Down The Highway

Chapter Forty-Two

"Ok, that's it for today! I'll see you all tomorrow and you can now go to your next class" the professor did his natural deed. That one clapping attitude he does whenever he is excited. We, the students should be the one who is so excited here since we are the ones who are going to our next class but turns out he is more than like us.

The whole class, I know that Shawn has been staring at me most of the time which he usually doesn't do because before, he used to always pay attention to the lessons but right now, all his attention is held on me. I couldn't help Jannet, Myrna, and Maureen because they have been putting makeup on their faces for so long now so I decided to stand up straight and walk past them.

I heard Shawn's chair being pulled over. I walked faster because I know that he is going to chase me. "Jade, wait!" He called as I walked faster through the hallway. Next stop, Math class. I need to go there as early as I could since there would be a quiz today.

"Jade!"

"Stop!"

"Wait for me!"

"Jade, please"

Shawn has been chasing me over and over but he couldn't catch up since I am walking three times faster than him. The classroom is now only a few meters away from me. In a minute or two, I would arrive there. The school is just too big. "Jade please" he lowered his voice so much lowered than before. My patience got off me which led me to look back at him with a grumpy face.

"What's your problem?!?" I asked demandingly, asking for an answer in a not-so-nice way. My voice made everyone walking and passing by their lockers stare at us. We caught their attention like how we got the time. "Why are you ignoring me?" For some reason, I am clueless why. Maybe I am just scared that he could make me cry again when I get back to realizing that he forgot about the old us.

"You got the answer," I said with my voice lowered down too.

"I know it's not what's in your head or your heart!" It was the first time I heard him lending his voice high one me. He never did that before. He used to be so gentle and nice whenever we talk. Even before. He was always humble. "Do you care what's in my head or my heart?"

Everyone around us began murmuring to each other. Even the teachers should not be watching us. He looked down on the ground once more, the things he always does when he's annoyed. At least, I am annoying him. "If I say that I do would you believe me?"

I licked my lips after they got dried by the wind that passed by. "No, because cats are cats, and like you, liars are always liars. They wouldn't change and you wouldn't too" I was surprised by how harsh I spoke to him. Not think that I did that to him so many times already.

But I don't care. You hurt me, I hurt you. I don't know what's gotten into me to think about this kind of thing. "That's the problem! For once open your eyes and try to believe in things" I saw the girls staring at us with their eyes wide open. I told them a week ago about everything. Everything.

How I met Travis down the highway, how I started to receive letters, how I stupidly believed in those, how I figured out the truth, and how he came back hiding by the name of Shawn. And now here I am, trying to forget about us like what he did already.

"But how can I believe the impossible? One plus one can't be four, Travis! It can't be!" I know that we were in public. I promised to call him Shawn when we are with a lot of people but seems like he doesn't even care about what name I used to call him.

"But it some other way, it can! If you... if you try to add one to both the numbers to be solved, four can be the answer," I can't believe this guy.

"What if I don't?" His eyes soften every second I look at him hard.

"You're hopeless!" He motioned away from me.

"Wow! Now look who's walking away," I laughed in annoyance as I felt everyone's eyes being lent on me but I chose to ignore those.

I walked passed the lockers and the people staring at me. I walked normally like how I did when Shawn was chasing me. Just by thinking of his name, it makes me want to cry. He confuses me, I am still wondering how he forgot me that easily while it's been three years and I am still stuck to the fake letters he sent me before.

Tears started to stream down my face but I immediately wiped them off. I can't cry again just because of him. When I think of him, I know that I lead him back to my heart which I shouldn't do and should never. "Are you okay?" I heard Myrna's voice from behind me.

I looked back at them and saw Myrna and Jannet behind me smiling underneath the tears pouting from my face with their hands on my shoulder but I shoved those away. "Do you think I am?!?!" I have never raised my voice to anyone but my subconscious.

And now I am screaming to the three girls that fulfilled all the emptiness in me when I have been missing Shawn who just walked away. "Stay away!" I screamed again when Myrna placed her hand back on my shoulder. I hugged my binders tighter as I stop my tears.

I walked faster. The door gets bigger every time I take a step closer to it. I walked to a long chair but didn't let the girls sit with me. They took a different seat a little close to me since the classroom was small. I need space and I need to forget about this day. But I can't because Shawn is sitting in front of me.

Oh, universe When will you set me free from all these burdens?.