Misplaced Trust

Chapter Five

It's never heartwarming to discover that false information is circulating about you and honestly, it was disheartening,  my reputation is going to be tarnished and I knew not who exactly to ask.

My conversation with the guidance teacher was short-lived for he received a call that he had an emergent staff meeting to attend to. Either way, I  wasn't even ready to continue the conversation with him, since he said I am to ask Anna. Anyways he said he will call me again.

I was half an hour late for my class but since there was a staff meeting, it means the Math teacher has to be in attendance, so I patiently waited till I saw her coming out of our classroom not wanting to cross paths, I went to the restroom and took a deep breath, had a look at my blue wrist watch and told myself, "You have five minutes to calm yourself down sweetheart, so you better make it quick ".

I walked into the classroom, and the whispers and the glances followed my every move, it was an anxiety-inducing experience but I navigated the situation with grace and confidence. 
Walked like I am on a runaway and went to sit at the back. Anna already made Elijah comfortable and honestly, my heart was under fire and I thought it was best to ask her when I get back in my element.

Part of me wanted to get up and directly ask and address the rumors but the wiser in me said it ain't the best approach as it will only give them more power and attention, so I got out my novel from the bag and made sure I faced the wall as I pretended to read. 

Elijah followed me at the back, grabbed the novel from my hands, and smiled at me, "You want to escape this place?". I nodded in agreement and for a second I thought he was joking and just trying to cheer me up till he got out his phone and said he had already called one of his friends to pick us up, of course, we had to be discreet phones are illegal and we just about to dodge class.

He had to move out first and I was to follow him after some minutes so it doesn't look suspicious, I happily smiled as he walked away only to see him turning back to whisper in my ears "Don't tell anyone ".

With butterflies dancing in my stomach, in ten minutes, I joined him outside school and we embarked on a journey filled with laughter and stolen glances.

Our day unfolded like a picture-perfect scene from a movie, as we explored hidden corners of the city, hand in hand. Who knew that Ibenga was this beautiful?
Every moment was engraved in my memory - the sound of our laughter echoing through the quiet streets, the touch of our hands, gentle and reassuring, and the way our eyes sparkled with mischief and genuine affection.

Time seemed to stand still as we reveled in the joy of each other's company, completely unburdened by the weight of our left-behind responsibilities.

It was in these stolen moments, far away from the prying eyes of our classmates, that I realized the true depth of my feelings.

This day, this mini escape from the rumors, forever etched itself as a cherished memory, a testament to the budding romance that blossomed when we dared to embrace the freedom of skipping school together.

Not all things last forever and we had to get back to school, for a moment I forgot about my agony, Elijah made it easy and made no mention of or dared to ask for the thousand reasons why I was looking miserable.

We made it back in one piece and smartly found our way back to class, I left my school bag of course and when I was about to take a seat, Anna came close and asked, "Where have you been?  ", in a sad tone I made answer, " I've been crying in the rest room ".