Chapter Seven

Our home's entrance boomed through the air as I slammed it shut and hastened toward my room. 

“Where are your manners, Russell?” my mum’s thin voice said finding it’s way to the staircase where I was – a few steps left before getting to my room.

“Sorry mum, evening!” I shouted back as I hastened to my room, locked myself in and slumped on my bed and ended up regretting it as a loose sock with blotches of different colours bounced off my bed and tried suffocating me with it's densely chummy stench as it landed directly on my nostrils.

My throat went dry and itchy instantly, my head was heating up really fast as the hazy memories hidden behind time's facade of last winter began to unveil itself. I took an half empty bottle of water that I had left on my table last night and poured into a cup. 

"This should calm me down" I muttered to anyone who could hear me but that turned out to be just me; only me could hear me. I lifted up the cup to drink but it slipped off my grip and made a mess on the floor.

Shame on me. 

My problems were bigger than a thirst. I grew more uneasy as dribbles of sweat escaped my forehead. My armpits were tingling too. My hands were clammy and my feet were steamy and moist in my oven-like sneakers.

I was being delirious and it was all about the “Belgian dude”!

**

I stretched my hand out for the umpteenth time and hit the snooze button as I rolled off my bed and fell on the tiles. My cheeks got plastered to the tiles and I woke up with a jolt as the coldness slapped my cheek bone. I opened my eyes slowly to prevent the sudden influx of the sun's ray with a lazy groan followed by a big yawn.

I got up slowly and took a glance at my mirror – bed hair, crumpled pyjamas with a tissue role flying loosely with the breeze from my pocket. I lazily yanked it off, ran my palm through my face then took a peep at the time. I had 15 minutes before I could officially be declared “late” for school. 

I tore my pyjamas off my body like a crazed fellow, there was almost no time for a bath not to talk of a lovely jog on Vine Fairway. 

I was certain I would have outran a speedster in a "race to the bathroom" with the speed at which I dashed into my noble bathroom for a cold bath.

I hurried out of the bathroom, gave my hair a few swishes with my towel, wore a long sleeved, black T-shirt that had white spots accompanied with a tiger-skin coloured vest as well as a dark trouser with a gold chain hanging from the pocket.

I dashed out of my room after wearing a perfume, took the car key to my Hyundai Elantra which I had carelessly thrown at the dining table. I snatched three huge Belgian Style Waffles and packed them up carefully to eat on my way to school. 

“The waffles didn’t really have to come from Belgium did they?” I hissed at myself thinking of the guy Amaya was ranting about.

There was no reason why I should have hated the Belgian but I couldn't help it. Jealousy?

I had less than three minutes left to get to school so with quick short strides and a few long jumps, I got to my car.

Mason and Madison had already gone already with my parents although I was to bring them back.

I was home… alone (obviously). The gardener and maids weren't around yet so I had no worries of a snitch telling on how late I woke.

**

It was a horrible way to start the day in school. I mean first of all, I got there fifteen minutes late thanks to the occasional hold ups on the road and a look at my class schedules told me that I had history class with no other than Amaya. 

I decided to stick to the only plan I had and that was behaving like she never existed apparently oblivious that the future had a different plan; one that could do nothing but make us have contact with one another.

I packed my car in haste, dropped my key a few times before hurrying up to the school's buildings. I slowly opened the back door and walked into the familiar long hall – the longest in Starglint. The hall was silent, everything was in place, the hall's aura was too perfect but for a defective florescent bulb that had been that way for as long as I’d been in Starglint and the impeccable aura made me apprehensive but I had a much more bigger problem at hand.

I got to the American Chestnut coloured classroom door, had turned the door knob and was already sneaking in before I heard collected voice speak loudly:

"You're around now Harvey, I kept a seat for you beside me" 

It was Amaya, my heart almost cut off from the veins and arteries running into it as she blew up my cover and I could tell, although, my eyes were shut that Miss. Griffins, our history teacher had caught me and she had her attention well fixed on me.

I felt like a bacteria being watched beneath a microscope as I turned to look at Miss. Griffins. 

"Mr. Rhett, this is the third time you're missing my class in a row, explain yourself" She said very crossed as her hands went akimbo.

"Uhmm... I didn't miss your class ma'am. I just arrived late and it's because of the traffic on Clover Brown Lane".

"I already marked the attendance and that means you're absent. You have detention for an hour after school". She replied trying hard to keep her anger to herself. She really should've blown up.

I took that all in slowly as I had a seat beside Amaya - it was the only one left in the classroom.

I was definitely going to incur my parents' wrath if I stayed an hour more in school because I wouldn't pick up Maisie and Madison and that will make me grounded. If I tried skipping school, I'll get suspended then grounded too. There was nothing I could do.

**

The lecture to me was like trying to fill up a sieve, I didn’t understand as much as anything Miss. Griffins said, it wasn't like I was even listening at all.

Then, the loud, familiar  footsteps of the principal coming stripped Miss. Griffins of all the attention. The principal got to our door, paused for a second then opened it.

"Miss. Amaya Hillevi, I suppose you got the school's letter requesting you to spare your time in taking our new student, Uhm, Maisie Illeana who was transferred from a school in Bulgaria. She's in my office now and we expect you to be there in... Three minutes"

He said as he took a long look at his wristwatch.

"Now let's continue..." 

Were the last words I heard Mrs. Griffins say as my mind wandered out of reach of reality or life itself. She was here!

There was no dude from Belgium, there was MAISIE ILLEANA from Bulgaria! And Amaya was to be her... Guide.