"why your eyes lying to me then..?"
He knows me well, even after all these years.
"I don't know what you talking about."
"Stop following me."
No matter where I go, we always bump into each other.
And you say I keep following you.
You can't even be...
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The sun shines brightly, squinting my eyes. I bend my knees, spreading them apart. Sweat rolls down my temple, falling down from my chin, joining the dust below. A whistle makes me run a short distance, soon my feet collide with the ball, this hitting sound pleasing to my ears. I take sharp breaths, the stone in my stomach gets heaver.
The goalkeeper's hands rise high, almost slapping the ball. My heart skips a beat.
The ball slips through the fingers curving into the net. Making a goal.
I relax my lungs. The weakness in my thighs makes me fall down on my knees... I open my eyes to see this eternal blue sky.
I hear the cheering of joy and victory. But even in this chaotic mesmerising chant, I could hear someone calling my name from a distance. A sense of untoward presentiment.
"Isha, you have a call from your mother..." My friend says.
~~~
The phone keeps ringing in front of me. I swipe it up, attaching it to my ear. "Isha?" Her calm voice comforting, taking me to my home. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good. Waiting for the bus."
"Ok-ok, what about your studies? Are you covering up the topics you missed?" She is talking about the part I missed cause I joined the school late.
"Yes, I am, trying."
"Don't just try, we want you to get good marks. So, work accordingly!"
"hmm." I tilt my umbrella against the direction of the rain with one hand. It is windy more than raining.
My eyes set on a middle-aged lady. Short ginger hair. Sitting under the shelter. Kept looking at her watch, worried. "... call me when you are free, bye." Mother says snapping me out.
"Bye." I shove the phone in my pocket.
"I forgot mah umbrella." The lady says to her phone. "Can't hauld longer..." She pinches the space between the eyebrows and huffs.
The bus arrives and I step in with my umbrella closed, shaking the water off. "Th' baby's alone, I have to go." I glance at the lady. The umbrella in my hand seems useless now. Hope Mrs Smith won't mind.
"Excuse me? Take mine." I extend my hand towards her. "You need this, right?" I ask.
She hesitates a bit but takes it, anyway. "Thank you so much."
The bus starts. "Tomorrow at the same time!" I say. She waves at me. She looked familiar, but I care less.
I put some money in the money box. And take a window seat. I snuggle into the seat, resting my sides to the window. Watching the raindrops sliding down. I am taking the bus to the school for the first time.
