Given half a chance

Chapter 10

Anna

Bread toast again ! That's my mother's convenient breakfast menu for every single morning . And by every I really mean every . Since I have grown teeth , the only thing I have had only bread toasts for breakfast on weekdays . Saturday and Sunday is a different story because it's Dad who prepares breakfast on weekends and I can't tell how important that is in my family.

I can't blame my mother for this at all. She's a very busy person. She's a high school teacher. Luckily not at my school. A very active member of the women's social club. A club that looks after inequalities and discrimination against women especially in work place.

I swallow a dry lump of bread and make a face . Dad notices that. He chuckles . " Now will you agree I'm a better cook than your mother. " I nod feverishly , despising the taste of half burnt bread toast on my tongue .

" Anna !" Mom yells from the living room. My eyes widen. How can she hear us from living room ? 

" Yes Mom ?" I slide out of my chair . Dad stops me . " Tell your mom to have her breakfast first. She doesn't have much time left for school . Or else she'll get late. "

I nod and make a dash to the living room. Mom is making her way towards the kitchen . I meet her mid way. My phone in her hand. She's smirking at something on my phone .

" Why are calling ? " I try to contemplate the reason behind that notorious smirk .

" Sebastian has texted you ." My heart flips. My mother's smirk develops into a grin. I wipe my hands on my jeans and reach out for my phone . She retracts her hands away. " Uh ! Is something going on between you two ?" She squints her eyes at me .

My patience snaps. Because nothing is going on between us. " No . What does he say ?" The grin wipes out of my mother's face. In it's place a frown appears. It's the not the fault of my words. It's the fault of my tone . I guess if I would have said it half stuttering and half shyly my mom would have been happy. But I said with a monotonous edge in my voice. Now she knows something can be wrong .

" You are holding the phone. The number is on the screen. Why don't you call him and ask him yourself. " I say playfully. Mom hands me the phone.

" I don't have time for that . But you'll tell me if you have anything going on , whoever that is. " That's an order , a motherly demand.

I nod. She hands me my phone. " Sebastian wants to meet you at the terrace of your school before school starts . "

I look down at my phone. Indeed it's Sebastian.

Sebastian: meet me at the terrace   before school :)

My mother is still staring at me like she expects me to say something . And I really really wish I had something to tell her. But I don't have anything satisfactory to tell .

So I just stare at her until she gives up and shakes her head . She goes to the kitchen leaving me alone with Sebastian's text.

My finger hovers over the screen of my phone as I try to come over with a reply to his text. I have so many questions. So many complains . But instead I settle on a small and simple okay .

Anna: Okay .

                                     °°°

After reaching school I go straight for the stairs that leads to the terrace. Taking two stairs at a time , I arrive at the terrace in record timing. Sebastian is leaning against the ledge , his elbows resting on it. I stare at his broad shoulders .

My eyes scan his posture , how his sky blue shirt is stretched across his shoulders , how his black jeans hugs his legs , memorising everything.

Sebastian still has no idea that I'm standing here . Or else he would have done something. Turning back or speaking up or something . I am glad despite me being out of breath --- I can't tell if that's the stairs ' doing or Sebastian's --- and panting he remains unaware of my presence.