Elena Sergio.
Are you sure you want to go to school today?" Karen asked as I walked into the kitchen to drop off my breakfast plate. "I mean, you know, with the whole KJ thing I was thinking maybe you wouldn't. Maybe you'll want to wait it out."
Yes, I'd told Karen about what had happened. Aside from Matthew, Karen was my second best friend and whenever she was around I told her everything. Everything. Speaking of Matthew, the kiss we shared two nights ago surfaced in my head, lingering for a minute before deciding to remain there.
Not once in my entire life did I expect Mathew and I to share a kiss. Did I expect to be locking lips with my best friend of eleven years? Okay, maybe once I'd imagined it when I was in freshman year and developed this huge crush on him after he came back from the summer holiday in Africa with his parents, carrying a full natural tan, and obvious puberty changes to his face and physique. But it was what it was, just a crush, I never acted on it nor hinted in any way that I had one. And so Matthew telling me that he liked me "a lot" had thrown me off-guard.
But then there was something, a deep bow at the pit of my belly, resting there. My buried emotions, stirring up again, rekindling in a gentle flurry of motions. I paid no heed to them though. Yes, Matthew and I had shared a kiss. Yes, I tasted my best friend, but we weren't certain where we were now. I wasn't certain and after the whole KJ charade, all I wanted to do was lay low. For now.
What I feared at the moment was that things between Matthew and I would be awkward now. Yes we talked yesterday, and out of nowhere I had given him a quick kiss on his lips—trust me, I was still trying to manifest that courage once more because it seems like it's a one-time thing—but I feared even if Matthew being Matthew tried to play it cool and all, I'd make things incredibly awkward.
I sighed. My emotions were a mess right now, all over the place. I was over KJ already, that was basically how I was made, I couldn't stand hypocrites, and neither can Matthew. Another thing we have in common. So, I was over and done with KJ, but now I had someone else in mind, my own best friend, and much as I didn't want to admit it, knew my feelings for Matthew were returning and God knew I wanted to kiss him again, feel his lips on mine once more, remember what he tasted like.
"Earth to Ellie." Two fingers snapped in front of me, instantly pulling me back into reality and away from my thoughts. "Have you ever been listening to me the whole time? I've been talking for almost ten minutes now, don't tell me you zoned out the entire time."
"I'm sorry," I breathed, turning away from the sink and leaning against it. "I just have a lot on my mind right now.",
Matthew was a lot. A lot was Matthew. And I hadn't told Karen about it yet, mostly because I wasn't certain about what Matthew and I had at the moment. What we shared. Were we still just best friends? I didn't know. Were we more than that now? I wasn't sure either. One thing I was sure of though was that Mathew was the best human that wasn't a direct relation I'd ever come across and things were going to remain that way between us. Our friendship, no matter the odds, will remain nevertheless.
"What are you thinking about? KJ? What will things be like at school?" Karen asked, giving me a concerned look.
Like I said earlier, I wasn't certain yet and hence I didn't think it was time to tell Karen about Matthew and me, so I told a lie instead. "Yeah, it's about KJ. Guess I'm still shell-shocked, so much for believing and hoping for the best in people."
Suddenly, Karen stepped forward and put her arms around me, pulling me into a hug, one which I didn't reciprocate because I was too surprised too.
"It's fine, Ellie," she muttered into my ear, rubbing her hand up and down my back. "Everything will be fine. If it's your choice to go to school today then I think that's just the right decision. Do whatever you think is best."
Her words brought tears to my eye, surfacing, and remaining there until I willed them away.
"Thank you," I said to Karen as she pulled away from me. "You're the bestest sister in the world and I mean it."
"Well, what can I say?" She twirled her hair. "I am, after all."
At that, we shared a laugh.
I got to school later on by exactly seven. I intentionally came early just so I could avoid Mathew, who was a semi-latecomer, and avoid the whole KJ drama as well. The earlier I come, the fewer stares I was likely to get because there were fewer people in school at that time. I went straight to homeroom the moment I arrived and walked into the empty class. Heading over to the last row of seats, I picked one and sat down on it, taking out my headphones and putting them over my ears, then I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head and rested my head on my table.
After about ten minutes of being alone and enjoying the music in my ears, more students began to troop into the homeroom, chattering loudly amongst themselves. Annoyed that the sweet silence that came with being alone had been broken and now I could hear voices, despite the headphones in my ears, I cranked up the volume of the music to the loudest and buried my face deeper in the crook made by my arms.
Successfully, no one noticed me sitting in my corner until roll call when we had to answer our names.
"Elena Sergio?" Mrs. McCarthy called when she got my name—I reduced the volume of the music so I didn't miss when Mrs. McCarthy calls my name,
At the mention of my name, a couple of heads turned, and then a couple more until now the whole class was looking at me. Then hushed voices ensued. They were gossiping about what had happened at Kj's party on Saturday last week.
I ignored the fact that they were talking about me, that I was receiving all this negative energy because I had been so dumb to trust a stranger I had barely known for three months over someone I'd known for more than a decade. I ignored it all and answered Mrs. McCarthy then cranked the volume up once more, pulling my hood down further.
Only then did I realize neither Matthew nor KJ had come to class yet. A frown surfaced on my face. Why hadn't Matthew come to class yet? Was he even in school? What was wrong? Did something happen maybe when he was on the way to school? Speaking of which, why hadn't he called me or sent a text since last night?
Panic began to rise within me. When could he be?
While I was still wondering what Matthew could be up to and why he hadn't come to class, Mrs. McCarthy's words diverted from the names she was calling, gearing toward asking questions. Asking someone a question.
I looked up at once, my eyes falling on the doorway where the said person was. It was Matthew.
On seeing him, my heart skipped a beat, a sudden heat rising to my face. His jet black hair was tousled, but not in a way that seemed like bed hair, no. The sexy kind of tousled and knowing Matthew I'm sure he didn't do it that way himself. He preferred styling his hair neatly.
He seemed out of breath too, like he'd just run a race, his chest rising and falling quickly. Pushing his hair out of his face, his lips slightly parted he kept his blue eyes on Mrs. McCarthy.
"I see you've run quite the race, Mr," Mrs. McCarthy said, her gaze fixed on him as well. "Why are you coming by this time, Matthew?"
"Uh," Matthew opened his mouth to speak but he was stalling. I smiled at his attempt to come up with a good lie. Matthew had never been a smooth liar. There are expert liars, good liars, and poor liars. Kj was an expert liar and Matthew was a very poor one, which once again begged the reason why and how I was so foolish to think Matthew had been lying to me when he said KJ was only just using me for a dumb dare.
"My car broke down on the way," Matthew said finally, knee again flipping his hair backward.
How could I not have ever noticed how dreamy Matthews's eyes were? The perfect blue, like the sky on a clear, cloudless and sunny day. But he had sleepy eyes, and they enhanced just how sexy they seemed.
Mrs. McCarthy looked at Matthew for a couple more minutes before with a sigh, she said, "Go in, so we don't waste the time we don't already have. Any more of this and you'd be likely to get detention at the end of the day."
"Thank you," Matthew breathed with a smile, turning away from here and walking into the class. Then our eyes met, his blue ones locking my similar ones.
For the first time in three years, I looked at Matthew with new eyes, a new look, not the one I looked at him with before we shared a kiss before our lips met for the first time.
He didn't say anything to me though, mouth anything, he looked away instead and sat down on his seat in the middle of the class.
"Now that that's settled," Mrs. McCarthy vegan when an equally disheveled, almost confused-looking KJ, came bundling into the classroom.
"Oh, God," Mrs. McCarthy rolled her eyes, sighing. "You too?"
"Mrs. McCarthy, I—" KJ began when Mrs. McCarthy interrupted him.
"You know what, it's fine, although it's not okay that you came late, just don't argue about it, we don't have time for that. So, just going, next time this repeats it'll be detention straight." And then she turned away from him back towards the board.
My eyes met with his too, just like it had dine with Matthew, only this time I didn't feel anything toward him but anger and scorn. I made sure he noticed the frown that'd surfaced on my face on seeing him before I looked away and out the window.
Just then, a ping on my phone got my attention. I took off my headphones since the lesson was about to begin and covertly I looked at the message on my phone. It was from Matthew on Snapchat
I tapped it immediately and it became a full screen.
Hey! Wanna know why I came so late? Trust me, it's not because my car broke down, the baby's perfectly okay XD
On reading his message, I held back a laugh, seeing Matthew didn't know that everyone pretty much knew he'd been capping.
We all know your car didn't break down Matt lmao, I sent in reply.
What? He sent in seconds, my lie wasn't smooth enough?
Not at all, smh, you need to start taking lessons if that's what we're doing now.
Lmao, he wrote, well I came late because the one I overslept and two, I couldn't find my Monday drawers lol.
The pink one?? lmaooooo
Yep, the pink one. I'd rolled it up and kept it somewhere after drying it in the laundry but all of a sudden I couldn't find it anymore sigh.
I was typing in a reply when all of a sudden a hand slammed down on my desk. Mrs. McCarthy.
"No phones in my class! You know that, put that away!"
And then she moved on.
Lmao, sorry. Matthews sent after she walked by me.
You're done for, I replied. Once we get out of here you're dead.
Who else hates Elena at this point?