Something, Nothing

CHAPTER 14

a/n: i'm back i'm back 

and guess what i'm sticking around this time!! i promise - and updates will be once per week consistently and who know if i see more and more likes, and comments coming in from you guys, there just might be more updatess!! 

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CHAPTER 14 — HOME EARLY

Ken is calling me. I stare dumbly at the phone for a few seconds before actually picking up the call.

"Hey. Where'd you go?" he asks.

I smack my forehead — it totally slipped my mind to leave a text after I left his room.

"I came back to my room. Woke up early, didn't want to wake you up too,"

"Mhmm," he hums, "You okay?"

I sit up straight at that particular question, not knowing what to make of it, "Yeah, why?"

"No headache? No-?"

I let out a chuckle, relieved. There's no meaning to it, just concern as a result of my previous night's behaviour.

"I'm okay," I assure him. My head did hurt earlier, but I took an aspirin and slept again. Now it's just a dull ache that I can easily ignore.

"Can I ask you something?"

My relief is very much short-lived. Note to self: there is no such thing as relief when you're talking to someone like Ken — only pure panic, and modes of mellowed-out panic.

"What?"

"You know the girl I was talking to last night? Is there any chance that your friend Abby or Sri would know her?"

I don't know why that sends pinpricks to my heart. This was bound to happen sometime, I was fully aware of it, and it is why I have been desperately trying to keep my distance from him. Yet for all that I have done, here I am still feeling that hurt on the other side.

I take a calculated breath and speak without including a hint of emotion in my voice, "I don't know,"

"Do you think you could ask them?"

"I-, I think they've already left," the lie slips quite easily out of my mouth. And also is it a complete lie, since they're going to be leaving in a few hours anyways.

"Oh," you can literally hear the disappointment in his voice, "You don't have their number or anything?"

"No," another lie, for whose benefit I don't really know. I sigh — this is pointless. I can't be holding something against Ken when he has no idea that that something even exists. And so I add, "I can ask around though. What's her name?"

"You would do that?" and just like that the disappointment vanishes, "Thank you. Her name's Barbara,"

"Okay,"

"Seriously, thank you. I just want to try-,"

"Hey, there's actually someone else calling me right now," I interrupt him — well, another lie, "I'll get back to you later?"

"Oh, sure. Bye,"

"Bye," I end the call and drop the phone on the mattress pressing my palms into my eyes, letting out a soft groan.

This is terrible. So, so terrible. This is not how this week was supposed to go at all. And maybe it's better if I just left for home right now. Whatever awaits me there cannot be worse than here, or at least I'm hoping it won't be.

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"Where did you say you are from again?" Ken asks me.

I told him that I was leaving and he was within an instant in my room, watching me pack and now is at the bus stop with me. I told him as discreetly as I could and then directly that he didn't have to wait with me but he didn't budge at all.

And I actually haven't told him where I was from before, "Swettenham," I tell him, "It's-"

"Dude!" he smacks my arm, cutting me off, "No way," he laughs, "You're from Swettenham?"

He asks with a very, very well recognition that definitely does not bode well for me, "My grandparents live there," he exclaims, "And my family live not far away from there — you know, Willsbury,"

My face feels frozen in place. He has to be joking. That place has to be only an hour away. I force a nod and push against my face muscles to morph them into a passable smile.

"Oh, really?" if my expression doesn't give off the cold feeling that has set over me,my robotic voice definitely has to.

However, Ken is too excited by this new revelation to note that, "Yes. I can't believe we never talked about this before! You know what this means — we have to-,"

Something finally decides to show me a little bit of mercy as my bus finally arrives. For a split second there, I contemplate if I should get on the bus or under the bus and just end my miserable existence altogether.

I get on the bus, stuffing my melodramatic instincts to a corner.

"Bye, Aarvin," Ken calls out from behind me, "I'll call you,"

Please don't. I think, but don't tell him that. I just wave at him and sink into my seat, cursing to myself. This is going to be a long break.

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I reach my house precisely after 6 hours 32 minutes, and knock on the door and wait. My mother is the one who opens the door as expected — my father and brothers would not have been back from the shop just yet. Her face morphs from complete shock and delight upon seeing me.

"Kanna," she hugs me and places a chaste kiss on my cheek, and then pulls back, cupping the side of my face, "You're back. When did you come back?"

"Um, now?" I chuckle.

She slaps her forehead, "I mean, you said you had two more days of classes. What happened?"

"Classes got cancelled," I shrug, averting my gaze and then quickly add before she can ask another question, "Am I not allowed inside the house because I came early?"

She rolls her eyes, hitting my head, moving to the side, "Come in, come in," closing the door behind us, she gives my shoulder another smack, "Why didn't you even call? I would have cooked something for you,"

"It's fine. I wanted to surprise you,"

She shakes her head, with a very much visible smile, "Let me call your appa, and ask him to pick up chicken on his way home,"

As soon as she says that, my stomach starts rumbling. It has been too long since I ate her cooking, especially her chicken curry. I nod, and then signal at her that I'm gonna head upstairs and she waves her hand at me. Lugging my bag along, I head to my room. I let out a big breath once I'm within my own room. I can hear my mother talking to my father on the phone. She sounds so excited that it almost makes me feel bad about lying to her about my break. But I know I have a good reason. And I know in a few hours, if not minutes I will be painfully reminded of the reason.

I take out my phone mainly to plug it into the charger but I notice I have a new unread message.

Ken FRIEND :–

Text me when you reach your house, k?

That message reads like a punch to the heart, and I have to force a deep, calming breath to soothe myself. I shake my head and type in my reply, hoping vainly that this will be the last interaction between us until I see after the break.

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