Chapter 17

No matter how much I tried, Iris wouldn’t agree. I baked her cookies, massaged her, and prepared meals for her, but none of them worked. There was no other way I could think of for her to agree.

Should I commit suicide?

I rolled out of bed and brushed my hair leisurely. It was still early, and I knew that Iris was still sleeping in her bed. This was my final ace; unless she agreed, I should ignore her.

I quietly prepared and ate breakfast. A few moments passed and she still didn’t come out of her room. Given that it was only 5:00am, she was most likely still asleep. I truly intended to rise early so she wouldn’t be required to accompany me to breakfast. I also had no desire to accompany her to school.

She awoke just after I was through with all my routine. I even washed the used dishes so she wouldn’t say a thing.

“You awoke early, huh? What did you cook for breakfast?” she asked, her eyes was drooping. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and ignored her. She unexpectedly turned to me and asked again.

“What did you make for breakfast?” I wore my airpods out the door. I had already called uber before she left her room, so she couldn’t stop me from leaving early.

“EastWood University,” I said to the driver. I cast a glimpse at the house just before the car started. I saw Iris inside, her gaze fixed on me. She scowled, as if she were at a loss for what to do.

Apologies, girl. This, I believed, was the only way to gain your acceptance.

As anticipated, I arrived in EastWood early. There were only a few staff members, and practically all of them were faculty members. I only saw students who were quiet in class and those who wore glasses.

I proceeded directly to the classroom, as I had nowhere else to go. I’d liked to go around the entire campus, but I was afraid I’d faint again from exhaustion.

When I arrived, the classroom door was still locked. I took a seat on the side that had a chair. I sat my bag down and waited patiently.

The corridor was still pitch black; if the lights had been turned off now, I would have seen nothing. Minutes passed before the sun began to rise. Gradually, as the surroundings became brighter, the corridor’s lights were shut off as well.

“I’m stuck with you...” I murmured. I used airpods to listen to music for a few minutes. Until now, no one had been able to open the door. I closed my eyes when I became drowsy. I wanted to sleep but chose not to; the students might do something to me while I was sleeping.

“I’ve already opened the door; sleep inside.” I opened my eyes when a familiar voice spoke. It was Pierre who was carrying his tiny notebook. I believed he was now walking around school, suing people who violated the regulations.

I scooped up the bag and stood up without saying anything. Of course, the key was left with him, which meant he would also be the one to unlock it.

I sat in the chair I usually sit on. I assumed Pierre wouldn’t enter, but I was mistaken. He entered the classroom as soon as I sat in my chair. I wasn’t sure why, but he seemed different today. If he looked intimidating everyday, today was different. It was as if he was forbidden to speak.

He sat silently on his chair. We were the only two inside, and neither of us spoke. I was not sure if he had a problem or if this was his typical mood.

It was hard to read his actions.

Minutes passed as our classmates gradually arrived. It was just 7:00am, so there was still plenty of time to converse with the room next door. Pierre, to my surprise, didn’t wander around campus today.

“Hey, look out the window! Someone’s coming!” I scowled as my classmates stood up to peer out the window. Even the girls, being interested, peered. Who was coming and why were they behaving so strangely?

My classmates immediately became silent when the door opened. I imagined a large person entering the room, but it was Iris who I had left earlier.

As Iris proceeded to the back, where I was sitting, I heard a few loud whispers.

“Are you lost, Iris Lopez? Isn’t your section in B1?” Lea, one of Nellie’s pals, asked. Iris paused in her stride and arched an eyebrow at her.

“I’m paying a visit to someone. Isn’t that possible?”

“Yes. Didn’t the dean say you weren’t permitted in here due to—”

“Animals are also prohibited in B1, but when you went there to flirt with your boyfriend, were you stopped?” Iris looked at her and proceeded to walk. Lea was helpless to do anything but watch Iris approach me.

“Hey,” she greeted me, but I remained silent. I desired to speak with her but refrained. I was not about to jeopardize my plans.

“How come you didn’t ride in my car?” I closed my eyes and felt the music’s rhythm. I could hear her but I was avoiding paying attention. Fortunately, the music helped to keep me focused.

“How come you’re ignoring me?” she asked, but I remained silent. I opened my eyes and changed the music. I replaced it with a louder one. As a result, I was unable to hear her.

Iris remained there for a few moments more, until the teacher arrived. I noticed her sigh as she exited the classroom.

I stowed the airpods in my bag. The airpods were merely props to divert my attention away from Iris.

“So, have you come to your mind? It’s a good thing you’re staying away from that woman,” Nellie said. I cocked my brow at her. What was she saying?

“What?” I asked, irritated. Was she under the impression that I had forgotten how she kicked me in the bathroom? That was something I would never forget, and it gave me an excuse to disregard her every day.

“It’s evident that you’re ignoring her. Earlier, only her voice dominated here because we were all quiet. She asks questions but you didn’t respond. Why? Have you ever considered that she’s slowly destroying your reputation here in EastWood? Good for you.” She grinned broadly but I just stared at her, as if she was the most stupid person here.

“What are you saying? Just shut up.” Her smile grew wider as a result of my response. Seriously?

“You did not deny that you are attempting to avoid—”

“Shut your mouth, Nellie. I’m not avoiding Iris, and if I am, it’s not because you claimed she was hurting my reputation. Keep your mouth shut if you have nothing good to say.”

I didn’t give her any further attention after I said that. She was far too gossipy; she had no idea what was going on.

As the teacher began to teach, I fixed my gaze on the front of the classroom. The class went well; I took numerous notes because the subject was not mathematics.

“Pass your papers,” the teacher instructed students following the quiz. When I turned in my paper, I was the first to leave.

Time for lunch.

Rather than the canteen, I proceeded directly to the gazebo. As I would not be with Iris today, I would simply eat there. As expected, there was no one inside. Usually, teachers stay here, but only in the morning.

I took out the food that I had prepared earlier at home. I deliberated last night about ignoring Iris in order to avoid forgetting anything this morning.

I ate the lunch silently till it was finished. I had plenty of time left, but I was done eating. Should I return to class? Perhaps Nellie was there; I was not interested in seeing her.

I was zonked out as I stowed the food and exited the gazebo. I strolled around the entire school while carrying the lunchbag. Even outside, the wind was so strong that I didn’t feel the heat of the sun. Due to the abundance of trees in the area, the view was also quite lovely.

My foot carried me everywhere till I reached the back of the school. As I had just recently arrived, I was unfamiliar with the route.

“Wow,” I exclaimed in awe upon seeing the plant arrangement. The school had a garden, but I was unaware that one existed at the back of the building.

I was going to approach one of the blooms when I heard a noise coming from somewhere. My chest trembled as the noise repeated numerous times.

“W-Who’s there?” I asked uncomfortably. Despite my nervousness, I walked closer to it. As I neared, the noise increased in volume.

“Bullshit!”

When I saw Pierre kicking the flowerpots to the side, my eyes widened rapidly. He turned away from me, but I was certain it was Pierre!

I was the one who was suffering for the pots because of his kick. There was a lot, and nearly everything was broken.

“Hey! Have mercy on the pots. Did they fight you?” I asked. He was taken aback and chased his breath to come face me. My mouth went shut when I noticed his red eyes, as if he had just recovered from crying so hard.

“What are you doing here?” He simply stared at me and did not respond. The silence was deafening, incredibly awkward, because neither of us intended to speak after I asked.

I was hesitant to ask again; he might simply just stared at me again.

What happened to him, and why did he appear so enraged? The way he kicked the pots, it was as if he had been handed the entire world’s troubles.

Then my cellphone rang, breaking the silence. I opened it discreetly and read the message from Iris.

Iris :

Aurie, I know you’re ignoring me, but I wanted to ask whether you saw Pierre. Uncle had been searching for him previously. Today is his birthday, and auntie wishes to see him. Kindly text me back if you have any information on his whereabouts.

I raised my eyes to Pierre and smiled. He appeared dispassionate, yet his eyes remained bloodshot. I would be terrified of him if I didn’t know him.

It was as though he would eat anyone at any time.

“Happy birthday, Pierre!” I greeted happily. I waited a few seconds for his answer, but he gave no indication of a smile. He turned away from me and walked to the garden’s tallest tree. He took a seat beneath the tree and closed his eyes.

“I received a text from Iris, who stated that Dean has been looking for you and that your aunt wishes to see you.” He continued to ignore me, just as he had earlier. I let out a long, deep breath before approaching him. I sat next to him and leaned on the tree.

“Why are you so mad?” I asked and closed my eyes as I spoke.

“It’s my birthday,” he said, answering me for the first time. I closed my eyes and felt the powerful wind blowing against me.

“That’s why I’m confused; why are you acting so irrationally? It’s your birthday; you should be overjoyed.”

“Today is also the 11th anniversary of my mother’s death. How can I be happy?” I was taken aback for a brief period. In addition, Iris informed me that his mother had passed away. It was heartbreaking to learn that his mother passed away on his birthday. If something like that happened to me, I might have committed suicide.

“You should be proud of yourself for surviving after your mother died. That’s an incredible accomplishment, Pierre.”

“It’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

The surrounding area became deafeningly quiet once more. The air was so frigid that it made me want to stay in this place for the rest of my life.

“It’s my fault that my mother died.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. What exactly did he mean?

“How can I be happy if I, myself was the cause of my mother’s death?” I couldn’t hear him clearly because of his weak voice. Good thing I still understood what he was trying to say.

“I wanted to be with my father on my birthday because he no longer comes home because of business. I didn’t realize that mom would die just because of that one request.”

“It’s not your fault,” was the only thing I could say after being shocked. It was difficult to comprehend what happened. Why was he putting the blame on himself? What did her father’s involvement had to do with it? Was there a squabble in their household on his birthday? What caused her mother’s death? What exactly happened?

“Tch. That’s also what my uncle and auntie told me, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that from people who aren’t aware of what truly happened on that particular day.”

Even if he went into great detail about the events of his birthday, I could assure him that he was not at fault for anything. He had no way of knowing what was going to happen, so why was he blaming himself?

A part of me wanted to beat him because that was what he believed, but there was also a part of me that understood what he was going through. Also, mommy assured me on a number of occasions that I wasn’t to blame for my father’s death, but I didn’t believe her.

I felt weighed down by the thought. Since I fled, I had been attempting to remove that incident from my consciousness in order to maximize the happiness of my remaining days. Now that I was thinking of it again, everything I used to feel had returned to me.

“I’m not sure what to say, Pierre, but I want you to celebrate your birthday and stop blaming yourself. I’m sure your mother is crying in heaven right now because you keep being miserable. Don’t let the day come that you’ll regret that you didn’t celebrate your birthday. Celebrate your birthday, Pierre. The last time I celebrated my birthday was almost 11 years ago and promise, I regret that I didn’t enjoy my last.” I stood up and fixed my uniform.

It was time for our class to begin.

I snatched up my lunchbag and walked away from him. I couldn’t afford to stay there any longer as my feelings became increasingly intense. I was aware that my tears would pour at any moment due to how much I missed my dad.

If only I had the ability to bring back time, I would have made the most of our most recent celebration. My last birthday celebration was in 2010. I was really angry that my mother didn’t show up. Naturally, she was occupied with work. I yelled at my father out of bitterness. I regretted that so bad. I was envious to those children who were still with their father.

I tightly closed my eyes to prevent the tears from pouring. I shouldn’t have gone to the back of the school in order to avoid learning about Pierre’s life. I missed my daddy tremendously. To be honest, I’d gladly give my soul to Lucifer in exchange for my father’s return. I would do whatever it takes to bring back the past. Maybe if he was here, I would’ve not ran away. I was confident he wouldn’t allow my mother to confine me in my room indefinitely. He might have been the first to support me when I expressed my desire to go to school.