-"It's currently 5:00pm. Isn't she gonna come!" Rosa said impatiently.
-"Ah huh! Do wait some more", Haze expressed annoy with her expression, voice and looks as well.
-"Hshhhhhsshhh. She's coming. Be prepared!" Rae rushed to her corner where she was supposed to hide.
Ele crossed the window by the side of her table. As soon as she entered the dorm and was about to pass by her bed, a party popper popped out.
"Congra....." they shouted altogether but couldn't finish.
"Aaaaaaa what's all this!" Ele said looking at the scattered papers from the popper. Then without a full stop she started, "Anyways. Y'all know what! I've made two new friends today. Both of them are Scholasticians. I know you want to know about it, right?" Without looking at their expression, she continued, "Well,both of them are boys. One is the second prize holder of essay competition and the other one is the first prize holder of painting competition. Moreover they're best friends! Can you imagine two super talented besties! The essay guy is Daniel, Daniel Edward and his best friend Rache Billace", she said nonstop but didn't understood the level of stupidity she has shown.
As soon as she looked at their faces she understood she messed up. She tried to normalize the awkwardness with a 'sorry'.
-" But I'm not gonna say that they're better than you guys. Of course,you guys are the best. Thanks a lot!" Ele hugged all one by one with a huge smile but somehow it was still awkward.
-" You are making it obvious that you don't mean this 'thanks'. We won't mind if you take your thanks back and go to your new awesome friends" Rae said in a low pitched voice. Finishing her sentence, she threw the party popper on Ele's bed and then she along with others left the dorm. Even Haze,of whose this dorm was!!
After they left, Ele looked around her place and understood the level of effort behind this arrangement. But she just couldn't prepare herself to apologize. All she could do was shedding tears alone and pour her heart to the diary.
An hour passed and none came back to her dorm. Another hour passed like this, her waiting.
Everytime she looked at the crest on her table, her heart was exploding inside. At the end she shove her prize inside her locker and cried till her eyelids got to enlocked. She woke up to her pillow being all wet.
"Still none of them came back!" Ele thought.
At Rae's dorm, Rosa, Rae and Haze were sitting on Rae's bed. They were chatting with each other, giggling..... a normal environment! The moment Ele stood before the door, the environment just turned opposite. Everyone stopped. The room went for pin-drop silence. Rae was about to wave at Ele but stopped recalling the fight. THE COLD WAR GOING BETWEEN THEM.
It was the movie night. Everyone was gathered at the auditorium. As usual, Ele came late compared to the other three. It has always been a regular scenery that all these four will sit together, go everywhere together and do everything TOGETHER.
Rosa, Rae and Haze were sitting at the third last row of middle column. The seat beside Rosa is still empty. They are all sitting silently - nineth wonder of the world. Ele was coming from the north door and Purshey, one of the interested candidate to break in. from the south door.
-" Is the seat empty?" Purshey asked, just as a formality; she was rushing down to sit down as soon as possible. Haze looked up at Ele and then Purshey, but couldn't nod neither shake head.
-"Oh, I got it. It's empty", she sat there and all heaved a great sigh to each other.
So 'Fury' is gonna be the first movie the four are not watching together, not enjoying together. While watching movies, they always end up partying together but this time ended parting apart.
This time Ele understood what level of an introvert she was! 350 Versheeyans, 60 batchmates but still she has no one to talk with beside Rosa, Rae and Haze. The most extrovert in. is the most introvert among the Versheeyans. The whole day she ended up being silent- the unbelievable scenery ever!
At night, Haze finally came back to her dorm. Still no word with Ele. Deep down inside both are hurting yet torturing each other. Just a simple apology and everything will be normal again. But in youth, even that apology seems hard to say.
Haze always reminds Ele to wake her up early in the morning. But today she came to the dorm, changed into her night dress, washed her face and straight went to her bed. Not a single word in between.
But Ele was waiting to speak. The words piled up inside her but none to share with. The piled up words in her, felt so suffocating yet she had no way to solve it!
The night went long for four of them.
The next morning, exercise time, everyone paired up with each other. Ele paired with Jamsy and Rosa with Purshey. No doubt Purshey was starting to believe that she's gonna be a part of. But the annoy on Rosa's face was clear to make someone understand, the nature of this idiot Purshey. Though she played a great role to make Ele regret for whatever she did.
In breakfast, Ele already knew she won't get to sit at the 8th table. Not at least for this meal.
Inside the cafeteria, everyone was sitting with their usual partners. But Ele was habitually approaching to the 8th table.
Rosa, Rae and Haze were discussing something, almost whispering. Ele came very close to the table. She stopped for a moment, saw them staring at her with sympathy and some other mixed feelings. She turned around as her eyes were tearing up.
-"Wait, Ele! Wanna have honey-butter?" Rosa's eyes were glittering with expectations, "It's on me."
-"I'm sorry", Ele turned back. Tears rolling down her cheeks and smile at the corner of her lips.
-" Whatever. That's it, then. Let's go!" Rosa grabbed Ele's hands and ran out of the cafeteria. Rae and Haze followed.
Undoubtedly the whole scene was a melodrama for the people in the cafeteria, but only they knew the significance of the whole thing.