Broken Silence

Chapter 19: But I did

"Remember to do exercises 55-70 in your notebooks. I'll be collecting them tomorrow at the end of class everyone." Mrs. Gonzalez, our math teacher, finished saying as kids trickled out of the classroom. I circled the exercises in the workbook and began to put my stuff away.

"Noelle?" I swung the backpack over my shoulder and stared down at Mrs. Gonzalez's tiny frame. Her short black hair bobbed as she smiled up at me and fixed her glasses.

"I wanted to congratulate you on the perfect score on my last test. And for helping Matthias and Zachery, they were more than happy to tell me that if not for your excellent tutoring, they wouldn't have passed the test." She said leaning against my table. I shrugged feeling embarrassed about the compliment.

"I'm glad you're making friends, Noelle. You're coming out of your shell, and it's lovely to see." She said fixing her glasses again. I nodded my thanks and, when she patted my shoulder and walked away, I hurriedly went out of the classroom.

You're coming out of your shell, and it's lovely to see.

Her words echoed in my mind.

I smiled, walking towards the cafeteria.

We all stared at Zack as he repeated what he had just said, my hand instinctively reaching out to his. He smiled appreciatively.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready to tell my parents, guys. It's been a couple of days since I told you guys... I just think it's fair I should tell them." Zack said, squeezing my hand.  

"Really? Do you want us to come with you? Wait outside or something?" Maddie asked him.

Around us, students kept going about their business, laughter filling the cafeteria with gleeful noise.  Zack had our unfaltering attention, and was softly shaking his head at us.

"No, I want to do it on my own... I think." He said not sounding sure at all.

"I'll go with you Zack. M&M, you guys can go home." Gabriel said nodding towards his best friend. Before Zack could protest, he raised a finger at him and said, "I'm coming with you. I'm going to wait outside and give you emotional support. Who knows how your dad might react, Zack?"

He turned to me, "You have your phone, right? You can text Grandma to come pick you up after your volunteer work?"

I nodded, feeling the rectangular phone in my pocket.

"Then it's settled. I'm coming with you Zack." Gabriel said in a voice that didn't leave any space for arguing.

"Are you sure you could leave your precious N--" Zack begun to say when a piece of bread hit him in the face.

"Shut up Zack." Maddie said and took a bite of her sandwich, from a side that strangely looked as if it was missing a piece exactly the size that had hit Zack in the face.

"The Blind Wonder strikes again." Matthias joked next to her, making me smile. Zack glower, and Gabriel turn slightly away from me, red tinging his ears.

With the day going like this, how was I to know what would've followed?

I should've gone out with Miss Walker.

I should've called Abigail.

I should've walked straight out of school.

I shouldn't have followed him.

I shouldn't have followed him, but I did.

The smell of books was comforting as I walked between the library's alleys. The cart filled with books had a squeaky wheel, which echoed in the quiet atmosphere, and made it a little difficult to move about. I placed a book back where it belonged.