Under the Gray Willow Tree

Chapter 31

When Gray had said 'this is goodbye' the other day, I didn't take it as seriously as I did today. I thought he meant 'goodbye' as in 'I'm going now; see you soon' or 'we're done'. Not 'goodbye' as in 'I'll probably never see you again and even if we did it's purely coincidental'.

Why have I these kinds of thoughts right now? Well, it's because, apparently, Gray really got himself very busy over the weekends.

On Monday morning, when I stepped into my first class, I expected Gray to be sitting at his usual spot, smiling at me, and telling me that everything is okay, and that everything will turn out right, and that we'll figure a way through this together.

But you know what?

He's not.

I thought he might just be late or something as I went to school quite early that day. But as it came closer and closer to the start of the new school day, and when he didn't come, I thought he might just have requested a change in his schedule or something, but when I tried looking for him, I couldn't find him anywhere else either.

I went home that day thinking that Gray might just have wanted to skip school because of everything that had happened and that he didn't want to face me or something along those lines. Or maybe he had caught a disease or sickness over the weekends.

That evening, when I still had not received any text messages from him, I started to get worried, and decided to call him. I pressed and held the '2' button on my phone for speed dial. But get this. The operator said that the number is unavailable and is non-existent! Believe that!

I thought that my speed dial might have a problem, so I scrolled through my contacts and found his number and called him again. The same thing happened. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What?

I manually dialled his number and tried calling yet again. The operator said the same thing. Stupid operator! But I guess they can't do anything, can they? It's not their fault Gray decided to get a new number. But why? So that I could never contact him again? Perhaps.

I went back to school the next day, hoping that I would get the chance to see him there. But I didn't. And somehow, that fact didn't surprise me. It was as if my instincts know that he won't be coming, but my mind hopes otherwise. After all, don't they all say 'hope for the best and expect the worst'?

But he didn't turn up the following day either. Or the next. Or the next. Or the next. Something is getting suspicious here... I waved the thought away. Nothing could be wrong. It must all just be a pure coincidence. After all, coincidences happen all the time, don't they?

So, due to Gray's absence from school, and my ever increasing worry for him, I went to question our homeroom teacher as to why Gray had not been coming to school for the past few few days.

And guess what.

She told me that Gray had dropped out of this school. Since Saturday. Thus, his absence for the whole week and definitely more. That news and new piece of information really hit me on the head like a brick.

I can't believe it.

I thanked the teacher and walked out of our class, stunned at what I had just heard. I kept on telling myself that I had only misheard the teacher, and that Gray is out with flu. But I can't keep on lying to myself, can I? I've got to admit the truth at one point or another.

I ended up going home that day feeling very grim and upset. I tossed myself onto my bed and curled up like a cocoon, hugging my knees tightly. And the dam inside me broke. A tear trickled down my face. And another. And soon, I started crying bucketful of tears.