Elite Rebels

LUNCH

♛

The lunch bell rang 10 minutes ago, and I was still stood outside the cafeteria doors, my clammy hands on the cold metal handle that was beginning to feel warm.

Tyler had wanted me to sit with his group of friends and was ready to drag my protesting self with him when he got held back in class by Mdm Malone, our English teacher, for not submitting her work. Initially, he threw a 3 year old fit and refused to stay back until I promised him that I would meet him at his table if he cooperated.

Which was how I ended up in this predicament, torn between the fear of public defamatory and the adamant need to fulfil what I promised. I was having major regrets on my decision and was about to bail out on it when I heard someone approach from behind me.

"Liana? What are you doing?" The voice belonged to Dustin who sounded like he was a little out of breath.

My hands quickly retracted but he caught on to that and gave me a questioning look,  "I...um...well..." At a loss for words, I could only look down at my boots in embarrassment.

"The cafeteria is not really your type of place huh?", he enquired.

"Not really..."

"I know somewhere you might like, wanna come with me?", he suggested.

I peeked at him hesitantly, my mind was telling me to say no but a tiny part of me really wanted to trust him. He must had seen the hesitation on my face since he coaxed me in that gentle voice again, "I promise you'll like it."

This time, he had a faint smile, the type where you are trying to convince someone to believe you but know that there's a higher possibility of getting rejected. It may be because he was the first person to show me that perfect kids like us could have a vulnerable side, that amongst all the faux graciousness, raw and genuine emotions have a place inside.

That's just the kind of person Dustin was, he had the ability to make you feel at ease and that I, like everyone else, mattered.

"Why not."

And as I shortened the distance between us, his smile widened in contrast.

♕

"Are we even allowed up here?" I asked, noticing the 'Do Not Enter' sign nailed onto the door Dustin was pushing.

"Relax Liana, hardly anyone comes to the rooftop." He chuckled, probably finding humour at my worried expression.

I frowned, "You better be right, I don't want to be caught for something so silly."

"Ready?" Dustin was grinning so much I wondered if that was actually a permanent look on his face.

"I guess...wow..." I couldn't help but be awed by the sight before me as he stepped away.

The best way to describe the place was that it resembled a rooftop garden, flower pots lined every visible square inch of the floor, save for a wooden table at the left side of the roof.

"The school initially planned to build a butterfly garden but never had the time to execute it, so they stored all the flowers up here since there isn't a large enough room." Dustin explained as if he had read what was going through my mind.