Say It Just Once

chapter 12

He kept on coming closer little by little as if this was a movie on slow motion with his eyes closed. Without even knowing his lips touched mine.

My eyes shot up in shock still frozen on the spot. With many questions invading my mind. His wet lips slowly moved against mine, pressing his lips harder and deeper into mine.

About 5 seconds passed, which felt like hours, when I saw something from behind Brent come flying towards us, but wasn’t sure what it was. Without wasting a second Brent pulled back with a loud ‘ow’ and kept massaging his head.

I looked behind him to see a fat book on the bed. “Where did that book come from?” Brent asked confused looking around, still touching the back of his head.

“Was it Kayden?” my mind questioned. For some reason it felt as if it was Kayden who threw the book from the back, even though I saw no one behind him, questions filled my mind. I can see Kayden…but why did I not see him now? Was it not Kayden who threw the book?

Brent kept on massaging his head where the book hit him. “Was it Kayden?” my mind kept repeating the same question even though there was no proof that it was he who threw the book. I soon collected all my books and threw them inside my bag.

“Oh! Look at the time. I need to get back home” I excused and left without giving him a chance to say anything. Totally forgotten about the kiss.

Throughout my walk back home my head was flooded with thoughts.
“Was it Kayden who threw the book?”

“Why do I have a feeling that it was Kayden?”

“Why would he throw a book at Brent?” my mind kept assuming possibilities and without even noticing I was already in front of my house front door. I looked around to be sure that I was in front of the right house and not at some random stranger’s doorstep.

Once I was assured that I was in front of my new house, I looked around the garden once more, but this time to see if Kayden was anywhere to be seen.
He wasn’t. Assuming that he will come sometime later, like he usually does, I went upstairs and changed into my pajamas.

It was half past eleven. Usually he randomly comes into my room at 8.00 pm on the dot. Since that’s the time I’m done with my homework, dinner and the time mom goes to her room in order to rest. “Where is he?” I started to get anxious on whether something has happened to him.

The night turned into day and I didn’t see Kayden anywhere. The next morning I woke up early than usual without the help of mom or the alarm. I couldn’t sleep well with my mind running around the place. I kept on thinking about Kayden and where he must be or if something happened to him. I started to make my own imaginary scenarios about things that might have happened to him. For an example:

“Did the devils come for him? I never thoughts ghosts existed, so why not devils…?”

“Did the heavens think it’s time for him to go up there?”

“Ghost-napped? Do ghosts even get kidnapped? If so by who?”

I looked for him everywhere. He wasn’t in the sofa, where he usually sleeps. I know he is a ghost and nothing would happen to him. But for me he was like any other normal human. I felt like I was searching for my best friend who suddenly went missing.

I walked around the house and garden expecting Kayden to be somewhere. But he wasn’t anywhere. When I realized that I only have half an hour before school starts, I went back inside the house to see mom was coming down the stairs, fixing her clothes one last time to go to work. 

“You’re up early”

“Yeah…I couldn’t sleep well last night” I said dragging my bag off the counter.

“What’s wrong honey? Are you sick?”

“No mom I’m fine.”

“Boy trouble?” mom asked wiggling her eyebrows with a mischievous smirk on her face.

“Omg nothing like that mom. I’m going to school. Bye” I said with a slight chuckle and left home still worried about Kayden. I didn’t want to go to school.

If I stay home, I will be able to meet Kayden if he comes back. But I have to have 80% attendance in school and I already got half the days as absent since I started school after half the semester is done. So I had no choice but to drag myself to school.

“Kylie” came a voice from my left. I turned to see it was James. “Hey” he said running over to me.

“Hey” I said with a fake smile. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone or even to smile.

“Is everything ok? Are you sick?”

“No James. I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

I said and smiled at him weakly and walked towards my locker.

“Hey” I heard someone else say behind me. I turned to see Brent.

“Hey. Your back at school” I said and he scratched his head in response to which I remembered what happened yesterday.

“Is your head ok?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah…its fine thanks” he replied and I smiled at him and closed my locker door and turned to walk towards my next class, when he pulled me back from my arm.

I turned back to look at him. He had a hurt expression pasted on his face, his eyes looking straight at me and his lips in a slight downward curve.

“You got something to say?” I asked, confused.

“Don’t you remember what happened between us yesterday? How could you just ignore it as if it never happened?”

Then realization hit me. The kiss that took place between us played like a movie in my head. I was so worried about Kayden and was thinking about the book being thrown at Brent that I totally forgot about the kiss.

“Oh…that…” I said feeling awkward not sure what to say. Just as he opened his mouth to say something Liza came walking towards us with her heels clicking against the tiled floor.

“What’s going on here?” she questioned with an angry expression pasted her face. I looked away not wanting unnecessary drama or problems.

“Nothing Liza. I’m in the middle of something. Could you please leave?” replied Brent, a little harshly. He seemed to be tired of her behavior.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked pulling me from my arm to turn towards her. I wasn’t in the mood to fight her or even to talk to her. I ignored her and pulled my arm from her grip, slightly feeling her claws like nails scrape my skin and walked my way to class.

During class my eyes where constantly fixed on the clock, my legs tapping on the floor impatiently, waiting for the time to go by  and school to end fast so that I could go back home and see if Kayden has retuned. But to my unluckiness the day was passing by rather slow.

As soon as the bell rang I rushed out of the class and was running towards the school exit when someone suddenly pulled me back from my arm.

“My arm is going to end up growing longing than my body one day if this continues. Why is everyone pulling me from my arm?”

I turned to see Brent. I kept my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath from all the running.

The class was all the way at the other end of the school.

“Where are you going in such a rush?”

“Home”

“What about the rest of our assignment? Shall we go to the coffee shop close by? Or we could go to my house today too” he suggested reminding me that we yet have lot more to do in our assignment.

I didn’t want to go anywhere, I want to go home.

“I want to go home and see if Kayden came back.”

Right then a light bulb appeared on top of my head like in the cartoons.