His Little Amelia

|86| • Amelia

Test week was stressful, to say the least. It felt as though I was living in a cycle; to wake up as early as three so I could study and run out before the crack of dawn to meet the early bus and head to class. I had to admit that Evie made the week a bit more joyful for me. While running out, I'd open the fridge and see the food he packed for me.

Before each test, I'd see his message wishing me the best and with a smile, I'd start the test. It was Friday now, meaning the test was coming to an end. Today we were having our written test, which involved quite the calculation and memorisation.

Letting out a loud yawn, I quietly munched on the cookie in my bag, studying the recipes and measurements I'd scribbled in my note a night before.

"Early again, I see." Looking up to see Willow Rue, I grinned at her. She came in with her backpack and a scarf tied on her head. "Good morning, Willow Rue. Are you still surprised?" I teased. Come to think about it, I was one of the first to come to class throughout the test. Ever since high school, test week was one of my most stressful weeks because of how my body reacted. Too anxious to have a good night's rest. My mind ran frantically in circles. Willow Rue came to my side, taking the cookie from my hand. "Hey!" I gasped and the girl grinned. "Can I?" She asked with her mouth already filled with the cookie!

"You're already-" With an eye-roll, I took another.

"Are you ready for the test? I stayed up all night for this." She huffed, pulling a chair out to sit beside me. I could see the bags under her eyes now that she said it. She rubbed them in circles, taking out her colourful hardcover book. "After this test, I'm soaking in my tub for at least an hour."

"With a glass of champagne?" I added and she hummed in delight, snapping her fingers. "While streaming true crime? Bliss right there, girl." Snickering at her version of bliss; I offered another cookie which she took with a wide grin. Left to me, I'd play board games with Everest while we ate one of his famous pasta bolognese while making each other giggle. I guess we all had different ideas of bliss. In a comfortable silence, we began to read once more.

In about an hour, the class was filled and it was time to drop our bags at the front. Looking ahead, I saw Raul dropping his bag. As he turned to get to his seat, we locked eyes. Ever since what ensued between him and Everest, he'd done a good job staying far from me. Offering a small smile, I looked away, not waiting for him to reciprocate. I heard him mutter a greeting before moving to his seat.

"By the way, I heard what happened with Raul and your boyfriend, why'd he do that?" My shoulders tensed up at Willow Rue's question. I thought she didn't hear about it since she didn't bring it up until now.

"It's a long story."

"Did Raul hurt you or something?" She asked, caution in her voice. Turning my head, I shrugged. "If you say that. How about we talk later, hm?" Hesitantly, she nodded. "Of course." Her hand rubbed mine in comfort. "Success on your test."

I smiled. "You too."

•

As the last person submitted, the class got up and scattered around, asking how the test went. Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer over my script. After preparing so hard, I needed to pass this. With a deep breath, I got up from my seat to meet Willow Rue who was already looking my way with a grin. "Look at me calculating for dear life." She huffed, shaking her head. Laughing, I could relate to her words. At a point in the test, I began to freak out thinking my measurements were off and went back to the beginning to see I missed a zero and had to add it up again. But I finished, hence the grin on my face.

"Girl, I was sweating buckets."

"But we're done now, one more to go."

"I know, right?!" I squealed doing my happy dance. Willow Rue stood up and we went to get our bags from the front before heading out to the cafeteria. Our last test was going to be around 3 o'clock right until 5 o'clock. For now, I was going to take a deep breath before burying my head back into my books.