Broken Faith ✓

Chapter 7: Gloves

It was like Rory was playing joke roulette with me every day. His attempt to tell me jokes was so unpredictable. Some of his jokes garnered him with my laughs, which to be fair were not easy to attain. But at other times he just managed to draw up blank stares from me.

To which, he unduly would turn around, his face a shade of pink I never thought was possible to be seen on a human's face.

In those moments I felt bad for him but Ryder just laughed.

I most definitely admitted I did not think it would ever be possible to see past the blinding hate I felt. It was like a film over my eyes that I just could not get rid of no matter how much I wanted to.

But somehow time had managed to get me to see past the alpha male façade that rested on Ryder's shoulders. He was just like any other guy, irritating to the opposite sex but friendly.

The impenetrable, unending wall of hate had been defeated by laughter. If anything, this was like the stories I told Arlo; good triumphing over evil. Like I said, I was still a firm believer in happy endings no matter how many scars still resided in my soul. It's the only hope I could hold on to, the only tiny light in all my darkness that had encompassed me and my life.

And yes, when Ryder asked me for help which was nearly every day I did help him and no, not through gritted teeth now.

I could be sarcastic and to Ryder I always was but he was more than capable of dishing it back. As bored as he got in class, he had a sharp mind. I had read somewhere that if you are sarcastic and retort people's statements with it quickly which he is able to, it's a sign you have a sharp brain. I pondered that if this guy actually put his mind to something he would be able to do a good job but he reminded me of a lost puppy. They have so much ability and potential but they have no sense of direction.

Today Miss Cameron announced we were going to start reading a book in class for an essay that had to be part of our folio piece. We were going to start reading A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I had read this book by borrowing it from the school's library. I adored every word of this book. I loved what it stood for. Hope and faith in a place where death was prevalent.

When I read it, it was like it wrapped it's arms around me and comforted me in the reminder that a woman's strength should never be underestimated. She could make it further than even she could anticipate when made to by life's circumstances. That maybe, just maybe I could make it to the side that everyone talks about where the grass is greener and happiness is in every ounce of the air.

We were given the books and we were told that someone out of the whole class would be asked to read a section and this would happen all around the class one by one and the rest of us were to follow with our books so we could read and discuss it all together. A cohesive exercise Miss said.

I was too excited to experience this book all over again. I found with books it didn't matter how many times you had read them before, they had this magic to make you feel the same emotions just as deeply and as pungently as the first time you had read them.

I had already began to open my book.

"Why do you look so happy?" a voice broke my thoughts.

"This is one of my favourite books" I could hear the smile in my voice as I ran my hand over one of the pages, the miniscule ridges of my fingers running smoothly over the fibres of the book and it's encapsulating words.

"Why?" I could feel his eyes were studying me but I didn't want to look up when the reason of my smile was in my hands.

"Oh no. I'm not giving you the answer just like that. Just like you have to find the answers for our work you're gonna have to read this book to find out." I looked at him rather smugly.