The Boy from the Past

Chapter 4 - Past

04/01/2004

We are sitting in the canteen hall, the hubbub of laughter and noise of the other students doesn't reach my ears, because I'm wrapped in a bubble of peace and silence where all the sound from outside comes muffled, I peek at him from under my book, he is standing just across me, in the line of students waiting for his turn, holding a tray in his hand with a nonchalant attitude and an expression of impatience, a constant frown framing his face remains for most of the time on his elegant face, like he is always bothered by something. I never saw him smile though. Maybe because he is alone, I haven't seen him talking much with other students. He was wearing the uniform today. Black pant coat with a white shirt and black tie, quite basic. However, the black of his uniform was a little faded, the shirt was half tucked in and half out. The tie loosely hanging in his collar. He had somewhat charming despite his scruffy look. I was completely bewitched by that mysterious guy. He finally gets to have his lunch, a sandwich and orange juice, he walks across the room to get outside the canteen, where most of the older students eat, I have to convince Queen to eat outside...even though there is that gang of the infamous students of last year, even though 'gang' wouldn't be the appropriate word to describe them, they are just students, anyhow the lawn outside is supposed to be their place, and it's an unsaid rule that other student won't go there.

I'm so absorbed in scrutinizing the mystery boy outside, I don't even realize Queen has been calling me, 'Sara... hello? Earth calls you down, where the hell are you?'

'I'm here,' I say. She looks at me with a grimace, like she knows what is going on in my mind. 'It doesn't seem like.'

'I'm here,' I repeat, waving my hand in front of her face, and pull one of her fishtails.

Today she had styled her hair in two beautiful fish braids, Queen is good with hairstyling, besides she had gorgeous long blond hair, which I really envied.

'You are distracted these days,' she grumbles, shoving a slice of carrot from her salad in her mouth. 'Very distracted' she adds, noticing my eyes adverting back again.

'Can we go to eat outside?' I ask casually. Like it's a matter of no big deal.  Queen drops the sandwich she was about to bite, in a very dramatic way. 'What?' she exclaims, raising both eyebrows, eyes wide open. 'Sara Sword, you, the small, reserved and shy girl, who barely talks with anyone in the school, apart from me, of course,' she points her painted nailed fingers to herself. 'That's not true, I disagree with this description,' I complain and try to defend myself.

'You,' she points her finger back toward me. 'You want to go outside, on the lawn, the famous place of the school where basically all the cool people are. Wow, something is definitely wrong.' She ends with a mumble.

'I heard you.' I give her a dirty look. 'And there is nothing wrong with going outside, I just asked it, like that.'

‘Like that, yeah sure.’ She snorts.

I sigh and give her an exhausted look, bringing back my eyes to the book, reading the same line over and over again, my mind was on a loop. Different thoughts mingling together in one, my mind was fixed on the mystery guy.

'Hey, what's going on?' she asks now in a more polite tone, she has a spark in her eyes, and a lingering smirk on her lips like she has already unveiled my secret.

'Nothing.' But I can't stop myself from smiling like an i***t.

'Yes, but I supposed you are about to tell me.' She raises an eyebrow trying to look provocative and failing miserably, at least for me. 'So, who is the one?' she giggles giving me a mischievous smile. 'Did I even said that there is a guy?'

'Or, so what is there a girl?'

I hide my laugh behind the book that I was reading or at least trying to read. 'No, there is only one girl in my life and that's you.' I tell her.

'I'm honoured, love.' Queen swings the carrot from her tray as it's a rose and offer it to me. I give it a bite and smile.

'Ok, calm down with this dramatic act now, I'll tell you everything.' I grin at her. 'Yup, everything, everything.'

'Even though there isn't much to say, I mean it's everything in my mind.'

'You are hallucinating?' she asks and laughs at her own joke. I give her a dirty look. 'No.'

'Alright, sorry.' she gives me an apologetic smile. 'Did you talk with him?'

'No, I just told... it's a one-sided thing.' I sigh. I rest my chin on my palm, I wonder how it would be to talk to him. How is his voice? Probably something soothing to the ears. 'I don't even know if it's an even thing or not...'

'Oh, so you have a crush', Queen's blue eyes are big and observing me carefully. ‘Yeah, I guess so', I confess fidgeting with the hem of my skirt.

'It is the new boy in the senior year, right?', she asks me with a wide smile on her face. I look at her open-mouthed and suspiciously

'Yeah... wait, how did you know that?'

But Queen answers me with a quirky smile.

'Ah, I knew it,' she exclaimed clapping her hands. ‘He is the crush of every girl in the school, it wasn’t.’

I stuff a spoonful of soft caramel cheesecake in my mouth, suddenly feeling low, he would probably never notice me. There are prettier girls in last year class. Cooler, more confident, more beautiful than me.

Queen snaps her fingers in front of my face. 'Wake up sleeping beauty. Your prince is coming here,' she murmurs and looks behind me.

My cheeks are on fire, I don't want to turn, even though Queen is gesturing me to turn around, I mouth at her “stop it”, I don’t want to make my crush obvious, not more than it already was. My eyes follow him secretly and safely from behind the book I’m holding, he passes near me and then he is out of sight.

'He is cute,' Queen whispers when he is out of our hearing.

I sigh and continue eating my cheesecake, 'Nothing's going to happen, Queen,' I grumbled. 'I don't even know his name.'

'You can't say that without even trying and the name is easily findable.'

Queen assumes a thinking expression. 'We need to think about a plan.'

Suddenly the cheerful chitchat in the hall hushes. The gang of Max's group enters the cafeteria hall. No one dares to say a word when the group approaches a table, a few students sitting there hurriedly take their food and move far away to another table, quite a pitiful scene.

Max is the official bully of our school, and also according to some girls, a heartthrob bad boy, although I seriously doubt that. He is definitely not the definition of what I would consider handsome.

He had long black hair to his shoulders, pale skin and a thin figure, but he was tall, maybe that was what attracted other girls. He and his gang, of whom I didn't really acknowledge names, there was a girl, who behaves like she is the Queen of the school, her boyfriend Ian, the only name I knew and two more boys. They were all weird and emo, the kind of people who would listen to incomprehensible rock music. They weren't dressed in any particular distinguished way, as we all had a uniform, but they tried to personalize as much as they could. To me, that wasn't impressive, nevertheless.

The worst part of this group was that they were some sort of criminals, Max has been to minor jail once, the reason was unknown to many, but I never indulged in the matter. Many students have been a victim of his bullying and there were speculations that they were part of a cult, which sounded ridiculous although not very far away from the truth. Considering how the group behaved. It was the kind of group whose best pass time is playing with an Ouija board.   

Queen tense up and all the joy leaves her. I notice it immediately. If I found Max ridiculous, to Queen he was terrifying. He was her cousin; she hated this relation. And more than anything she hated any talking about Max.

'I think we should leave for class now,' I say even though our lunch was still unfinished.

'Yes,' she looks visibly uncomfortable. I feel bad for her distress.

A year ago, Max approached Queen to go out with him and his weird crap-ass friends, that day, unfortunately, I was not present and poor Queen had to face him all alone, she obviously had said no, a very clear no, which upset him to some extent. And he would occasionally bother her whenever he could. From that day we avoid Max like the plague. It was a small incident but enough to scare my friend. We get up and walk toward the exit, but we have to pass by them, we walk hurriedly and leave the canteen, not before we could ignore a sarcastic remark on Queen, from the emo girl.

'Ignore her' I whisper in her ear. Only when we are out, she lets out a breath of relief. 'Are you alright?' I ask walking with her arm in arm. 'Yeah, they are just a bunch douchebags' she responds with a scowl. I laugh lightly, 'Of course, they are,' I say.