The Colors In Her Voice

☆Chapter 33☆

My day had started off normal but as soon as I planted my feet outside my house, things eventually escalated and got worse. The moment I had stepped onto my skateboard, one of its wheels broke and ricocheted somewhere in the distance. So I had to walk all the way to my school. This led me to be a few minutes late as I hadn't predicted that my only source of transport would give up on me.

As I was running late, I still made it to my class on time but by then I was a panting mess. In the haste of removing the books from my backpack, I must have accidentally put too much pressure on its zip because it broke too. 

Apart from that, what was even more exasperating was that I forgot my pencil case at home. Basically, I had to ask someone for a pen during every single class. 'How cool is that?' I thought sarcastically. 

After the english period was over, I was holding most of the heavy books in one hand and the open backpack in the other. That was how I've been cruising the whole time before the lunch break. 

I couldn't be more relieved to go to the cafeteria and eat something to gain back my lost energy. I was already late as it is. When the class was dismissed, everyone had already left while I was still busy balancing the books and backpack in my hands.

When I reached my locker, I put in the combination and opened it. Before I could stuff my books in there, I felt a presence behind me. Turning around, I saw Bethany looking at me questioningly.

“Hey, Beth,” I greeted cheerily because I was so thankful to see her. “Could you please hold my bag for a minute?” I asked her pleadingly.

“Sure,” she said and held out her hand. Passing her my bag, I started putting my books in the locker carelessly. I didn't care about making it look impeccable because that was the last thing on my mind.

Once I was done, I turned back to Bethany with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Beth. Here,” I said, asking for my bag. When I looked at her face, she looked ashen as if she had just seen a ghost. “Are you okay?” I asked her and waved my hands in front of her.

“What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine,” she assured me with a tentative smile. 

I glanced at where she was looking at a few seconds ago but there was no one standing there. 

She handed me my backpack but still seemed scared. After my mom's birthday surprise a week ago, she has become somewhat distant. She wouldn't speak much and her smiles were more forced. I wonder what was troubling her so much.

“Saw your ex or something?” I asked her jokingly, pointing my thumb toward the direction she continued staring at. 

She pulled the straps of her bag higher and chuckled at my question. “Believe it or not, I don't have any ex nor any current.”

My jaw dropped on the ground because it was so hard to believe. I stopped walking and looked at her. “Now that I think about it, I have never seen you dating anybody,” I whispered incredulously. “I guess I thought that you just liked keeping it private or something.”

“Hate to break it to you but I've been single my whole life,” Bethany told me, rolling her eyes but she was smiling as well.

“Wow! I can't believe this. Like you're the queen girl in this school and man, am I still in disbelief right now. It's coming off as such mind-boggling news for me,” I said, releasing a short laugh. “You really are different from what my expectations about you used to be.”

“Well, I live to break people's expectations.” She smirked and I just shook my head. I thought that she was being serious with the way she was smirking but her eyes were a different story. They were gleaming with mischief.