I didn’t have a chance to tell Noah.
First thing in the morning I received an MMS from Molly while I was busy looking for my math notebook. I knew I had put it at one point on top of my study table. But for some reasons, it had gone missing the exact morning when I had an assignment on it, and I received a picture of me and Noah kissing at Martin’s party.
Wer did u get this? I hastened to reply via SMS.
After a couple of seconds, a reply popped up on my screen. It’s everywhere.
Sheet. So here came the delayed reaction . . .
The news had spread extensively at school that I was so sure the next edition of the school paper would have my pretty face occupying the entire front page and not just a portion at a gossip column somewhere in the middle. At first, only the people who attended the party knew what had happened. It was strictly a junior party, or that was what I told myself. But I guess I could never be so certain now.
The minute I stepped foot inside the gates of Luna East, a girl with blonde highlights walked to me and gave me the middle finger. Then, her legion followed, giving me the same dramatic expression. I just ignored them, knowing I would only put more fuel to the fire if I fight back.
And this was what I dreaded the most: the Junior Section A classroom crowded with rotten tomatoes. I mean, girls trying to get the full story. And it was all because of me. What a big surprise.
“Oh-em-gee! You—you—you and Noah? Is it true?” She couldn’t even say my name.
Everyone fell into silence when I appeared—a little bit early that for the first time in my life I regretted the lack of heavy traffic on the road.
“Is it true?” the girl wearing too much makeup repeated, stopping me from stepping my foot into the room.
What was this, an exam with true or false? Unless it was photoshopped there was really no reason for the answer to be false. However, if they really wanted to know the truth, all they needed to do was ask gossip girl, and she would surely tell straight on. I knew she was one of the girls sitting at the couch near the place where Noah kissed me. And I was pretty sure she was the one who took the picture. But it seemed like she suddenly went into a hiatus, same with Noah, and I was all by myself as I tried to consider what to say, or what not to say.
Luckily, Molly fell in beside me and patted my back. I smiled at her. It was all I could do to stop myself from saying something unimaginable. “Can’t you see she’s not in the mood for answering that nonsense question?” she hissed.
The girl wearing too much makeup, most probably a freshman as her boldness showed it, looked like someone just put a masking tape on her lips.
I muttered a small thanks to my best friend but she just rolled her eyes at me in return. Then, we entered the room. And as soon as were inside, the crowd outside slowly dispersed. But it wasn’t the end yet. My classmates were the much greater danger.
There was silence inside the room. I didn’t dare looked at anybody, afraid of what I might see. Though as soon as I was seated on my chair, the room went back to its former buzz. I tried to close my ears from the noise, but two escaped, and had gotten my full attention.
“She’s pretty, but I don’t get it. Noah wouldn’t just fall for someone like her. It’s just way too impossible. Noah should have at least chosen someone in his level.”
“Maybe she used a love potion or cast a spell on him. Maybe she’s a witch.”
Then, there were giggles. It sounded vaguely familiar. The giggles, I mean.
I looked to my left and my assumption was confirmed. The giggle was from Chelsea and Beatrice, chatting away like I wasn’t even there. When I stared at them, they stopped and looked away, like they didn’t just say something awful about me. They were stylish, but they lacked brains.
I thought it would end there, but I realized that it was only the beginning. As soon as lunch break kicked in, and Noah was still nowhere in sight, the girls did more stuffs that was way out of bounds.
“Don’t mind them,” Molly told me, after a group of sophomore girls from Section B flung their hairs at me and stared at my face evilly.
“How could I ignore them if they’re literally pushing their distaste in my face? Can’t they be more civil? More human?” I moaned.
“Exactly. They’re human that’s why they’re acting like that,” she said like she couldn’t think of any other explanation.
“I think I’m going to die,” I said in obvious defeat.
My best friend shook her head. “If there’s anything you should do, that is not to die. Not yet at least.”
My head shot up. “And what do you meant by that?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. You can’t let those freaks get into you! Fight them, at least! Give them a good fight!”
“Yeah, right. Thanks for the pep talk. Really appreciate it.”
I heard my best friend sigh. “Oh, boy. If you won’t do it, I’ll—”
But she didn’t get to finish whatever it was she had been planning to say, because by then a slob of sandwich had already bounced from my forehead to the spaghetti that I was currently eating. Bull’s eye. Again?
I noticed it was chicken sandwich, as the smell hang in the air.
The first time someone threw a sandwich at me was during the time when a group of seniors were doing one of their famous tricks during lunchtime, which was embarrassing a freshie. The freshman was good at avoiding sandwiches thrown at him that the one supposedly for him, hit me. It wasn’t a nice experience at all, but Noah came down from heaven to punch the guy who did it. See where it got us.
Though this time I knew the sandwich was really intended for me.
“Oh my gosh!” Molly shrieked.
It all happened so fast. I looked around to check who did it, but nobody would even look at me. Great. Everything was just frigging awesome. Now, Noah would not be here to fight for me.
“Let’s go,” I told Molly.
“B—b—but what about the person who did this to you? You wouldn’t just let her get away from this, right?”
She was so sure a girl had hit me. “Right.”
“So where are we going?” she asked, looking like she might puke.
“Somewhere, anywhere, just not in here,” I tried to say with as much conviction despite the tension I was feeling.
But the look in my face must have given me away, because I saw my best friend holding out her hand for me. I smiled despite myself and took it. Her hand, I mean.
I knew the rooftop was the perfect place. The first time I stumbled on it, I knew it was going to be my one private place. I discovered it during my days as an outcast. The students I used to hangout back then had just been gone to a fight with a group of heavy-black-eyeliner-wearing girls from the Goth Club—I didn’t even know such club existed if I haven’t met the members face-to-face. I was tired and didn’t want to go back to class since it was already near dismissal time. So I decided to climb the stairs up to the last floor. It was when I saw another small staircase. I didn’t know where it would lead me at first, but I decided to take the risk and climb it. As soon as the cold wind hit me, I knew what I had come upon.
“Wow,” was Molly’s initial reaction after seeing the rooftop. “Is this for real?”
“I think so, unless we are in a dream.”
“No kidding?”
“Do I look funny to you?”
“Jeez. Are we even allowed to go up here? I have been in Luna East for six years and I didn’t know such place exists here!”
“Talk about new discovery. Do you think I should follow King’s footstep and dream about flying to outer space, too?”
“You should.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
The silence that followed was something we didn’t ask for but was there nonetheless. I knew Molly wanted to talk, but the serenity of the place stopped her. It always had the same effect on me, too. It was as if the place was built with good charms together with a calming effect that soothes the mind and the soul.