Trust Fall(Complete ✅)

20. The powerful weapon

Chapter track
Please don't go– Joel Adams
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Bianca

My story is evidently turning into a series of overwhelming dramatic events which isn't exactly what I asked for.

A part of me is exhilarated by the fact that Neil is in the picture, but the other part is still left dangling with the cold comfort provided by my friend.

Penzo has always been the jolly one, with an amazing sense of humour and when it comes to having fun, he has all the time in the world. But his sudden, solemn and questionable behaviour is weird and it's starting to worry me.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I whisper as a lecture on the economy is going on. "You don't look very good."

"I'm fine." He mutters and looks away, leaning his head by his fisted arm supported by the elbow.

"You've been saying that for like a week and you still look nothing close to fine."

"That's none of your concern. "

"Well, it is."

"Why?" He turns to look at me with his narrowed eyes.

"Because it's bothering me."

"Yeah! Sorry." He scoffs and looks away.

I'm simply running out of patience and my clenched hands are the ones suffering my reactions.

I don't remember being like this before. Being an introvert, I was okay with the idea of keeping my sentiments to myself, but all the surprising chaos that life is throwing at me is certainly not helping me to stay sane. I'm now flooded with different categories of emotions, all at the same time.

"I'm not leaving until you answer my questions. " I declare, almost jogging to catch up to his pace as he walks towards God-knows-where during the recess.

"Then good luck with that." He snarls. "I have nothing new to tell you."

"Penzo!" I exclaim, which finally seems to make him look back at me. I'm trying very hard not to cry but my eyes are already dim with tears when he holds my hand and walks me out of the corridor which is now bustling with prying eyes and whispers.

I wipe my tears with the back of my sleeve and sit down on the stone parapet by the road near the canteen.

"I'm sorry. " He voice is soft as he hunkers down in front of me. "I didn't mean for you to cry."

"Well, I didn't plan that either. I just don't understand why I'm being this sensitive. " I'm struggling to stop myself from weeping but the fury is getting the best of me. "But you were in fact enjoying being gruff, weren't you? And you wouldn't even answer why?"

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "I didn't want to tell you this way but Bianca, I have this intense crush on you for a long time now."

"But.. but.." I stammer after a long stretch of silence as my eyes grow wide. I almost, silently pray for him to just grin and say that he is only kidding but his face looks nothing but serious. "How..?"

"I have always liked you, Bia. But this time it feels more vivid and I thought you knew that already." His head is now lowered and so is his voice. "In fact, I even tried to confess that to you several times but that Neil always came out of nowhere and ruin everything."

"Wha..what?" I ask, still not being able to sink in whatever he's saying.

It's true, it wasn't like I was clueless about his feelings by the way he treats me. But I really wished to be proven wrong because the feelings aren't mutual. So, as a result of my ignorance, I couldn't prepare myself for this and the situation only got clumsy.