The cafeteria was loud and crowded, with many different faces with various personalities clashing and mingling upon the medium space, but they did not matter; not to Valeria whose heart was muffling their voices. She stood in wait, with the cause of the drumming beats behind her. She held her hands tight with her head looking down, but she continuously decided whether to look up or stay down; and it made her neck a little sore to the feel.
“…What If she thinks I don’t like him? All being quiet like this, come on Valeria!” she thought to herself, closing her eyes aggressively as she wanted to grab her hair and pull them, “You need… to speak, say a word to bring up a conversation, come on! You did it just a minute ago, what’s stopping you from doing it agai-“
“Um, Val?”
She jerked a bit hearing Damien’s voice, and as she slowly turned her head; she asks, “U-um, what is it?”
“The line”
“T-the Line?”
“The line its um… you’re not moving,” said Damien with a short chuckle as she smiled at Valeria. She took a quick pause, yet it felt like a whole minute; she quickly moved her head back to the front and saw that there was a large empty space in front of her; with the server glaring at Valeria to hurry the line-up. Without a second thought, Valeria immediately went over the counter, grabbing a spoon, fork, and a plate as she went over to the food section.
“It seems you have a lot on your mind, getting distracted and all that,” said Damien, who followed soon after, “Trying to decide which outfit to wear tonight, or is it something else?”
“U-um no, it’s just… it’s been a while since I last saw you, I thought you weren’t coming back…” said Valeria, her mouth perched down.
Damien looked at her head as it gazed down, and showed a slight smile on his face, “You kidding? Mr. Evans would kill me if I don’t pass my math assignments this year!” he let out a chuckle, which made Valeria raise her head and look at him, seeing Damien happily having a small laugh; and she began to laugh alongside him, “I’m sure suspension wouldn’t affect you one bit, D,” she said afterwards with a chuckle.
“Well… at least I get some free time to catch up with you.” He smiled as he stared at Valeria, making her cheeks slowly show color, but she quickly hid it as her eyes met his, “If… you want to.”
“I… would like that, and I’m just going to hope that Ava isn’t there to embarrass me again,” she let out a quick laugh.”
“I’m sure she loves doing that to you, hehe.”
After a few more banter, they continued to finish the line; with Valeria getting mostly vegetables and fruits with just one chicken wing on the side of his plate, while Damien filled his plate with rice and chicken squares. After filling their plate, they both began to walk away from the serving area; and instead moving towards the table where Ava sat in, “Hey, Val,” called Damien, making them both stop and Valeria to turn towards him.
“Is… something the matter?” she asked with one of her eyebrows slightly up.
“Are you going to Danielle’s party tonight? She invited me a while ago and… I was wondering if you would come with me,” said Damien, waiting for a reply.
“You mean Danielle’s so called ‘Before Party’? I’m really sorry but… I am the last person she would invite to any of her parties; actually, Ava is the last, and then me, but still it would take the end of the world for her to ask me,” said Valeria, making Damien chuckle.
“Well… would you still come with me though? I don’t… really like attending any parties unless there’s a good reason for me to be there,” said Damien lowering her head as she looks at Valeria with a small smile, “I… want you to be that reason.”
Valeria blushed again, but still she hid quickly hid it with her hair. She thought carefully of her words, looking back and forth between Damien and the table where Danielle and her friends sat. She didn’t want to crash the party, especially with the company she keeps; but her eyes ended with Damien, staring at her with eyes waiting for a yes, “… Okay, I will go with you; but it won’t make Danielle happy.”
“I’ll handle Danielle when tonight comes, and… I’m glad that you agreed; gives us a moment to catch u-“
“Damien, Bro!” A voice shouted from a distant, which Valeria would soon know that it was from Danielle’s table. A boy was standing up from the table, with his right-hand waving for Damien to see, “And speaking of catching up…” said Damien, turning his head away from Valeria and towards the table, “I need talk to them before they completely bother us, hehe,” said Damien, looking back at Valeria, “So… see you tonight?”
Valeria smiled at him, “... Yeah, see you tonight; good luck with them, you’re definitely going to need it hehe,” said Valeria as Damien gave her a smile before walking away from her.
Valeria stayed to look as Damien walked over to the table, being greeted by the boy and the other students sitting at the table, especially Danielle, which immediately hugged Damien before asking him to sit beside her. Valeria’s heart heard a thud in itself, making her bite her lips and her eyebrows flared before continuing to walk to her table with her footsteps a little louder than before. She passed the other tables with a visible glare on her eyes, and as she arrived at the table where Ava was playing with her food, she instantly recognized her look.
“Let me guess… Jealous much?” asked Ava, hiding her grin.
“Tssk.” Valeria rolled her eyes before placing her plate on the table and sitting on the chair, “I. Am. Not,” she said confidently, yet Ava still kept her grin in check, “Well, if you aren’t; can you please stop shaking your plate before all of your food pours out.”
Valeria raised an eyebrow at her statement, until she looked down on her plate to see all the contents rumbling on its plastic surface; she quickly calmed her hands down, proceeding to sit on the table like nothing happened
“As I said.” She slowly placed her plate on the table, yet it still let out a loud thud.
“I. Am. Not. Jealous.”
The hands of the clock quickly went by as Valeria and Ava ate their lunch, emptying their plate before handing it over back to the counter for later use. The two proceeded to leave the cafeteria with their bags on hand; with Valeria trying to check if there was anything missing inside, and Ava who constantly threw a bunch of crumb leftovers at the cheerleaders and jocks as they passed, but they had no clue it was her. Emerging from the front entrance doors of the school an onto the stairs, Valeria and Ava walked down slowly onto the stone pavement as they left the steps, “Wait, aren’t we supposed to be decorating today? You know, for that party thing?” asked Valeria as she sees Ava sliding along the railing of the stairs, jumping off and landing on the ground as she silently stared with her lips perched.
“It was supposed to be today, but that old witch Danielle somehow convinced the teachers to move the date to tomorrow; probably for the sake of her party,” said Ava, trying not to get a headache from the notion, “… She could’ve just… named it something better…” She whispered to herself.
Valeria averted her gaze after she shook her head slightly while Ava mumbled more, she turned her eyes towards the parking lot, trying to see if she could find her car from where she was standing. She searched for a whole minute until she finally her car’s roof; about to turn her head to call Ava, but her eyes spotted another as it inched. It was Damien, walking towards another car just beside hers; her face showed a small smile as she continued to look at him; and her chest singing a soft tune that mellowed her eyes, until it turned into a bang. There was someone else that followed him afterwards as Damien opened his car’s doors; it was Danielle. A beat unlike the others before took over Valeria’s heart, her eyes slowly went down with her eyebrows emerging to flare up; and as she kept looking, it only worsened her feeling, she didn’t know that her hand was clenching into a fist. At the distance, Danielle kept talking about something to Damien, which he also responded; made Valeria glare at them more.
“… That… Bitc-“
Her mumbles interrupted as something hit her side; Valeria stumbled a bit but managed to gain back her balance, “Oh, I’m sorry dear,” a soft voice said.
After Valeria stood back straight, she quickly turned her head towards the voice; about to rant for the hit, but she didn’t. She saw a young woman dressed in black clothing, with bits of red along the seams and a small heart pendant dangling on her chest; wearing a large jet-black hat and heels, and she had a purse in a shape of a triangle that she wore over her shoulders; black hair and pale skin, but her eyes hid behind the dark shades of her glasses. Thinking that the woman was one of the school staff or a visiting one, she quickly walked one step forward, “I’m really sorry mam! I forgot that I was standing at the entrance stairs!” she apologized, unknowingly scratching her hair.
“Hehe, you don’t need to worry about that dear; It is partly my fault, my hat doesn’t really give me the best sight,” the woman explained, although it didn’t help Valeria at all; she kept taking small glances back at Damien and Danielle, hoping for their conversation to end; but she did so without hiding.
“Hmm, is there something wrong dear?” the woman noticed, turning her head towards the two of them at the distance, then turning back at Valeria with her left hand holding her right, “Oh, I see; trouble in paradise dear? Hehe,” the woman said, giving out a little chuckle while Valeria’s eyes quickly widen.
“NO! I mean yes! I mean no! We’re not together!” she stumbled on her words, trying to explain to the woman while she laughed at her actions, “We’re… not really together… We’re just friends… that’s all,” said Valeria, her tone going low.
“Hmm, being friends is part of the journey dear; makes it easier to feel something more for the other,” said the woman, her pretty smile visible under her glasses, “But having a feeling would hurt more if the other is left in ignorance, and you are left without any option but to watch dear.”
“… I know… it’s just been difficult; we haven’t seen each other in a while, and it didn’t end quite well the last time.” She looked down on the ground, but a shadow made her look up.
The woman walked up to her, looking down for her heels made her taller than Valeria, “Dear, time is a confusing thing; sometimes it is not for us, and there are times that it is; you just have to avoid having to be always not.” The woman stayed her eyes at Valeria for a moment before she moved her hands to open her purse, placing her hand in seeming to be searching for something. Valeria turned her gaze at her purse, with curiosity making her head slightly move upwards to try to get a glimpse of what she was getting. A second pass and the woman let out her hand from her purse, then looked back at Valeria, “Give me your hand dear,” the woman said softly.
Valeria slowly lifted up her right hand, hesitantly opening it as the woman’s clenched hand hovered over hers; then went down on Valeria’s palm. She felt something touch the surface, a warm and textured feel over her palm as she clenches it. The woman’s hand moved away and her face let out a small smile, “That… will help you… dear,” said the woman somewhat low.
Valeria lowered her head to look at her clenched hand where the item was given, but before she slowly opened, the woman spoke again, “…Or it may not…” she said vaguely.
Valeria opened her hands, and there lied on her palm a beautiful pocket watch; its body reflected like mirror, with a few lines and markings on it; the inside showed the silver gears that perhaps moves the hands of the clock, although they weren’t as far as she could see, “Its… beautiful!” said Valeria, her eyes widening and her smile showed, “But, I cant accept thi-“ She looked up, already extending her hand to give it back, but no one greeted it. She quickly looked around, but found nothing except Ava at the distance still mumbling at the distance — there was no sign of the woman, not even a piece hair was seen that fell; or the smell of her perfume in the air — there was nothing but pure silence as the wind carried leaves away. She was nowhere to be found.
211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEbsPYAQsA
