Chapter 27 "I miss you"
Lily's POV
My first class begins at eight AM in the morning but it was already past eight
Normally, I would have trekked to school but I had to board a bus so I can meet up before the teacher leaves the class.
I arrived twenty minutes later and rushed inside the class.
I stood at the door frame trembling.
“Excuse me Sir” I said with a trembling voice as I interrupted the whole class and they shifted their focus towards me
“Why are you late?” Mr Ken asked, furrowing his brows, his face turning into a slight frown
“I had an emergency this morning, I had to attend to it” I said letting the lie slip out of my lips confidently
Mr Ken stared at me for a while, a scrutinizing look. After a little hesitation, he beckoned me to come inside.
“I trust you Lily, come in” he said and continued his lecture.
The class erupted into whispers as I walked in, I was sure that Clara started it.
“Why won't he trust her? After getting in between her legs” she whispered loudly and it flowed directly into my ears but I shrugged it off. She was just trying to re-establish her fading presence. I quietly took my seat and straightened up trying to catch up with the class
“Why are you disrupting my class?” Mr Ken turned to Clara feigning annoyance. “What did I say last?”
Clara hesitated for a while then grudgingly stood up folding her hands at her back.
“Didn't you hear me? What did I teach about the idealist approach to the cause of wars internationally?” Mr Ken growled angrily
“You..said the idealist posited that um… the main idea behind wars was the pursuit of power and um..” Clara stuttered, pressing her hands together
“What nonsense!” He barked “When did I say such?” His tone filled with disappointment
“Who can tell me what I taught about it?” He asked facing the whole class
Everywhere became so silent that a pin drop could be heard.
“No one can bail the cat?” Mr Ken asked disappointedly
I turned around searching for Wade with my we, but I couldn't find him. Normally Wade would've been the one to bail the cat if he were in class.
“Sir, I can try” I broke the silence and everyone turned towards me in surprise.
Clara winked at me and gave a scoff of disbelief.
“You just entered Lily, are you sure you want to try?”Mr Ken asked looking concerned
“I will try” I said decisively
“Okay go on”
“The idealist believes that the cause of wars rests on the defective institutions and that man is naturally peaceful and detests wars. They posited that an appropriate and effective mechanism be instituted to address…”
I went completely mute as I saw Wade approach the door, panting.
“Excuse me Sir” he interrupted and the whole class shifted their attention to him.
I lost my focus as I stared at him because he was entirely different from the Wade I used to know.
Disheveled hair, rumpled shirts, sore eyes with dark circles beneath. He has lost a considerable amount of weight since the last time I saw him and he looked so depressed.
My heart ached so much and I felt the weight of it within me.
“Wade?” Mr Ken gasped in surprise “What happened?”
Wade lowered his head and I noticed a flicker of tears in his eyes. Then he straightened up trying to maintain his composure.
“The traffic was much sir” he said, keeping his voice confident but I noticed the crack at the end.
Traffic? It was a complete lie, just like mine. This isn't just about traffic, something was fundamentally wrong.
I wanted to run straight away to the Gambino's home and resume my duties, Mia's image flashed across my eyes and I suppressed the tears forming in my eyes.
“Come in” Mr Ken told him and turned to me “Go on Lily” he said optimistically
But my words stopped at my throat and my eyes followed Wade as he walked inside steadily and took an empty seat beside me
“Lily?” Mr Ken called out
“Oh!”I slipped back to the present “I think I'm done sir” I managed to find words before I took my seat.
My heartbeat doubled as I suppressed the urge to steal a glance at Wade.
Unexpectedly, the class gave me a round of applause. I turned around surprisingly but eyes met Clara's and she gave me a spiteful look then shook her head.
“That was excellent Lily. You tried your beat and it was correct. Those words were the exact ones I said last” Mr Ken cheered “At least someone could bail me isn't that wonderful? Clara sat here from the very beginning of today's class but couldn't dish out anything meaningful, this is disappointing especially for a Cheerleader like you” he said looking at Clara dismayfully
Clara gave a loud unremorseful sigh and took her seat. The whole class became silent again leaving only the echoes of Me Ken's voice.
I couldn't stop myself from stealing glances at Wade from time to time. His eyes were fixed at the teacher but I knew his soul was elsewhere. I wanted to reach out for his hands and hold them tightly in mine.
I stretched out my hands but withdrew immediately and folded them together.
“Comport yourself Lily” I chided myself
“The school authorities authorized me to conduct an impromptu test today” Mr Ken announced and the whole class began to grumble.
He brought out the question papers and distributed them among us.
“Relax, it's not a big deal. Just a summary of what we've learnt so far” He said trying to calm the brewing tension
“Your time starts now” he announced
I stretched my hands and yawned, that was a ritual which I always observed before an assessment.
A sudden wind blew inside the class and sent my papers flying. I stood up immediately to grab it but it fell towards Wade's direction. I leaped up thinking I could get a grip of it but it slipped through my fingers and flew higher. Unfortunately or rather, Luckily, Wade also stood up to grab the papers at the same time and we collided into each other.
He took a smart move that prevented me from falling by sitting down instantly and grabbing my waist with my right hand and pulling me towards him.
I fell into his embrace and my head landed on his chest.
My stomach tightened as I felt the thud of his heartbeat. Then slowly, I lifted my head up and looked into his eyes. Our eyes locked and I couldn't get myself to look away. There was something intoxicating about these eyes. He lowered his head gently towards me and the space between us disappeared leaving a tight tension that made me close my eyes waiting for his lips to swallow mine.
I raised my head forward, shaping my mouth into a pout waiting for the kiss.
“They're watching” Wade whispered into my ears and I jerked up spontaneously.
Shame washed over me as I saw Me Ken standing in front of me.
“I'm…sorry, sir” I stuttered, lowering my head as I sat down on my seat.
My heart was pounding fast and I forgot about my test scripts.
The whole class began to whisper, and it filled my ears. I shut my eyes trying to recover then I felt a warm hand on line extending the script to me.
“Here it is,” Wade said as he kept the script on my desk, avoiding my eyes. He turned back to his desk and began writing with all seriousness.
I turned to him sincerely grateful “Thank you” I whispered softly
He looked at me then nodded gently and continued writing.
I decided to wait and talk to him after classes. I need to talk to him.
But as soon as the dismissal bell rang he took his backpack and left the class
I wanted to follow suit but a lot of my classmates hovered around me. After dismissing them, I stood up and ran outside. I checked every nook and cranny of the school but I couldn't find Wade.
Disappointed, I strode off, walking aimlessly, battling with the divergent thoughts in my head.
“Head to the Gambino's home”
“No! You should stand by your decision. Besides Daisy, Ryan's mother invited you for dinner”
Ryan!;his image flashed through my head.
Did he mean what he said earlier today?
God! Everything is getting so complicated. I hate to admit it but I'm in love with Wade and I can't help it
But Ryan, God Ryan loves me and would never hurt me.
He loved me since we were kids and I always saw myself as his big sister who protected him from bullies. Worst of all, I was a year older than him.
But why do I feel stuck? I don't want him to feel bad after all he has done for me. I owe my transformation to him, though I'm still working on myself.
My darn heart! Why am I falling for Wade after everything? Why do I want to fill a vacuum in his life that no one will?
I rubbed my forehead and wiped my face. Then I saw a familiar figure of a little girl running towards me, Mia.
I wiped my face again to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating. Then the figure came closer and became clearer. It was certainly Mia.
Impulsively, I flung my bag away and ran towards her. I crouched to her level and opened my arms as she collapsed into my embrace. She held me so tightly and I felt a warm liquid from her eyes dropping on my shoulders.
“Don't cry Mia” I whispered softly, stroking her hair.
She pulled out from my arms and looked into my eyes, tears streaming down her eyes.
She opened her mouth gently and muttered
“Please come home”
My heart melted immediately and the tears flowed forcefully this time
“Mia, you can talk?” I cried hugging her tightly
“I miss you” she whispered
slowly with a shaky voice and sobbed loudly.
After four years of dumbness, Mia spoke!! ?