Is Karma a b***h?

chapter 15

Today was another workshop session conducted by Mrs. Natalia. It had been almost two months since school had started, and things were going surprisingly well.

Mrs. Natalia asked all the boys to stand in a straight line and instructed the girls to blindfold themselves. One by one, she guided each girl and positioned her directly in front of her assigned partner, quietly and discreetly.

“Alright,” Mrs. Natalia began. “I know you’re all confused, but listen carefully. No one is allowed to speak. Stay silent. As you can see, all the girls are blindfolded and standing in front of the boys. Remember girls, the person standing behind you could be anyone from your class.” She paused, letting that sink in. “Now, on the count of three, you’ll fall backward and trust that the person behind you will catch you. One… two… three.”

Mrs. Natalia watched closely, a satisfied smirk forming on her face. Everyone did it perfectly.

Evy’s heart raced as she wondered who was standing behind her. Still, she followed Mrs. Natalia’s instructions and let herself fall backward.

Strong arms caught her. Relief washed over her.

After the activity, Mrs. Natalia asked them to remove their blindfolds.

“Now,” she said, “you may turn around and see the person you trusted blindly.”

Evy froze.

It was Edward. He was the one who had stopped her from falling.

Of course, he wouldn’t have let her fall, not with Mrs. Natalia watching. Still… It meant something.

“Now I want you all to repeat the activity,” Mrs. Natalia instructed, “but without the blindfold.”

Evy glanced at Hailey. After a few seconds of hesitation, her best friend took a leap of faith, and so did a few others.

She, however, stayed rooted to the spot.

Knowing that it was Eddy behind her this time made everything different.

Mrs. Natalia noticed her discomfort immediately.

“Did you notice something interesting?” She addressed the class. “People find it easy to trust when their eyes are covered, but when they can see clearly, fear creeps in. You all did perfectly when the girls were blindfolded. But once the cloth was removed, hesitation took over.” She looked around the room. “And it wasn’t just the girls. Even the boys hesitated to catch them. Only a few acted instantly. This tells us a lot about human psychology.”

Her gaze landed on Evy. “Sometimes,” Mrs. Natalia continued gently, “taking a leap of faith is necessary.”

Still, Evy didn’t move.

“Evy and Ed, come forward,” Mrs. Natalia said calmly. “Everyone has done it except you two. Come on, Evelyn. It’s not difficult. Trust him, and most importantly, trust yourself.”

Evy wasn’t afraid of taking leaps of faith. She was afraid of him.

What if he caught her? And worse—what if he didn’t?

Deep down, she knew she still trusted him. Somewhere in her heart, there was a tiny, fragile hope that with time, things might heal. But if he let her fall now, that faith would shatter forever.

She glanced around.

Her classmates were watching her curiously. Hailey, Owen, Carson, and Kayla offered her encouraging nods. Mad Maddy, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at her.

Then she heard Eddy whisper, “I will catch you. And I won’t let you fall. Never again.”

Evy took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and surrendered to gravity. Before her head could even come close to the floor, Eddy caught her.

Relief flooded her, but at the same time, a painful truth surfaced.

A part of her had wanted him to drop her. Because then she would’ve had another reason to stay angry.