The Enigma Of Deceptive Love

Chapter 8: Jamais Vu

A man with an eye wrecking grey suit enters.
Perfectly fitting Italian suit, a tie in complicated knots I didn't know the name of. Neatly styled light brown hair, lightly tanned face with soft features and those honey brown eyes. God. I couldn't stop staring.
He hovers his hand in front of my face, "Hello?" I snap back to reality with raspberry cheeks and quickly apologize.
My peripheral vision catches his smirk.

I didn't bother to question the darkness on our seats. (I later found out that the seats in front did have normal functioning windows and that's how we never crashed and died)
After what felt like a solid half an hour of me catching quick glances of Logan, we finally brought the car to a complete rest.
My anxiety wasn't merciful at all. My fingers were visibly shaking as I held the door handle.

"Nuh uh, I'm your guard."
He swiftly gets off to open my door with a bow while I stare at him blankly.

I could see that I had attracted huge crowds of eyes all around the car. I could feel my cheeks burn up as I proceeded to get out of the car.
I could see all kinds of stares as I cursed at Logan to get back inside.
Surprised stares, jealous stares and the group of people who don't give a flying shit.

"Did her dad hog a milf this time?"

Someone blurts out. Within a minute I see him on the floor with a loud thud and Logan next to him with his fist in the air, "Oops. My bad y'all."
I see Logan's eyes wander off to different places before resting on someone. Sam.

I look over to see her staring back. It was like they were having an eye-conversation of some sort. Within seconds they were done and she goes back upstairs.
Not even an eye was batted at me by her.

I walk in, hearing the whispers around me as I climb the stairs.
Passing through the familiar hallways once again. Feeling this sense of jamais vu, like I didn't belong, like things were different. Somehow.
I walk back to my locker, all the hate stickers and semi-naked pictures of me were taken down. Picking out the books i needed for the period, I close the locker only to see San standing right behind the door. Of course.

"Hey there Al."

She...she hadn't called me Al since forever. I nod back in response.
"Wait, look...uh...I need to apologize to you."

I scoff. "Not this time Sam, please, I've got shit loads of things on my mind."
"Like what? You've got literally the best life there. Hell, you just came in a fucking limo."

"Sam please. Leave me, I'm getting late for class."

"You didn't seem to care about running off to class when all of us were there. You missing Ian or something?"

Ian was one of the guys in her "gang". He was just present. Didn't do much, never even touched me.

"Fuck you."

"No wait Alicia. Listen. I really have to do this."

"What you've suddenly accepted Gandhi or something now that I left for a day?"

"No, I- I don't know how to explain it to you, I just. God. Look I know what i did to you wasn't the best of things-"

"It wasn't the best? It was inhumane. It was torture. Hell, you seem so insincere even now. You really need to work on your acting."

"No Al, I'm serious. I don't know what I can do to make it up to you. Please."
I walk back to my class, her words still lingering around.

Almost an hour passes and I don't see or hear of Sam anywhere.
Weirdly today, no one ever bothered to touch me, or pass rude comments. Let alone drag me to a corner and butt used cigarettes onto my arm.

Classes go like it would for an average student and within the blink of an eye, it was lunch break.
I walk towards the cafeteria just as Ki approaches me and wraps her hand around mine.

"Hey there girlfriend!" Obnoxiously stretching out the 'd'.

"Hi." The memories come flying in as I wince at her pressing a new burn.

"Wanna have lunch together?"

"N-n-no thank you."

She ignores my words like usual and drags me to her table. Sam was already there.

"Here you go!"

There was a plate kept for me, with a few extra pieces of the fries. Inevitably, next to Sam. I hesitate a bit before sitting on the chair Ki pulled out for me.

Digging into the wondrously dried bread just to get rudely interrupted by Sam. Yet again.

"It was a bit mean of you to disregard my apology like that."

"Funny hearing you talk about being mean."

"No. You don't get it Al. Its complicated. Just know that I'm very sorry and hope you forgive me."

"How about you do one thing?"

"Anything."

"Swing your little wand and remove the nightmares and the bruises."
By then, I could see tears in Sam's eyes. Not fake ones. Real ones. Where her entire face turns red and she ends up looking like a pufferfish. Just as I started feeling guilty, she took her food and threw it away as she stormed off.

"She really meant it Al, we all know we were being complete assholes then. But trust me, we've changed."

Kis' words ended up acting as an overstimulation.
I had no choice but to throw the rest of my food (keeping the fries separate) and go somewhere quiet. After a few minutes of walking, I sit on an empty spot on the stairway to clear my mind.

Regardless of how she was trying to mock me, this time felt all too real. She is usually never this adamant on convincing me to forgive her. Believing her is almost impossible either way, considering that she's played this game a bunch of times before. This time could be no different.

My thoughts get interrupted by the ringing of the bell.
I stand up and so does everyone else. The traffic near our entrance made me feel alive, the business kept me distracted from my very messed up life.

I gave up on trying to escape the place anyway. What even did I have left?
My mom's gone. My dad's with a new hippie every other week and treats me like shit. At least i get sufficient food there AND I get to come to school in a limo. What else would anyone want. The next few classes got over faster that I'd expected.

I organize my stuff and get out of the class. Still not accustomed to the stares I've been getting throughout the day, I make my way down the stairs.

I made my way to the bottom stair right when a car swiftly managed to splash a puddle onto my clothes.
The limo arrives within seconds and I get inside, apologizing to Logan while trying my best to ignore all the gasps and gossips.

He stares at me like it would pierce through my soul anytime now.

"Who did this to you?"

"Nothing serious." I chuckle. "It was just a random taxi driver that splashed mud, I'll wash it off." I get an approving nod from him.

Not wanting to sleep in the half hour I had with him, I decide to ask him about the absence of my phone in my bag.

"Were you absent when they took Kidnapping 101 in class?"

"Funny."

"I do have an exquisite sense of humour."

My eyes roll themselves.

Suddenly, Logan rolls down the window and a guard had come. He took a card from his pocket and showed it to them, not realizing that his sleeve had pulled by a bit and for a split second, revealed his tattoo.
From what I could remember, it was in Arabic.
Me with my limited understanding of foreign languages, couldn't figure out what it was. The car moves forward before stopping within a minute. The driver opens his door before Logan opens mine.

"After you."

Walking to the room, my mind kept on finding itself thinking about what Sam said. Even though she wasn't being serious, it didn't hurt thinking that she was.

"What's bothering you?"

"You."

"Calm down woman. I was tryna be nice. Jeez."