Chapter 33 : In love
Carrying their bags from the classroom, Demi and Somiya walked ahead, their laughter ringing like chimes in the hallway, while Zeya trailed behind, lost in her own colourful imaginary world. "Did you drop your brain when you bumped earlier?" Demi teased, noticing Zeya's wide grin that sparkled with mischief. Zeya rolled her eyes dramatically, a playful smirk tugging at her lips as she quickened her pace towards the detention room. "I lost something else," she muttered softly, her voice barely above a whisper, laced with a hint of mystery.
As she opened the heavy door of the detention room, a wave of cool air brushed against her skin, and her heart fluttered with excitement when she spotted Amaya kneeling on the ground, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Ah!" Zeya exclaimed after Somiya playfully shoved her inside the room. "Why are you standing like a rock in the door?" Somiya asked, her voice dropping to a hush as she finally took in the scene before them. The room was dimly lit, with two boys and three girls scattered around, including Sophia and Amaya whom they bumped earlier.
Hearing a sudden noise, the attention of the five friends snapped towards the door, the sound echoing through the otherwise quiet room. Amaya knelt on the ground, her brow furrowed in concentration as she carefully bandaged Sophia's ankle, the faint rustle of the bandage breaking the silence. For just a fleeting moment, she glanced up at the girls, her eyes flickering with mild annoyance before returning to her task. "Oh! You guys!" Sophia called out, her voice bright and welcoming, a smile lighting up her face. "Were you guys detained too?"
"Huh... uh," Zeya replied, a frown creasing her forehead as she took in the sight of Amaya and Sophia, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Was it because of me earlier? I'm really sorry." She offered another apology, her voice softening. Sophia waved her hand dismissively, her smile unwavering. "It happens sometimes. Sit with us! Which section are you from?"
"Section C," Somiya replied, settling down beside Seth. Demi plopped down next to Elli, while Zeya hesitated before sitting beside Fred.
"Well, I might not need to introduce myself, still, I'm Seth. Please don't fall for me—"
"Who would fall for a shitter than a shit?" Amaya interjected, her tone dripping with sarcasm. The room erupted in muffled laughter, everyone struggling to contain themselves at her sharp wit. Seth shot Amaya a glare, his jaw clenched as he fought the urge to fight, since she was busy tending to Sophia's ankle. "You got lucky today," he gritted through his teeth, frustration evident in his voice. Amaya merely rolled her eyes as she gently placed Sophia's leg back down.
Zeya's eyes followed Amaya's graceful movements as she stood up, stretching her legs before settling beside Sophia. "I haven't introduced myself! I'm Sophia. Feel free to call me Sofy! And she is Amaya. You can call her Ama too." Sophia's voice bubbled with energy, lighting up the room. "I'm Elli," Elli said, her smile warm and inviting as she glanced around at the girls. "Well, my introduction might not need to, still, I'm Fred," he added with a playful wink, flexing his hidden muscles, trying to impress. Amaya sighed, rolling her eyes at their antics, clearly unimpressed by their attempts at charm.
"I'm Demi," she said softly, smiling at Elli but quickly averting her gaze, feeling shy under the intensity of Elli's stare. "I'm Somiya. You can call me Somi too," she chimed in, shaking hands with Seth, both of them beaming with genuine warmth. "I'm Zeya," she said, shaking hands with Fred as well, though her smile faltered slightly when she noticed Amaya's unbothered demeanour during the introductions.
"Not to be rude, but have we met before?" Elli asked Demi, her brows furrowing in curiosity. The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Demi, even Amaya lifting her head to focus on her, the tension palpable as everyone awaited her response.
Demi squinted at the group, a smirk creeping onto her face. "We read in the same school." The reaction was instant, as Elli, Sophia, Seth, and Fred exclaimed in unison, "Ah! Forgot about that!" Their synchronized response left everyone in the room dumbfounded, unsure if they were joking or genuinely surprised. Zeya furrowed her brow, noticing Amaya's intense stare directed at Demi, her sharp eyes practically burning a hole through her.
"Why were you guys detained?" Seth asked. "For fighting," Somiya shrugged, a playful grin on her face. "We were just playing with each other, though." Zeya raised an eyebrow and dramatically threw a pen across the desk at Somiya. "When did sending someone flying to the ground count as playing!? My ass is still in pain because of you!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of anger and disbelief. Somiya rolled her eyes and tossed the pen back, smirking. "It's your fault for not dodging it."
"Why were you all detained, though?" Demi asked, her curiosity piqued as she turned to Seth, who dramatically sighed and wiped nonexistent tears from his eyes. Elli, Sophia, and Amaya exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of annoyance and disgust. "My friend, whom I trust more than the rat of my house, betrayed me," he lamented dramatically. Demi, Somiya, and Zeya looked confused, glancing at Sophia for clarification. "He pranked Daniel Sir with a toy mouse. You know, the kind that squeaks like a dying cat? When Sir asked, Amaya decided to throw him under the bus like it was a game of dodgeball. And then, in a twist of fate worthy of a soap opera, he took revenge on all of us by spilling the beans on our pranks from last month," she explained, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"That's called tit-for-tat," Seth chimed in, flexing his shiny black hair like he was auditioning for a shampoo commercial. "I mean, who knew betrayal could be so... stylish?"
Like old friends reuniting after years apart, the atmosphere quickly transformed into a whirlwind of comfort and nostalgia as they dove into each other's most embarrassing memories. Laughter erupted like fireworks, filling the room with a contagious energy, while paper balls and pens flew through the air. Yet, amid the joyful chaos, Amaya's cold eyes scanned the room, seemingly indifferent to the laughter around her, while Zeya's loving gaze was fixated on Amaya, a mixture of admiration and a hint of desperation, as if she were trying to reach out through the emotional wall that Amaya had built.
*Ting*
"I had always wanted to be their friend! I didn't know they would be so friendly on the first meeting!" Somiya exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement as she clasped Zeya's hand, swinging it joyfully, they walked like a children. The warmth of the moment enveloped them, Zeya nodding enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Right!? I was also totally astonished! But Amaya didn't talk much," she added, her voice trailing off, a shadow of dejection creeping into her tone.
"C'mon! She didn't talk much for Seth's sake. If she had, Seth would have been burned!" Somiya laughed, pulling Zeya into a playful hug, their laughter ringing out like music in the air. Demi, however, felt a wave of irritation wash over her as she rolled her eyes, glancing away only to catch sight of Amaya and Seth in the café, their faces carved with seriousness, a stark contrast to the lightheartedness around her.
"Zeya," Demi called out, her voice cutting through the cheerful chatter as she halted mid-step, locking eyes with Zeya. "Stay away from them." Zeya and Somiya exchanged puzzled glances, concerned, knitting their brows. "What happened to you suddenly? C'mon, didn't you see how friendly and nice they are? If you don't want to be their friend, then don't, but I'm going to be," Zeya replied, her tone defiant as she began to walk ahead with Somiya. "Zeya! They aren't nice people! Especially Amaya!" Demi insisted, her voice rising with urgency. Zeya stopped in her tracks, her eyes flashing with rage, the air around them thickening with tension. "Are you jealous I'll be closer to Amaya than you?" she shot back, her voice slightly higher, the accusation hanging heavily between them. "That's not what I—" Demi started, but Zeya interrupted, "That's what it seems to us though!" With that, Zeya stormed off, leaving Demi standing alone, the weight of her words lingering in the air. Somiya hurried after Zeya, her footsteps echoing the conflict that had just erupted.
"Mom, I'm home!" Zeya announced, her voice bubbling with excitement as she dashed through the door, her footsteps echoing like a stampede against the hardwood floors. "Why are you running like a bull is chasing after you!? Can't you walk like a lady!?" Her mom's voice rang out from down the hall, a mix of exasperation and weariness lacing her words.
Zeya's eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky as she flung open her laptop, the cool metal surface glinting in the light. With a grin stretching across her face, her fingers flew across the keyboard, a flurry of movement as she searched for Amaya's name on Facebook. But to her dismay, the search yielded nothing but a sea of unfamiliar faces from distant places, each one a reminder of the girl she longed to connect with. A frustrated groan escaped her lips as she scrolled through countless profiles, the weight of disappointment settling heavily on her shoulders. Resting her head on the desk, she let out a soft sigh, her heart aching, "I miss her already…"
Then, a spark ignited within her. "Wait! School page!" Her eyes lit up with renewed hope as she navigated to the school's page. A wave of joy washed over her, and she jumped up, twirling in delight when she spotted a post tagging Sophia and Elli, celebrating their recent victories in dance and basketball competitions. With her heart racing, she plopped back down and clicked on Sophia's account, her face glowing brighter than ever upon realizing it was public. Without a second thought, she sent a friend request and eagerly scrolled through her recent posts, her excitement bubbling over when she saw a photo of Sophia pouting angrily, wearing some beautiful white clothes from the dance competition captioned: "Some friends can be so selfish, they refuse to come to cheer for their own childhood bestie."
She clicked on the comments, her heart racing as she prepared for what lay ahead. But she never expected to see a staggering count of over ten thousand responses lighting up her screen like a digital fireworks display. With a mix of excitement and disbelief, she began to scroll down, her fingers gliding over the laptop, searching for Amaya's comment, so she could send the friend request.
As she scrolled deeper, she finally found Seth's comment, surrounded by a whirlwind of replies that felt like a lively conversation at a packed café.
Seth Bernard : I apologize from my friend's side for scaring you all at night with such a jump scare, ghost-faced. Amen!
Fred Alaister : Protect me, O Lord, from the craftiness of the enemy, and save me from this scary ghost-faced being! Amen!
Elli Marwood : Wait! You're Sofy!? Oh lord, forgive me for earlier prayer! Please don't take this ghost-faced instead give me double strength to see this face every day!
Amaya Sapphirus : My friend's ID has been hijacked by this ghost-faced! And, today I came to see the dance competition but didn't found Sofy, so I returned! Though this ghost-faced being was beside me the entire time.
Seth Bernard : @amayasapphirus Don't lie! Why didn't you search for me?
Amaya Sapphirus : @sethbernard why would I search for a shit?
Fred Alaister : @amayasapphirus give us proof you came!
Amaya Sapphirus : @fredalaister if I lie, @sethbernard is gay!
Seth Bernard : Ama is telling the truth! She came to the competition! I'm an eyewitness!
Elli Marwood : Ama didn't come! I was on video call with her the whole day!
Sophia Katz : Ama didn't come!
Fred Alaister : @sethbernard with majority of votes, you're officially gay!
Amaya Sapphirus : +999 others are satisfied with @fredalaister judgement!
Zeya couldn't believe her eyes as she read the comments, each one more outrageous than the last one. The entire thread felt like a wild comedy roast that spiraled out of control, with ghost-faced drama and friendships hanging by a thread. Zeya laughed harder with every passing second, tears streaming down her face, her cheeks aching and her stomach cramping from the relentless joy. Yet, she couldn't tear herself away; the laughter was too infectious, too exhilarating to resist!