Once Upon A Journal

Chapter Nine

It's been around five minutes since Ms. Morgan dismissed me and all I am trying to do is calm myself down by taking a few deep breaths outside her office. My face feels numb and my hands and legs are shaking. Pressing my lips together, I lean against the wall opposite the office door.

Today is my worst nightmare come to life.

Though I wasn't suspended, I was so close to being. So close to ruining everything in my life. So close, but I didn't, because of Alex.

That thought alone makes my mind go blank. I am not sure why he helped me. I always thought he'd be the first one to make fun of me if I fell. Nothing is making sense, as if someone in my unawareness has put me in a caricature of my life.

Taking a deep breath, I turn around to leave when I come face to face with Alex, who happens to have just opened the office door.

My face turns hot. What am I supposed to do now? What should I say? After we agreed to participate in the hunt, I quickly left, fearing Ms. Morgan would change her mind and decide to do something worse with my life. Not even once did I look at him because I couldn't. Not when my life is deteriorating like a speeding bullet train that only goes down.

He holds my stare, challenging me like he always does to see who will lose first. But this time it's different. This time, instead of averting my gaze, I walk up to him and gather all my courage and say, "Thank you... for helping me." The words sound weird coming out of my mouth and directed towards him.

"Don't think too much. I just didn't want to do all the work alone," he scoffs.

And here I thought he had magically changed. But of course, God has a way of disappointing my disappointments every time.

Rolling my eyes, I say, "Can't you take a simple thank you? Do you always have to annoy me?"

"Save your thanks for when we actually work together, since only one of us will be doing all the work," he says, his eyes shining bright with amusement. He enjoys tormenting me too much.

"I think you've forgotten who the real captain is and who's going to be the school valedictorian," I reply, as if sharing a top-secret with my teammates. "I saw Ms. Thompson's register with all the school event information. My name was at the top of the list for valedictorian," I add, barely stopping myself from flipping my hair.

"Oh, I think you mistook valedictorian with someone who's just a show-off," he smiles, the kind that's always reserved for me. It's a smile that right now says, "Look Juliette, I am better than you at comebacks too."

"Shut up before I—"

Before I can reply, the office door creaks open and I feel the presence of Ms. Morgan behind me.

"What are you two doing here? School is over. GO HOME RIGHT NOW!"

I don't even look behind to say sorry, I just run like a person caught on fire. My heart is beating faster than ever before. I can hear Alex calling me, but I don't stop for him. It's better if I get away from him.

I only stop when I reach the school gates, gasping for air and take a few shallow breaths. I might be good at studying but my running skills are lacking.

"Oh my God! Today is going to kill me," I mumble to myself.

Just then, I spot Alex sprinting towards me. He moves effortlessly,barely breaking a sweat. And I am not surprised because it's the one sport where he always wins against me. Panicked, I take off again, not wanting to stay with him.

______________________

After the emotionally exhausting day, I make my way to my mother's bakery.

Opening the door, the little bells jingling above, the familiar scent of freshly baked bread and pastries hits me, calming me down.

"Juliette, honey!" My mom's face lights up when she sees me. Her warm smile is like warm coffee on a cold day, making you relax. "How was school?"

I force a smile. "It was... eventful."

She raises an eyebrow but doesn't press further. Instead, she hands me an apron. "Why don't you help me with these cookies? We have a big order for a party tonight."

I nod, grateful for the distraction. I roll up my sleeves and get to work, mixing dough, cutting out shapes, and placing them on baking sheets.

The rhythmic motions and the sweet smell of vanilla and chocolate chips are relaxing. For a while, I manage to forget about the incident.

"Here, taste this," my mom says, offering me a spoonful of cookie dough.

I take a bite and smile. "Perfect, as always."

We continue working side by side, chatting about random things. The bakery's door opens occasionally, letting in customers. For a few hours, everything feels normal.

As we finish up the last batch, I decide to take a break. I sit in the corner of the bakery with a cup of hot cocoa.

I pull out my phone and, out of curiosity, open the school's gossip page.

Immediately, I'm hit with a number of notifications, and the latest posts have my name on them.

I scroll down, my heart sinking with each comment. I expected this, but it still hurts.

UserWhyAmIAlive:Can't believe she wrote that about everyone. So fake.

UserTicklish:She deserves worse than what she's getting.

UserFunkyFeet:Did you see what she wrote about Alex? Lol.

UserPopPrincess:Why didn't Ms. Morgan suspend her?

There have also been a few messages cursing me. I feel a mix of shame, anger, and helplessness. Just when I thought I could escape the nightmare for a little while, it pulled me back in.

"Hey, you okay?" My mom's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She's standing next to me, concern etched on her face.

I force a smile. "Yeah, just... school stuff."

She looks like she wants to say more, but instead she pulls me into a hug. "If anything is bothering you, you can tell me, okay?"

"Nothing is bothering me, Mom. Just a little bit stressed about exams." I lie because I don't want her to worry too much. After my dad left, she had no one to support her and had to take care of me all by herself. She is always worried and anxious about my future. So, telling her that I was about to be suspended and everyone hates me in school wouldn't be a good idea.

And maybe I am lying because I just want to believe that I am really okay. I am not sure. I just know that I have to be okay for us.

"I have to go deliver the order, so take care of the shop." She kisses my forehead and leaves the shop.

Not wanting to overthink about the incident any further, I decide to watch a movie on the TV mounted on the wall opposite the counter.

As the film begins, I settle into the couch, a tub of ice cream resting comfortably on my lap. After all, what could be better than indulging in ice cream on one of the worst days of your life? 

Thank you ♡'･ᴗ･'♡