Snowfire

Turning

Stanley ruffled his hair, wet from his shower. He threw the phone on his bed and made his way into the kitchen.

His little apartment was perfect for him. Even though many expected Stanley to have people circling around him, praising him and admiring him for being that all-rounder, he was awfully lonely.

Sighing, he opened the fridge and brought out a bottle of water.

A coldness spread across his chest as he gulped, the numbness that was chilling for others but somehow satisfying for him. It cleared his head, shocked him to realisation that he was slipping. He lost to that newbie, that girl called Eira with striking blue eyes. So blue that it seemed almost alien to him.

He thought back to the way Jason looked at her with such pride and when Jason's gaze landed on Stanley, it almost looked as though his bronze eyes narrowed from an unnoticeable smile. It felt like a punch in the chest.

He ran extra today, the run longer than his usual ones. For Stanley, it was either a nap or a run. Nothing in between. Today, rather foolishly, he thought maybe he could run away from his failures and troubles forever — but he couldn't.

His phone rang and he padded into his rooms with light and quick steps.

Fetching his phone, he placed it to his ear, "hello?"

"Stanley, you are needed at Gateria." His coach, Mr. Flair's stern voice rang in his ears. He almost wanted to sigh because he did not want to take the case in Gateria.

"I thought someone else was on it." Stanley sealed his impatience away.

"No, Ms. Kate directly asked you and your team to go. You pushed it to someone else but at least you should go and check."  Mr. Flair's hardened voice warned Stanley not to challenge. "I expect you to be responsible."

"Just me?" Stanley raised a brow. If he remembered clearly, Ms. Kate asked Jason to investigate. Jason's not going to show off or brag about his victory in front of him again, will he?

"Just you," Mr. Flair said. "Be quick and if they don't need anything, just leave."

Stanley mumbled a reply and hung up.

Slipping on his jacket, car keys jingling in his hands, he stalked towards the elevator.

The motion of the elevator filled the silence. Stanley leaned on the wall and watched his reflection. A young, sulking man with hands tucked in his pockets. He scoffed, unable to believe that he was still thinking about Jason. Where was the chill guy gone? Stanley's brown eyes shifted to the ticking numbers: 12... 10...

It was moving too slow for his liking. He stifled a laugh. Hasty, a fatal mistake and it was showing everywhere; during an elevator ride, during the battle... he could already see Mr Flair's "impressed" look. His coach had told him a million times: think about the step before you take it. Somehow, his body just never understood it.

The elevator door opened and he put on a natural, sunshine-boy smile, beaming at the couple that walked into the elevator doing the same. Scooting past them, he made a beeline to his car.

***

Stanley held the steering wheel, grip tight and knuckles-white. Scanning the empty road, he checked his rearview mirror.

They were still following him.

Narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he thought to himself: any idiot will know that they were stalking him, they were following his car too closely.

Making up his mind quickly, he turned the wheel. The car swerved left in a sharp turn.

Stanley's eyes shifted to the mirrors. The silver car drove on. He was alone now.