#15 Class Trip Plan (Part I)

"Like I said, we should totally go on a class trip."

"But Eric isn't back yet."

"We can wait for him, he will be back anytime soon."

I was just lost in thought for a moment and when I came back to reality, they were talking about going on a trip. We were just talking about how much fun we had yesterday and now we're discussing our next outing already?

Each of us took turns suggesting the place but most of them were rejected. When it was my turn, I suggested the beach since summer was ending soon and we won't get a chance til next year.

"The beach? Good idea."

"Agreed."

"So the beach, end of discussion."

Everyone returned to their seats when the bell rang and got ready for class. Our homeroom teacher came in for roll-call.

"Amanda Asia."

"Present."

Sigh. We do everything online nowadays so why can't we key-in our own attendance online too?

I got bored so I looked around the class while waiting for the teacher to finish taking our attendance. The atmosphere was somehow different than before. I looked at the walls that were filled with study materials, windows that were just cleaned this morning, tables and chairs that were well-arranged… nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary to me.

I shifted my gaze to the plain whiteboard in front of the class, ready to doze off anytime when suddenly, I got the answer when Natasha's name was called.

"Natasha Nelson."

"Present!"

Ah, that's right. It was her very presence that changed the atmosphere dark and it was her again who changed it into a brighter one.

Her sister was still hospitalized for surgery but she put on a cheerful face in front of us everyday. Not only did her smile make our day, she also brought our relationship closer with that happy attitude of hers.

"Hey, when is Eric coming back?" Mia asked me during break time while chewing onto her chocolate bun.

I was wondering myself for a moment because I just realized I never had the thought of questioning his return. Maybe I just never thought of it as a necessary matter but since Mia asked about it, I got curious too.

I sipped the last drop of juice in my cup before taking out my phone. It's been a while since I last texted him because all he did was send images of him on vacation. He did not give me an opening to talk about something.

"We should start the reservations right about now before the rooms are taken."

Well, she did have a point. I texted Eric and he replied instantly with a question.

"Are you curious?"

What's with his question as an answer to a question? I didn't reply to him yet to see if he was planning to send anymore but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Don't answer my question with a question."

The status showed he was typing and suddenly, he went offline. That really frightened me to the point that I suddenly stood up from the bench and everyone's gaze was on me.

Mia trembled and asked me what happened, and I managed to calm myself somehow.

'He never did that so maybe his phone ran out of battery.'

"Amanda…. Are you okay?" Mia had a worried look in her eyes as she gripped onto my wrist. She was clearly frightened by my sudden actions so I had to persuade her that I was fine.

"If you say so..." She finally released my hand and we returned to the classroom together. Now that I think about it, what I did earlier was really embarrassing to the point that I flushed so hard. I could feel the heat on my face without even touching it.

There was still some time left before class started so the class gathered around to continue our 'class trip plan'. They kept talking about what activities we were going to do at the beach but I felt like we missed out something even important.

"Hey, don't you think beach volleyball sounds good?"

"Sure, I don't know how to play it though."

"Seriously? Search it up on the Internet or something."

"Who has the ball?"

"I can bring it."

"Ah, I'll need a swimming float."

"Do you have extra? I'm too lazy to swim."

...I really feel like we left out something even more important than floats. What is it? Food? Drinks? Hmm….

I was so lost in thought until the school bell jolted me back to reality. Everyone returned to their seats and got ready for the next class. It was English so I cleared out my mind to focus on the lesson until I completely forgot to think about what that 'important thing' was.

Once school ended, I contacted Alice and she came in no time. As usual, I visited my mother at the hospital before heading home. I talked about my day to her until she was tired and fell asleep.

"Has the lady fallen asleep?"

"Sweet and sound."

Alice drove me home and my sister was waiting for me at the dining table when I entered the house. She started coming home from college earlier than usual ever since our mother was admitted to the hospital.

After dinner, I went to my room and checked my phone. There were messages from my class' group chat about our class trip. They were still discussing what activities we were going to do there.

I lay on my bed and tried to think up one to at least contribute some ideas so I wouldn't feel bad when suddenly, I remembered what that 'important thing' was.

"We need swimsuits."

They panicked when they realized the fact that we never had swimsuits nor do we need one. Most of us learned swimming when we were little and never swam anymore once we were older.

"Let's go on a swimsuit shopping then."

And so, we agreed on going shopping together tomorrow after school, although I don't see the necessity to go with the whole class.

I plugged in the charger to my phone and turned off the room lights before tucking myself to bed.