five times five • m. espinosa (short story)

0.2

song of the chapter: lost stars by maroon 5
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i didn't know what came over me, but today i chose not to go to school. and for once, i felt the bliss of sleeping in without a worry of being late to hell.

i snuggled closer to my pillow as a knock came to my door.

"mika? wake up or you'll be late for school." my mom's voice seeped into my room from outside. i sat up at the sound of her voice.

shit, what do i tell her?

"uhmm, it's holiday, ma." i grimaced at my poor choice of excuse. it wasn't enough to drive her away. "today's t-the national... students day."

there was a long silence from the other side of the door, and i thought for once that i was going to get caught red-handed and lying.

holding my breath, i was about to get on my feet and to the door so that i could tell her that i was just playing around, and i only didn't want to go to school since i didn't want to see my boyfriend.

that was the reason all along and i wouldn't regret it if ever my mom bought my lame excuse-lie.

"alright, honey. i believe you'd be okay alone here, i'm gonna go to work." i released a sigh of relief. "call me if you need me."

"will do!" i shouted with a smile and fell back down on my bed.

finally, peace at last.

//

when i woke up, i jolted upright to the sound of my phone ringing under the bed sheets. i scrambled around, trying to get my hands on the noisy device until i realized that i was sitting on it.

"for the love of..." i muttered to myself then accepted the call. "hello?"

"mika, dear, would you mind if you spent one night alone? There has been an emergency here at the hospital and we were asked to an overnight shift." i heard shuffling on the other side of the phone and constant chatters.

"uhm, yeah, i mean-" i sighed again?"

it was always like this. every so often she would spend her time in the hospital on night shifts, leaving me alone in the house- motherless.

i accepted the fact that it was not going to change soon. this has been going on for a few weeks now, and i couldn't change it. if it was her job and if it was going to help the both of us... i might as well accept it.

"i know, and i'm sorry."

i told her it was alright as long as she gave us a free day tomorrow, to which she responded with an assured promise.

i ended the call with her when i realized i was taking up her time. someone could have been chocking to death while she was there laughing with me on the phone.

so i said goodbye and reminded her of her promise. i stood up lazily from the bed and made my way to the bathroom to wash my face. i had to freshen up before picking up matt.

i had decided that i couldn't wait any longer, and i wanted to spend as much time with him before going back to hell. oh, i meant school. sue me.

i changed my pajamas into a comfortable outfit, which consisted of simply black leggings and a white shirt that was one size big than me. I chose to tie my hair up in a high, messy ponytail and applied a few coats of lip balm on my lips.

thinking that i might be waiting for his plane to land, i brought my laptop with me and placed inside my brown leather back pack. i made sure to bring my phone, wallet and a bottle of water with me before jogging out of my house.

i locked the front door and slipped the house keys in my backpack before making my way to the bus stop a few miles away.

when i got to the airport, i went through security checks and sat down in the waiting area. i looked around and saw a nearby cafe, thinking i could grab a drink and some snacks later on if I needed to.

i inhaled deeply, pulled out my laptop and earphones from my backpack, and sat Indian style.

if i was going to stay here for long, i might as well get comfortable whilst doing so.

//

"flight to abu dabhi international airport, abu dabhi, is now boarding. please proceed to terminal two for your check in. thank you and good evening."

that has been going on since earlier when i got here, the lady speaking through the speaker concerning passengers about their flights landing and taking off.

i sat on one of the metal chairs, my butt starting to hurt from the incessant hours i've been sitting down. i stretched my arms and fixed the scarf on my neck. sighing, i continued to scroll through my news feed.

it was getting close to midnight, and it started to worry me that maybe matt would be arriving tonight but tomorrow early morning. it saddened me to think that i wasn't going to be the first one he meets when he gets here, when he comes home.

//don't worry, surprises are on their way. love u lots.//