The next day was a Thursday. Kaylee woke up at 5 o'clock at started revising extra harder to secure her position at DAU. After an hour and a half, she freshened up and got ready for school. She climbed down the stairs in a hurry and met her grandmother in the kitchen. "Good morning, grandma!" she yelled.
"Good morning, sweetie. I made bacon, you want some," her grandmother lamented.
"Yeah, sure."
She sat on a chair near the kitchen counter as her grandmother passed the plate full of delicious pancakes and syrup to her. She gobbled up her breakfast and proceeded to kiss her grandmother goodbye. "Make sure you have fun at the cafe with your friends," she advised.
Kaylee smiled as she went out the front door and closed the door behind her. She saw Anna watering her flowerbed and greeted her. Just as Anna saw her she walked towards the fence and they started talking. They were interrupted by the neighbourhood cat who started eating Anna's food on her porch. Kaylee bid her goodbye and started cycling to school. On her way to school, she got an episode about a new teacher coming to teach in her class. He looked well in his late twenties and was extremely masculine and handsome. He also seemed to be talking to the students nicely and politely.
Kaylee reached school and went to her locker where she found Ricardo and Rhoda waiting for him. Rhoda was trying to fix her pigtails with a small pink band as Ricardo tried to fix his tawny hair to form a wave on his forehead. They talked about their biology project for a while before they decided to meet after class for their plans at cafe mocha. Kaylee took her books and went to her first class of the day.
Her first period involved the new teacher teaching math. Everybody was staring at him as they wondered why did he choose to become a teacher. He had short black hair, wore designer clothing. All the kids in the class concentrated on the new teacher even Clare and Sarah. Clare had always been the last in positions during any kind of exam or a test. This is the first time she concentrated in class and even understood when the teacher started teaching.
Kaylee was also staring at him, not because of his sense of fashion, or his polite behaviour but there was something peculiar about him. Kaylee felt that he had a hidden agenda or something. But her thoughts were interrupted by another episode. In her episode, she saw her new teacher, Mr Mark calling her to his table after class. He wanted to speak to her about her exceptional behaviour and that she heard good things about her from other teachers.
Kaylee's episode ended as she heard the bell ring. She stuffed her books in her one-sided black bag and ran out of the classroom as people started surrounding Mr Mark. She could hear her name being called but she ignored them as she quickly went to the bathroom.
She opened the door and hastily closed it. She walked towards the sink and rested her hands on the surface as she gazed at the mirror in front of her. She felt something weird about Mr Mark, she did not know exactly what but she wanted to trust her gut and stay out his way. At least until she gets to know him better. She washed her face took in a deep breath and went back to her classes.
She spent her mid-morning lesson with the same kind of endeavouring spirit that she had in the morning. When classes finished she waited for Rhoda to finish packing her items and they started walking to find Ricardo. As always Rhoda was the first to ask a question about Mr Mark. "What do you think about him, Kaylee? I think he's really nice. Most people think that he's actually just pretending but I think that he's nicer than all the other teacher we currently have."
"I think Miss Mac is nice," Kaylee lamented.
"Not to everybody. She is extremely rude to the rude kids. But then again they kind of deserve it."
As their conversation kept going on Ricardo joined them and immediately whispered," we are still going to the cafe, right?"
"Yeah, of course, we are," Rhoda answered him with anticipation.
They slowly started walking and after a few minutes, they reached the cafe. It was a bright sunny day and the clouds were on the sky in a few numbers. The sky looked vast and no birds could be seen flying around.
They entered the cafe and quickly greeted the server. She seemed like a really charming lady with her maroon coloured apron. She offered the students a menu as they sat down. The cafe looked extremely neat and they started perusing through it. Just then Kaylee had an episode of Clare and Sarah walking in the cafe. She was confused, she did not know how to tell her friends that the infamous Clare was supposedly coming to that cafe.
Kaylee inhaled deeply while fiddling with her hands and mumbled," Guys, I think Clare is coming here. I think I heard them talking with Sarah, that they were going to come here."
"Okay... I don't get it. Do you want us to leave?" Rhoda mumbled.
"No, let's just order take out and then we could leave," Kaylee uttered.
They both looked at Ricardo who also agreed with Kaylee. They ordered chocolate cake and coffee along with pink milk for Rhoda. As they were waiting for their orders, Clare and Sarah walked in. They had both worn the same outfits, pink blouses with a short jeans mini skirt. Both of the groups had eye contact with each other as Clare ordered what she needed from the server. They then walked across the room and passed the table onto which Kaylee and her friends were seated and went to the table behind them.
Just as they sat down, Justus walked in the door. Ricardo's heart shattered as he tried to compose himself and not show any fear in his heart. But his hands gave him away when they started shaking and his face sweated profusely. Justus walked to where Ricardo was seated and looked at him with a grin on his face. He rested himself on the table they were seated in as he tried to look directly into Ricardo's eyes. Everyone was quiet and then Justus spoke," how have you been doing Chico?" (Chico=small boy)
Ricardo did not answer him as he stared directly at the floor with his hands held close to each other beneath the table to ease the shaking. Justus continued," what's wrong? You got me suspended now you do not want to take responsibility. Shouldn't you be happy? Why are you still pissed? I think....."
Rhoda abruptly interpreted Justus," what's wrong with you? Can't you just deal with your business? Why do you have to stick your nose in other peoples business? Just go on your way and let him be."
Rhoda's loud voice took everyone's attention as Clare stood up and came up towards her. Kaylee was quietly seated in her chair as Clare grabbed her shoulder and turned her. Just then the staff came to them and uttered," is there something wrong here? Please refrain from any kind of insulting behaviour towards each other. This is a business premise. Or else am going to have to ask you to leave."
Clare gently stepped back while Justus got off the table which he had rested his hand on and walked away. As they walked away, Ricardo looked back towards their faces which were fixated on Ricardo. Justus mouthed abusive words to Ricardo but he ignored the abusive words and asked his friends to leave.
They stood up and asked Rhoda asked the server if their orders were ready. She told them to wait for a minute as they were being packed. Just then Kaylee got another episode, an episode in which she had never gotten before. She felt the emotions of the victim in her episode.
She saw Justus wearing the same white shirt he had on, with the words 'cool' written on it. As he left the shop he bid Clare goodbye and started walking across the streets. Suddenly he was hit by a black van without a license plate which was driving at the speed of light. Clare, Sarah and some of the members of the basketball team saw it happen. Justus soared through the sky and fell on the tarmac road with a thud. Blood started coming out of his head as it formed a pool of blood around him. A tumult of screaming was heard as people closed their eyes and the mysterious van drove away. Kaylee felt a stabbing pain in her heart as she struggled to speak. Her whole body felt numb and obsolete. She felt her eyes being watery, as she saw Justus who was in the middle of the road with tears falling down from his eyes.
Rhoda suddenly touched Kaylee who was in a state of unconsciousness."Are you okay Kaylee?" she asked.
As Kaylee awoke from her episode she felt sorrowful. She saw somebody getting brutally trampled on but that did not move her as much as the emotions Justus had when he was lying still on the hot rough road. It was the first time feeling people's emotions as her own. She wanted to tell Justus about what she saw. But she couldn't do it. He was a bully and a person who tormented others for no reason but she could not let him die. She wanted to believe that nobody deserved death.
Rhoda took their orders in a brown paper bag and signalled Kaylee that its time to go. "You can go, Rhoda. Am sure Ricardo is waiting for you outside. Am just gonna talk to Justus about something then join you," Kaylee lamented.
"Oh My God, Kaylee. Are you going to confront him and give him a piece of your mind? My goodness, Kaylee. Okay. Take care though. Make sure he doesn't get in your head, he can be cruel sometimes. Or all the times. Just please be okay."
"Alright, go on then. You guys can walk to school, am right behind you," Kaylee said with a weird smile on her face.
Rhoda left the cafe as Kaylee took a deep breath and started striding towards Justus. She reached the table on which all of them were seated and just then the cafe door opened and athletes from the basketball team came in. They started hugging Justus and yelling loudly as they asked how he's been. Kaylee stared at him and when Justus noticed her staring at him and walked to her before saying rudely," want do you want? Is it because of him again? Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"I want to tell you something important, you really need to know. Follow me."
Everyone now stared at the nerdy girl (whom most of them did not know her name) trying to talk to Justus. Justus silently followed Kaylee outside the cafe, Kaylee waited patiently on the curb as Justus left the cafe. "Is this about Ricardo? Look am not trying to...." he started saying.
"No look, it's not about Ricardo, it's about you. I think something bad is going to happen to you. I can't tell you how I know but I have to tell you to be careful. Someone is trying to kill you, and the person drives a black van. I know we have our differences and you probably don't even believe but please just find it in your heart to believe me this once." Kaylee said empathetically while trying to maintain eye contact.
"What!?... Are you crazy? or are you on drugs or something!? Well, that is very unnerving. But okay, am gonna go now. But you should try to get yourself checked up," Justus said while walking away with a smile on his face.