The Lemon Tree
1544 Words
The Lemon Tree
Chapter One: Before the Journey
The Monday morning sun poured through the classroom windows, warming the old wooden desks and dusty tiled floor. Students drifted in slowly, dropping bags, greeting friends, and complaining about assignments before the first lesson had even begun.
Room 4 was always loud.
Someone at the back was beating rhythms on a desk. Two boys were arguing over football. A girl near the window was fixing her hair using her phone camera. Papers flew from one side of the room to another.
And in the middle of it all sat Liora.
Or rather, stood on her chair.
“Attention, citizens of Room 4!” she announced dramatically. “I have come to make an important declaration.”
Her three closest friends barely looked surprised.
Regina, calm and elegant, continued writing in her notebook.
Seraphina, sharp-eyed and confident, folded her arms with amusement.
And Becca, who laughed at almost everything Liora did, leaned forward eagerly.
“What declaration this time?” Becca asked.
Liora placed a hand on her chest. “If anyone takes my meat pie from my bag again, I will begin investigations.”
The room burst into laughter.
From the boys’ row, Kelvin shouted, “Maybe your meat pie ran away from stress!”
“Kelvin,” Liora replied, pointing at him, “your jokes expired last term.”
Even more laughter followed.
Beside Kelvin sat Max, always relaxed and smiling like life was a private joke. Next to him was Alex, quiet but observant, and at the far end sat Jeremy, who somehow managed to look serious even when doing nothing.
And by the window, half-listening to everyone and pretending not to care, was Kael.
Tall, handsome, distant, and annoyingly calm.
Liora noticed him immediately, as always.
She leaned toward her friends and whispered, “Why does he always sit like a prince who lost his kingdom?”
Seraphina smirked. “Because you keep staring at him.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I’m simply observing nature.”
Before anyone could reply, the classroom door opened.
Their teacher, Mrs. Dada, stepped inside carrying a folder and a long ruler. The room straightened instantly, though whispers still floated through the air.
Mrs. Dada was strict, respected, and impossible to fool.
She placed the folder on the desk and looked around the room.
“I hope all of you are ready to listen today.”
Silence.
Mostly.
Then she smiled unexpectedly.
“I have an announcement.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“You have all worked hard this term,” she began. “So the school has arranged an educational field trip for Senior Class students.”
The classroom exploded.
Students shouted, clapped, and jumped from their seats.
“No way!”
“Where are we going?”
“Is it far?”
“Will there be food?”
Mrs. Dada hit the desk lightly with her ruler.
“Calm down!”
The room settled, buzzing with excitement.
She adjusted her glasses. “You will be visiting a remote cultural settlement outside the city. You will learn about traditional farming, community living, and local history.”
Some students looked confused.
Others didn’t care what it was—they were just happy to leave school grounds.
“When are we going?” Regina asked.
“This Friday,” Mrs. Dada replied.
Liora gasped dramatically and grabbed Seraphina’s arm.
“We must prepare.”
“For what?” Seraphina asked.
“For adventure.”
Kelvin raised his hand. “Ma, can we bring snacks?”
“If you ask another question about food, Kelvin, you will stay behind.”
The class laughed again.
Mrs. Dada continued giving instructions—permission slips, dress code, reporting time, behavior expectations—but most students were already dreaming of the trip.
Some imagined taking pictures.
Some imagined freedom.
Some imagined fun.
None of them imagined danger.
Liora turned in her seat and glanced toward Kael.
He was looking out the window, expression unreadable.
She smiled to herself.
A field trip, a full day away from school, and maybe a chance to finally get him to talk properly.
What could possibly go wrong?
Outside, clouds slowly gathered over the distant sky.
End of Chapter One
The Lemon Tree
Chapter Two: Cold Hands, Loud Hearts
After Mrs. Dada announced the field trip, Room 4 was never quiet again.
Lessons continued, assignments were given, notes were copied—but nobody’s mind was truly in class anymore.
Every conversation somehow returned to one topic.
The trip.
During break time, the girls gathered in their usual corner under the staircase, talking over one another with excitement.
“I’m bringing two outfits,” Becca said confidently. “One for the bus and one for pictures.”
“It’s an educational trip, not a fashion show,” Regina replied, though she was already planning her own outfit in her head.
Seraphina rolled her eyes. “Please. We all know you’ll still dress nicely.”
Regina smiled. “Obviously.”
Liora—who had now somehow become Nora, because that was what her friends often called her when teasing her softer side—sat on the bench with her chin in her hand.
Becca noticed first.
“You’re too quiet. Suspicious.”
Nora sighed deeply.
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s even more suspicious,” Seraphina said.
The girls laughed.
Nearby, the boys were just as loud.
Kelvin was speaking like he had already become the leader of the trip.
“Listen, once we enter that bus, everybody should find where to sit fast.”
“Why?” Max asked.
“So you can sit beside a girl before Alex starts pretending to be shy.”
Alex threw a bottle cap at him.
Jeremy shook his head. “All of you are unserious.”
Kelvin ignored him. “I’m telling you now, this trip is for enjoyment. Games, music, fun. No stress.”
Max grinned. “And what if no girl wants to sit near you?”
“Impossible,” Kelvin said proudly.
The boys burst into laughter.
From his usual seat by the window, Kael said nothing.
He was reading a book, completely detached from the chaos around him.
Nora looked at him from across the room.
Even when everyone else was loud, he always seemed like he belonged to another world.
And that only made her want to know him more.
The next morning, Nora got her chance.
Students were arriving early, dropping bags and preparing for the first class when she saw Kael walking in with several heavy textbooks in his arms.
Before she could overthink it, she rushed over.
“Wait, let me help you.”
Without asking, she took two books from the top of the pile.
Kael stopped.
For one second, surprise crossed his face.
Together they reached his desk.
Nora carefully placed the books down, smiling a little.
“There. See? Teamwork.”
Kael looked at the books, then at her.
His face became unreadable again.
“Thank you,” he said coolly. “But you didn’t have to do any of that. I didn’t ask you.”
The words landed like ice.
Nora blinked.
“Oh.”
He sat down and opened one of the books as if nothing had happened.
She stood there for a second, embarrassed and suddenly very aware that a few students had seen everything.
Then she turned and walked away.
At break time, she dropped dramatically onto the bench beside her friends.
“I’m finished.”
Becca looked up. “With what?”
“With men.”
Regina laughed softly. “What happened now?”
Nora threw her hands in the air.
“I helped him carry books this morning. Books! Out of kindness! And he said, ‘I didn’t ask you.’”
Seraphina winced. “Ouch.”
“Exactly! Ouch!” Nora cried. “He was so cold. So annoying. So—so unnecessary!”
Becca tried not to laugh and failed.
“This is not funny,” Nora said, pointing at her.
“It’s a little funny.”
Nora folded her arms.
“I’m serious this time. I’m never talking to him again. Never helping him again. Never looking at him again.”
Her three friends exchanged the same look.
Regina smiled knowingly.
“Nora.”
“What?”
“I know you.”
Nora narrowed her eyes.
“Tomorrow you’ll go again.”
“I will not!”
“You will.”
“I said I won’t!”
Seraphina leaned back. “By tomorrow morning you’ll probably be smiling at him.”
“Impossible.”
Becca laughed. “Should we bet money?”
Nora lifted her chin stubbornly.
“Keep your money. I’m done.”
But as she said it, her eyes drifted across the courtyard.
Kael was standing under a tree, speaking quietly with Jeremy.
For a moment, he looked up.
Their eyes met.
Then he looked away.
Nora’s heart betrayed her immediately.
Her friends noticed.
Becca burst into laughter.
Seraphina shook her head.
Regina simply said, “See you tomorrow.”
Nora groaned and covered her face.
The field trip was only two days away.
And already, her heart was becoming harder to manage than any suitcase.
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