The 7 Year Endearment. √

Chapter 4.

I couldn't have stayed longer in the infirmary, so I feigned my unbearable pain again, to get a ticket home.

The first unfavourable thing Mrs. Samuels did was to hit the search engine on her computer and dial Mrs. Parks' number. And I refrained myself from smacking on the forehead.

Mom answered the call and as my doctor explained my state, her voice laced with worry, I heard the frantic voices from the receiver and the call ended with Mrs. Samuels announcing that, my mom was on her way to pick me up.

Great.

The second unfavourable thing she did was when Jason entered to catch up with his mom, but saw me and stopped midway.

"Oh, hey honey." Mrs. Samuels greeted her son and went back to typing a receipt which I was supposed to hand it over to Ms. Wesley, the school receptionist.

"Hey mom." He darted his eyes away from me and acted like I didn't exist as he walked around the reception and took an empty seat beside his mother.

"There you go, Eleanor." She removed the receipt from the printer and signed on the paper before handing it to me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Samuels." I smiled at her and she warmly returned it back, but before I could get far away from Jason, she stopped and asked me, "Dear, will you be okay in walking till the reception or," she looked at her son who was busy on his cell phone, "My son here could accompany you."

No no.

His fingers freezed on the keyboard for a few seconds before he typed something and suddenly his phone was blasting with the classic iPhone ringtone.

"Uh, mom. See you later." He picked up the call and said, "Yeah I'll be in 5." And, as if the universe was helping him, the period bell rang, just in time, for the last class.

"Not so fast, Jason." His mother sternly said, which made him stop from running away, but I interrupted to convince her otherwise.

"Its alright, Mrs. Samuels. I'm feeling much better----"

"You were just standing in pain before my son entered, young lady." She looked at me in disbelief, "No way I'm going to make you walk alone in that crowded hallway. You wouldn't want elbows and bags hitting you in this condition." She looked back at Jason, who was standing behind me and as I unwillingly copied her actions, he was already staring at me.

Jason quickly looked away, and my cheeks started burning with all the blood rushing to my face.

"Jason, your last class is Math, which is two classes away from the reception." She said matter-of-factly and continued, "Drop her till there, if you don't want to sit all night and empty the medicines in the bottles with me."

"I'll take that." Jason replied nonchalantly.

And her mother looked at him in disbelief.

And I tried not to breakdown in front of them.

"Where are your manners, Jason Samuels?" His mother uproared, "Go and take her to----"

"Fine, fine." He held his hands up in mock surrender and opened the door for me and looked anywhere but at me as I walked out of the infirmary.

"I want you to come back and meet me after school, young man." His mother was literally bursting in anger but Jason just nodded and leaved the door to close it on its own.

We walked silently for 2 minutes not even looking at each other.

The hallway as Mrs. Samuel had said was packed with students, rushing to their lectures, some lingering on the corridors, gossiping or making out on the staircases.

Some hollered in my direction, shouting Jason, but I turned on a deaf ear.

As I continued walking towards the reception, I thought telling Jason that he didn't have to walk me till there. That was the last thing we both wanted.

But as I looked to my left to take the initiative of acknowledging him, I stopped in my tracks.

He was already gone.