Read Between the Lines

Chapter 19: Inevitable doom

Michelle was coming up on stage, wearing her robe and hat and, worst of all, a smile. Like she hadn't been gone an entire week. Like she'd been right here, preparing for her graduation day like everybody else, and not God knows where, doing God knows what. She watched her took her diploma and then stoon in the center of the stage for a photo op, just a couple of meters away from her.

She kept her eyes straight ahead, refusing to dignify the girl with the slightest of glances. She thought , she didn't deserve it. Michelle didn't deserve being acknowledged. She didn't deserve her despair from the past week and sure as hell didn't deserve her rage. What she deserved was sheer indifference, was a blank wall, was an empty shell of human she could not hurt. What she deserved is something she could not give her.

"Congratulations Class of 2025! May your future be as bright as your smiles today." Said the Emcee.

What a joke, Anntonia said in her mind.

Everyone took off their hats and threw them in the air, while she clung to hers like how she did with her dear life. She wasn't ready for the ceremony to be over. She was fine standing there, not looking at Michelle, still able to pretend that she wasn't breaking down inside. Still not having faced her and the truth she was not ready to face. That this had been over for a while now. She'd just clung to it, too scared to throw it into the wind and let it end, the same ways she was clinging to the stupid hat she's holding.

When the ceremony was over, she skip the selfies and group photos and even her Dad and brother and turned on her heels and bolted. Classic move of hers. She was always trying to prolong the inevitable but when she made it to her room and the door closed behind her, she realized she couldn't keep putting down the book without knowing how it ended.

***

Michelle made it back to her apartment, exhausted. She skip her friends invitation for an after party because she felt so tired. She hadn't been able to face Anntonia yet. Earlier , she just put on a brave front and made it through graduation, but saw how the girl avoided looking at her and a part of her was relieved for that. After a week of being away, she knew she'd be coming home to consequences, but like the coward she was, she wasn't ready to face those just yet.

She just wanted to sleep and rest.

But sometimes consequences don't wait for you to be ready to face them. Sometimes they just come knocking at your door whether you're ready for it or not.

And when she heard the knock, she knew it was her. So she took a deep breath before walking and opening the door, because these consequences weren't going to be particularly nice anyway.

And surely enough, as soon as the door opened, before she could even catch a glimpse at her, Anntonia brought her hand off and slapped her hard across the cheek. She even stepped backwards, taken aback, but not entirely surprised either. She had this one in mind coming.

"A week," Anntonia started speaking sharply, stepping inside the room, pointing her finger at her while shaking with anger. "A whole fucking week, Michelle. You were gone for a whole week and all I got were three-word sentences every now and then, but not really knowing anything about you. And you just show up at graduation out of the blue and you can't be bothered to let me know?!"

Her shoulders tensed at that, obviously not sure what to tell her.

"I'm sorry," was all she could offer.