Tensed Questionnaire

Chapter 9

Tensed Questionnaire.

Lyla Atelo.

The rest of the week passed in a blur with me actively avoiding anything that would lead me to Sage. His message still balanced itself in my trash bin.

"Mrs. Lyla?" I heard my name being called by a student, and I turned around to find the blonde-haired girl I had seen in the cafeteria sitting beside Sage's friend. I couldn't help the fear that gripped my heart because she was one of the few persons that Sage allowed around him. Did she come to deliver a message?

"Yes?"

"Can I help you with your books?" She didn't even wait for me to respond before she dragged the books from my arms. "Whew! This is extremely heavy!" She gestured to the thick textbooks that were now in her hands. "How do you walk around carrying this thing without falling over? Other teachers use their tablets to teach." She frowned before her eyes lit up again. "My name is Sara, by the way. I've heard so much about you from my boyfriend."

Boyfriend? Panic almost seized me... Not only that, but why did I feel a tinge of jealousy as she said that word. Sage had a girlfriend and he was sending all those messages to me?

"Sage Dominic?" I steadied my breath.

Her eyebrows drew together before she broke into a wide smile. "Oh, no, silly!" She chuckled, then she pulled towards me and lowered her voice. "Although I wish that could be true. It's what every girl in the school wishes, but he is so cold and uninterested and scary. Like a god you can only look at from a distance without approaching. No one wants to risk the consequences that may follow if they try to get too close to him."

"But you are close to him." I reminded her. "I saw you the other day in the Cafeteria with him."

"You saw me with my boyfriend, Elijah Rudiyah. His best friend." She corrected me immediately, and I couldn't help the feeling of relief that washed over me.

"Oh..." I vaguely remembered the boy that had tried to encourage Sage to have me fired.

"So... What's your deal?" She asked. I was stunned that I paused in my steps.

"Excuse me?"

She didn't blink. "What's your deal with Sage Dominic, Mrs. Lyla? Are you blackmailing him or trying to extort money from him because of his rich background?"

"What?" The fact that she kept a straight face while asking all these questions made me pissed. "Why would you insinuate that kind of thing?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "My boyfriend seems to think so. He believes that that is the reason why you're still here in this school. The reason why Sage has not had you fired already... You know that you should be gone by now, don't you?"

The words got stuck in my throat. Of course, I knew that. But how was I going to explain the situation to her? In fact, did it need any form of explanation? I sighed heavily and looked at the beautiful girl in front of me.

"Have you, perhaps, asked Mr. Sage why he hasn't had me fired? I don't call the shots here." I told her.

Something flashed across her eyes. Fear. I could see that much. So, she was scared of him as well.

"That wouldn't be necessary." She faked a sweet smile my way. "Where is your office?"

It seemed like she still had more questions to ask me. She was relentless.

"Don't get me wrong for the questions that I'm constantly asking you..." She sighed slowly. "You know, nobody seems to understand Sage and why he does what he does. But at the same time, we wouldn't want anyone to try to take advantage of him when he decides to be kind. We are just looking out for our friend."

"I understand." I said dryly, but I didn't understand her at all. I wanted to be done with this conversation as fast as I could.

She followed me down the halls of the school quietly while carrying my books. I thought she finished talking until she brought up the one topic that I had successfully tried to avoid the whole week.

"What happened to Mr. Teddy?" Her voice wasn't so low, but it wasn't echoing across the hallway.

"For the umpteenth time, Miss Sara, I don't know what happened." I lied smoothly through my teeth, but the girl that was walking behind me was smarter. It was like she could see through me, the same way Sage always did.

Sage... Why did I have to think about him again?

"You're lying, and you know it." Her voice turned softer. "Everyone knows that he went to Sage to plead for your case. How did any of that escalate to Sage breaking his arm, firing him, and having him move across countries? Sage never goes that far. He only stops at relieving a teacher of his/her duties, and I know this because his best friend tells me everything."

I wasn't aware that Sage had Teddy leave the country. Again, guilt clawed my insides for what had happened. I was the cause of all this. If only I had not...

I shook my head a little too vigorously. "Honestly speaking, Miss Sara, from everything you've said, you've made me believe that Mr. Sage is unpredictable. And that was what happened. I don't know if Mr. Teddy had prior issues with him and he reacted that way. I don't exactly know the details."

I could feel the girl's eyes on me. I could tell that she was debating whether to believe me or not. I hoped it was the former.

The bell rang immediately we got in front of my office. Sara transferred all the books she was holding back to my hands and flashed me a big smile.

"Well...it was nice meeting you, Mrs. Lyla. I hope we become really good friends in the future." She sashayed out of the office and into the corridor.

I felt my shoulders relaxing as soon as she was out of sight. That questionnaire session with her was so intense. I dumped my books on the table and went to check my timetable.

'What class do I have to teach next?' I murmured to myself.

My eyes travelled across my timetable that I had pasted on the wall, and my breath hitched.

Business and Economics... In Sage's class.