Strings Attached

~Chapter 13~

Nevertheless, the nice person that I am (sarcasm alert!), I do hope and pray that he didn't run into anything bad.

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When I get out of the music room half an hour later, the bell for the next class has already rung and if I have to catch it, I'll need to be quick. But strangely, I don't find it in myself to race with time and instead, turn my footsteps towards the abandoned Science Lab where I usually have my lunch. I have this perfectly amazing book in my bag, waiting to be finished. And I can't keep my hands off it any longer. I know I'll be guilty when I think of my misconduct later, but I quickly make up my mind to skip this class. It's English anyway.

But, before I disappear, I have to go and spy upon Hiba, unfortunately. It's a promise, though, and I can't break it. I'm not able to do much, by the way. It's only a bit of looking out that I'm able to do, and to keep in mind wherever she goes and whoever she talks to. It's not like I can tell her what to do.

So, as soon as my spying is done and I don't find her in any compromising situation, I retrace my steps towards the library. And without further ado, I jog towards the deserted area and dusting away some dirt, sit down comfortably on one of the benches.

Fifteen minutes later after the bell has rung, I hear a strange thud-thudding sound incessantly coming from somewhere, and I keep my book back. I don't know the place that well, so I'm curious as to what goes on around this area. I don't want to admit it to myself, but I'm a little scared too. Sometimes, the noise is furious, urgent, as if somebody is beating something with full force. Sometimes it slows down, as if tired.

What could it be? I have no clue. And so, the curious cat that I am, I get up to investigate. Meandering for a while, I go about various places. I look into the lab, a store room of sorts, an aerobics practice area where a few girls are chatting away volubly and finally, I get near the sound. And the thud-thudding begins again. Turns out, it was at the back of the Science Lab after all.

The focal point of the sound seems to be a huge dilapidated room, very much in need of repair. And from the looks of it, it's full of sports equipments. If I hadn't heard anything, I'd have never expected to find anyone in here, it's that dusty and secluded a place.

From what I remember, there is a fully functional gymnasium inside the school, all bedecked with state of the art equipments. Who then, is so secretive to come here and practice in utter seclusion?! The possibility that maybe somebody's repairing some broken equipment also crosses my mind.

I am careful enough to set my veil back in place before I dive further into the mystery. And considering that the person does not want to be found out, I keep any noise my feet would make to a minimum.

By the time I cross all barriers, it's perfectly clear to me that somebody's boxing. As in, the game. But why here and not in the main gymnasium is a mystery to me. And so, to see who it is, I take a few more careful steps towards the source of the sound.

There's a clear area near the back end of the room. A big sack is hung from a chain, running in the middle of it from one end to the other. A stack of crates filled with tennis, cricket and ping-pong balls blocks my view of the person. Using it as my cover, I peak a little to see who is boxing so diligently. And the view amazes me so, that I recoil in surprise.