bring you to the infirmary?" Nick tried suggesting, expecting to be rejected but Lina surprisingly nodded after some hesitation.

'Nick is close to Teren, right? He wouldn't get angry at me if Nick was the one who suggested that I should go to the infirmary.'

Nick glanced at Teren to which the latter just nodded back. 

Taking this as a permit, Nick brought Lina to the infirmary. The nurse just let her rest on the bed before leaving. Nick found this convenient and asked.

"Did Teren do something to you?"

Lina just covered herself with the blanket and rolled to the side, not wanting to talk about it.

Nick sighed and was about to leave when his shirt was grabbed.

"Wait, you're not going to report me to him, right?"

"Report?"

Lina glared at him.

"You're going to tell him that I'm avoiding him which is not! You're the one who suggested for me to come here, remember?"

"Y-yeah… I'm not going to say anything in the first place, why are you so paranoid? Just what Teren did to you anyway?"

Being asked this, Lina thought to herself the answer. What did Teren do to her?

"Nothing…"

"If you don't want to talk about it then-"

"No, it's really nothing!" Lina strongly said, "He did nothing to me! I was the one who kept pursuing him which I thought out of love at first! But it was actually out of fear even though he saved me!"

'Am I the weird one? I don't follow her again.' Nick thought.

"He saved you?"

Lina trembled even though it was supposed to be a good thing.

"Was I the only one awake at that moment? I don't know." she continued now as if she's just talking to herself, "Why am I the only one stricken by fear the most? Teren is my savior, he's my savior." she repeated to herself as she cannot believe her own words.

"Lina, calm down." Nick placed his hands on her shoulder, making her flinch before she looked at him and growled.

"Let go of me! You don't know what I'm going through!" Lina slapped his hands away and placed her hands around her head, "Every night after that incident, every single night, I remember it! I couldn't sleep! Nightmares after nightmares even though I should be grateful."

Nick just stayed silent and sat down on the bed beside her feet. He couldn't leave her in that state.

"I don't know when it began. He was right. I began lying to myself. I thought… I thought I want him…"

Lina gasped at her own words. Her body shivered from remembering how much she wants to get close to him and how much she wants to be above him at the same time. All she actually wanted was to get away.

"Why are you scared of him in the first place?"

Nick asked and made Lina pause.

"What? Are you kidding me? Don't you know how terrifying he!? He once brought you to the place what he calls Spirit Farm, aren't you scared of him?"

"I was, but now, I wouldn't be scared of my friend."

"Friend…" Lina scoffed before laughing at it out contempt. This made Nick frown.

"I'm not the kind of person who will say friendship is a treasure but don't make fun of it."

"No, I'm not making fun of friendship itself. I couldn't give a single fuck about it! What I'm laughing about is that you think you're actually friends with him."

Lina smiled as if she was looking at a clown.

"Why would you say that?"

Nick was getting irritated at her.

"Evil people like him are incapable of forming relationships." she said, "I think only Iesa could keep up with him since that woman is evil at her core too. She would kill herself for Teren so she wouldn't mind being harmed by him."

"Enough of that. I don't think you know what you are saying. Teren is a sweet guy."

"Sweet, him? Are you joking?"

"I've seen him treat a kind man's head like a cap of a bottle." Nick told her while mimicking Teren's motion back then, "He twisted and twisted and twisted until the man's head was removed."

"See!? That's kind of a man he is!"

Lina didn't know why Nick would tell something that proves her point but she was glad for it. Against her expectations though, Nick shook his head even after what he just said.

"I'm telling you, I know who he is. However, I can still say that he's a sweet guy."

"..."

Lina froze. She thought that Nick was about to make sense when he suddenly didn't.

"You… you've been influenced by him." she said with dropped eyelids, disappointed.

At that point, Nick gave up, "I guess you wouldn't understand. Although, I can't seem to put it into words either."

He then left, leaving Lina alone in the infirmary room.

"Sweet? That man's a fucking bitter poison."

Lina said to herself. 

Truthfully,

She hates herself.

'Why am I such a coward?'

After school, Nick and Teren went to the basketball court again. This time, together with Catherine, Eline, and Mira.

"Is Mike still unable to go to school? How bad is his injury?"

Nick asked. When they camped together, he got along with Mike, Dan, and Josh pretty well so he treats them more than acquaintances, although less than friends.

"I don't know. He just said that he will stay at home for a while. Maybe, he was forbidden to come to school by his parents too." Catherine replied while walking from a distance. She was playfully walking, stepping on stone, on white lines, shadows, etc. but Eline and Mira knew that she was not usually like that.

She would even tell Eline to be careful whenever the latter was walking on rails.

"Teren is already ready to play in a tournament, when will we meet the team?" Nick asked.

"And it's only been just one day…" Eline muttered to which Teren answered.

"My body's already used to all kinds of movements and coordination. You could say I was moving a lot since I was just a child."

In a mortal battle where a single mishap can end your life, it could be said to be the most difficult sport. And Teren was engaged with that ever since he escaped the Central.

If Nick got his great body skills such as flexibility, reflex, and coordination from a Spirit, Teren got it from experience. So, once he knew the rules and the ins and outs of the play, he can play like a professional.

"Of course, I still don't know how to move as a team."

Teren said, aware of what he lacks.

"So, just like what Nick said, we should really meet the team now."

He, too, was walking on the far side beside Nick. Nick didn't notice this and thought that everything was normal. However, as girls, Eline and Mira have sharp intuitions when it comes to these things.

Earlier, Catherine was acting differently after entering the emergency room. They didn't know what happen since neither Teren nor Catherine wanted to tell them anything.

However, they knew that there's some awkward atmosphere between the two.

"Maybe, tomorrow weekend, you can meet them. They're preparing for both the exam and the tournament so they're using all the time they have." Catherine said while only looking at the girls and Nick.