FLOWER

CHAPTER 7.3

 Erich sits down at his desk when Valentina shows up at the door. The triplets come too, but she pretends to be interested in rummaging through her phone.

I have my first lesson with the principal. Dear math is coming. And with it the man with whom it proves time after time. That I can hate this subject even more.

- Please do not grope each other in the corridors before classes. Zielińska, look at yourself, what you look like now. Like a whore. - The whole class roars with laughter. - Calm down! - Everyone falls silent. - Ascher, you are the initiator of the whole incident, I advise you to maintain proper seriousness.

- And why should it be me and not James or Nathan?

- Davis!-The director looks at Asher with bored eyes. He pushes his glasses up his nose. And he adds: - We have known each other for a long time. After classes, take your friend on a date. Where no one will disturb you. Your excesses cannot be endured even by your brother. - Another round of laughter.

A surprised Valentina turns towards me. She graces me with her gaze. Something incredible. Yes, I am here and I have been here for some time.

- Bianchi, time heals all wounds. Asher has already picked himself up after your stormy breakup. - She turns back to the Director. Today, that's it for warming friendships. - Someone else is a wall decoration. - What a scoundrel this man is. This is instead of helping me. The nasty creature was staring.

- A degenerate, he's on camera again. - Someone from the back sums up the director in a whisper.

- This is where we ended up...

Valentina starts rummaging through her pencil case and then her school bag. Rather unsuccessfully. He doesn't even try to talk to her. Is everything okay? He won't answer anyway. He turns to the triplets.

- I need you to borrow a pen.

- Forget it. -This is Asher speaking.

- I'm sorry but no, Janson has already lost all our spare ones. - Nathan replies.

- It's not like he takes notes.

- Sometimes, however, I will write something. - He defends himself.

- The next moment you don't remember your pen anymore. And that you have to take it with you.

I take an extra pen from my pencil case. And I put it on display. Valentina turns back. He notices my side of the bench.

- Zsolt, you have a pen. - I keep deceiving myself. I put it in my pencil case. And a smiling friend saves Valentine.

I wonder what he sees in me that she won't even ask me for something to write with. Such an inconspicuous trifle. It's probably not the director's fault of insinuating an affair. Just a strange first reaction from her to me. 

When the sound comes. An uncontrollable rush of relief washes over me. The bell rings, almost everyone is going for a break, my chatty friend from the bench is at the head of the procession. I get it in class. I calmly unfold the sandwich and slowly devour it.

- Everything's fine. - Zsolt is asking worriedly.

- Yes, why do you ask?

- I see how Valentina behaves towards you, and Ascher in the morning.

- Don't worry.

- She is terribly distrustful, like everyone else in the settlement.

- From where?

- Nobody told you. Close to where you live, the Davis family has a house. A little further on, the settlement begins. Everything was finalized and built there by them themselves. Even the asphalt road is private. They value their individuality, so it is better not to show up on their premises without an invitation. And you also need to remember about special hours. Little is known about them. They don't start going to public school until they are ten years old. Before that, they have individual teaching in the settlement. Some of them work in the town, others never venture outside their own territory. And believe me, this is a gigantic stretch of land. Some say it's a cult. But I'm not convinced by this statement. Maybe I'll change my mind if they start organizing members or extorting money. The only thing people are afraid of is not knowing what is really happening in the settlement. Because they like to stick their noses into matters that are not theirs instead of taking care of themselves.

- I wonder why I haven't heard of this before.

- It's a bit of a taboo topic. And since you live so close to them, the propaganda probably mistook you for residents of the settlement.

- Who?

- People who are opponents of the settlement. There are quite a lot of them here. Even Erich's family is one of them. They just never have good arguments to do anything. Recently they went crazy when a resident of the town moved there. The girl finally had to go to the police station. And testify that he is in the settlement of his own free will.

- It's terrible.

There's nothing like it. When the parents find a place to live, not even a fly sits down. They will have to explain themselves. I don't think it's a safe place near a sect. At least in the worst case scenario.