Sophie Esinberg's POV
"You've made friends here," Dany chirped, catching me off guard. I snapped my head in his direction, noticing the annoyed expression on his face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"That Raymond guy, he's the school badass, isn't he?"
"Oh, Ray. Yeah, he is. But we're just friends, Dany. We don't hang out or anything," I replied. I couldn't understand why I felt the need to explain myself to him. After all, he hadn't been there with me all these years. He probably didn't even know how antisocial my life had been. He wasn't there when I used to sit alone in class or during break time. I had no one back then.
"Well, that's evident," he retorted sarcastically.
"Anyway, there are only two days left until the submission, and I don't think Ray will even think about talking to me after that," I continued, my tone tinged with a hint of sadness. Deep down, I didn't want to lose him. Throughout my high school years, I had been a loner, and finally, I found a friend—or at least I thought so. Why would I want to lose that?
We fell into a heavy silence as Dany drove me home. He had been invited to dinner by my mom, who used to adore him more than me when I was thirteen. I resented him for that. Dany and I were inseparable back then.
Every morning, our dad used to drive us to school. The worst part was that he would always come before I was even awake, and most of the time, he was the one to wake me up.
And when I say the worst part, I truly mean it. He always found peculiar ways to vex me. When we were ten, he once applied makeup to my doll and, while attempting to wake me up, jerked me a little. I shot open my eyes only to find my doll looking like Annabelle. I screamed my lungs out and nearly jumped six feet in the air, while Dany stood behind me howling with laughter.
But wait, there's more. When we were fourteen, he placed water balloons on my mattress and pushed me aside while I was sleeping. I woke up to find myself soaked in freezing water. It was a nightmare. I caught a cold, and Dany spent the entire day apologizing.
Hah, I actually liked those memories.
My thoughts came to a halt as we pulled up in front of my house.
****
I was enjoying a peaceful sleep, until I felt something tickling my foot in my dream. I pulled my foot closer to my chest and curled up, still half-asleep. The tickling sensation moved to my ear. It felt like someone was lightly tickling me with a feather or crumpled tissue paper. I shrugged and shifted a bit, turning my back to whoever was disturbing my sleep.
Even in dreams, I couldn't get a good amount of rest. What the hell? Sometimes, our actions in dreams mirror what's happening in the real world, right? Like when we have a nightmare, our eyes automatically open with fear, even though it's just a dream.
The same thing happened to me. Unbeknownst to me, I was unconsciously responding to the tickling.
Tickling once again.
I shifted once more, this time deciding to turn towards the corner, just as I did in the dream.
THUD.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" I exclaimed as I realized I had fallen on my butt while sleeping. My elbow struck the floor, causing me to groan in pain.
Rubbing my elbow, I looked up to find Daniel Anderson in my room. "Oh, shit. I'm so sorry, Kim," Dany said, holding a crumpled tissue paper in his hand. Wait. So it wasn't just a dream.
"No, it wasn't," Daniel confirmed, smirking at me.
Did I say that out loud?
"Yes, you did," Dany replied, a mischievous grin on his face.
"What are you doing here in the morning?" I chirped.
"What? You're not going to school today?" he finally asked.
Oh, right. Today, we had to rehearse for our Physics project presentation—the one about the nuclear power plant. I still needed to make notes on the steam turbine and feedwater pump.
"Oh, yeah. So you're going with me?" I asked Dany, standing up.
"No, Kim. You're going with me. Now get ready," he smirked before turning around and leaving my room.
Mom must have let him in, I thought to myself. But just because we were the best of friends some years ago doesn't mean Dany can barge into my life anytime and pretend nothing had happened.
But certainly Mom doesn't know this. She has no idea about the fall out Daniel and I had once he left town.
I quickly took a shower, returning with a towel wrapped around me. I rummaged through my clothes until I found an olive green top with delicate frills at the end and a cute belt cinching it at the abdomen. I decided to pair it with dark blue jeans, leaving my hair loose but pinning one or two strands to the side after brushing it.
Stuffing my books into my bag, I gathered all the project pages scattered messily across my study table.
"We only have fifteen minutes, Kim. Hurry up!" I heard Dany shout. I rushed downstairs, and he handed me a slice of bread slathered with Nutella. I said, "Goodbye, Mom! Love you," giving her a peck on the cheek.
We both sat in the car, the silence stretching between us for the first few minutes.
"Um... Kim," Dany finally spoke.
"Yeah?"
"You said you had no friends after I left. What happened to Clara?"
Although Dany and I were close, we also had another member in our group—Clara Lively. After Dany left town, Clara and I grew apart. She started spending more time with Ellen Whitmore than with me. Our interactions dwindled to mere nods and half-hearted hellos. Well, at least on my part. During our break time, I used to sit with her, but one day, she started a fight with me—or rather, she insulted me in front of the whole school. She revealed that she had only been friends with me because of Dany. She had liked him, and now that he was gone, I was of no use to her.
I'm not sure if you can fully grasp the emotions that come with that. It's as if your entire world crumbles into tiny pieces. It feels like all the happiness you held in your heart has been crushed into dust. No, I'm not exaggerating. That's the harsh reality. When your childhood best friend leaves town and your other best friend tells you that you're a piece of shit and of no use to her, it's devastating.
"Earth to Kim. Hello?" Dany snapped his fingers in front of me.
"Huh? Um... Clara stopped talking to me after you moved," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" Dany exclaimed, a mix of amazement and shock on his face.
"Yeah, that was my reaction when I found out," I replied quietly.
Surprisingly, Dany didn't inquire further about the reason behind Clara's behavior. I chose not to disclose any more details to him.
Dany and I continued our conversation during the ride, reminiscing about old times. I was genuinely grateful that he had come back into my life. As we pulled into the school parking lot and made our way towards the building, I couldn't help but notice an Audi parked nearby. The car's doors opened, and Raymond and Ellen emerged from it. Our eyes met, and we exchanged smiles, a momentary connection amidst the bustling surroundings.
However, something seemed to change in Raymond's expression. His warmth and happiness gave way to anger and coldness. I couldn't comprehend what had caused this sudden shift, but I decided to avert my gaze and resume my conversation with Dany. The school bell rang, signaling the start of classes, and everyone hurriedly made their way to their respective classrooms.
Raymond and I had agreed to skip the first period to rehearse our presentation. I headed towards the old classroom on the fourth floor, a rarely used space that Raymond had suggested we practice in. As per Raymond, nobody could disturb us there. Hence, it was perfect for practicing our presentation.
****
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