The One Who Matter Most (now published so sample only)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Delilah had dreaded even the thought of Monday morning. With its arrival came both the worry for Rick and Natalia. Still, she dressed for work, made breakfast for her and her father before driving to the school.

To alleviate her nerves, Delilah recalled the previous night. Rick had come through with his concert. Many of the fans showed disappointment that he didn't sing his new song but otherwise the concert went well. He had rung her afterwards and they had talked long into the night.

She smiled and found herself calming. It wasn't until she approached the teachers room that her smile began to dim. Hearing Natalia's voice almost made her change direction and head to her classroom. With a sigh, she decided to face the inevitable as she pushed the door open.

"There you are!" Natalia exclaimed.

"Where else would I be?" Delilah drawled out the words.

"We need to talk."

Natalia crossed her arms and the determined look on her face left Delilah with a need to run. When Natalia led her from the room, she began to worry. They walked to Natalia's classroom and she shut the door behind them. Delilah resided her eyebrows as she faced her friend and tried to hide her nerves.

"I've heard you were friends with him in high school." Natalia's face turned thunderous.

"What?"

"Rick Bailey, were you friends with him in high school?" Natalia demanded.

"Yes, so what about it?"

"Why did you never tell me?"

"It wasn't important."

"But you know how much I've wanted to meet him." Natalia wailed.

"This drama is way too much for a Monday morning, Nat."

"You flew across the country to go to one of his concerts and you still haven't told me where you got the tickets."

"Listen, if I organise tickets for you to see his concert when he's closer to here would you stop badgering me?"

"Maybe," Natalia pondered the idea. "What's the catch?"

"You can't ask me anything more about the weekend just gone."

"Let me think it over and I'll get back to you."

"Good. On that note, I have a class to start organising."

Delilah walked out of the classroom as fast as she could. The last thing she needed was for her friend to continue pointing out pertinent facts that Delilah didn't want to answer. Her morning flew by and it wasn't until her break at lunchtime that Delilah approached the principal about having the following day off. By the time she sat down to eat her lunch, exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. She saw a text from Rick and her energy revived into excitement.

"I'm leaving now and getting on a plane." His text stated.

"Come straight to my place and I'll have dinner ready." Delilah replied.

She never had a chance to see his reply because she was due back with her class. The afternoon dragged on and she had the sense that the day would never end. Walking through her front door, she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

She found it odd to hear voices as she dropped her things on the counter. Her father's scratchy tones mixed with a voice that made her heart race and her body tingle.

"Hey, Dad." She raised her voice so her partially deaf father could hear her.

"Come on down here, Pumpernickel, there's a surprise waiting for you." Came the reply.