Project: One Night Stand (HIATUS)

Chapter 8: Dark and Light

"Otherwise I'll fall apart. I'm going to fall apart. I am falling apart." -Tabitha Suzuma

Chapter 8:

The first day of my senior year had almost driven me to the brink of hysteria. I began to think that I became as temperamental as the weather - maybe, I had a latent Bipolar disorder. Something that had stayed dormant for too long, awaiting to be triggered. Unfortunately, I was not pleased with whoever precipitated it nor did I like the effect it had on me. I felt worse than a teenager who was trying to cope with all the hormonal changes that her juvenile body had been undergoing. Considering that my moods had been similar to that of a roller coaster's motion as of lately, you would probably agree with me. It was also like two extreme opposite sides of myself colliding with each other and the outcome turned out to be utterly disastrous.

I was not the type of person who easily lose her cool. I meant - look - Carl Joseph might have irritated me to the point that sometimes, God forgive me, I contemplated strangling him. But despite that, I had always kept myself level-headed or even cool. But with Caleb Tristan Somerset, everything seemed different. It was as if that he was some evil sorcerer who could easily summon the hidden b*tch in me. I never shouted nor cursed to anyone since I was in grade school when I was mercilessly bullied but, gosh, he made me do it. I even punched his smirking arrogant face. It was definitely out of my character because I was not a violent person at all.

Mind you, I did not regret punching his handsome face - oh wait, hey, why was I complimenting him? I hated his guts. Erase, erase, erase! Okay, let's do this again: mind you, I did not regret punching his irritating face because he deserved it. But what I deeply regretted was that I lowered myself to that of a barbaric Neanderthal. I never thought that emotion had easily won over my logical thinking - where was my head?

But oh, I was still hoping - strongly wishing - that Tristan would still be Tristan. Someone who would only attend the first day of class and stay absent for the rest of the school year. It would definitely make me happy and I did not have to put up with that fiend - the evil bane of my life! He called me lesbian, and outrageously insulted me by suggesting that I do porn stuff with his female friends while he watched. Hello, why would I prostitute myself for him, who did he think he was? I felt like shouting, raging, crying - I was so choleric that I was on the verge of punching his face. Lucky him, we were in the class room so I had to be in my Zen mode.

Hopefully, my hidden b*tch would not re-surface even if that annoying Tristan was within the perimeter. Cross my fingers.

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I ambled leisurely on the big school ground with a few books cradled in my arms while carrying my backpack. The breeze felt cool. The sky was overcast though the probability of raining seemed low since the clouds looked far from cumulonimbus and there was no earthy scent of petrichor.

I arrived early; it was still 6:30 AM - my first schedule for today would start at 8 AM. I saw the old school janitor swept the leaves that fell from the huge pine trees lining at the side of the school ground. He was humming a familiar tune; probably 'Fallen' by Lauren Wood, a soundtrack from a hit 90s movie Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, but I was not exactly sure. The breeze remained stubborn because it continued to fan the leaves from their branches, making them sway like classical dancers; some of them had gone too far and landed carelessly on the ground. I waved the janitor a good morning which he returned back with charming smile.

I breathed in the fresh air and admired the school's majestic architectural landscape. It was definitely nature's work of art despite the fact that it was located in the heart of a bustling city. Colorful flowers and shrubs decorated the ground; the plants were tended lovingly by the school gardeners. Trees were present everywhere but their presence were never deemed as obstructions. There were plenty of bleachers to allow students to rest or study. Another attraction in the school was a huge pond located a few distance away from the football field. Several colorful kois and goldfishes thrived in it, beneath the umbrella of water lilies.