CAGED ✔

《 Chapter 3 》

The above book in the media box was written by me and can be gotten on Novelcat,  Bravonovel, and Goodnovel.  If you're interested in reading, kindly drop a comment here and I'll send the link to you in your DM.  ➡
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I checked my watch. It was 3:59pm. I hurriedly packed my books into my bag pack, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring.

Five!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
Zero!

The jingling of the bell resounded loudly in my ear. I sprang up to my feet immediately, and dashed out of my class. I could hear my classmates laughing out loud as I ran out of the class — something I expected.  

School which should be a form of comfort and relief to me was a plus to my problem. My classmates hated me deeply.

"She runs like Usain Bolt."  I heard a girl say.

I sighed heavily as I ran to the already opened door of the car directly in front of my school gate. My classmates didn't understand why I ran and I wasn't ready to explain myself to them.

To the girls, I was proud and to the boys I was playing hard to get. For this reason, they screamed in unison 'Absent ma!' each time the class teacher called my name to mark the class register.

It was for this same reason, the stupid countdown was birth.  a certain  girl noticed how I ran out of the class immediately the bell rang and so she started a counting sequence she named: The Countdown.

She'd  count in descending order from five to zero.  Unfortunately, I ran out of the class each time she got to zero; zero was the time the bell rang. Other classmates of mine found this fascinating so they joined in the count down.

It was fun and amusing to them. My running off provoked laughter so they looked forward to that moment where  they could laugh their head off.

There was a time their laughter bothered me but I had taught myself to shut their laughter out of my mind since I couldn't  do anything  to stop them from making fun of me.

The most I could do was harden my heart to avoid more hurt and pain. It seemed that was the only thing the world had to offer.

I would never stop running; I couldn't even stop. It was not for me to decide when to stop and when not to. It wasn't a question of what I wanted.  My opinion didn't count so my classmate's mockery was not enough reason to make me stop — It was actually the least of my problem.

The day I stop is the day I die. I had no time to exchange words with them or fight with them about issues of their insult. Time wasn't on my side to do that. Time wasn't on my side to do anything.

My life was calculated. It was timed. I had just a minute to get to my driver who was always at the gate before the jingling of the closing bell. 

The car engine was left running often by my driver to limit the amount of time I would waste — apparently, opening a car door could take a minute; we couldn't afford to take such chances, therefore, the car door was opened widely so I would jump right in. Like I said: My life was calculated.

It was timed. I had no say of my own. Grandma dictated my every step and every move. Like a god, she ruled over me.

I wish I could be free; that I could lead a normal life like everyone else. However, the truth was glaring in my face: I was stuck with my grandma. Despite knowing this, I couldn't help but nurse a tiny ounce of hope that one day I would leave grandma. 

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Days went by and I didn't hear anything from Peter. Though he smiled at me each time our eyes met, he never attempted to talk to me again.