Not Breaking

Chapter # 10

The next day, as usual, George was giving a lecture in class, and today, when he, as always glanced at Jenna, he saw she was not looking at him now, just around herself, like trying too hard not to look. Well, then he continued, and when he was about to leave, again he stopped and looked at her for a second. Jenna was looking straight and smiling to herself. George obviously shrugged it off, because he didn't know anything, and left.

As usual, George came to her house in the evening, but what was new was that Jenna opened the door with a smile. George also smiles, and comes in. "Um.. You didn't come yesterday?" She asked while smiling, coming in with him, trying very hard to be casual, not showing how much she wanted to know. "Yes. Sorry I should have informed you that I couldn't come yesterday.. But um, sorry I didn't get time." He said, apologetically. "It's okay.. but what happened that you didn't get time?" She asked, softly.

She was acting strangely elated, then they both sat down. "An old friend of mine has come.." He took a pause and chuckled, "But you see he was not kind of an old friend either, and neither is he now, but, um, it's a long story, but he just took me with him like forcefully. That's it." He said, and shrugged.

"Forcefully?"

"You see, if I had not gone with him he could have taken me by pulling me with him." He said while shaking his head and sighed. "Oh wow. A person who is not even a friend, you listen to him too?" She asked. "Yeah, you can see." He smiled a bit. "Yeah yeah" She said, delighted. "You don't have any friends?" He suddenly asked. "No," She said, quietly. "There must be someone?"

"No." She shrugged. "But why?" He asked, tenderly. "No one talks with me." She said, shrugging, "Nor did I feel that there should be." George leaned a little forward, "Did you see how you talk to everybody?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" She asked, unaware of herself. "Oh you don't even try to talk with anyone, and when you do.. Oh god, what can I say?" He said, jokingly, making Jenna chuckle.

"No no, tell tell.."

"You only know how to make the person in front of you angry. Don't talk to them clearly even if they do." He said, casually. "Really? Then I guess that's the reason I don't have friends.." She ended her sentence sadly. "But why Jenna? Why is there such a reason in the first place? Why do you do this to yourself? I know how you pretend to be, you are not like that.. you need a friend. To be rude to someone, you are not like that." He said, gently. "How do you know? That I need a friend, or how am I?" She asked, softly.

"Jenna, you also know that you are alone. Someone you can talk with, have fun with, and spend time with, there is no friend. And that you are a person who has such a clean heart and is so kind. You don't want to break anyone's heart.. And by misbehaving, you do not get anything out of this."

"I guess you are right? I don't know.." She shrugged, sadly. George took her hand softly in his and said, "I'm telling the right thing.." She stared, with soft eyes at him for a second, "Sir, don't you like holding my hand so much?" She said quietly, sitting still, she was more than delighted that he hold her hand. He sighed, let go of her hand, and moved back a little. "You- no. I hope that you won't be alone in the nearest future ever.." an invisible smile came to her lips, eyes shining. "Why are you thinking so much about me?" She said in a low tone.

"Just like that." He smiled. She smiled too, "Look, you will not leave me alone, you will keep coming here, did you forget?" She said, smiling happily. "Only until the exams are done." Immediately turning her smile down.

"Only until exams will be done?"

"Yes. They've sent me to prepare you for the exams in the first place."

"Then after that-"

"After that you will be all kind of alone in this house, and left being this cold, rude, type of girl." He said, lips forming a thin line. "So am I not now?" She said suddenly in a sad tone. "Well, I'll be trying that you will be currently, now, will not be like this. But then again.. whatever happens you will stay the way you want it.. Now, and when I'll be gone, then too." He told her, softly.

"How would you try?"

"I don't know. But how does it matter? Everything is up to you anyway." he said, thinking whatever he was going to say, all depends on her. She hummed and smiled weakly. After a silence, George spoke up. "Okay, so I didn't come yesterday, so today I'm gonna have to get you to revise from yesterday's too."

"What! No.. don't be that bad now too please.." She made a displeased face, he chuckled. "What happened to you? It's not like it's bad. Did you forget exams are close?" She looked down and said, "Oh yeah.."

Then he began to do what he had just said to her, and time passed like that. This time Jenna sat there while smiling innocently all the time. He gave her a lot of tests to prepare, so in the end they both got tired by giving more time to study today. When the time to leave came, "Why did you teach that much today?" She asked. "I have told you, filling for not coming yesterday. And that's important too, for your preparations for exams." He told her. "Yeah that's also fine, but I got really tired.." She said, tiringly.

"But, today, like a good student, you listened to me.." He smiled and appreciated her. "I listened every day too." She said quietly. "Yeah? And onwards?"

She smiled and said, "I'll listen to you onwards too." He also smiled, "That is something good.."

"Yeah.."

"Okay, so, see you tomorrow." He said. "Okay.. Bye.." She was smiling, like too much. "Bye." He said and was about to turn to leave, but stopped and fully turned to her. "Hey, everytime when I was about to go you said bye Sir. Not today?" She chuckled,

"You don't like it, so.. Should I say?" He chuckled too and shook his no. "No no, I was just asking like that. But you say it even if I don't like it.." He trailed off. "Yeah.. To annoy you." She said, surprisingly grinning. "Oh.. okay." Can't help but smile. "But I can annoy you even now too, so don't think about anything." She said, jokingly.

"Really?"

She chuckled and said, "Yes.. Okay. Bye.. Sir."

"You.." He trailed off, then sighed. "Okay, bye.." He said and then left.

After he was gone, Jenna was constantly smiling on her own. She was smiling, doing everything, she lay down to sleep and even then, until then, she was smiling. She was thinking about how he held her hand today, how his hand touched hers, that was so soft. When he unintentionally came close sometimes, his nice and soothing talk made her smile non-stop. Remaining like that, she closed her eyes, and one thought came to her as a question : Why? And finally fell asleep.