Melting Me Softly

*Chapter Three*

Song of chapter: The sound of silence by Simon and Garfunkel

Home was like a graveyard when my father was around. The only sounds that could presently be heard were the ones produced by the rustling of leaves from the cool evening breeze, the chirping of birds from the garden at the backyard and the clanging of cutlery against our plates. He returned from a business trip just three nights before and we were already having the customary last night dinner which had become a ritual in my home, even before mom died. I didn't understand why it was called the last night dinner when he never ate with us until the night before he left for another long trip.

"Listen, you'll be joining your cousin at Elite Crest High for your final year. It would beef up your school résumé; they also help to hone your business skills, so after getting into Yale, things won't be too tough for you". He didn't call a name but I knew I was the one who he was referring to because he never liked to call my name, said it was too good for me. And my older brother Nathan, which was the only sibling I had was in his senior year at Yale already.

"Yes sir", I answered almost inaudibly, for the fear of getting him angry.

"I didn't ask for an answer, I asked you to listen to me", he retorted spitefully. For as long as I could remember, everything I did made my father angry. I had always tried to please him, tried to be a good child, tried to be as disciplined and mature as I could be, but he never acknowledged me and when he did, it was to angrily call me out on things, even when I was right. I had slowly but painfully gotten used to it, didn't hurt as much as it did before.

After he said this, the whole table returned once again to silence, uncomfortable eerie silence that lingered until my brother, Nathan broke it by engaging him in a business geek conversation I didn't want to be part of. It was at times like this that I missed mom the most, the comforting smile she gave me from across the table, that beautiful whisper that would tell me it was okay. I almost choked in tears until I remembered where I was- in my father's presence- and quickly comported myself, trying my best to absorb the pain, something I was really good at.

* * * * * * * *

I pulled into the school driveway, halted and came out of my car. Taking a sight of the school, I was quite impressed at how large it was. Holding the title of the best private school in North America, I guess it really lived up to its standard. Judging by the quietness of the environs, I gathered that classes had already begun. But it wasn't really my first day, my dad had scheduled a meeting with the principal which I had to attend so I wouldn't screw his reputation up. I moved towards the school building and thought of how to find my way when I saw a group of girls, advancing towards my direction. I sighed in relief as I moved towards them.

"Hey", I called out to them, ending their banter as they fixated their eyes towards me, like they had seen a celebrity. The blonde girl in the middle stood out and I guessed she was the leader of their little clique.

"Oh, hi", she greeted me with a flirtatious smile. I scoffed subconsciously, used to those kind of reactions already.

"Please, could you tell me where the principal's office is?" I asked curtly, straightforwardly, not wanting to spend another minute with either of them. It was obvious they were a bit taken aback by my tone.

"Oh, it's a confusing description actually but I could take you there, I have enough time to....."

"No, thank you, I'll try to understand whatever description I get from you", I cut the blonde girl off immediately. I think that annoyed her a little as her face scrunched up in a little frown.

"Take the elevator down the hall to the fifth floor, third door by your right", she answered rather sassily

"Thanks", I offered and moved towards the elevator, feeling so glad to have left their presence.

After three hours of attempting to impress me with the so-called academic prowess of the school, the principal finally let me go. I was already aware that he did all this just to secure donations for the school from my father which was utterly distasteful, people cared about wealth too much. I left immediately he was done, didn't want to get to the part where he would plead with me to put in a few good words for him. Heading towards the elevator, I plugged in my earphones and dialed my cousin's number to know where he was but he didn't pick up. This only meant one thing, he was at soccer practice. I decided to shoot him a text to let him know that I stopped by, then I turned on some music for peace of mind as I got into the elevator and pushed the ground floor button. When I had sent my text, I glanced up to find that the elevator had not moved. And there was in fact, someone sprawled on the floor. Judging by her uniform, it was indeed a girl. She quickly stood up, composed herself and just stood there, stealing glances at me with a scowl on her face. Standing for about three minutes, she didn't make to press any button, she just stood there. At first I thought she was either lost or got hurt from the flow so I decided to check.

"Excuse me...... are you okay?" I asked, taking my hood off. She answered positively, turning to me but paused in between her response and looked forward almost immediately, as if she had seen a ghost.

"Uhm, you haven't pressed any button yet", I called out again.

"Oh", she said in realization and quickly pressed a button before retreating to her previous position, desperately avoiding my gaze. I think she was really embarrassed and her actions almost made me laugh, I mean I would be embarrassed too if I were in her shoes. She practically dashed out of the elevator when it reached her floor and a smile crept its way onto my lips as I thought of how odd she was. As I headed home that day, I kept thinking about the girl in the elevator and wondered if other girls in ECH were like her; weird, pretty, but weird.

A/N: Hey guys, it's me again!! So I just realized that no one has been voting or commenting on my book, which is pretty sad for me, but it's fine as long as the comments and votes start coming in. And who do you guys think Noel's cousin is? I believe I dropped a hint or two. And what do you think about his relationship with his dad, pretty sad right?? Well then, send in your comments so I can know your thoughts on this book. So, let's dive back into our story!!