"Are you sure you can do this? " Zara spoke up from the front and I opened my eyes to meet her brown ones in the front mirror.
"I tried changing her mind but she is just too stubborn. " Diane chipped in beside me.
"You guys seriously need to calm down, I am fine. "
"She is not." Diane said as a matter of fact and I turned to glare at her.
"I am. "
"No, you are not. " she countered before facing Zara. "You see she has this bad habit whenever she is scared or nervous. " I tapped her thigh to stop whatever she was going to say but she was having none of it. "When she constantly sighs, picks her nails, zones out, and fumbles with her clothes, she is damn nervous and I have seen her doing all these today. "
"Do not listen to her, I am fine... moreover I cannot skip school because of what happened. " I mumbled before sighing and they both kept quiet.
During the short ride to school, I kept my eyes closed as I tried to keep them off the topic but Diane had been right. I was nervous. I wondered what would become of me when I stepped foot in the school. I had told them everything... everything which excluded Lim.
He was friends with Zara, Aaron and Sam and I do not want to be the girl who breaks the friendship between them.
"Tora." I felt someone tap me and I opened my eyes to meet Diane's. "We are here. "
"Hm." I nodded before exhaling deeply.
Picking my bag, I stepped out of the car. Flashes of what had happened the last time I was here went through my head. Suddenly I felt someone's arms wrap around my torso and I snapped off it to see Diane tightly clinging to me like I was going to fade away any moment.
I chuckled as my hands went to her back and I whispered in her hair. "Babe, I am not dying. " but she only clung tighter, snuffing the life out of me and I looked at Zara who was looking at us with amusement written on her face. When she met my gaze, she took the hint and stepped in.
"She would be fine. Remember I would be there with her and so would Aaron and Sam. She is safe with us. "
"Are you sure? " she raised her glossy eyes to Zara and she chuckled.
"Yes."
But she was still hesitant as her arms remained on my torso. I bit back a laugh when she turned her face to mine. "I will be fine, momma. "
"Make sure to reach out to me if you need anything and if you can not get through to me, there is Zara, Aaron and Sam. "
With my sleeve, I wiped a stray tear from her cheek and I kissed her forehead before nodding my head. "Yes, I will. " I smile in an assuring manner. "Now you need to go to your class. " I said pushing her away from me but she still kept her arm around me. "I am not a child, Diane. I can take care of myself. "
"You are so cold," she said sarcasm laced in her tone before releasing me. "I love you though. "
"I love you too. " I waved her off as she sauntered to her class.
When she was out of sight, I turned around to see Zara, who was grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.
"Stop smiling, it is creepy. " I said as I began walking away and she jumped on my shoulders before running forward.
This past week, Zara and I had gotten close. At first, I thought she was one of those girls who would like to use me as her minion since she came from a wealthy family. She had proved me wrong when she came to my apartment every day, even during the weekends when she was meant to go to her dance class. Aaron had mentioned that she would miss her favorite steps but she still stood by me. I had feared her parents would scold her if they found out she was friends with a girl who was nowhere near their league so I was surprised when she came bearing gifts that came from them.
"TORA!"
I heard someone shout my name and before I could look around to see who it was, my breath was knocked off me.
"Aaron let the girl breathe. " Zara warned but I hugged him back, halting his attempt to move away.
"It is okay. " I said to Zara but she was already peeling him off of me.
While they were engaged in a scuffle, I saw Sam standing not too far away from where we were and I walked up to him.
"Hey." I nodded at him.
"Hi, how are you faring? " he asked and I turned a three-sixty degree.
"I am good, thanks to you all. " I chuckled and he nodded with a small smile on his lips.
"Can we go now, my legs are beginning to ache. " Zara said before dragging me along with her.
I got a lot of stares on walking into the class, breathing life into the nervousness that had begun to fade. Acting according to my instincts, I raised my hand to turn toward the desk I had seen the girl who had bullied me but it was empty and I sighed.
"Do not mind them. We are here with you. " Aaron squeezed my fingers in comfort and I threw him an appreciative smile.
Throughout the whole lesson, I felt the other kids gaze on me while some walked up to me asking how I was doing and if there was something they could do to help me.
It was weird and uncomfortable were people who knew nothing about about apart from the information that I was new and was bullied.
Zara had shooed them away and even went to the length of switching her and Sam's seats with those who sat in front and across me.
I was thankful for their considerate actions but I felt like they were doing too much and when I told Zara she said she was protecting or something along that line.
During lunch, they made sure I was served my favorite meal, an aspect Diane had helped with when she insisted on eating lunch with us and not her 'boring' classmates.
We had all become closer than ever this past week and we even shared embarrassing moments about our childhood.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I asked the question that had been eating me since I walked into the school. "What about the boy who ate with us the last time? " They all stopped to look at me and I continued. "I mean...is he a student.. or something? "
"Oh you mean Lim. "Aaron asked and I nodded. "He is probably somewhere buried in his books. " He snorted.
"So he is in school. " I muttered to myself.
"What did you say? "
"Nothing." I shook my head before getting back to my meal.
"I have not seen much of him lately though. " Sam pipped in and my ears twitched at the little information.
"Yeah, same here. I feel like he is avoiding us. " Zara added.
Aaron shook his head. "Nah, I do not think so. " he looked at Zara with a serious expression. "Like... for what reason on earth would he avoid us? It is not like we are a cult or something? " he chuckled and Sam nodded. "Even if we were, he cannot just leave like that after so many years of being together and it... "
"Eat this. " Diane whispered placing an apple beside me. With a smile, I whispered a thank you.
From the corner of my eye, I realized they were looking at me and I raised my head. They were more like gaping at me.
Suddenly I felt a big lump in my throat and I swallowed hard. "What?" I looked at their horror faces and I shook a bit.
"Do..."
"No..."
"It can... "
They said at the same time.
"Can you three stop staring like you have seen a ghost and just spit whatever you want to say out? " Diane spoke up and I was thankful there was a sensible person among us since I was also tongue-tied.
The way the trio looked at themselves before looking at me made me suspect what they were going to say.
Zara started slowly. "The day you were bullied... " she hesitated and my breath hitched.
'No... no... do not... please... please. ' my subconscious shook her head vigorously, drowned in her sweat.
"Did you ... was... Lim there? " She asked and I froze.
"What is with this tension? Who is Lim? " I heard Diane ask beside me.
My eyes trailed towards the entrance of the cafeteria and I saw him. They must have seen him too.
Before I could stop Aaron, he already kissed his face with his fists.