Fantasy

CHAPTER TWO

Her parents were at it again, quarrelling with each other over a trivial issue. Toni wished they would just divorce and let her have peace of mind. The domestic torture was getting into her a lot. It was even affecting her academics. She wasn't concentrating well during class especially if she remembers the issues at home. Sometimes she thought her parents were crazy, because they fought over little things. Things that didn't matter.
But lately someone else was occupying the space in her mind, Fola.After that encounter with him he had been all over her mind.
So today she had made a decision. She was going to walk up to him and ask for his phone number. She had gathered enough courage and rehearsed all what she was going to say to him at her standing mirror for the umpteenth time. She was ready-- well, that's what she thought.
She waited patiently till it was lunch time then she went to look for him after applying some lip gloss to her lips and making sure her appearance was okay.
She searched his class but he wasn't there then she went to the cafeteria. There she saw him with his friends chatting with loud voices. She went up to him, squeezing her school skirt with fright.
"Hi ,please can i speak to you privately?", she asked him .
The boys stopped talking and stared at her. Fola coughed,"what do you want?"
"Can I speak with you privately",she asked.
"What do you want to say? Say whatever it is here".
Toni felt a big lump in her throat, this wasn't going on well.
"Do you remember me?"
Fola knitted his brows,"Errrh ------ do I?"
"I'm the girl from the clinic".
"Ohhh". Fola turned to his friends,"she was the girl who was stained with period".
"Ohhhh!",his friends murmurred and sniggered.
Toni felt embarrassed.She didn't expect this.
"So what do you want?",Fola asked.
"I came to collect your phone number------ errh"
Fola laughed."That's nice. What do you want to do with it?"
"Errhmmm---- "
Fola raised an eyebrow,"Learn how to take care of yourself first".
"Excuse me".
His friends began to laugh at her ." Try again later",one of them remarked.
Another said,"Try again next year when you've gathered up your sense".
Toni was mortified. Fola faced his friends and they made jest of her and laughed, attracting the other students attention in the cafeteria.
Toni was humiliated.She has never even been humiliated like this in her entire life.Now she would be the talk of the school. Jeez!she doomed. She regretted ever making that decision. This would obviously kill her.
She bowed her head and walked away.
After lunch time, she faced another humiliation from her class mates. At this point, Toni missed her friend who has left the school.
Noone would ever want to be her friend especially because she was brilliant and the boys complained that she was too short,they didn't want to have a friend that they would bow their head to talk to. They didn't want that stress.
Toni didn't see any excuse in that because she was only five feet four inches and was still growing or maybe she would never be. But anyway she would meet someone who would like her the way she is. And she badly wishes it was Fola. Her dream. Her novel characters in reality. She wished that that somebody should be Fola, even though she wasn't beautiful and tall . She wished he should see something in her that would attract him. Anything that would attract him.

After school Toni waited for the school bus at a quiet place separated from the other students. Just then someone tapped her shoulder. She turned, to her surprise it was the person she least expected. Fola. She stood up immediately widening her big eyeballs.
"Heyyy"
Fola stretched a sheet of paper to her,"My number".
Toni widened her eyes the more."Your what?"
Fola chuckled,"I love the way you widen you eyes. It's so pretty".
Toni mouth fell agape . Was he trained to say sweet words so easily? Jeez!!he was acting like the character she read about the day before. This is what she wants! This is her dream!
Fola frowned,"are you okay?"
"Yes-- yeah", she stuttered.
"The paper".
"Oh -- yes. Thank you very much".
He walked away. Toni stared at his back with admiration. She can't believe this! If her best friend was still around,she wouldn't have hesitated to share this. But well, she can't wait to reach home and chat with him!
Now her life was going the way she wants it. Not exactly though.