I Love You.....Just the Way You Are #Watty2018

Chapter 10: The Mystery

For the most part, this was probably the best moment in my life.

Being picked as a volunteer by Victoria is like picking as a candidate for the Nobel Prize or an acceptance to a top Ivy League school. Being picked by Victoria is can create some controversies or rumors around the school. Friends can suddenly turn into enemies. Being picked by Victoria means sacrificing "everything". But, at the same time, a part of me felt that it was kind of worth it.

The moment she grasped my right hand, which was the hand that I spilled sulfuric acid on, it didn't feel painful anymore as if it was healed by this angel. She yanked me up the stage. I looked down the stage as the entire school (more like 50% of the school) stared back with bulging eyes at the fact I was holding hands with Vicky. They were all envious, including the people in the front seats, my closest friends.

Raphael, Morgan, and Daniel were kind of surprised by all this. Out of all the 4 people sitting there, Morgan  was probably the one that was probably less angry comparing the the rest of them. He only can like someone as long as she is catholic. Stephen still had a smile crept up his face, but behind the smile is probably jealousy as well.

Vicky stuffed me in to a walnut chest on the table. When I went in, I already knew the secret of behind the magic trick. My legs did not extend to the end of the interior of the chest. I was literally curled up. I looked at her, smiling with a I-know-the-secret-of-this-magic-trick. She smiled back which looked like a please-don't-tell-anyone-about-it expression.

She took out a saw and began to split my body in half, or it seems to be. My sweat did trickle down my spine for a bit, forgetting that this was a magic trick for a sudden. I was sure that the chest was fake but the saw was undeniably real. I looked at her to reassure myself. A admiring roar of enthusiasm shot from the audience when she pushed the two separated chest aside. From my view, the boys were jumping and extending their arms to reach Vicky while the girls casted stares of helplessness on the toddler-like behavior that reflected their immaturity. Some teenage couples squirmed in unease while I could feel the guys being pressured to not expose any hints of captivation to the beauty on stage.

When she put the chest back together, I crawled out of the chest feverishly when I realized all the eyes laid upon me and Vicky. My eyes became heavier while the scenery before me began to blur and before I nearly drop to the floor, that soft delicate hand saved me and rubbed against my dampish right palm and, before I realized , the back of my hair electrified into blades of grass as a thunder of realization split into my mind. My cheeks began to ease a red glow that beaconed to the audience that I was uncontrollably blushing. Oh my god! Oh my god! Vicky is holding my hand!

She gave a bow and I followed awkwardly. My eyes did not leave the floor tiles until the curtains were drawn to a complete close and the ringing of applause still reigned for a couple minutes.

"That was amazing, Lin!" Vicky exclaimed and slapped my shoulder. There wasn't much force exerted into it, but if it's from Vicky, it came down my shoulders with a powerful force as my knees couldn't withstand the plethora of events that occurred in that short amount of time. My knees were already cold noodles and when she plunged at me into my embrace out of the blue, my knees literally took a few steps backward.

Her blonde hair strangled my neck with a scent of a flowery shampoo as those strands brushed under my nose, making them flare. Her geometrically perfect chin rested against my shoulder and puffing a minty fragrance under my neck, shooting a tingle up my spine. I felt like I could levitate at any moment.

Is this what heaven feels like?

. . . . .

"I guess every man wants you dead." Stephen scoffed while struggling to drag his pants inward to sheathe his damp legs on the locker's bench.

"What do I do?" I chattered, probably from the freezing cold from the swimming pool or my chest was still throbbing frantically from Vicky's hug.

"The only hope now is probably change your name and identity...might as well get plastic surgery just in case."

I shook my head and proceeded tucking my arm into the sleeve of my dad's white shirt and began buttoning them with difficulty from that chemical burn. The puffy swollen hand were slowly retaining its natural skin color, fortunately. After we were dressed, I went to my locker for my book bag until my eyes landed on something folded in the corner.

It was my lost shirt.

"Hey, c'mon." Stephen beckoned me to the doorway. "What are standing there idling about?"

"No...my shirt...I found it."

I took the shirt and it smelled like Tide laundry soap....but why?