“Jimmy!” I cried when I saw him in front of his locker.
“Oh, my dear friend, Cassandra,” he smiled nonchalantly. “Having fun last night?”
“Why did you do that?” I went to the point.
“Did what?”
“Hey, you think I don’t know that you arranged all the things?” I felt peeved by him. “I did you a favor and you were the one who should have done the favor back to me. Not Cody.”
He smiled. “I did,” he said and then closed his locker.
“You didn’t.”
“Cody, he’s my favor for you,” he uttered.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand,” I told him.
He walked leaving me behind as if he hadn’t just talked with me, but I ran after him. He didn’t say anything, and I just kept following him.
When we were in front of the Language class, he stopped. I did too.
“You’ll know what it means,” he said and then left me there. He sat in one of those seats and I stood beside the door.
I was wondering what kind of favor he gave me by asking Cody to help me instead of doing it himself. I really needed to get my mom back to work, that's what mattered.
I tried to forget it. I headed towards my first class, History and sat in my favorite seat then focused on the lesson and the lessons after.
~ IABOG ~
I came into Mom’s room just to tell her ‘good morning’ before I left for campus. She looked a little bit different today. She didn’t have deep panda eyes caused by crying every night. She put makeup on her face. She looked cheerful.
“Why do I catch a glimpse of joy in you? Is there something good, mom?” I asked her when she was dressing in front of the mirror.
She looked at me who was sitting on her bed through the mirror. She smiled.
“What is it all about, mom?” I frowned. “Don’t make me curious.”
She turned her body from the mirror to me and approached me. I gave some space for her to sit next to me and she smiled.
“What mom? Oh, now you're driving me crazy,”
“I got my job back!” she exclaimed.
“How come?” I asked. “The other day you said that you couldn’t stand with your boss who oppressed you. And now you want to go back to the enslavement?”
She shook her head. “He was caught guilty of doing corruption. Now a new boss has been chosen. He is a close friend of mine. He asked me to go back there and work as I used to,” she explained.
I didn’t respond directly to her explanation. A part of me felt so glad and grateful, but another part felt disappointed. It was because the time I spent with Cody on the other night was useless. She already got her own job. The job that she always wanted. I always knew it that the sadness she felt was not that she couldn’t support our family’s finances, but she lost her dream job.
“Dear Cassy, what?” she woke me up from musing.
“Well, I was just thinking about what I should do to spend half my day without you. Again,” I said.
“Are you sad about that? If you are, I can –”
“No, mom,” I cut her. “I’m so happy. Never been so much happier than now.”
Mom patted my back. “I love you, Cass,” she said.
“I love you too, mom,” I said. “But hurry up. It’s almost seven. You start at 8.30, right?”
She nodded. “I’ll go now, sweetheart. Take care of yourself,” she stood up and grabbed her bag.
“You too, mom!” I exclaimed as she went out of the room.
I remained silent for a while there inside the room, thinking about some random things, but then I got up and prepared for the campus.
I walked towards the library. My class started at nine. It was still eight, so I thought an hour spending time to read would be a good option to upgrade my knowledge in German. Well, yeah. I tried to keep some from the German book. I promised myself. And God. I know He was always watching over me.
I took a note for some meaning I didn’t understand. The time I got my German class I’d ask for it.
“Cassy,” someone called my name. The name of which nobody ever called me with except mom and Cody. Mom wasn’t here beside me, so it meant Cody was the one.
“Hi, Cody,” I looked up to him who was standing in front of me.
“You recognize me,” he sat on the seat next to me. “How are you?”
“So far, so good,” I answered.
“Your mom?”
I flicked my fingers. “That’s what I want to tell you,” I remembered.
“Really?” he looked intently to me.
I nodded. “You don’t have to help me anymore to find a job for my mom,” I told him.
“Why? Is it because of what I said that night?”
I shook. “No, no,” I uttered. “She already got her job back.”
“Oh,” he nodded gently. “Congratulations.”
I smiled. “Thanks,” I said.
“So, umm, we can’t have more time together again,” he said.
I glanced at him.
“I’m kidding,” he laughed wryly. “Okay, I gotta go. I have finished looking for a book I need. See you around.”
“See you,” I said.
And he left.
What did he say? Well, actually I knew, but I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to be together again with him. The last time I was with him, I screwed up. It would never happen anymore. I already promised.
I focused on the German book I was reading again. Okay, at least I tried. Cody’s coming distracted me a bit. But still, I needed to, at least, understand the language. I would never repeat the failure I got.
It was twelve in the afternoon. There was only a lesson left. I hoped that I wouldn’t be drowsy. It was German. I needed to fight for it. It was my chance. The previous exam wasn’t really counted. Thank God for it. The coming one, the mid-term exam in two months later would be counted.
I took the first-row seat. I pushed myself hard. This time, I wouldn’t be drowsy. I’d open my eyes really wide and focused on it.
Mrs. Mazak came into the class. I smiled at her and she smiled back to me. Maybe it would be a good sign.
“Make a group of two and I’ll give you the assignment,” she told us in German.
Everybody was teaming up with a friend. I did it too. I wanted to have a good partner to help me with this extra-power-needed lesson.
“Jane, be my partner,” I asked a girl sitting behind me.
“Sorry, Cass. I have been taken,” she answered.
“Okay,” I turned to the other side and asked Limuel. “Please be my partner.”
He shook. “I’m so sorry. I’m Ginnie’s partner,” he grinned. “Sorry.”
I looked around the class. It seemed that everyone had teamed up. But I was so unfortunate. I thought I didn’t get any partner. Therefore, I came to Mrs. Mazak. I told her I had no partner, well, with a big effort to speak at least an understandable German speaking.
“There is no way, dear,” she told me. “We have even number in our class.”
I shrugged. “But it is true I have no partner,” I convinced her.
“Is there any of you who haven’t got a partner?”
“I’m sorry, I’m late, Mrs. Mazak,” somebody with a really good German speaking came into the class. “I got a little problem.”
“Cody?” I whispered as I looked that it was he who was approaching us. How could he be in my class?
“Oh, why, we got the answer,” Mrs. Mazak said. “He is your partner.”
I nodded slowly and smiled wryly to her. “Thank you,” I uttered. Then I turned from her and got back to my seat.
My plan wouldn’t work. There was Cody with me. Again. And it was about German. Again. Would I get a good score? Or bad? Again?
“Sit next to your partner,” Mrs. Mazak ordered.
Everybody was moving closer to their partners so that they gave a seat for Cody to sit next to me.
“What has just happened?” Cody asked me as he sat.
I turned my face to him and tried to look normal. “She told us to make a group of two. But she hasn’t told us what to do for the assignment,” I answered.
He nodded.
“Listen,” Mrs. Mazak got our attention. “There will be no exam for German,”
“YEAY!!!!” everybody was shouting joyfully.
“Wait! Listen to me first,” she exclaimed. The students gradually became silent again. “There are two months to go to the exam, but I just need you to make a story of anything you experience – I suggest you make an unforgettable and important one, so cooperate with your partner. It seems like an easy assignment, but remember, I don’t give score only for the group with good grammar, but also the interesting experience. Use the two months well. This is the end of our class. See you around.”
The ambiance of the class turned to a really noisy one. They talked about the assignment. I had no idea what to do. You know, it was because it was Cody who became my partner. In German!
“I had no idea what to make,” I told him, but I didn’t look at him.
“Don’t try to make it, just flow with it,” Cody said. “She said, experience, remember?”
I nodded. Still, didn’t look at him.
“Hey,” he said, “do you mind having me as your partner?”
I startled hearing what he said. I was offensive to him! I turned my body to him and looked at him.
I shook my head. “No, no,” I said. “It’s not like that. I don’t mind at all.”
“But I see the opposite,” he told me. “Be honest. I know the problem you had last year. It’s German, right? With me, right?”
I looked down. “Sorry,” I took a deep breath. “I just don’t want to make my mom sad by having a bad score in German.”
“Actually I’m really good at this, so I can help you,”
“I know it. I heard your excellent German-speaking when you came,” I told him.
Still, I felt so upset. It was a really bad sign. I thought guessed that it would be the end of dreaming of getting a good score in German. I knew that I had the weakness. Being with Cody was such a wonderful thing to have, but that was the one that made me screwed my German! Oh!
“I promise you,” he said.
“Promise me what?” I asked.
“That you will never regret being my partner in German class,” he held my hands.
Oh, no. Bad sign. I knew that I still loved him. What should I do?
“I would never ever let you down,” he continued. “I am not who I was. I realize, last year I was such a jerk. I asked you to go out almost every night, and I made you tired when you were in class. It was me who made you have a bad score in German. Well, yeah I thank God that you are good in every other lesson, but just, let me fix it. I am responsible for this.”
I looked into his eyes. “I appreciate it, Cody. Thank you,” I said. “But you don’t need to be like this. I know you shouldn’t be in this German class, but you take it again because of me. Though you didn’t come for the first three weeks, thank God, Mrs. Mazak accepted you. Still, Cody, this is also my fault. I couldn’t manage my time.”
“It is my responsibility, Cass,” he insisted. “Just let me.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, Cody,” I said, “let’s do it. Whatever it takes, how great the barrier is, I will do my best.”
I committed to myself and Cody to fix my German score. I prayed that it would be alright. Even better. Or the best. Okay. I only wished for it. Just, good score.
//IAOBG//
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