What Lies Beyond You | ✓

38. | Apology

38.

apology

I HADN'T SPOKEN TO CAELUM since the parking lot incident, and I had no idea if he was still mad at me. Sure, I had seen him several times during my Sophomore year, but before then, I couldn't recall seeing him around.

That was probably the reason why I believed him when he told me he came to Hill-wood during sophomore year, but since it was a lie and he grew up here, how come I hadn't seen him before?

Though I genuinely wanted to stop looking for Caelum's secrets—because it was the right thing to do, and I didn't want to be selfish this time—I knew it was going to be difficult.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and it sure as hell couldn't be taken down in a day. It seemed my self-centeredness grew over time and I had no idea, but I couldn't just change overnight.

A large part of me still wanted to satisfy my curiosity—even after everything Mother had said. I just hoped my decision wasn't going to turn out to be my worst decision yet.

"How did you do?" Clara glanced at Melanie from over the question paper she was holding.

Melanie shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Mine was okay too," Emery chipped in, and I nodded when three pairs of eyes turned to me.

"Good," Clara returned her attention to her paper. "What was your answer to the first question Mel?"

"Uh..." Melanie coughed. "I can't remember the question."

Clara raised the paper to her. "Do you remember it now?"

Melanie nodded, cracking her knuckles. "What was your answer?"

"I picked option C," Clara said, still holding the paper. "Sickle cell anemia obviously results from a point mutation in the HBB gene."

"Same!" Melanie exclaimed. "That was the same thing I picked."

Clara nodded, turning the paper around, before pointing at a chemical equation. "What about this one?"

Melanie sent a look I couldn't decipher to Emery, before asking Clara the same question she asked before. Clara narrowed her eyes, but gave her the answer and Melanie yelled a 'same, that was the exact thing I wrote.'

At that point, I saw exactly what Melanie was doing, and I bit my lips to prevent my laughter from spilling out. Clara pointed at another equation, before asking Melanie for her answer.

This time around, Melanie used her fingers to wipe the table before standing. "This table is dusty," she said. "I'm going to look for a rag."

I couldn't hold it in any longer so I let my laughter fill the air, and Emery joined in seconds later.

Clara chuckled, dropping the paper on the table. "She told some dude I knew the answer to all the questions, and the boy wouldn't stop disturbing me. Think of it as a way of getting back at her."

"She had to go look for a rag," Emery tittered. "I feel bad for her though."

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by Clara. "Talking about feeling bad, where did you suddenly disappear to during the weekend?"

And here I was, thinking they weren't going to bring it up.

"Reading," I said. She gave me a look and I complied. "I felt really bad."

Emery quirked a brow in confusion. "What? Why?"

I shrugged. "I realized I wasn't a good friend."