That One November Night

Chapter 10: The reticence

After the events of that night I left endless texts to Gwen. They started off casual – you know - asking how she was, saying that she was on my mind. I rang her after the first 5 text messages and constantly looked at my phone every minute that went by for 3 hours just waiting for a response. 3 whole hours... The texts I sent then got further apart; the last one I sent to her was on Sunday night just before I tried again for the hundredth time to sleep.

It read: "Hey Gwen. Look, I know it's probably just you being embarrassed about what happened at the party. Don't be! Just speak to me and it'll be okay. I promise. I just really need you to talk to me. Please respond ASAP".

Oh Guinevere...

It was Monday afternoon and still nothing. No texts. No calls. Nothing.

I'd managed (by some miracle,) to drag myself through the whole day. Going from lesson to lesson actually doing the work, keeping my mind occupied when all I could think about was her. Not how I had saved her from that pervert or how I held her in my arms as she clung to me. But the fact that she wouldn't text me back.

It seemed to take years but eventually I had reached the final lesson of the day. With another twenty minutes of the lesson left I looked up at the board again, then around the room. Rubbing harshly at my eyes, I stretched over to Greg who was still busy writing, "Yes, one second please Connor." His tongue stuck out as his concentration deepened and he forgot about me trying to get his attention. I rejected the thought of making any type of conversation with him; it was best just to let him get on with it. With a large exhale I realised that I had done all of the work on the board. Including the extension. The extension which I had set myself as well as the homework task from maths last period. I'd done so much writing that there was cramp in my wrist and everything which I had locked in the back of my mind came tumbling down. I just couldn't get her out of my head. It took a brief second for me to contemplate my next step but when I did my vision shifted upward to Skelly who was busy with another student explaining the first part of the task which was gargantuously simple.

Seeing that Skelly probably would be a while (this chick with long black hair was thicker than pig shit, she didn't understand that 'off' and 'of' aren't the same thing). Tactically, I tugged at the blazer hanging on my chair. Keeping my full attention on the pair, I felt around the pocket until I felt my phone. Unlocking it, I brought it onto my lap, under the table. No new notifications. Hesitantly swiping the screen I went onto my texts again nothing. Ugh, what was I expecting?

"Right then Connor, seeing as your off task: as always let's see how little work you've done today." Out of nowhere Skelly the teacher/ninja had made her way over and caught me on my phone. Turning my head up from the screen she pierced down at it, once noticing what she was looking at I willingly handed it to her, "Sorry miss". Her expression was that of confusion but then nodded as she dropped it into her pocket. Spinning around my book she was taken back at first and then flipped between the four pages I'd done today. She moved herself closer before looking up at me then down again with a raised brow, "I wasn't expecting to find anything yet here this is a full on essay and a half. Something is definitely wrong here," her jokey tone would normally make me augh. Not this time. I just nodded in hope that she'd walk off after some small talk about doing work but alas she didn't. "Connor?" just hearing my name made me think of- I made eye contact trying to hide the sadness in my eyes, "yes miss?" on the outside I was lightly smiling but honestly I just wanted to be left alone, the pain in my balloon chin didn't help.

By no choice of my own, we played 101 questions. Until after a few minutes I finally flipped, "Look I normally don't give a shit! Sorry! Normally I don't care. It's just right now I'm desperate to see-"