The old man glanced at me. They had to monitor my actions if they wanted to keep my silence. Henceforth, his wife asked not to tell anyone about their daughter's runaway as much as possible.
As usual, he displayed his approachable character toward the students. With his gentle smile, he greeted the three back. Tiffany whistled as she examined the exterior design of the car. Her hands leaned on the back window as she looked closer at the inside.
"This would look cool if you give it youthful stickers, Chairman," she praised.
"That would reduce your age to ten years too!" seconded Ria. The old man laughed and behaved level-headed. A humble jest he provided for the enthusiastic gals, giving off a pleasing interaction with them.
On the other hand, Rio raised her brow and arm crossed to the other in front. She looked back at me for a second and asked,
"Aren't you in a hurry, Mr. Chairman?" Her younger sister jumped on her, clasping her arm around Rio.
"Right, Chairman, has Persia's fever gone down?" That was Mrs. Jacob's alibi about their daughter's absence? Such a lame excuse for someone who would sacrifice her life solely not to get a mark on academic performance.
"Unfortunately, not so soon." The twin reacted in unison,
"Ehh…"
Of course, they were aware who Persia was in the next classroom. Our unshakable class president exuded stern intimidation. A stone-cold face she displayed to anyone other than Heidi and me. The father offered his car to take us home. Indeed, he had checked my profile and my home address. Nevertheless, it's a straight road ahead.
I presented a polite student and bowed at him.
"We're gonna go somewhere else. Thank you for the offer." The twin rolled their eyes towards my qualm. All who knew my reputation at school would think a mighty angel possessed me to eliminate the evil spirit living inside. I wanted to laugh at myself right now. Hence, a suppressed cocky smile drew on my lips, and the back of my hand hid the epic evidence.
The twins waved at Mr. Chairman's leaving.
"What does Chairman want from you, guys?" I turned my head around and saw Heidi coming in our way. Her bag pack changed into a bigger one. She made a fist bomb to the twins and snickered at Tiffany unreasonably.
"You're making fun of me again!"
"She didn't say anything. Don't get to conclusions, Tiff," pouted Rio.
"She's making that annoying grin!" I chuckled as I spoke with Heidi while the three went on prattling. My friend had
"Are you leaving your mom again?" I questioned, witnessing the event a few times around. She glanced at her bag and tapped the bottom of it.
"Yup. She didn't understand we needed to rescue a friend. She even scolded me about how I could help others if I couldn't help my grades to get better." Tiffany coughed and gasped for air. She had no previous ailment, though. Thus, Heidi asked while Ria controlled her laughter, clasping her stomach to take it in. Rio grunted,
"A fly went into her mouth. So dumb." Heidi tried to stop her guffaw, but I failed, and the person who was more taunter among us burst out in joyful tears.
We had been living our life as students in the same cycle every day. These were the people who I was most in contact with, and they had been great companions.
My free time consisted of flaunting my jarring voice with the Karaoke Gang, hanging out with friends on the playground, and playing random games with Heidi. A remarkable high school life indeed. Not that I did not include Persia, it's just that she had been the silent one all the time. She is a person who does not talk about herself, and if you asked her, she would get irritated before opening up.
Heidi's mobile phone beeped, and the LED light from the front cover flickered as it vibrated. My hand flipped to the next page of the comic book.
"Heid! Your phone's ringing!" I perceived it was not a call. However, the continuous trembling seemed like spam messages. Heidi responded with a squeaking knob of the shower, and the water gushed down in the bathroom. I slightly groaned and heaved up from laying my chest on the bed. My legs crossed unto each other, and I snatched her phone.
The new messages kept showing, and it was from her mom. "Heidi! Your mom's looking for you!" Didn't I call her mother that Heidi would stay at our house tonight? And the old woman agreed in a delightful tone. However, reading some of her hateful and cynical texts about her daughter's whereabouts indicated uneasiness in how she faced me.
"What's up?" I gazed at Heidi and dropped my back on the soft surface, which caused a wave. She put the phone down on the study table and read our academic book. My brows furrowed. I observed her quietude, facing her sideways with my palm on my head.
"I thought we're gonna look for Persia?"
"Exam is coming up, Lou. Her family is rich. They have the upper hand." I stared at the ceiling.
"That's weird. You've never blabbered her prestige. As if you're jealous." The book thudded close, and the flaring gaze of the one who slammed it pierced mine.
"I'm not jealous of her!"
"Why are you getting worked up?" I sat up as Heidi leaped off her feet and rushed to take her sweater from the back of the door.
"Hey, it's curfew soon!" My foot slipped, almost lost my balance, and I followed her downstairs. She's too quick to her feet that the door already slid closed automatically without her trace.
My mom got out of the kitchen area with an apron and her black, curly hair loosely in a bun and slightly damped. She wore the yellow cloth atop her clothes whenever she was doing laundry, and we disturbed her.
"What's going on?" Mom worriedly asked. The shoelaces rasped as I stretched them up and tied them in a knot. I could not keep it under wraps from her. She had known Persia's missing that day, I was told by it. She let Heidi lodged in the house in the presumption that the girl's mom permitted her, and my lips went stuck about the true feelings of Heidi's mother.
Huffing, I, as my eyes squinted at the farthest view it could reach. The imposed law in our town started five minutes ago, and in the back of my mind, I hoped the police officer had not caught Heidi.
I had known her ever since we were little. We attended the same middle school, and our moms planned our school onwards along the way. The night was slightly chilly, still my feet advanced, straight to where I usually found my friend whenever she liked to be alone.
Across the city's main bridge was an underground tunnel that we could enter by a maintenance hole. My nose wiggled as I sniffed on the pungent smell of rats' feces and piss. Ahead of the straight path, the exit would reveal a pristine lake. The spot was confusing due to the tall wild grass blocking the landscape.
My leg scooted over the shore next to the girl, dipping a blade of grass into the water, producing little circular waves outward.
"What's going on in your head? Sure, this place won't get scouted by the police." I gazed at the inky sky without glimmering white dots. It felt serene as the baby buzzing of insects was all we could hear. I inhaled the fresh air the giant trees provided.
"I'm sorry, Lou." Heidi never uttered the word casually or with no reason. She released them with that first approach if she had done something awful and her conscience could no longer contain the hefty weight on her troubled heart. I smiled and rested my arms on my knees. There were petty and exasperating things she had done. All of them affected me in some way. Even so, the anger diminished because I found myself looking for reliable companionship to ease the gap of loneliness in the same league as her.
"What did you do this time?"
"I, I decided to go to the U.S with mom." I nervously chuckled. Wanting to force my belief she was only joking, even so I was well-accustomed to how Heidi brought up serious matters.
"W, we're inseparable, aren't we?" Her eyes formed liquid. They glinted a circle of light crystals upward. She pressed her lips and evaded the emotion I wanted to pass to her. And instead, she heaved a sigh as she stood up and left farewell unforgettable words.
"It's better this way. We needed to grow up."
My silent cries sounded more evident than her trudging feet away from me. The sorrowful night ended for hours and hours, and I woke up in the middle of the rising sun.