Masked love

Chapter four

Joseph walked out of his shower and pulled on his pajama pants. Sitting on his bed, he heard his phone go off. He looked at it and saw a blocked number. He slowly and nervously answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Joseph? It's Nikita." Her voice was soft and sad.
"Nikita? What's up?" He said surprised.
"Nothing, I just ...never mind. This was a bad idea, I should go." She said, with her voice shaking and panicking.
"Wait! Don't go, we can talk." Joseph spoke strongly. He knew something was wrong.
"I don't know. My father is already mad at me; I don't want him to get any madder." Nikita  said. He could hear the pain in her voice.
"Why is he mad at you?" Joseph wondered if she would tell him, or if she would avoid the question.
"It's nothing, but he did ground me for it. I may not be at school tomorrow, because of this." Nikita spoke softly, worrying about every word she said.
"I'm sure he'll let you go to school. Normally, being grounded means just home and school nowhere else."
"He said not to leave the room until," a loud boom in the background interrupted her. Joseph wondered what it was but decided not to ask. "I got to go; this was a bad idea." There was fear in her voice
"Wait! Nikita?" He said, but he was met with only the sound of the dial tone. He laid back in his bed. He stared at his phone, willing it to ring again. He looked at the blocked number she had called with. He couldn't call it back. "Ugh I should have asked for her number," he talked to himself. He wanted to hear her voice again, to know if she was okay. He couldn't stop thinking about her. It made him restless, before he finally fell asleep.
+++
Joseph woke up early to the sound of his alarm. He put on his school clothes: a white loose shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. He grabbed his back pack and headed out of his room. While walking down the hallway, he passed the locked room of despair. No one had lived there for two years. The room itself had remained the same, just as she left it. Every time Joseph walked passed the room, he thought he might see her smiling face one more time.
He left the room behind and went to the kitchen. He cooked some breakfast and made some coffee. While his hands were moving, he was thinking about Nikita. He was hoping to see her on the bus and wondering if he should make her something. By the time he had finished cooking, there was no time to eat. He packed the food in separate containers. "Two eggs for her and two eggs for me, three slices of bacon for her and three for me, lastly some cinnamon apples for her and some for me," he thought to himself. He placed the lid securely closed. The containers would keep the food exactly how it was packed. He placed the containers in his backpack along with a spare jacket. He fixed up two secure cups of coffee and placed them in his book bag. He ran out the door, slipping on his jacket, and headed towards the bus stop.
While waiting for the bus he checked his lunch money, and he had more than enough. The bus came soon afterwards. He picked a seat across from an empty seat. Two more stops and Nikita should be getting on, he thought. The bus drove slowly through the neighborhoods, but Joseph wished it was rocket powered. One more stop. The time seemed to slow down, as the distance became longer. He watched the houses pass and smiled as bus slowed to a stop. Nikita stood so still, staring at the ground. The doors opened, and she walked onto the bus and looked down the aisle. Joseph caught her sight. She walked down the aisle and took the seat across from him. She stared at the ground, but Joseph had caught a glimpse of her watery eyes. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine." Nikita said. Her hands were shaking in her lap, and goosebumps were visible on her arms. She wore a blue short sleeve shirt with a pink flowery design and a pair of plain jeans.
Joseph swung his book bag into his lap and pulled out his extra jacket. "Here, wear this. It'll keep you warm."
Nikita looked at the jacket. He saw her watery eyes and red checks, like she had been crying. "No, I couldn't. I'll be fine it's not that cold."
"Are you kidding? It's the middle of autumn, and your hands say otherwise. Here take it," He said, wrapping it around her shoulders. She slid her arms into the sleeves. It was warm and fuzzy.
"Thank you." She smiled softly. Her hands were still shaking despite the warmness.
"Your welcome, anything to keep you warm. Oh I got something for you and a surprise for when we get to school. You like coffee?" He asked happily.
"I've never had any." She said. She was finally calming down, but her hands still shook slightly.
Joseph pulled out a secure cup and handed it to Nikita. "I made too much so I figured I'd give some to you. I made it really sweet and its decaf so it won't make you all shaky like the caffeinated would." He explained.
Nikita hesitated before taking the cup. "Thank you. You don't have to do things like this." She said looking at his face. He noticed her eyes weren't as watery, and her face was becoming less red.
"No I don't have to, but if it makes you happy I will." He said, and then he pointed at her face. "I hate to see you upset. You can't lie to me and say your fine when I know you've been crying. I'm not going to push, but know I'm here for you, always." His smiled disappeared and he spoke seriously. Nikita looked away towards the window. Joseph could feel her walls rising. Last night may had been a one time thing. He looked down at the cup in her hands. "You should try the coffee. I want to know what you think." He said. Nikita looked down at the cup and slid the lid open just a sliver. Steam flew out of the cup, and she blew it away. She brought the cup up to her lips and took a small sip. The warm liquid exploded her taste buds. As she swallowed, her tongue screamed for more. The bus drove into the school's bus loop.
She closed the lid and looked at Joseph, "it's very delicious." She smiled, the first real smile in a long time. She placed the cup in her book bag, before the bus slowed to a stop. The doors opened. Joseph stood up but let Nikita up in front of him.
As soon as she got off the bus, Joseph saw her jog off toward the entrance. He hurried after her. Nearly running beside her, "why are you in such a hurry," he asked. He saw the fear in her eyes and knew the answer.
"Just keep up with me." She said. She had done this way too often, but never with someone else beside her. Joseph smiled at her acknowledgement and nodded. Suddenly Nikita was pulled backwards from her hair. Joseph stopped in his tracks and turned around. Stella was holding Nikita's braid, while she laid on the ground.
Joseph ran to Nikita's aid, "Nikita!" However, Stella's girl squad surrounded him. "Get out of my way!" He didn't want to start a fight or get in trouble for hitting a girl. All the teachers were inside, but the students began to stop to watch the scene.
"Just stay out of her business. Walk away like everyone else. You don't really care about that girl. She's not anything special." The girls taunted him. He tried to push past them but they wouldn't move. He saw Stella pull Nikita up to her feet, and she whispered things into Nikita's ears. Her eyes widen, as their sight drifted off past Joseph.
"Let me through!" Joseph yelled. He hated the look on Nikita's face. It seemed as if all her happiness was fading and she was floating farther away from him. Stella laughed aloud and continued whispering in Nikita's ear. Nikita went limp and let her face fell to the ground. Stella let go of her braid and allowed her to collapse to her knees. Smiling, Stella walked around to see Nikita's face. "Leave her alone!" Joseph felt week. He questioned why he cared about getting in trouble or even getting into a fight, but he knew why. He finally let his anger get the best of him and pushed the girls out of the way.
Stella turned to face him, "she's all yours," she said laughing. Joseph walked passed her and bent down to help Nikita up.
His hands got close to her arms, but Nikita backed away from them. "Don't touch me." Joseph stopped and sat down in front of her. He looked up at Stella. She smiled in accomplishment.
"How can you take joy in being a bully? You're just terrible." He said clearly.
"I'm terrible? What about you? You won't leave her alone. All you do is give her pity and maybe some tiny treats of happiness, but you don't even know who she is. She'll never open up to you because all you want"
"Shut up! Stella!" Zeak shouted. He walked up to face her. "Don't you ever get tired of talking. We got breakfast to eat." He said grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the school. She went without a fight and her girl squad followed behind her.
Joseph looked back at Nikita. She sat completely still, staring at the ground. "Stella was right about one thing. I don't know you. All I know is that you like cats, the color purple, and you have a hard time trusting people." He said sadly.
"I don't like being touched. Even if it's just a helping hand." Nikita said softly.
He looked down at his hands. "So you don't hate me, for not stopping Stella," he said, tightening his fists. Nikita looked at his hands and reached to gently touched them. Joseph looked up at her in surprise.
"There was nothing you could of done." She said, staring into his eyes. Her hands were shaking over his. "Besides you didn't walk away." She finished softly. He loosened his fists, and she pulled back her hands. They rose to their feet and slowly walked into the school. Although Joseph was worried about Nikita, he didn't push her to talk. Once inside the school, they sat in the cafeteria. Nikita sat her cup of coffee on the table in front of her face. Her braid had gotten messed up and was falling out. She turned away from him slightly, pulling out the hair tie that held her braid together. Gently unbraiding her hair, she unveiled locks of beautiful wavy black hair.
Joseph watched her, nearly daydreaming. "Why don't you ever leave it down?" He asked curious. She looked at him, realizing he had been watching.
"My mom always kept it braided and it keeps my hair untangled." She answered, switching her gaze to the ground. She began to braid her hair back into a neatly, beautiful long braid. Joseph heard the sadness in her voice and wondered about her mother, but he decided not to ask. He pulled his book-bag closer and brought out the two sealed containers. Finishing up the braid, Nikita wrapped the hair tie tightly around the end of the braid.
"Did you eat breakfast?" Joseph asked her, kinda hoping she didn't. She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. "I made a lot this morning and brought you some." He said handing her a container of food. Nikita took the container, feeling the warm contents inside. She placed it on the table in front of her and looked up at Joseph. He was looking down at his container, opening it and preparing to eat. However he stopped, after realizing Nikita wasn't eating. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She said looking down at the container in front of her. Her voice was low and sad, and she was worrying about what Stella had whispered to her.
"Do I need a reason to be kind?" He said, looking away. He held his hand in front of his face, attempting to hide his hot pinkish face. Nikita didn't respond. Joseph looked back at her. She was staring down at the container in deep thought. He heard a slight growl come from her direction. He smiled slightly. "You should eat." He said kindly. "If you want me to stop doing nice things, you should know that I won't. Even if you ask, I won't stop. This is what friends do." Nikita looked up at him. His words echoed in her mind. Friends, she hadn't heard that word in a while, and have it actually mean something.
"But aren't you going to want something in return from me?" She asked, half willingly and ignoring her stomach. She stared at the container, hoping she was worrying about nothing.
Joseph let a surprised gasp escape. He hadn't thought about that. "Not really, the only thing I want is to be your friend and to see you be happy." He said with little thought. He watched Nikita's face, waiting for her to say something. However she decided to open the container. Her eyes lit up at the sight of such scrumptious food. She hadn't seen such a sight, not since her mother left.

End of chapter 4