Just One

Chapters 18 and 19

Chapter – 18 NICK: "That someone must be me."

After taking Cass back to school to pick up her parked car, I head towards my house. Confusing and contradictory thoughts flow through my mind. I don't like seeing Anna suffer. As much as I hope she and Zack break up and the path becomes clear for me, I can't bear to see her in the state she's in. But I will show her that I can make her much happier; I just need her to give me a chance to prove it.

I arrive home eager to tell my sister everything that has happened. When I approach her, Priscilla more than quickly closes her pile of books on the desk, spins her swivel chair 180 degrees, and listens attentively to every word. Undeniably in my favor, Pri adopts a cold and objective demeanor, saying: "Nick, that's great. With the breaking up, the way is clear for you. It is your chance. Why do you look like that?"

"I know, Priscilla, but if you'd seen how she turned out, it would have broken your heart too. You wouldn't be that excited either," I reply.

"I can't even imagine. But let's focus on the positive side of all this. It's time for you to step in and comfort her," Priscilla rationalizes.

That's all I want most in this life, I think, with a feeling of latent hope inside me.

The day took forever. I couldn't even concentrate properly on my work. I called Anna a couple of times, but all I got was a voicemail. She probably turned off her cell phone to avoid talking to Zack.

Damn! I'll have to wait until tomorrow to speak to her, and I'm pretty sure she won't be coming to school.

I insist on calling her one more time before bed, as she always answers. However, no luck.



I get up early. I sent a message to Anna but got no reply. The only option is to go to school and wait.

Fifteen minutes before the bell rings for the break, I receive a message from Anna: "Hey Nick, I'll meet you in the cafeteria, xoxo." I'm stunned to learn that Anna came to school and extremely curious to find out how she's reacting to all this. I count down the seconds until class is over.

As soon as the bell rings, I literally run into the cafeteria. Anna is chatting with some girls in an incredibly relaxed way as if nothing had happened. I try to keep the same mood and approach them. "Hey, guys, what's up? How are you?" I take the opportunity to playfully tease Anna, saying, "Where's my apple? You haven't even picked up your snack yet?"

Anna continues to act naturally and tells me: "Not yet. Let's go and get it; I'm starving." Then she bids the girls farewell, saying: "Thanks for your support, girls. See you on Saturday."

"What's on Saturday? I want to go too. Wherever it is, I'm in," I smile, showing full support.

"On Saturday, we have Night On. Kate's coming tonight, and tomorrow, we're going to rock. You're invited too," Anna replies cheerfully. However, I can tell that this isn't the Anna I know. She's clearly trying to hide her feelings, but how long can she stand it? It worries me.

Cass has just arrived and joined us at the lunch line. I can see that some people are also surprised by Anna's behavior. Thankfully, so far, no one has dared to say anything to hurt or irritate her.

Cass, observing Anna's attitude more closely, looks at me sideways and suspiciously because we know that she is just disguising her true emotions.

As we sit down at our table, I ask: "Anna, I see that you've apparently taken this whole situation in your stride. Is that right? You know that with us you can let off steam and show how you're really feeling."