Page 9 of Withered

“Sorry, Rose. The professor stopped me when I was about to walk out here. He lectured me about how I should pay attention and not sleep.” She gives me a tight smile.

I stare at her blankly.

“Hey, I swear I wasn’t sleeping,” she states.

I nod. “Yeah. Sure, you weren’t.” That makes us laugh.

We're eating in silence when Kristy notices someone behind me and pauses. I look behind me for the second time today and see Aaron and Olivia walking into the cafeteria, hand-in-hand.

Seeing them together, particularly Aaron, reminds me I need to ask Kristy why she had the photo. But she’s fixated on the couple, the fork in her palm about to snap into two.

I clear my throat, drawing her attention. I raise my brows at her first and point at the fork in her hand.

“Oh, sorry.” Her voice is low.

“Kristy,” I start cautiously, “I know this isn’t the best time to ask you this, but I need to; it is eating me up now.”

“What is it?” She asks, her eyes glued on me.

“Why do you still have that picture of you and Aaron?” I ask her, cutting straight to the point. There is no beating around the bush.

“How do you know?” Her eyes are wide and full of shock.

“I saw them in your clutch when I was looking for your car keys that day after the party when you were drunk.” There is no point in lying; even if I lie, what good will it do?

“I don’t know why I kept it. Honestly, afterthatday, you know, I wanted to rip it—no, burn it—but I just couldn’t. When I look at the picture, it reminds me of the old times and I keep staring, not even caring about the time, but when I remember everything that happened, I just keep it back.” She is staring into space; her eyes are getting teary now. But I know her well enough to know that she won’t cry. She can open up to anyone, but she opens up only to people closest to her.

“Kristy, this isn’t good,” I say. “You’re only hurting yourself.”

“I know, but I can’t help it.” She says this while fighting back the tears that are on the verge of falling.

“It’s okay.”Even I don’t know if it is.

“Rose, I forgive him, but I can never forget what he did to me. Trust me, karma will slap him hard before I do.” She finishes with a little laugh.

The rest of the time, we debate which food is better: boiled veggies or donuts. There’s no point; the answer is clear.

I arrive at my English class just as the second bell sounds. There is only one spot remaining on the second row, so I swiftly take it.

A boy I’ve never seen before walks into the class. Is he another fellow student? With his blue eyes and curly brown hair, he looks adorable. Instead of sitting, he proceeds to the front desk.

“Hello everyone. I am Professor Caleb. You can call me Caleb; I'm not old enough to be called professor.” He finishes with a cute smile, showing his dimples. I’m shocked, to say the least.

His eyes catch mine for a split second as he observes the class, and my cheeks flush.

He claps and says, “Okay, so we won’t be learning much. Your grades will be based on the assignments I give you. Other than that, you will be given a project to work on that will carry maximum marks. Those who do not take this project seriously will receive an F on their final grade.”

Time passes quickly, and now I’m on my way to the girls changing room. It is P.E. We must take this subject at least once. Because some students took this course last year, they now enjoy a free lesson. People who were too lazy to take it last year, like me, are now stuck with it.

Some girls have already changed. For the time being, I put my books in the locker and rushed inside the bathroom to change. When I’m ready, I go to Kristy’s locker, who turns just in time to see me, and we both head towards the gym.

Physicaleducation—whydoweeven need that in the curriculum? Our school has a huge gym and an outdoor field for sports.

The coach whistles, silencing everyone at once. He’s the perfect coach anyone could ask for. It’s because of him that our team always wins the nationals.

As we girls head for the back door, which leads us out onto the field, the boys get busy playing soccer. After a few minutes of sitting on the stands, we notice loud talking.

“Oh my gosh! Did you see him?” We hear a girl exclaim excitedly. I look in that direction to see Ava and Emily talking.

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