Beyond

November

When the alarm clock of Thomas rang it was still dark; he looked at the sky before going out and it wasn't better, incoming rain.

Once at the cafeteria the deluge began; drops of frozen water crashed against the glass of the windows, announcing the arrival of the winter. Anna was late.

Thomas was doubtful, he wished to speak trying to recover with her; he sent her another message but she didn't answer.

Then he decided to call but her phone was off.

Disappointed he reached the classroom.

Marta, one of her best friends, reached him.

"Ciao Thomas. Anna asked me to inform you that today she's not well, thus she won't come to school. If you need help, you can ask me."

He thanked her, she succeeded to return to her desk without fainting.

He thought all that was strange: why Anna didn't call him? He felt himself put aside, after the last weekend events it wasn't so strange. But she didn't forget him; she informed her friend to help him if necessary. Before others, then her.

'Anna, you'll never change' he thought.

He reproached himself to have agreed to that return alone through the woods; probably she got sick after that double walk.

With Anna absent, the school day passed enough boring. His acceptance of that Italian experience depended first of all on the friendship made with her; that morning he had the possibility to reflect again on it.

In the afternoon he finally got news, a message.

Ciao Tom. I got the flu

See you soon, Anna

He answered:

I'm sorry. May I help you?

Homework? Tom

After some minutes:

No, thank you

I already spoke with Marta

Anna

Her friend Marta had already sent her the homework; he got a bit disappointed, she could have asked to him.

*****

Anna stayed at home also on Tuesday and Wednesday. She irregularly answered to his messages and her phone was almost always off, like if she didn't want to speak with anybody.

Without her at school Thomas felt himself a bit lost; he had a friendly relationship with all his schoolmates but with Anna it was different.

During the lessons, he heard some girls in front of him murmuring:

"She started again to absent. Like the past year."

He didn't understand the sense of those words, he began to worry. In the afternoon he wrote her another message asking if he could visit her; she answered it wasn't necessary, as the next day she would have come back to school.

*****

Thursday. Thomas waited for her in the cafeteria but she didn't come; the first bell rang and thoughtful he reached the classroom.

He watched at her desk but she hadn't yet arrived.

Then the second bell screamed, the one announcing the effective start of the lessons.

In that moment Anna entered.

She fast passed close to him, without greeting, showing him only her shoulders, she put the schoolbag on the ground then she sat.