The Lemon Tree īī
1463 Words
The Lemon Tree
Chapter Three: The Day of the Trip
The day of the trip arrived with noise before sunrise.
By seven in the morning, the school compound was already full of students carrying backpacks, water bottles, snacks, sweaters, and enough excitement to power the whole city.
Nobody wanted to be late.
Some had barely slept.
Some came too early.
And one person arrived with the energy of ten people combined.
Nora.
The moment she entered the gate, she shouted, “Good morning, future travelers!”
A few students cheered.
Others groaned.
Becca ran to hug her. “You’re too loud this early.”
“I was born loud,” Nora replied proudly.
Regina walked in behind them, neat as always, while Seraphina came carrying a bag that looked suspiciously heavy.
“What’s in there?” Nora asked.
“Essentials.”
“That bag looks like you packed furniture.”
Before Seraphina could answer, Nora spotted an open pack of biscuits in Becca’s hand.
With zero warning, she snatched it and ran.
“Hey!”
Becca chased her instantly.
Nora laughed so hard she nearly tripped, dodging between students, waving the biscuit pack in the air like a trophy.
“Catch me if your destiny allows!”
Students moved out of the way laughing as Becca ran after her.
Kelvin nearly got knocked over.
“What is wrong with this girl?” he shouted.
“Speed,” Max answered calmly.
Nora tossed one biscuit into her mouth, then handed the rest back dramatically.
“I am generous even in crime.”
Becca tried to look angry and failed.
The whole compound felt alive.
Students took pictures, compared bags, exchanged snacks, shouted across the courtyard, and asked the same question every five minutes.
“When is the driver coming?”
The bus was already parked in front of the school building, shining under the morning sun like a promise.
But there was one problem.
No driver.
After thirty minutes, people were impatient.
After one hour, they were restless.
After two hours, they were dramatic.
Kelvin stood in front of the bus with both hands on his waist.
“Driver! Come out wherever you are!”
Max joined in. “We are aging here!”
Jeremy checked the time. “At this rate we’ll graduate before leaving.”
Laughter spread again.
Even some teachers looked annoyed.
Mrs. Dada kept trying to calm everyone down.
“He’s on the way. Relax yourselves.”
“Ma, that’s what you said one hour ago!” someone shouted.
Nora had now become the center of another performance.
She moved from friend to friend, hugging people dramatically.
“Oh my God, it’s finally here!”
She hugged Regina.
“The day!”
She hugged Becca.
“The trip!”
She hugged Seraphina.
“The adventure!”
She spun around and rushed forward to hug the next person without looking.
Then froze.
Strong arms caught her before she could fall.
The courtyard went strangely quiet in her mind.
Kael.
She had crashed straight into him.
For one second, they stood too close.
Her hands were still half around him from the accidental hug.
His eyes met hers.
Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth lifted.
A smirk.
Nora stepped back so fast she almost fell again.
“Oh.”
Kael adjusted the strap of his bag.
“Careful,” he said.
His voice was calm, but there was amusement in it.
“I—I was hugging generally,” Nora said quickly. “Not specifically.”
Kael’s smirk deepened.
“Clearly.”
Behind her, Becca made a choking sound trying not to laugh.
Seraphina turned away to hide her smile.
Regina simply looked impressed.
Nora straightened her shirt with dignity she did not feel.
“Well. Glad we understand each other.”
She walked away with forced confidence.
The moment she reached her friends, Becca exploded.
“He smirked!”
“He did not,” Nora lied.
“He did!”
Seraphina crossed her arms. “And you hugged him.”
“It was an accident.”
“Your destiny seems very clumsy,” Regina said.
Nora covered her face.
Before anyone could continue teasing her, a loud horn blasted through the compound.
Everyone turned.
A man in dark glasses was climbing into the driver’s seat.
The driver had arrived.
The compound erupted.
Students screamed, cheered, grabbed bags, and rushed toward the bus.
“This is it!”
“Move!”
“I’m sitting by the window!”
“Don’t push!”
Teachers shouted instructions no one followed.
Nora clutched her bag and looked once toward Kael.
He was already boarding, calm as ever.
She smiled to herself.
Maybe this trip would be unforgettable for all the right reasons.
She had no idea how wrong she was.
The Lemon Tree
Chapter Four: Big Head Energy
The moment the last student climbed into the bus, the noise doubled.
Seats filled quickly. Bags were thrown into laps and overhead racks. Windows slid open. Teachers shouted names for attendance while nobody listened properly.
Then the bus engine started.
A loud cheer rose from inside.
“We’re moving!”
Finally, after days of excitement and two long hours of waiting, the trip had begun.
The bus rolled out of the school gate, and instantly the atmosphere turned into celebration.
Someone started a song at the back.
Another person clapped along.
Soon half the bus was singing loudly and terribly.
A group near the middle began morning prayers, trying to sound serious while people around them laughed between “Amen.”
Kelvin stood in the aisle like a tour guide no one asked for.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Flight Trouble Airlines.”
Max nearly fell from laughing.
Jeremy shook his head. “Sit down before they throw you out.”
Students passed snacks across seats, took blurry selfies, shouted lyrics they didn’t know, and argued over which side of the bus had the best view.
In the middle of all the chaos, Nora had only one mission.
Find a seat near Kael.
She spotted him by the window, two rows ahead.
One empty seat beside him.
Her heart lifted.
This was her chance.
Trying to act casual, she adjusted her bag and walked toward him.
Becca immediately grabbed Regina’s arm.
“It’s happening.”
Seraphina leaned across the seat to watch.
Nora reached the row and smiled.
“Is anyone sitting here?”
Kael looked up once.
Then, without a word, he picked up his bag and dropped it onto the empty seat beside him.
“There’s no need for that,” he said calmly.
The words hit harder than she expected.
For a second, Nora just stared at him.
Then she forced a smile so tight it almost cracked.
“Absolutely. No need at all.”
She turned and walked away with what she hoped looked like dignity.
Behind her, Kelvin whispered, “Ouch.”
She found her friends and dropped into the seat beside them dramatically.
“This boy is actually ridiculous.”
Becca bit her lip to stop laughing.
Regina raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”
Nora threw her hands in the air.
“What does he even think of himself? Big head! Proud for nothing!”
Seraphina folded her arms. “Hmm.”
“He’s not even that fine,” Nora continued. “I don’t know what people are seeing.”
Becca nodded slowly. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m serious!”
Regina smiled sweetly. “But I thought he was your handsome prince.”
“He is nobody’s prince!”
“Interesting,” Seraphina said. “Yesterday you said his jawline was elegant.”
Nora gasped. “Why are all of you against me?”
The girls burst into laughter.
Becca leaned closer. “So now he’s ugly?”
“Yes.”
“Completely?”
“Yes.”
“Forever?”
Nora hesitated for one dangerous second.
Her friends noticed immediately.
Becca screamed laughing. “See!”
Nora covered her face. “Leave me alone!”
The bus hit a bump, sending everyone upward for a moment.
Students shouted dramatically.
Kelvin grabbed a seat and yelled, “If we perish today, tell my mother I was attractive!”
Even Kael laughed quietly from his seat.
Nora looked up before she could stop herself.
He was smiling.
Small, brief, real.
And just like that, all her anger became useless.
Regina saw her expression and sighed.
“You’re finished.”
Nora groaned loudly.
Outside, the city roads slowly gave way to emptier paths.
The buildings thinned.
The trees grew thicker.
The signal bars on phones began to disappear one by one.
But inside the bus, nobody noticed.
They were too busy laughing on their way toward something none of them understood.
- Writer
