Never Again

Chapter 5

I was frozen to where I am standing right now. I can hear my heartbeat rhythmically chanting his name; Hunter Williams. This is like a thousand maddening senses and sensations, all at once.

I finally nodded and smiled at him. I stared in his eyes, this is real.

"Where are we?" Hunter asked while scanning the area.

"You need a little dirt inside you." I said, too excited for this new adventure with Hunter.

"Dirt –"

I pushed Hunter inside the shop. He looks confused and a little bit worried.

The place is smoky, the sanitation is terrible and the people are ignorant and rude. But one thing is for sure, the shop smells great with the sizzling sound that can make your mouth water.

"Don't worry you'll not die in here." I assured him.

"Are you perhaps making me try eating those squid balls?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

Long and busy lines of people are ordering at the same time, making it hard to butt in.

I grabbed Hunter in his arm to join this crowd of people shouting their orders in this hot and crowded area.

"2 orders of squid balls dipped in hot sauce and meat bun with lots of parsley inside!" I shouted trying to get the attention of the lady inside the food cart.

"Hunter, come on try shouting too!" I instructed him with a smile.

"Ah yes – Can I have 2 orders of squid balls dipped in hot sauce and meat bun with lots of parsley inside?!" He shouted and smiled back at me.

This dinner is the best of all. After minutes of joining that noisy crowd, we've got to eat these spicy squid balls and healthy meat buns. We are sweating so hard in our jackets laughing out loud on how silly we must've looked earlier. And the thing that made this meal more special, Hunter is with me right now. He is with me in this busy and crazy world.

The shop was only a short walk from where the bus stop is located. Post lights flickers in a random way and as I turned my head back the building made up of glass behind us reflected how happy I am right now, with Hunter.

"Hey Kaia the bus is here, let's go." He calmly said.

"Let's go!" I said, still excited.

We are sitting beside each other, exchanging smiles and short talks. Time seemed to fly so fast. The bus skidded to a stop. I then realized we are now in front of our school gates.

"Kaia, it's been a great day." He said smiling at me.

"I had a great time too." I smiled back at him.

Hunter walked me inside our dormitory. I bid him goodbye and entered the room with a big smile in my face. Wendy and Vera is nowhere to be found, maybe they're still buying stuffs outside. Well, this is literally good for me, since I can spend some time alone reminiscing my first day of being officially friends with Hunter.

I can't stop smiling, throwing myself in bed and screaming in my pillow then laughing incredibly. This is one of the best days in my whole existence. That moment when Hunter grabbed my wrist and asked me to be friends with him really got me. I am so happy that I can treat everybody with Mocha Swirls and coffee.

I suddenly received a text message from Wendy;

"Kaia I think I'll be gone for a week or two 💔"

"Why? What happened? Are you ok?" I replied.

After a minute or two, she replied back.

"It's an issue between mom and dad I'm afraid I cannot tell. I'll be back soon, promise."

"I understand. When things get rough, I'm here ok? Always. 😊"

I sudden felt a pang of guilt. I know it's not my fault and I can't do anything to fix the issue, but screaming and rejoicing here seems so unfair. I stared in the picture frame situated in my working desk, Wendy and I look so happy. I hope it'll last forever.

The door suddenly opened, Vera. She looks upset and went straight to her bed. I failed to greet her and ask how things are going because she looks like out of the mood. Maybe she needs some time alone, so I left and went outside. I left a sticky note in her working table before going out. ;

"Whatever it is, I'm ready to listen okay? Cheer up pretty girl! - Kaia."

I'm on my way to the garden, bunch of people are crowding in the bulletin board before the stairs. Curiosity strikes so I went to see the big announcement too.

Girls in the same batch as me are screaming their lungs out, some of them are teary-eyed. They all look so happy and excited. What the hell is happening in here?

"Luke Smith will be transferring in our school next week!" A girl suddenly screamed and hit the girl next to her out of excitement.

Luke Smith?

My heart pounded like it was being hewed by a huge ax. Luke will be transferring in our school? That's terrible. Luke and I had been together for almost two years when I was in California. We loved each other back then but I decided to break up with him when I heard about the issues about him and Casey dating secretly behind my back. Casey is a popular cheerleader in our school. She is the ultimate head-turner in our batch and every boy in our school dreamt their future with her.

When I heard about the gossips I immediately talked to Luke to ask if it is true. At first, he didn't want to talk about it but I insisted the question wherever we go. He got tired sick of it and finally confessed. He buried his face in his palms, and softly said; "Sorry." He kept on saying that he didn't mean to do it, that he still loves me, that it will never happen again.

I thought I would cry in front of him. Hit him in the face while screaming my curses. Surprisingly, no tears fell I just turned my back and left. I feel so numb. It feels like an anesthesia had been injected to me for a moment. Then when I reached home, the shot was gun. My heart broke, I can hear it breaking into thousands of pieces, I cried the whole time, gasping for air. I turned the lights off, hugged my pillow tight waiting 'til the rose-pink light of dawn appears.