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Chapter 11: Done or come undone?

11 Done or come undone?

“Why the cross face?” June asked Nicky as they were riding a tricycle for school.

“I had not finished my homework in Physics,” Nicky replied gravely.

“That’s a bummer, I thought I could copy yours.”

“Since when did I let you copy my homework?”

“Well, I thought I could start today. I had trouble at problem number four.”

“I had never even reached there. I’m so screwed, now.”

“What happened to you? Are you still bummed that you got the lowest grade in the Filipino chapter exam?”

“Will you please stop reminding me about that?” Nicky breathed out a long dejected sigh. She looked away as she said, “I had a fight with my mom last night. I was so angry I didn’t finish my homework.”

“What did you do?”

“Not me. It’s her. Can we not talk about it, June?”

“Fine.”

Nicky had heavy shoulders as she and June proceeded to their room, after getting out of the tricycle. The class was all noise and uproars, and Nicky was in a bad mood to even bother to keep them all quiet, nor tell them to get to their morning chores. She slid down on her armchair, scowling as she watched the rest of the class chatter and laugh. They didn’t even seem to notice she was there that they just went on with their chatters. Only few of them were really attending to their cleaning duties. And for the first time, Nicky paid no mind.

I should really finish my Physics homework, now. She calculated how much time she still had before the flag ceremony. Twenty minutes. She figured she’d maybe only solve one problem in that amount of time, especially with all the noise in the room. She still had three more problems unsolved. She was about to fish out her notebook and pen when she suddenly hesitated. She realized she had not done this before—finishing homework at school right before the first period. Crap! This is so not me! She was cursing silently as her hand gripped on her notebook inside her sling bag. She knew she’d embarrass herself the moment everyone would find out she has not finished her homework and is trying to get it done right in the classroom.

She drew out a breath, trying to steady herself. She hated for slacking off. Why did I let my anger at my mom get to me and my homework? She glanced around and surveyed if anyone of her classmates had been watching her. She noticed no one was really paying her any attention. Inevitably, a few of them met her eyes, but they immediately looked away, avoiding her stare. She was somehow relieved that most of them even got out of the room, some stopped chatting and pretended to be cleaning or doing something, while ducking out of her glare. They probably thought I’m observing who’s cleaning and who’s not. They probably thought I’m making a list. That’s it!

A knowing smile was curving her lips as she slowly and carefully got her notebook from her bag. She immediately flipped it opened, then with her back to the wall, read swiftly problem number three. After a few seconds, her gaze went back to her classmates. She seemed to be watching them, but she was actually trying to digest what the problem was. She had to act that she was watching them so that everyone would think that she was just making a list of who’s cleaning and who’s not. She tried to convince herself that no one would really suspect she was just actually finishing her homework. She just had to keep a stern straight face.

Crap! How could number three be so tough? She was cursing as she went back to her notebook and scribbled furiously some equation. Momentarily, she looked up as she was trying to weigh in on the right formula. It was then that she met Eddie Boy’s eyes. She returned him with an indifferent look as she bent her head down to her notebook and finished the equation.

“Hey, I was cleaning!” A loud jeering voice made her gasped in shock.

She looked up and saw Eddie Boy, snarling down at her.

“I know, I know,” she hurriedly replied, her voice quivered slightly.

“It was my turn to clean the CR, and I already cleaned it.”

“I got it, Eddie Boy.”

“Let me see your notebook. I wanna make sure you didn’t include me on your not-cleaning list.”

Nicky kept her notebook shut closed. “I didn’t, alright,” she readily replied. “You know what? I’ll just have to go to the CR to really check if it’s really clean.”

“It is!” Eddie Boy replied defiantly.

Nicky immediately bolted out of her armchair and away from Eddie Boy. She was breathing a sigh of relief as finally she could continue her homework, without interruptions. Why didn’t I immediately think of getting inside the CR a while ago?           

She got inside the bathroom, relieved that it smelled of detergent, looked for a dry wall, and held her notebook against it with her hand, as her other hand worked on the equations.

A moment after, she heard Eddie Boy’s voice from the other side of the door. She nearly dropped her notebook on the wet floor.

“So, it’s clean, isn’t it?” Eddie Boy asked condescendingly, his voice, screened by the door, was sounding afar.

“Yeah. It’s fine. But, you don’t really wanna stay out there while I’m trying to poo in here, Eddie.”

She could make out Eddie Boy was sputtering some words of revulsion and heard his footsteps going away.

Nicky drew out a long breath and focused back on the homework. She was starting to feel confident that she could finish it. She figured she’d just have to hide inside the bathroom and then, probably ditch the flag ceremony if she still wouldn’t be done by then.

And so she ditched the flag ceremony as she worked on the last item. This really isn’t that hard after all. She was so amazed with herself that her grin was spreading from ear to ear. She was almost done with the solution for the last item when she heard the noises her classmates were making as they were getting back inside the classroom. Her chest started to race and the grin was replaced into her usual scowl. A few sweats dripped on the sides of her face. She hurried her pace as she realized the flag ceremony was already over.

“Finally, done!” She muttered in relief as she wiped her brows. She listened to her classmates settling to their chairs, their chatters getting louder. Slowly, she turned the knob and opened the door.

“Constipated?” Red met her right outside the door.

Totally caught off-guard, Nicky dropped her notebook. Luckily, it fell on the mat right before the threshold, and not on the wet bathroom floor. Red bent down and got it. He examined it quickly before handing it back to her. Oh, shoot! Now, I’m really done! Nicky thought in horror.

“We have the same answers at number four,” Red said.

Nicky was still flabbergasted that she couldn’t even look at him right in the eye. “I—I was—this is not what it looks like—I was—” She was stammering, and loathing herself for feeling like she was coming undone right before Red.

“Yeah, I know. You’re not really constipated. You just sweat a lot when you’re nervous.”

“No. You were right. I was a bit constipated. I had a bad stomachache and I think—I think—I was really sick.”

“Whatever you say, Nicky. But, what’s your Physics notebook doing with you in the CR, then?”          

“Well, I—I didn’t have a tissue.”

Red laughed crisply. “I didn’t know you could be funny. Now, will you please move out of the way, or I’ll pee in my pants here.”