Stepping Stones

Chapter 5: Amnesia

"Phew! Finally! I'm done with all these paper works." Tossing his pen at the desk filled with papers,

Isaac muttered in relief with his eyes shut as he slouched back against his soft reclining chair, making his school uniform quite wrinkled, while stretching forth his tired hands and arms upward— Feeling the soothing cold air coming from the aircondition.

"You sound like an old man." Breaking the silence, Ezra chuckled heartily as she suddenly slammed open the sliding door of the student council room with plastic bags from the school cafeteria in her hands.

"Hey, can you knock before entering?" Startled by the sudden slamming of the door, Isaac reprimanded sternly, instantly wrinkling his forehead and knitted his eyebrows with his eyes glaring fierily, turning around to see who dared to disturb his peaceful rest that he had waited for so long.

"Whoa. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. M-maybe I'll just come back some other time." Abashed, Ezra said solemnly as she twiddle with the hem of her right sleeve. Her face which was brimming with smile a while ago quickly changed into a gloomy one— averting her sight from his as she promptly walks backwards, reaching for the door with her left hand.

Recognizing who it was and what he has done, Isaac gulped anxiously as he hastily gets out of his seat and rushed towards Ezra, running towards the girl through the shiny, newly moped marble floor.

"Ezra! Wait! I didn't know it was you— Aaaaaah!

Isaac's deep cerulean eyes suddenly got big with fright as he slipped, knowing that his face would fall first, he tried to draw out his two hands to protect himself but everything was so fast he had no time to do so.

Thud

His face fell first as expected, slightly bruising his pale cheeks or really bruising his pale cheeks. His body skidding through the newly moped marble floor due to acceleration as he bumped his blonde hair to the rim of the sliding door—worsening the pain he currently feel.

"O-ouch." Isaac cried, shuddering from pain as he clutched the part of his head that was injured with his left hand, the other one at his swollen left cheek, pressing it cautiously as if it is going to help him alleviate the pain.

Ezra stood still beside Isaac, dumbfounded as she stared at the pitiful boy. Trying to internalize what just had happened.

Isaac, on the other hand, still squirms with pain on the floor with his hands on his head and on his left cheek as he deliberately rolls on the floor. Pretending that he is still in great pain even though it's not that severe anymore—just trying to earn Ezra's sympathy.

Instead of helping the poor lad, Ezra chuckled uncontrollably—compressing her tummy with her two hands, restraining herself from laughing too much. The exact opposite of what Isaac has in mind.

"Hey, aren't you going to help me?" Frowning, Isaac called out. Sitting up with his right hand gently massaging his left cheek while his left hand on the chilly marble floor for support as he leaned his back against the cold white wall—making him shudder a little bit.

"Alright, alright. I'm going to help you now." Ezra replied in between her laughter— wiping the tears that started to form at the corner of her eyes with her left hand as she bends her knees to level herself with Isaac. "And don't make that cute, grumpy face." She added, grinning.

"Huh? What?" Unable to hear Ezra clearly, Isaac mumbled. Squinting at the girl with his eyebrows furrowed. Momentarily forgetting the stinging pain while waiting for the lass to repeat her previous statement.