DAD

Part 12

I wake up to see myself lying in my bed, in my room; hostel room. As much as I remember, I was supposed to be at the public shade. I couldn't think it out, who even knew I was there? And that too brought me back to hostel?

"Take this." Alexa comes and hands me a bottle of mineral water just as she wakes up to see me lost in thoughts she didn't knew. She looked quite disturbed and didn't look at me while handling me the bottle.
"Ale—'' she stops me giving me a hand sign, and I don't talk. She looked like she was in huge shock, I bet she was...I mean who won't be? You talk to your roommate at night perfectly and the next day you find her wounded with a backpack full of clothes under a public shade, if I was in her place, I would've the same reaction. She keeps searching for something, and I finally understand that she was looking for her phone, which must've fell on the floor at night as she always keeps it by the edge of her pillows.
She hands me her phone and gestures me to look in it; she had called me like 25 times in the morning, I didn't even realize, but I decide to cover up.

"Look Alexa, I didn't mean to miss them."
"But, you did miss the calls." She replies, rude and crossing her hands over her chest.
"Well, I woke up late you know..." I still went on with the lies.
"Oh really? What time did you resurrect?" She joked, but that was rude.
"Um, 11:00, you know, right now..." I replied observing that her missed calls were in between nine to half past it.
"So, that's the time you woke up here?"
"Yeah, like close to 11...or something...I saw the time." I said, looking at the sun guessing the time; stumbling up my words, "Okay, so how did you see me here?"
"I wake up to see you in the bed." She lies too, I knew...but I played along.
"Yeah, I got here in the 5 o'clock or something." I continuously bit my lips.
"Oh, well, its 8:00 if you care to know."
I just got caught. It was not even close to 11. It was lunch time, god; I was so trapped.

"Alexa maybe I didn't see the time and so—''
"Shut the lies up Clem! Just stop for god's sake!" She shouts.
I didn't make a single sound to that, I needed to carry my loyalty; I had lied to someone who was the one I had relied on the most. It felt guilty.

"Don't you get tired of lying?" She spat.
"What lying?" I reply, though I knew where it was going.
"Are you serious? I won't be sleeping with my this ready-for-class appearance. I just acted like sleeping to testify you, and guess what? You lied. If you lie to me, where's the base going?" She studies my disguised guilt. She picks up her bag and storms out of the room, for classes.

She leaves, I don't say a word; I was left with no option rather than silence. At the very moment, I get a video call on this app called "imo" from my guidance advisor Mrs. Peterson.

Video call
"Hello Mrs. Peterson." I greet.
"Hello Ms. Klein."
In response I just smile, as I had nothing really to talk about, at least not to her.
"So Ms. Klein I know what you've been through last night, I feel extremely sad for that and..."
"Wait what? Mrs. Peterson, what are you talking about?"
"Look Ms. Klein, I don't want to elaborate the thing to you, it's not really interesting if you know...your brother just denied to fill up your fees and all. And the rest, I and Alexa wee the one to bring you back from the...shade." She chucks her face and looks the other direction to hide her face.
"I think I've classes...I already missed one."
"You don't need to go to classes today, I've talked about it."
"Okay...?"
"Yes."
"Ma'am, can we meet?" I say after a session of thoughts, thinking what to speak about.
"Sure, you wan'na come over?"

***