Black and White

Chapter 45 A surprise gone wrong

Jessica's pov

Dan followed me to the hall. As he entered the hall, it was all dark. He nudged me and asked me about what was happening. Before I could say anything everybody jumped out shouting and laughing. Dan's mother came forward and hugged him. I couldn't read the expressions on his face. His face was blank. I had expected him to smile and hug me but none of that happened. I thought that it was maybe because he was too surprised to say anything. I waited for another minute, wanting him to say or do something. He kept a blank expression on for a long time while he gazed around the room. He finally turned to me. I looked at his face with happiness but the blank expression was long gone. He had anger and something I didn't recognize in his eyes. I didn't know what to say so I asked him if he liked the surprise. He seemed to be getting angrier at my words. I asked myself if I had done something wrong. I wanted him to talk to me but instead he turned around to face his mom. He asked her if she was in on the surprise. I could see guilt in her eyes. I didn't know what was going on so I waited for either of them to say something else. Both of them looked at each other without saying anything but they seemed to be understanding without even speaking a word. He finally turned around to me. I was about to say something but he shushed me. I stared at him with a pleading look. I didn't know what to say. He asked why I had done it. I didn't know what he was talking about. I asked him what the matter was. He raised his voice and shouted at me. It was the first time I had seen him so angry. I began talking again but he cut me off. He asked me not to interfere in his life. I stared at him with horror in my eyes. He turned around to leave. As he reached the door, his mother shouted from the back to stay right there but he didn't seem to listen. He stormed off. After about half an hour everybody else had left. I sat there in a corner while Dan's mom and dad wished all the guests goodnight. My mind was blank. I felt hurt but guilty at the same time. I kept asking myself about the reason Dan got angry at me. Dan's parents pulled a chair and sat beside me. I had so many questions to ask but didn't exactly know where to start. My mind was a mess and I think Dan's mom knew that. She sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. That was it. It was my limit. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. I broke down in front of the two people who I thought I would never cry in front of. It hurt that Dan didn't like it. It hurt that Dan didn't share his secrets with me. It hurt that he shouted at me. It hurt that he didn't care about my efforts. Everything hurt. It just felt bad and unfair. Dan's mom started talking. She told me that Dan's grandfather had passed away on his birthday. Many thoughts flashed through my mind. I stared wide-eyed at her wanting her to continue with the thing she was saying. She didn't say anything else but just looked at me with tears filling her eyes. She wiped them quickly and continued. She said that he shared a very special bond with his grandfather. She told us that when it was Dan's twelfth birthday, his grandfather passed away. I felt guilty all of a sudden but then angry at the same time. He had kept such a big thing from me. I didn't know what else to say so I bid them goodnight and headed back to the university. I entered the dorm and headed to my room. Everybody was already there. Natalie was reading and Joy and Suzy were talking. They looked at each other before getting down from their beds and coming to my side. Natalie was still in her bed. I felt horrible. At the back of my mind I was still thinking about Dan. I was wondering if he was already there at his dorm. I was wondering if he had eaten yet. All these thoughts troubled me. I just laid down in my bed and closed my eyes. I fell asleep in my uncomfortable dress. That didn't seem to bother me but something else did. I was wondering what I was gonna say to Dan when I saw him the next day. The next morning was a mess.I had studied for months for this exam. I was a nervous wreck. I put on my comfiest clothes and grabbed my stationary. I did not have an appetite so I headed to the exam hall. We were not allowed to enter the hall before the exam so I peeped in through the glass window. It looked perfect with tables lining the rows. Some of the people were already outside the examination hall, revising and asking each other questions. I took out my course book and looked over the main points. I had waited for this exam to be over. There was a crowd now forming outside the exam hall. I saw Dan with his friends. I headed over to his direction but he turned around because I guessed he had seen me. That was all for me to know that he didn't want to see me. I focused on the exam. At the back of my mind I could not help but think about Dan. The teacher was here and was about to open the exam hall. I walked in and found the seat with my name on it. I took a sip of my water and calmed myself down. All I wanted to do was focus on the exam. The exam papers were soon passed around and we began writing. I knew mostly all of it and I was excited after the examination. The results would be out tomorrow and after that we could head home for some time. I was excited to go back home putting all the worries aside.