Hidden Behind the Veil (Complete)

Chapter 20

-Unedited

The school attained a grieved atmosphere after Central region's loss in the finals. They had become so used to winning every year that losing didn't seem like an option. Alex began avoiding people at school. They reminded him that he had lost from North. Even their humble questions like, "How's your leg?" sounded like a taunt to him. Deep down, he felt guilty.

He had resorted to conversing with Violet and Edward only, but they had decided not to discuss the match whenever Alex is around. A weird gloom descended upon him whenever they talked about it.

The exams came and flashed by as fast as lightning. Alex had done enough for a little better than average score, Edward was positive he'd pass, and Violet thought she had a good chance of a class position even after her absence from school for over a month.

Alex got through Mr. Ray's English literature exam and dashed outside. Sometimes he felt like these exams were a blessing. Everybody's eyes either seemed to be glued on their paper or someone else's paper, but Alex didn't feel like he is constantly being watched. He kept his eyes low as he reached his locker. His leg hurt a lot less now after a couple of weeks of exams, but at least he didn't need to stagger around now. Alex opened the locker and stashed his stuff hastily, fearing that someone would approach and start a conversation with him. He looked towards Violet and Edward's locker (2245 and 2246) on the opposite wall. They weren't there, meaning that they had probably finished a little earlier than he, and were now in the cafeteria.

He went straight out of the school building into the grounds and took a right. Boys and girls had started flooding in, but obviously they'd take their own sweet time to stroll, so the ground was pretty much empty right now. Continuing forth, he reached the corner of the ground and saw a small alley guarded by an old metal gate. Completely indifferent to the fact that the door was locked from the inside, Alex walked to it and passed his hand through the metal bars of the gate. His arm moved deftly as he worked the lock through and finally swung the gate open. He entered the alley and closed the gate behind him again.

After passing the alley, he was led to another ground, and in the middle was the school cafeteria. Obviously he could take the normal path in which he'd have to pass the whole school building, exit from the rear and take a left from the black metal-spiral staircase. It would have taken him a few more minutes to reach, but who'd take the normal path when you already know the secret one?

The cafeteria was built a little higher than the grounds, and a small flight of stairs led to it's door. It was a simple brick-building from the outside. Alex ascended the stairs and entered the cafeteria blemished with zingy orange paint on the walls. Ugly advertisements of junk-food products had been painted on the walls to go with the hideous paint.

In the middle were some ten students sitting around a table with a dirty glass top. Edward was in the center of the crowd, sitting backwards on a chair, hugging his chest to the rest at it's back while his chubby legs were placed on either side of it. Violet was sitting quietly at his back, smiling at whatever joke had just been told. Elizabeth and Taylor were also present, looking at the seen with distaste. Edward had been talking quite animatedly when Alex entered.

"Hey bro! Wazzup?"

"Nothing much." Alex pulled a chair out of another table and sat at some distance to the crowd. He gestured vaguely at a guy who was wearing an orange shirt and he brought a coke for Alex.

"Thanks." Alex muttered, trying his best to smile.

"So e' comes up to me, and he's like 'ey bro! I was told that I'm the commentator for the match, but looks like they made a las'minute change.' "