Past - 14
Elysia's POV:
"How was your day?" Mom's excited voice echoed as I stepped inside. I looked at her, her wide smile, soft features, and, most importantly, that motherly affection in her eyes.
Automatically, a smile spread across my lips, and I immediately rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she embraced me back.
She was my biggest blessing from God.
"It was really nice. We went to the amusement park," I informed her. She looked at me, surprised.
"Were you okay?" She asked in a slightly concerned tone.
"Hm-hm! I enjoyed a lot. There weren't many people, and you know, Mom, we even went to the 'haunted house,' and I didn't get scared at all this time. I used the method that Dr. Smith taught me." I enthusiastically shared the highlight of the day.
"Really? My daughter did that?" Mom held my beaming face in her hands, her own smile widening, and a hint of mist in her eyes.
I nodded vigorously, wiping her eyes with my hands. She kissed my forehead, her happiness palpable in her eyes. It really meant a lot for her because it was a sign that my condition was improving.
"Then I need to thank your friend. Did he leave?" Mom asked, glancing towards the door.
I followed her gaze, remembering how Sven left without talking to me, and my smile gradually faded.
"Yes, he did," I answered in a low voice.
"Did something happen?" She asked, immediately noticing the change in my expression.
I turned to face her and decided to tell her everything that happened today. I wanted to hear her advice because I didn't really understand what I did wrong.
"I...I think I have hurt him somehow, Mom," I stated, feeling awful, recalling his expression.
I really didn't know that he would be so affected by my actions, but when he questioned me in the parking lot, I sensed that he wasn't just mad but seemed more hurt. It made me feel really bad that I became the reason for someone's pain, even unintentionally.
We sat in the sitting area of our bakery as I briefed mom on today's incident and looked at her expectantly, hoping for advice like always, to ease my worries and guide me in the right direction.
"Hm, why did you leave him and not greet your other classmates?" Mom inquired.
I lowered my face and placed my hands in my lap, entwining my fingers. "Mom, Sven is a famous guy in our school, and I don't want to be associated with that fame," I explained. I couldn't tell her that I was afraid Ophelia and her group might hate me if they saw me with him. I wanted to finish high school as quietly as possible, without trouble.
"Ely!" Mom stroked my hair softly and explained, "Sometimes in our lives, we don't realize that our unintentional actions end up hurting people."
"I understand your actions, because I know you well. I know why you did what you did there. But he doesn't." She continued.
"They don't know what you've suffered in life, which caused that action. Similarly, you may not know what your friend may have suffered. Every one of us has our own share of burdens and sufferings in life. If people don't share their sufferings, it doesn't mean that they aren't hurting."
"He may have misunderstood your actions of leaving him there. It may be a small unintentional thing for you, but for him, it could mean something different," I lowered my head further upon hearing her words, feeling ashamed of my actions now.
"Then...what should I do, mom?" I asked in a low voice.
She circled one arm around my shoulders and kissed my head. "It's very simple," she responded. I looked up at her expectantly.
"Talk to him," she stated. "Apologize for your actions, explain the reasons, and try to understand him as well. The best way to resolve a misunderstanding or correct a mistake is to communicate and then never repeat it."
"Would he understand?" I asked.
She smiled and replied, "I met him, and Sven seemed like a really nice kid. I'm sure he would understand and accept your apology," she reassured, ruffling my hair. My tense body relaxed after her reassurance, and a smile finally appeared on my face.
Just then, the bakery door opened, and dad walked in with a lot of huge shopping bags in his hands. "Honey, I'm home! I brought everything you asked for," he announced. Mom and I instantly went towards him to help him with the shoppers and placed them on the kitchen counter.
"What's with this melancholic atmosphere here?" Dad paused, looking at us back and forth, raised his eyebrows, and remarked playfully.
"Oh! Did the date not go—AH!" Dad asked but before he could complete the sentence, mom suddenly smacked his arm.
"Ah, right, did you bring dates?" She asked, clapping her hands.
Both dad and I looked at her with raised eyebrows, confusion etched on our features. She turned to dad, giving him a narrowed glare. Dad's eyes widened suddenly as he exclaimed, "Oh, dates!! Of course, I did, they're in there." He responded quickly. Mom smiled and turned to me.
"Ely! Honey! Let us show you a new cake recipe we're thinking of adding to our menu. Taste it and give us your feedback," she said, leading me back into the kitchen.
"Sure, Mom!" I followed her along with Dad, and for the rest of our time, we prepared some new recipes while our chat continued.
Lying in my bed at night, I had a firm decision in my head for tomorrow, and that was to apologize!
I was about to sleep when my eyes snapped open, bewildered, and my lips parted.
"Ares!" My hand flew to my mouth, and I instantly sat up.
"I forgot to message him. It's been two days since I told him I would inform him." I hastily picked up my phone and opened his contact, hesitatingly hovering my fingers over it.
"He must think how careless I am," I closed my eyes, smacking my head, and my shoulders slumped.
"What do I do now?" I mumbled, my fingers automatically getting tangled in my hair as I huffed in frustration..
**************
I glanced toward the entrance once again and sighed, rubbing my eyes and yawning. He's usually at school at this time, so why wasn't he here yet?
Just as I placed my hand over my mouth, yawning again, I saw Ares walking toward the building. Instantly, I stood up straight and waited for him.
He paused for a moment when he noticed me. I waved my hand, awkwardly smiling a little but stopped when he didn't return the greeting.
Okay, um!
"H-hi!" I said, lowering my gaze a little when he got near and stopped in front of me.
"Hi," he responded curtly, sliding his hands into his pockets without speaking further, waiting for me to talk.
"Ah, I'm sorry, for...you know, I, um, I couldn't message you," I stuttered, and the more I spoke, the stupider I felt.
"It's fine, I didn't realize anyway," he replied and shrugged his shoulders casually.
"Oh," I nodded, lowering my head and entwining my hands behind my back.
Of course, he wouldn't!
I know it shouldn't, I know it was nothing for him but it still affected me.
'Don't feel bad! Don't feel bad! It's nothing!' I reminded myself and stated what was more important.
"Um, okay, then... When is it convenient for you to meet up?" I asked hesitantly without making eye contact. When I didn't hear his reply, I looked up. He was watching me silently.
"Or, or, you can just give me the notes or guide, I mean, I can prepare by myself. I can talk to Mr. Mitchell..." I blurted whatever came to my mind when he interjected.
"Monday and Friday, after school, in the library!" He stated in a flat tone, adjusting the bag over his shoulders.
Huh?
My eyes widened slightly, looking at him dumbfounded. He raised his eyes in question, and that's when I realized he was waiting for my answer.
"O-okay, I'll be there," I responded hastily. He nodded and walked inside the building without looking back once.
Staring at his retreating back, I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Great! Just great! Now he thinks I'm not serious about my studies...
With a heavy heart, I went to my class, but then I remembered that I needed to apologize to Sven.
I sat on my seat glanced toward his desk, but it was vacant. Maybe he isn't here yet?
"Oh, maybe he just likes to spend time alone on his birthdays," my attention was diverted when I heard a group of girls talking in our class.
"I heard his friends found him in the amusement park yesterday. He always skip school on his birthdays. They were wondering what he was doing there alone," they were discussing someone, and I didn't need to guess who.
It was his birthday yesterday?!
My lips parted in shock. What have I done? Uneasiness and guilt gnawed at me like a needle pricking my skin continuously.
"Ely! I've been calling you for a while, where are you lost?" Aubrey snapped her fingers in front of my face, breaking my thoughts.
"Huh?" I looked at her in surprise.
"Oh, hi, Aubrey!" I quickly replied.
"I've been calling you forever. What are you thinking?" She asked.
"Oh, nothing. What were you saying?" I inquired.
"I was saying that we have midterms coming up soon. Can you help me with math? I can't seem to get it into my head," she pouted, with her innocent face. A smile automatically spread across my face, seeing her cute expressions.
"Of course, I can! Just let me know whatever you didn't understand," I nodded, pinching her cheeks softly.
"Aww! Thank you, Ely, you really are the best," she beamed, grinning at me.
"Oh, but there's an issue," she said suddenly. "My cousin just came back from Paris, and I need to be at home with her after school. Can you come to my home with me?" She looked at me like a lost kitten.
My smile stiffened hearing her words. Her home?
"Pretty please, Ely! Huh?!" She held my hands, squeezing lightly. I opened and closed my mouth hesitantly. "Please!!!" She pleaded.
"O...Okay," I agreed with a hesitant smile, making her squeal in relief.
"Oh, thank you, Ely! You're the best," she stood up excitedly and placed a kiss on my cheek. I felt my cheeks redden slightly at her visible affection.
"It's nothing," I responded with a small smile.
The classes started soon, but Sven didn't attend. I waited for him the whole day, but he wasn't anywhere - not with his friends or in detention. He had skipped school today.
Aubrey and I went to her home after school, and I decided to apologize to Sven the next day.
Aubrey's home was, as expected, a huge mansion. Her parents were abroad, and she was the only one attending to her cousin. Just as we made our way inside the mansion, a butler rushed to Aubrey to take her bag.
"Aubrey, you're back?" We heard an excited squeal from the living area, and soon the hushed footsteps reached us.
"Sammy!!" Aubrey kissed her cousin's cheek.
"I was so bored, I called some of my friends to meet up. Come on, let me introduce them to you," Sammy dragged Aubrey excitedly, leaving me there in a confused state.
I awkwardly stood there, hands entwined together, not knowing what to do. I was always anxious around people.
"You can go in, ma'am!" The butler, who was still there, politely gestured me toward the way they left.
"Oh, I'm not 'ma'am,' please just call me Elysia!" I smiled hesitantly. He smiled back, politely acknowledging my words, and gestured toward the room again. I slowly walked into the living area.
I heard various laughter coming from inside. Taking a deep breath while standing outside the door, I walked inside, spotting two more girls along with Sammy and Aubrey.
"Um, Aubrey?" I called her out. They all suddenly stopped and looked at me, as if just realizing that I was also there.
"Oh, Ely! Come, let me introduce you guys. This is my friend Elysia," she stood up and dragged me to sit on the sofa set across from the three girls. "And Ely, this is my cousin, Sammy; she just returned from Paris. This is Tina and Nancy, Sammy's friends." She introduced.
"H-hi, nice to meet you all," I stretched my hand out to greet them when Sammy suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Oh, there's something I brought for you, Aubrey, from Paris. Let me just bring it," she excitedly ran out of the living room. I stared at my outstretched hand silently.
"Same here, Elysia," Tina spoke, shaking my hand, followed by Nancy.
"Here, Aubrey, look!" Sammy entered just then with a pretty dress in her hands.
Aubrey squealed along with Tina and Nancy as they checked the dress and praised Aubrey and Sammy's choice. Not long after that, they all sat talking excitedly about Paris, shopping, different designers, cosmetics, and a list of things that I had no idea about.
I tried to smile and engage in a conversation with them, like Dr. Smith had once advised me, but none of them actually paid attention, lost in their chat.
My eyes lowered, fixed on the ground, hands in my lap, feeling really left out. This wasn't new to me; it had happened a lot in my previous schools, but it had never felt so intentional before.
I wanted to tell Aubrey that we could study some other time if she needed to attend to her guests. It wasn't like midterms were tomorrow. But she was so engrossed in her chat that she didn't even realize I was waiting for her.
Just then, the butler entered the living area along with the heavy tray of refreshments. I immediately stood up and helped him.
"Oh, thank you, child!" He said in a low voice. I smiled widely in response, placing the tray on the table.
I froze as I looked back at the girls; they were staring at me like I had done something wrong.
"Ely, you don't have to do that; it's their job," Aubrey said as if the butler wasn't there.
"Even if it's their job, the tray was heavy, and there's nothing wrong in giving someone a helping hand," I responded firmly, feeling uncomfortable under their alienated stares.
They all went silent at my words before resuming their talk and continued to ignore me afterward. I asked the butler where the restroom was and excused myself.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips after I stepped inside the restroom. I kept telling myself not to feel bad about anything, that they just didn't have anything in common to discuss with me. Still, it was mentally exhausting.
Splashing water on my face, I took deep breaths, practicing my therapy techniques. After a while of calming down, I went back to the living room. That's when I overheard Sammy's voice.
"Didn't you look at her uniform? It looked so cheap! At least see something before making friends, Aubrey. You're really naive to make people like that your friend," I froze in my tracks.
The animosity in her voice said everything. I walked back inside and addressed Aubrey. "Aubrey, I really need to leave. Mom needs me at home. I can help you study another time." I picked up my bag and walked out of the room without waiting for her response.
I needed to leave!
"Ely! Please wait," Aubrey rushed after me, stopping me at the main gate.
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Hey, lovely people! I'm really sorry I couldn't update early. I wasn't satisfied with my writing and I had to do the editing again. But as an apology, I would update 3 or maybe 4 updates this week. Please, forgive me! Next chapter tomorrow, the very first thing I would do.
I have another problem, my device has some virus or some sh*t 🙄 so please inform if you find mistakes here, the typos are going crazy in my application here but I tried my best.