The Ballad of an Angel

Chapter Eighteen

Monday, May 15, 2017

Monday's. The worst day known to man. I wish I could just skip over them like a game of leap frog. It's tedious to be on a bus when everyone on there is tired, including yourself.

I leaned my head against the window in hopes that the stress of the exams would cease - I was very wrong. The bus was eerily quiet, a kind of silence that I don't normally hear. It's rowdy and hectic around this time of day, regardless of the day of the week.

Clara wasn't quiet, nevertheless. She tried to start conversations with her friends, but none of them obliged. I could tell this dampened her spirits as she hung her head low. I put my hand on her shoulder to cheer her up. I guess that helped somewhat,

I hadn't talked to Sabrina in a while, which was concerning to the brim. She was always so excited to talk to me, but as of now, my worry grew larger. She had seemed really upset on the phone. I didn't know why.

Okay, so my teacher had us study for a test today. Our last one, as a matter of fact - before the finals. I was a nervous wreck, which wasn't all that abnormal. I've never been particularly fond of exams, as you can tell.

Sabrina eventually showed, but she began ignoring me. Did I do something wrong? I felt as if she was angry at me, but I don't recall being rude. Or was it the dinner party? Oh God it has to be that. It couldn't be anything else, right?

I kept my distance. It felt like the best option, because girls angry, are the worst thing known to man. Clara is a prime example of that.

I sat in my class, took my test carefully, and eventually finished. I sat back and cracked my fingers to calm myself. My hands were sweaty, but that test didn't result in anything rash. Sabrina looked at me from across the room. I smiled at her and she looked away briefly. Her face seemed upset.

All that was left was a few minutes now. I had laid there lifeless for the entire class period. My arms felt like jelly. It was really calming to hear the silence, however, I managed to form a headache. Ironic.

Clara was doodling in her journal. It housed several other ones that were actually pretty good. She was an artist, something I was proud of her for. She bumped me in the shoulder.

"What's with purple?" Clara mouthed. I raised a brow and got what she asked me. I shrugged. Just the thought of her made me anxious so I told Clara to cut it out. Not worrying about it would be the best option.

Lunch came around and I felt nauseated. Food would just make it worse, or that's what I thought. Zack had been absent for the time being, and he eventually came back. With food.

"Gotcha something." He said, chill. I nodded in acknowledgement. He frowned when I didn't open the wrapper.
"Eat." He followed up, firmly. I obeyed that sentence. Zack was terrifying, even if he was a replica of me.

I ate slowly. Normally it'd be really fast, but today had me uneasy. Clara threw her hands up in excitement once she saw what Zack had brought. I followed every movement she made.

The day was slow, which again, wasn't abnormal. I was so nervous, but am looking forward to graduating. Though I had no plan, I felt I was ready to step out into the real world. As if I hadn't already.

Part of me believed that I would never see Sabrina again. She had been so distant since I met her parents. I knew that was a big mistake.

I stood up to walk out of the cafeteria and someone unexpectedly approached me. She stared up with utter seriousness, which wasn't normal for her. Sabrina was a lot like Clara, super easygoing and carefree. I didn't like this new person.

"In case you're wondering, I'm not ignoring you. We're still going to prom, right?" I froze. It felt as if every single thought had disappeared, leaving me with an endless amount of silence. Thoughts always raced, not stay still. I came up with something.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I just didn't expect this." I blurted out. She smiled, something familiar, which caused me to relax a bit. She then walked away.

Three days later....
Thursday, May 18, 2017

Today was the day for finals. My palms had been sweaty since midnight, which I could feel even in my unconsciousness. I had grabbed my computer bag in hopes that it would be used, but I had no clue at that point. Finals were hectic, and caused a lot of anxiety for the majority of us. We had our doubts, and even the parts of confidence, but it all ended up doubtful.

I practically dragged myself into the lecture hall where the finals took place, along with Clara, who was unusually quiet. She had been polite, but otherwise, she was quieter than a mouse.

I sat down at the creaky wooden table. A pencil, a sheet of Scantron paper, and a calculator. First was Math, and then my English exam was next. Two back to back.

I held my pencil shakily and started once told so. Clara was across from me, staring blankly at the paper like it was invisible. I occasionally stared at her to try and get her attention but eventually gave up. So many other kids finished quickly. It's like they just guessed on everything. How stupid.

I carefully filled in my answers, confident in each one. I sighed once finished. This was only one.

When finals finished that week, I felt relieved. Not only was it over for good, I had so much more free time to do whatever. All of it was filled from studying so much. I guess it was time to celebrate.

Zack, Clara, and I went to a diner just a few blocks from our school to celebrate. By then, Clara had been playing some arcade games while Zack and I stayed at our table.

"How's the Sabrina situation?" He asked, resting his head on his hand. He glared at me for an answer.
"She hasn't spoke more than two sentences." I replied, sighing again. I had a calm expression.

"GUYS!!" Clara exclaimed, waving her hands at us. I whipped my head over to her direction to see what all the fuss was about. She was grinning and had some tickets. Zack applauded her for her work. I smiled at her.

We left the diner full. I mean, really full. It was an 'all you can eat' restaurant. I definitely lived up to that name.

That night I was up with my thoughts. The clock read 1am quicker than expected, and I panicked. Sleep was important to me and losing it wasn't an option in my book. My head raced faster than a NASCAR tournament.

Was Sabrina going to speak to me again? Or was she just avoiding me because I'm a loser? I had no idea what her deal was. And I was going to find out soon.

No matter how much it took, she was going to explain her unreasonable behavior.