Try Again

Chapter 3

Mira's POV

"I was so worried about you," Selena said, pouting. "You could have called or texted me."

"I'm very sorry. I fell asleep as soon as I got home." I tried to explain to her.

"But still..."

Right now, we were on our way to class after the assembly. I was trying to apologize to Selena for forgetting to inform her about the incident. She was like the mother of our group who is always worried for the wellbeing of her children.

She is probably the most charming girl I have ever met. She had the most beautiful honey-brown eyes, a round face, a small nose, curly brown hair, and caramel skin that glows under the sun. She was harsh when necessary but mostly gentle.  I found her simply beautiful.

"Oh stop whining," Azalea said, rolling her eyes.

Azalea, on the other hand, had a wild personality, especially in school since she couldn't do much at home because of her strict mother. She even became more restricted after her parents divorced.

"Selena, I promise I'll call next time," I said. I pointed to myself, "See I'm fine."

"You are not fine." She replied before pointing at my leg. "You are limping."

Thankfully, I didn't need crutches.

I remained silent because I didn't have anything else to say. We got to class and settled down for the first period.

*****

It was third-period English and I needed to use the bathroom. I excused myself and although Selena wanted to assist me, I refused. I can handle myself. I limped to the bathroom.

While I was in the bathroom stall, I heard the door open with a string of footsteps following it. I could hear two familiar voices having a conversation. I didn't want to eavesdrop but their voices were so loud I couldn't help but listen.

"...And he punched Jeremy in the face and walked away." The first voice said.

"He must have said something hurtful to him. It isn't like Tyler to punch other people for no reason." The second voice replied.

I rolled my eyes. 'But he can knock down people for no reason.' I thought sarcastically.

I recognized the owners of the voice. They were Beatrice and Chima, our school's gossip. They knew all the rumors in school.

I heard Beatrice sigh, "But still he shouldn't have hurt Jeremy's beautiful face."

Chima hummed in response. "Tyler looked kinda strange to me, he…" They kept on talking as they walked out of the bathroom.

We were all in the same grade but we had different classes. There were three classes in my grade, class A, class B, and class C.

Beatrice and Chima were both in class A. My class was class B which was the same as Tyler's. The last class was C which Jeremy was in.

I stepped out of the stall and washed my hands after they had left. My mind could not help but wander to what they just said. Perhaps that's why he was in a hurry and ran into me.

"But why punch Jeremy though?" I thought aloud, contemplating.

Tyler and Jeremy had been best friends for as long as I could remember. But last year, they suddenly stopped talking to each other. It was also the period that Tyler disconnected himself from everyone else. Everyone thought it was a little fight and they'd eventually make up but they did not. Instead, they have gradually become enemies.

After washing and drying my hands, I headed back to the classroom. From afar, I saw the door of the classroom open, Tyler stepped out and walked in the opposite direction.

He still hasn't apologized to me yet. I won't let him go scot-free. I tried limping to catch up with him but it was impossible as he had a pair of uninjured legs. I couldn't yell his name too because it would distract the rest of the classes and I might end up getting scolded.

The door to Class C opened and Jeremy stepped out. Jeremy was an eighteen years old tall white boy with strawberry blond hair and a very good-looking face, not to mention his sparkling green eyes which many girls swooned for. Right now, those eyes were staring at Tyler intensely as if he wanted to rip his head off.

Jeremy suddenly smirked, "How is the family doing?" He asked, his voice laced with mischief.

Tyler flinched at his question, clenched his fist, "I don't have time for this." He said, attempting to walk away.

"Just like your father does not have time for you?" Jeremy taunted.

Tyler's hands trembled and his body shook. He let out a deep breath, calming himself, "Extend my greetings to your girlfriend." He said before walking away, leaving behind an angry Jayson who walked back into his class.

'What was all that about?' I thought.

I continued following Tyler who had sauntered off somewhere. I rounded off a corridor and found him leaning against a wall, panting. He reached out for something in his pocket and brought out a small orange bottle. He opened it and tried to pour its contents into his palm but due to his quivering hand, he spilled it on the floor.

I was done hiding at this point. Was he doing drugs? I slowly limped towards him but he didn't seem to notice. I bent down and picked a pill close to me and inspected it. It looked like a medication.

"Do you have a disease?" I blurted out. He jumped up startled. When I saw his face, I suddenly felt uneasy. I had never really had a close look at him but presently, he looked very tired. His white face was so pale, they were bags under his dark eyes, and his black hair looked unbrushed. He looked terrible.

He tried to hide the bottle in his hand but because of his haste, it fell from his hand. I quickly picked it up. I looked at the label and it said ******.

"Give that back!" He yelled, snatching it away from me.

I stared at him baffled. He reacted too harshly, "Isn't that an Antidepressant drug?" I asked confused. I recognized it from one of the health classes we took. "Are you?" I hesitated, unsure how to ask. "Are you suffering from depression?"

The look on his face said it all. He shut his eyes, clenched his fist, and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and glared at me fiercely, "Don't let a word of this get out." He said through gritted teeth. "I'm watching you." He added before walking away