Mess Series #1: Faded Smiles

Faded Smiles #6 Lie

Aryl's POV

"Aryl!" I was back with my senses and I can sense that all of my classmates was throwing weird glares and stares at me.

Yes, I am in our classroom and I can feel the blazing eyes of a woman in her late-thirties in front.

"Yes, Miss!" I answered as I stood up and then I heard the loud laughs and sarcastic claps of every people in the four-cornered room.

My cheeks turned red as I glanced at them and looked straight at the teacher in front.

She looked at me with disbelief and I shyly avoid her gaze. "Where did your imagination bring you?"

I heard some murmurs from my clasmates and laughs that they are trying to keep.

I just avoid her stares while playing with my fingers."I'm sorry, Miss."

"I need to talk to your mom." I glanced at her with fear in my eyes and snapped my head continuously.

"M-miss... Miss please, no," I used my worried voice as both of my hands are in a sweat.

I just can't bring my mom here because for sure, she will beat me up.

I heard he took a deep breath and I felt her presence in my side.

"Okay. I will forget what happened but you need to promise me that it won't happen again," she said while patting my head as I nodded to her for my answer. "Talk to me after class," she added and walks towards the teacher's table in front.

When the dismissal time happens, I quickly walked at the school ground and I can feel the burning sunlight in my skin but because it is the only way to shorten my travel, I stepped towards it, even though the scary light was approaching my sensitive skin.

As I approached the office door, I took a deep breath and knocked three times.

"Come in," a woman's voice signaled me as I knocked and open the door to see her.

I saw Miss Arabella that was busy reading important papers and quickly glanced at me.

"Sit down, Miss Torres," she said while fixing the papers on her table.

I timidly walked owards her direction and sit on the visitor's chair in front of her desk. My hands were shaking on my lap.

She glanced at me as she intertwined her two hands. "I will be honest with you, Miss Torres."

I looked at her with a threatened looked as she worriedly glanced at my eyes. "What for, Miss?"

"Your grades are failing. You must do something with it because you are a candidate for valedictorian. Your hardships in your studies will go in waste," she worriedly said and hold my hands that was terribly shaking.

The tears are slowly making it's a way to form on my eyes because of what she said. If she knows my misery, will she be able to say that?

Should I need to tell it to her?

What is my life in our home?

Those things that the mother is doing to me.

I don't know all that happens next. Time moves so fast. I don't expect that this will be happening. The grades that I treasure was failing.

I felt the sudden tiredness and sadness as I felt a week ago when I saw my father lying on his coffin.

"You are one of the most outstanding students, Miss Torres and I know that you are in crisis because of your father's death. I am not telling you this to put another barrier in you... I am telling you about this problem because I'm worried about you. You are not like this before. What happened?" she continuously said as she patted my hands and looked straight in my eyes with a worried looked in her.

I was trying to avoid her gaze because I don't want them to know. I don't want my mom to be mad at me because for sure, Miss Arabella will confront her as the moment I open my mouth.

I simply smile and snapped my head slowly. "No miss, I don't have a problem. It's just that..." I gulped and smile. "I'm stressed these past few days because of that incident." I lied.

I heard her sighed and gently attend in my side and patted my shoulders "You can always talk to me if you have a problem, alright?"

I just directly looked at her and put a slight smile on my lips saying that I understand.

She smiled at her answer. With that, I rashly stood up and gently bowed my head as a sign of goodbye. "Miss, I think I should go. It's late," I worriedly said.

She looked at her wristwatch and nodded after she saw the time. It's past 5 in the afternoon and my mom had surely arrived at home.

As I stepped out to the office, I saw the orange sky indicating that the sun is slowly setting down to give time for the moon to shine.

The humming of birds is just music to my ears that the genuine smiles are forming in my lips as I walked to our street.

I am walking this road every day since my father died because my mom said that I should not get inside their car because I have bad luck with me.

"Aryl!" my mom's angry voice filled the house as soon as I reach our door's house and pulled my hair when she walks towards me.

I just sighed and accepted all the things that she was doing as the tears from my eyes are falling. I don't have enough strength to fight from her.

"S-stop... Stop M-mom. Stop Mom, please." I mumbled as I felt my eyelids fall apart.

****
To be continued...