My Favorite Story

Chapter 10 : THE ENGAGEMENT

“I AM ENGAGE TO YOU”… Those were the words John told her before he leaves and finally she realized that it was the ring’s purposes. It had been three months since he left, three months since she gave herself to him and until now she’s still in her own battle whether what she did was right or wrong.
Cassie sits where she can be alone. The University’s canteen is too crowded and it was just luck that she’d seen an empty table. When Cassie sits, she just stares at the packed lunch Marie prepares for her. She had lost her appetite again it is not what she wanted to have for her lunch. These past few months she was craving for food she doesn’t want to eat before she's not feeling well everyday and she needed to vomit if she smell something foul. It’s a good thing she’d bring a piece of lemon. She picks it up from the kitchen behind her nurse’s back because she’s allergic to citrus fruits. She cuts it using her spoon and sipped it.

After that Cassie looks at her wrist watch...  she still have 30 minutes left for her next class. She opened her notebook to review while enjoying her lemon. While she was reading her notes a man carrying a tray stands beside her.

“Excuse me miss can I share the table with you?” He didn’t wait for her answer and sits immediately.

“You already seated and I don’t think you will accept NO for an answer.” Cassie said while still reading at her notes.

“Thanks” he answered. “Why don’t you take a look around the canteen… they are all looking at you… I mean at us.”

Cassie folded her notebook and look at the man in front of her. He was busy with his food now. He has a black crew cut hair and was wearing a fitted black polo shirt paired with camouflage six pockets pants. He was taller than John and for sure he wouldn’t be that rude when sharing a table with any woman… in short description the man in front of her is a total opposite of John. And she’s wondering why he was here. He’s wearing a uniform of a criminology student. But she kept her question in her mind talking to any stranger is not good. After a while the man looks at her and smiled with its food in his mouth.

It was her first time to share a table with a man other than John and he caught her looking at him which makes her feel uncomfortable. She instantly remembers what he had said the moment he sits. She looks around and sees that he was right, everyone in the canteen were looking at their table. Some are murmuring and she thinks some of the students are talking about them and having a gossips. She felt indifferently again scared of what was happening around.

“Why are they looking at us?” she asks while gathering her things. She can’t stand the way the crowd looks at them.

“I don’t know.” He said and started to eat again. “Your lunch taste good. Who cooked this for you?”

Cassie’s eyes widened with disgust. “Hey!!! Who told you that you can have it?” She immediately pulled her bag and her packed lunched from him and rushed to the canteen’s door. She doesn’t like what was happening around. When she had found a bench outside the canteen she seated and took a rest. She looked again at her wrist watch and ran. She’ll be getting late to her next class. She's breathing heavily when she came to their classroom. At the door, she sees again the usual habits of her classmate. Some of her male classmates are throwing crumpled papers at each other and at the other side of room, lovers were having their date. That’s the reason why she’s notstaying at their classroom while waiting for their professor. Cassie chooses to sit again to where no one will notice her. These past few months she’s being a loner. Without Veronica on her side is a lost. She’d been her protector and guide in everything she was not exposed of. She realized three of her female classmates were always looking at her… unfriendly and mad. There were times that they were confronting Cassie asking and looking for Veronica.
They were Veronica’s friends but when she came, Veronica chooses to stay with her. What she knew about them is that they are wild and a bad influence. Two of the girls have a short hair while the other one have a long curly hair but though they seem not interested with their studies they still have good grades on all of their subjects. She smiled at them even if she knew they will just give her a sarcastic smile in return. She doesn’t want to get in their way. She viewed her notes again and secretly sipped the juice of half of the lemon he cuts at the canteen.
Her notebook was open but her mind was not on it. Cassie can’t still move on, losing her best friend and John makes her feel that she was like a stroke patient and unable to move on her own. Though John had promised of marrying her when he came back she was still unsure of the possibilities that he can be with her again. She’s not yet receiving any calls or letters from him. Crying before she sleeps became her habit since John left and she’s not sure if her parents or her nurse was aware of that. Recently her nurse, were not around the Manor during weekends which is unusual for her. She understand, now that she’s not a kid anymore her Ma Marie needed a break too. But it makes her sad and too lonely. She has a loving parents but they were busy and only Marie was always there for her.