My not so Perfect Love

CHAPTER 3: Nothing has Changed

I slept well at night knowing that today I’ll be a certified tutor. The weird thing was that I was tutoring a sophomore. Anyways, I brought some books for references. I also arrived a bit early because of my excitement and waited on the bridge.

                Forty-five minutes already passed and still couldn’t see Lance from the horizon of the road. I was about to give up until I heard a sudden rustling sound from below. Without any hesitance, I jumped off the bridge and saw Lance sleeping like a pig.

                “Lance!” I yelled. He immediately recoiled. “Woaw, you really want me dead.”

                “I told you to meet me here. On the bridge?”

                                “oh, you meant on the bridge by ‘here’. Well that’s my dismay.” He stood up and grabbed my wrist. “C’mon! I’ll treat you for lunch.”

                “Wait! How about studying?”

                                “We can do it while eating.”

                He seem very enthusiastic when we came eating at a coffee bar across town. He grabbed all my books and started studying. He even asks questions. I admit, I got pretty guilty for thinking he’d slack off. He’s actually a fast learner. He got 89.8% of my questions right too. It’s a great improvement from what Ms. Zumman showed me. They were wrong about him; the atmosphere around him actually feels gentle. I guess he just needs someone to talk to. But I spoke to soon.

                “You think you are so lucky now, huh?”

                                “Huh?” I was puzzled.

                “Alison Grey Scarlet, you’re just so easy.” He smirked. “Time’s up.”

                A bucket full of cold water was poured down on me. I got very drenched but I forced myself not to cry. If I did, it would make him feel that he won. That is how bully’s mind works after all. People started murmuring and stifling laughs.

                “What are you going to do now, little missy?” he said with an awwwe-you-poor-thing kind of look. I could literally feel my blood steaming and my mind was saying some trashy words directed to him. But a part of me just won’t let loose. I quickly stood up and took my books.

                “Awwe~ ish little missy about to cwy? Ahahahaha!”

                Now that just pulled the trigger. While he was laughing like an idiot he really is, I threw at him with impressive adrenaline force I might add the coffee shake I was drinking. That shut him up.

                “Thank you… for your useless time.” I said and stomp my way out. I didn’t dare look back; either I was scared or I’d felt apologetic if I did.

                I still have my rights and my pride as a human being. I went back home like nothing had happened and explained my soak-ness as a clumsy fall by the river bay.

                I locked myself in my room, grabbed a paintbrush and started to paint my anger; black and roaring shades of red -- a girl screaming her soul with such marvelous passion.

                My little brother suddenly knocked. “Hey achi Al, can you help me study Math?”

                                “Go away!” I exclaimed.

                                                “…” he didn’t answer. I slowly opened the door and said “I’m sorry Nathan. I just..  had a bad day.”

                                                “Do you want some cookies? Mom said it’ll help you relax. We could study together after that.”

                I sighed. “That sounds great.”

                Mt little brother, Nathan, is being homeschooled ever since an incident with my uncle who has temper issues. It became a phobia just looking at guys with slightly brunette hair. Nevertheless, I’m happy to have him. Every time that I’d feel down, he’d try and make me smile in whatever way he could think of in the most sweetest way. He is such an angel. And he is my little angel.

                After tutoring him, it was time for dinner. And at dinner we get to share about what happened during the day. Dad just got home from work. He’s a professor in an international school while Mom works as a part-time accounting manager at a bank that just opened.

“So, Ali, how did the tutoring go?” Dad asked.

                “It was great.” I said with a contented expression.

                                “They dumped cold water on her!” I quickly covered Nathan’s noisy mouth. “I thought you said you fell, Al.” Mom worried.

                “Well, it’s not like they did it on purpose.”

“Then what really happened, Al?” Dad was getting suspicious. “We were!” I shrugged. “Some guys tried fishing and I accidentally tripped over their bucket full of cold water.”

“Hmm. Very smooth, Alison Grey.”

                                                “Seriously Al, you know better that lying to us.”

                “I’m sorry.”

Without even noticing, I covered up for Lance. He clearly doesn’t deserve the soft treatment but I guess I just didn’t want to see such expression Ms. Zumman always put up with him. It kind of reminded me about my uncle. I don’t want it to happen a second time around even if Lance was such a jerk.

Alone in my room I said “Some people are just not meant to be encountered if there wasn’t a reason to it.”

I took a night bath and quickly finished all my homework. “It’s past twelve already?” I yawned. “I should get some shut eye.” Before closing my eyes, I hid my artwork at the farthest part of my closet to forget I ever drew one with such anger.

I prayed to the Lord that I may surpass this feeling and move on from it… like what I did to Chris when he got bitter. It was my fault but I’m happy that he found someone that his mother approved of.

Above all, I still pray that I may see ‘him’ again.

                                 ... Such foolish words.