The Wallflower's Revenge

AWR Chapter 17: The missing trust

The next day, Lea just looks at Leylah as she attempts to borrow her phone again.

"Sure," Lea said as she handed her phone to Leylah again. As soon as Leylah's hands touched the phone, she turned her back right away as she focused on messaging someone. It made Lea frown a little.

"Hey," Lea said as she tapped Leylah's shoulders. Leylah was surprised all of a sudden that she almost dropped Lea's phone in her hands.

"S-Sorry…"

"Ley?" Leylah looked at Lea as she bit her lower, inner lip.

"Do you need to tell me something?"

"Tell you what?"

"You know, random stuff that's bugging your mind right now."

"Nothing...what should I tell you?" Leylah smiled but her attention was not on Lea anymore. She focused on the screen of her phone.

"May I know who you message everyday?" Lea asked. She saw that Leylah was a bit surprised that she blinked her eyes right away.

“Why?”

“Well, I’m just trying to know who your other friends are. Maybe I could be friends with them, too, you know...since you’re my best friend?”

“I’d better not. They’re not really comfortable with new sets of friends and they’re far from me, anyway. You don’t have to bother knowing all of them so that we will not have any problems.”

“Problems? How could your best friends be my problems? I’m just trying to know them too, for your sake.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of you but thank you, Lei. I guess I will have to introduce you all to them if ever we’ll all meet in person. Don’t worry.”

“How about now? Maybe we can still know each other even if it is online? What’s the use of modern technology, anyway?”

"Again, let me tell you, Lei, it's nothing. I am just reaching out to some of my friends that's out of contact already. I am trying to reach them to ask how they are right now."

“Just curious, maybe.”

“Well, if you happen to have your set of friends as well, I don’t mind you talking or even chatting with them. I am not as possessive as you are, you know.” Leylah jokingly informed her as she tapped her shoulders.

"Oh, I see." Lea nodded. She kept silent this time and she never insisted on her questions anymore.

She glanced at Leylah who's giggling this time. She seemed to enjoy her world like nobody was by her side, observing her anymore.

Hmm, she never wanted to tell me what's going on or who that girl really is.

----

After a few hours, Leylah decided to return Lea's mobile phone to her best friend. On the other hand,  she just smiled as soon as she did it but deep inside she was very curious of who Wilma really was.

She read and scanned her mobile phone again. This time, she wondered why there was no trace of Leylah's previous messages to Wilma. If she's not hiding anything from her, then why is she not telling her about Wilma in the first place? She started to trace everything that Leylah left behind. She tried to look at every possible message that Leylah made to all of her ‘friends’  but she couldn’t find any.

She couldn't even see her browsing history and everything Leylah did to her phone. She just saw things that she did to the phone and not the recent activity she made.

What made everything so difficult is the fact that she couldn't reach Leylah. She was grounded for everything including using her own mobile phone and even talking to her friends. Who could even make that rule? Lea couldn't understand why.

She reached home full of mixed emotions even if it was already late at night. She still has a hard time sleeping because of what she's thinking right now. She decided to go to the kitchen and prepare some glass of milk. She was able to gulp everything on it as she went back to bed. As she laid herself to sleep,she never noticed that she closed her eyes already.

When they opened her eyes she's inside the forest full of trees and wild animals. She looked around as if looking from the spot of where she came from. Nothing. It was all in vain.

It's like somebody put her there for a purpose. She felt like she's inside the big terrarium and somebody from outside is closely watching her every move. Everything is starting to get creepy the more she thinks about it.

"Hello?" When she started to call, her own voice bounced back to her. Her heart started to race. It's the first time that she felt like she's all alone in her life. She started to run between tall weeds and thorns that left her feet and knees with bruises and wounds. All of a sudden, he heard a sound from nowhere.

It's like a hissing sound from behind her. She suddenly froze and she felt like sweating all throughout her body. When she turned around, there's a beautiful giant snake sticking out its tongue as it looked at her. It's as if this giant creature is looking at her like she's the most delicious meal of the day. It is sticking its tongue again and it ran toward her in a swift motion as it opened its mouth, swallowing her like she's a tiny fly.

She opened her eyes and got up in the middle of the night. Lea is almost gasping for air because of that dream that felt so real.

"Whoa, that's a giant snake. What a weird dream." She slowly gets up from bed, still groggy from that intense dream. She got up from bed and went straight to the kitchen to drink a cup of water.

Lea is thinking that she's not even thinking about any other things before she closes her eyes. What could it be? What is the meaning of all of these?

The next day, she met Leylah again and even before she said hello, she already asked to borrow her phone. She’s full of smiles as she approaches her before the start of their classes. They knew they’re both early risers.

"Can I? Please?" Leylah smiled as she insisted. 

"Whoa there, you never said hello to me first and you already want to borrow my phone."

"Well, I guess it's a bit urgent." Leylah said. Lea noticed that Leylah couldn't focus her eyes on looking at her. She has a hard time making eye contact while  swallowing gently. It’s as if she really wanted to communicate with someone and couldn’t wait for that long anymore.

"Urgent? Why is it still early in the morning…" Lea reasoned out that made Leylah sighed.

"Alright," She said as she changed her mind all of a sudden. She quickly slid her hands inside the pocket of her skirt and got the phone out from her pocket. She handed it to her. Leylah happily received her phone and logged to her messenger right away.

"Who's that Wilma?" Lea asked that made Leylah hide Lea's phone screen from her as she put it on her chest. Lea scoffed and looked at Lea in her most serious reaction.

"She's...she's nothing," She answered Leylah as she typed some words in her chatbox without looking at Lea. She’s trying as much as she can to avoid her gaze. It's as if she's in a hurry to inform someone about something.

"Is she that important compared to me?" Lea insisted that Leylah laughed out loud in an instant.

“What kind of question is that?” She said between chuckles. It’s as if she couldn’t get over what Lea told her just now.

“I can see it right through your actions.”

“You know what? You sounded more like a possessive boyfriend to me and it’s quite funny, you know.”

“I just feel like I’m nobody if you started to talk to your other friends whom I didn’t know about.”

"What made you think about that? Of course you're my best friend. Are you jealous? Since when?" Leylah replied between chuckles.

" You can’t blame me. I’m always used to going with you and I am curious about whoever you're close to, this time."

"My goodness! That is so gay!"Leylah laughed out loud because of what Lea made her feel.

"No silly, I am serious. Can't you see I'm not even laughing right now."

All right, all right, I can see it. What do you want to tell me?"

"I had a dream."

"I had a dream, too."

"Let me tell you mine first because it was more of a nightmare." Lea insisted that it made Leyla sigh before she gave up insisting what she wanted to say first to her.

"Alright, go."

"Last night, I dreamt about a giant snake that attacked me from behind." Lea started. She noticed that Leylah is not even looking at her to focus her attention to her dream last night she’s telling about to her.

"Wow, too much fascination from watching fantasy shows will really trigger you to dream about those things." Leylah answered in amazement, her eyes still on her f*******: messenger.

Lea looked at Leylah who’s really focused on messaging someone on her messenger that she barely reacts to what she’s telling her. She started to frown as she folded her arms.

“What?” Leylah stopped chatting when she felt like Lea was just observing her and suddenly became quiet in an instant. She’s just standing there and observing her every move.

“I’m trying to tell you something and you’re not even reacting at all.”

“I’m listening, believe me.”

“Uh-huh? If you’re really listening, what’s my dream all about?”

“Yeah, right. I’m listening. Believe me. It’s actually about a bug…”

“A snake.”

“Yeah, a snake that’s crawling under your bed.”

“What?”

“That’s not what I said. See? You’re not listening anymore. Maybe you got another best friend out there who’s more important than me.” Leylah glanced and smiled at her because of what she’s feeling.

“You’re the one I chose to be with right now and you even tell me that? Oh, c’mon Lei…”

“But you’re too busy chatting with someone I don’t even know and that really bothers me ever since you borrowed my phone.”

“You don’t have to know most of my friends, Lei.”

“Why not?”

“Maybe they’ll be uncomfortable knowing you because they’re my friends and not yours.”

“Alright, I guess I will not have to borrow your phone again because you’re telling me these things.”

“No, silly. What I mean is, I hope you will not keep any secrets from me since we’re already close?”

“You had secrets too, right? If you have one, I won’t bother to know all of them for sure because you’re not comfortable enough to share it with me.”