Orwell Academy

The Phone Call

Ray was leaning his head against the window and looking outside. They were on the east side of Bachelors Forest now.

"Even though it has been years, this forest still gives the same vibes," Ray thought.

He lowered his gaze to the road. The way to school was still awful, nobody would have thought that this road led to one of the most outstanding schools in the world. Ray sighed as the bumpy road made the journey to Orwell Academy seem longer. He looked at his watch again, there were only six minutes left.

"I did my best after all,"  he thought. He was probably going to get there late and Ray was aware of it. There wasn't anything he could do so it was unnecessary for him to stress himself like he did at the beginning. It wasn't the end of the world.

"Woah, this is it I think," said Alex while showing something with his fingers. Ray turned his head and looked at the direction that Alex showed. There wasn't anything to see at first due to the fog that engulfed the forest, but when they got closer, he was finally able to see the enormous campus of the Orwell Academy.

"This school is huge!" exclaimed Alex, his eyes widening in surprise. The Orwell Academy campus stretched far and wide, with numerous buildings surrounded by spacious lawns and pathways. It was definitely more than what Alex had expected for a high school campus. Ray, having visited before thanks to his stepfather, nodded in agreement, acknowledging the school's impressive size.

"You both are too lucky to be the students of somewhere like Orwell Academy," said the taxi driver, overhearing their conversation. "I am quite sure that there are so many high-schoolers who would love to be in your place,"

"Probably," Ray replied, while still looking at the huge campus of Orwell Academy. Alex also opened his mouth to respond, but the distinctive ringtone of Ray's phone echoed in the car. Ray fished his phone out of his pocket, glancing at who called before answering.

"Luke?" said Ray when he opened up his phone. "What is it?" he asked.

"Mr. Ray, where are you?" Luke asked with curiosity. "The ceremony is about to get started and I can't see you sir,"

"Don't worry, I am in a taxi right now. I will arrive there soon,"

"You are in a taxi?" Luke asked, his voice carrying a tone of concern. "What about Mr. Thompson? He was the one who is in charge of bringing you to the school,"

"I know," Ray replied, sensing Luke's unease about the change in plans. "But the traffic was so congested that we couldn't move for a while, so I had to leave the car and look for a taxi."

Luke heaved a sigh and maintained a thoughtful silence for a moment. Ray was also silent because he knew that he had to inform Luke about the circumstances. He couldn't because he was trying to find a taxi but it wasn't important anymore.

"I am sorry Luke... I know I had to inform you," Ray said. He got ready for Luke to warn him, thinking that not telling him might make him upset.

Luke finally broke his silence after taking a long, deep breath. He said "It is alright as long as you are safe sir," in a warmer manner than Ray awaited. Ray was stunned at first as a result of the unexpected understanding of Luke, but then, his face lit up with a bright, pleasant smile.

"Thank you, Luke. I appreciate it," said Ray while the smile on his face got wider. He was wrong about his initial assumption, but he was certainly not upset about it. Rather, he was glad to see how Luke held his kindness. Luke had been this way since Ray was a kid, and Ray wouldn't want it any other way. He was grateful for someone who always stayed kind and affectionate with pure intentions.