Triple Life (#Wattys2015)

Ch 51

I walked through the hallways until I reached Room 201, my first subject of the first day of sophomore year was English. A dull ache went through my chest as I remembered a year before in the very room I was going to I met Adrian during English class. I reached it a few minutes before the bell rang and took my seat near the window in the 3rd row. Though the day was bright, it felt dull. I wasn't very much excited today, though I usually was on the first day of school. Walking through the hallways, towards the classes which I had spent time and shared with Adrian just a year back. It all brought up memories that I am trying so hard to push into the back of my mind because I knew that if I constantly thought about Adrian, I would break down into tears and I've done a lot of that during my summer holidays. Summer had never been worse.

There was a tiny, irrational part of me that hoped against hope that Adrian would be here right next to me with his silly grin, messy hair and annoying questions and would pull me into a hug again his chest with my head tucked under his. When my eyes would be filled with relieved tears, he would just pull back, wipe them away and look up at me grinning, saying "I am back, see! Nobody can just take me like that!"

I didn't realise that I was so far gone in my musings until I felt baby blue eyes peeking curiously and concernedly at me whilst the owner of those eyes were shaking my shoulders in an attempt to bring me back to reality. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked up to see who it was.

My first thought when I saw the person was "Hell has frozen over. Officially."

And that was because the person was no other than the last person on earth who'd actually feel concern for anyone- Rhea Fox.

I blinked once, twice and then, thrice yet the person in front of me didn't change. I rubbed my eyes to see whether Rhea would finally disappear but no, she was still standing in front of me her baby blue eyes filled with concern, her blond hair pulled into a high ponytail and her hands still on my shoulders. Had I finally cracked? Had I started thinking a lot about Adrian? Had my grief given way to hallucinations and imaginations too wild to comprehend? Well, I wouldn't find the answers if I just did stare at Rhea, would I?

"Rhea?" I asked cautiously.

"Annabelle, are you- I mean, are you- are you ok?" Rhea stammered through the sentence.

Is it just me or did Rhea actually sound concerned?

"I am fine, thank you asking, Rhea." I told her, with a small smile.

"No, you're not." And saying so she wiped my cheeks. Until then, I didn't realise that I had been crying. "You were crying thinking of something or maybe someone. I guess it's someone. Adrian, maybe?" Rhea asked softly.

I stared at her in shock, what had happened to the Rhea Fox we knew?

"I know it's shocking to see me like this but I really have changed. I can't believe my parents did something like this that caused Adrian's parents' company to incur such a huge loss." Rhea sighed.

"Oh, Rhea it happens in business doesn't it?" I told her, soothingly.