Chapter 11: 11

"Ayla, come down. Dad is getting late for work", Mrs White called.

"Yes Mom, just five minutes", she replied, but her entire focus was on the mirror.

"I couldn’t keep myself calm. My heart is beating damn loud. I’m getting scared. Should I just tell dad I will go tomorrow? No, no, I can’t always make excuses. I already lost my one year", she kept looking toward Mirror.

She took a deep breath and kept her tablets in her bag.

"I’m ready. You can do it, Ayla", she said and ran downstairs when her eye fell on his crooked necktie of Jace.

"Ayla, I’m ready, let’s go", he said, but Ayla stopped him.

"Let me fix it", she said while trying to fix his tie. She was on her tiptoe.

"It’s ok. I don’t have a problem with this", Jace kept telling, but she didn’t listen. At last, she did it.

"Yeah, now it looks perfect", she again smiled, showing her teeth, making everyone stunned in place. They kept trying to hide their expressions.

"Ayla, come now", Mr White called her.

Mr White drove his car in their school direction when Ayla asked.

"Dad", she called out.

"What is it?"

"Dad, you said I used to study in another school, right?" she asked.

"Ah yeah, what’s with this?"

"Then I sure spend lots of time there studying, right?"

"Ye-ah"

"Then I would have made friends too, right?"

She asked while suddenly he screeched.

"Why did you pause? Is there anything wrong?" she asked.

"Ah no, I was being absent-minded. Sorry to scare you all of sudden", he said and again started driving, but he ignored her question completely.

In the meantime, they reached in front of the school.

"Ok dad I’m going", she said and about to leave he stopped again.

"Come here"

"What is it again?"

"Ayla, I need you to make a promise with me", he said.

"Promise?"

"Yeah, a promise that if something happens to you, then I will be the first one to know."

"What will happen to me?"

"Nothing, but this school is new and the place as well, so I want you to tell me everything. Every single detail, I should know. Got it?"

"Yes, I promise", she said and ran inside.

Jace ran after her.

"Ayla, stop right there. I will show you to your class", he said and walked her to her classroom.

They reached it in a minute.

"Now go inside", he said while Ayla was still trembling a lot.

"Don’t worry. Nothing will happen", he kissed her forehead while she slowly walked inside. Jace kept looking at everyone. No, it was more likely he was glaring at them. He was giving them a warning.

She slowly walked toward an empty seat and placed her bag. She kept looking here and there with her trembling eyes.

"Am I going to survive here?"

"But everyone is looking at me weirdly, making me feel so uncomfortable."

"I don’t seem to have the guts to talk to them, but I want to. What should I do?"

She took a deep breath while her feet walked on it toward a table where girls were talking.

"Hey"

They looked at her and said hi in a low tone.

"I’m new to this place and I already missed the summer course. I too didn’t have the chance to introduce myself so could you please tell me your name so that I can know you all in a better way", she said while rubbing her feet together.

She did not know if she was going to get their name or not, but before she could know, the teacher entered the classroom, making everyone return to their place.

She quickly returned to her seat as well.

"So now give your roll calls", the teacher started asking for roll calls.

"Roll no 49", she asked.

"Yes Ma’am", Ayla answered.

"Roll no 50"

No one answered.

"Roll no. 50", she again asked when someone answered in a breathless tone.

"Yes Ma’am", he was completely drenched in sweat while sweat kept falling from his hair.

"You are the new admission, right?" Teacher asked.

"Yes, Ma’am", he answered.

"I can’t believe you children are coming this late on your first day of school", she sounds super annoyed.

"Sorry Ma’am", he is still struggling to breathe. His face was still not visible clearly.

"Ok, now come in", he said while he slowly walked toward Ayla.

"Is this seat occupied?" he asked.

"No", she said in a low tone. Ayla didn’t even see his face till now but still allowed him to sit beside her.

"Hey"

Ayla turned to see him.

"Hey"

"My self, Aaron, and yours?"

"Ayla", she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Ayla", he said with a smile.

Ayla felt uncomfortable again. She had a vivid memory where she could see a person of his height standing in front of her, but he didn’t have the smile expression he was having now, but he had a poker face.

"No, it can’t be. Ayla, you are thinking useless things?" she shook her head.

"What happened? Are you sick?" he asked.

"No, I’m all good. I just need to take my medications", she said and gulped her medicine at once.

Her fingertips shivered for a while, but she endured it. She kept having pain, but she was strictly ordered to have medicines no matter what happened.

"You sure are all right? I’m getting scared", he tried to extend his hand, but she stopped.

"Aren’t you too friendly with me when we just met?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh!!!!"

"Don’t act smart. I can see how girls are looking at you, so stop being so friendly to me when we are not." She said, slapping his hand.

"But I-

"Aaron, Ayla stop making disturbances in my class if you don’t want me to make you stand outside of the room on your first day", she said.

"Sorry", Ayla replied and started writing her notes.

Soon the class ended and the recess time started. Ayla again went to those girls, but as soon as they saw her, they walked away. Her face looked sad, so she thought to have her lunch at her seat, but that was too tough for her.

She kept standing at a distance when she was seeing the other girl classmates surrounding Aaron. Even her seat was not vacant when her tears fell from her eyes.

"I feel stuffy", she said in a low tone and ran outside but she hit someone.

"Rat, is it you?" he asked when Ayla looked up.

"Brother James?"

"Yeah, it’s me", he replied.

Then he noticed she had tears in her eyes.

"Were you crying?" he asked while wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.

"I.....

She stopped.

"It’s ok if you don’t want to", he said and took her with him.

"I didn’t", she kept shaking her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand you didn’t cry. You don’t have to give me proof", he laughed.

"You always tease me", she pouted.

"When did I?"

"Just now"

"Whoa, Ayla, you are a big fat liar", he made a funny face.

"Haaa, you are accusing someone younger than you? Terrible." She went with him.

"Damn, I can’t keep this up with you", he laughed while she burst into laughter.

The entire corridor was empty. It was dark, but their laughter kept echoing in the empty place. It must be the first time she laughed this much in years.

But they didn’t even notice there was someone in the dark listening to their laugh, which was so loud to ignore.

"I wish I would be the one in his place", he said.

It was Aaron.

"I too came here to get close to you."

"I, too, wanted to make you smile."

"I too wanted you to share things with me, but why do I feel like I keep falling deep even if I try to stop?"

"I know it is my fault."

"I know it is my fault she went through that stage when I could have tried to prevent it but I couldn’t."

"I want to have the freedom he has but I think everything is slipping through my palm just like soil. No matter how I’m trying to get a hold of it, it keeps slipping through my palm."

"I hate this feeling which kept making me feel this way, but I couldn’t."

"Ayla, recognize me!!!"

"But....

"But if you recognize me, then you will hate me more."

"You will hate me more than what we have now."

"I’m such a coward."

"Still I hate this to my core and can’t shake these feelings away from me."

"Ayla"

"Ayla"

"Ayla"

"Ayla"

"That’s all I can do to see you from afar. I deserve this."

"If I could have held you when I had the chance, then I wouldn’t have to feel this way with these scared feelings. I hate it. I hate it with all my heart. But I can’t do anything."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay