Page 2 of Born in Sin (Phoenix #3)

“Hey!”

Celina dropped down on the grass beside the boy, Virat, she’d met the previous day. He didn’t acknowledge her, looking out, instead, at the boys playing football.

“How’s your back?”

Storm cloud eyes met hers for a second, before he looked away again.

“Did you go to the infirmary?”

Still no answer.

“You should go, or it might get infected. My mother says-“

“Please stop talking to me.”

The words were said with zero emotion, and he still wasn’t looking at her. Annoyed, she stared out at the football field too. She managed to concentrate on it for all of two minutes. Football was boring!!

“Are you not playing because your back hurts?”

“Oh my God! Shut up!”

“What is your problem?” Celina flared up.

Her mother always said her temper would be her downfall. Celina didn’t know what downfall was but maybe today was the day she had that fall. She was only trying to be nice and kind like her mother kept telling her to be and this boy was just –

“You are my problem.” He turned his back on her. “Go away.”

She glanced down at his back and saw that his sports shirt had come loose from his shorts. She could see a bit of torn, raw flesh peeking out from the bottom.

Celina bit her lip, tears filling her eyes.

That had to hurt! The last time she’d scraped her knee during a skating class, she’d screamed loudly when her mother had put medicine on it.

And this boy hadn’t made a sound. Not yesterday or today.

And it didn’t look like anyone had put medicine on it for him.

“Can I help?”

“No.” He turned towards her now, frustration on his face. “Please go away. I don’t want anyone to see me talking to you.”

Celina gasped. “You are a rude, rude boy. I am just trying to be your friend.”

“We can never be friends.” He got to his feet, clearly planning to run away from there.

Celina jumped to her feet too. “Why not? Is it because I know your secret?”

The boy froze. He turned towards her, his eyes wide and scared. “I don’t have a secret.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her smile quivering a little. “I won’t tell anyone. I’m very good with secrets.”

Inspiration stuck as she stared at his stubborn, silent face. “What if we trade? A secret for a secret? I’ll tell you one of mine and then we’ll be even. You keep my secret, and I’ll keep yours.”

“Why won’t you leave me alone?”

Celina was wondering that herself. She didn’t know. The more he tried to run away from her, the more she wanted to run after him. It made no sense.

She ignored his question, asking one of her own instead.

“So, can I tell you a secret?”