Purple Dream

dardanelles

'be careful who you open up to. only a few cares, the rest are just curious'

I can't stop smiling looking at my quiz result. I got A- which a big improvement because I never scored higher than B in Mrs. Stein's quizzes. I take a last look of my quiz result before put it on my locker and change my book for the last class, History.

"Jesus." I'm taken aback when I close my locker and see Troy leans on the locker next to me.

"Amen." He smiles. "Score?"

"A-." I smile. "Do I need to ask what your score is?"

"That's great. You know what my score is." I knew. He got an A+. No surprise there. "We should celebrate." He pats my shoulder.

"That sounds good. Beside I owe you, so my treat."

"Okay." He nods. "See you after school."

Troy ruffles my hair before he goes to his next class. I straighten my backpack then walk to the class. When I enter the classroom, it's already crowded with my classmates. I sit on my usual spot and take out my book and the pencil case. I read today's chapter about Ottoman Empire. But, I close my book and open my phone and open youtube. Troy told me great channels to watch related to history subject on youtube. I click on one of videos about Ottoman Empire.

"Class is canceled. Mr. Branden is sick." Robert, one of my classmates shouts.

Kids in my class immediately leave class. I lock my phone and put back my book and pencil case into the bag. I still have one hour to kill before Troy's class finishes. I walk to the library and sit near the window. I lean my head on the table and slowly drifting away to the dreamland.

I open my eyes and see Troy on my right sitting while resting his elbow on the table and put his jaw on his palm while looking at me different from the way he usually looks at me.

"I was going to wake you up but you seem tired."

"How long you've been sitting there?" I adjust my seat and rub my face.

"Long enough."

"How's your class?"

"Good." He gets up from his seat. "Shall we?"

I pick up my bag and get up from my seat. We walk to the parking lot while talking about Mission Impossible movie trailer we saw yesterday.

When we step outside, Troy's phone is ringing. He stops his step to pick it up. I wait for him to talk to the other side person. His face gradually changes from smiling, neutral, to worry.

"Prez, I have to take a rain check." He says while puts back his phone onto his jacket.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just something I've to do."

"Okay."

He gives me a quick kiss on my temple to my surprise. "Bye."

I'm too shocked to reply his goodbye. In a minute he vanishes from my sight. I look at my phone, still no reply from Luke. I texted him four times yesterday and none of it get a reply from him. I didn't see him on school either. Maybe he's sick?

I decide to walk to cemetery and visit Mom. I haven't visited her since I buried her. On my way, I'm thinking all the thing that happened for the past two months. Living with Ben, knowing Matt, Tyler, and Roland, my rocky relationship with Luke, and my weird relationship with Troy.

There are a few fallen leaves on Mom's grave. I pick it up one by one and put it on my bag side pocket to throw it later. I sit on the grass and lean on Mom's tombstone. I tell her everything that's been going on in my life. From Ben to Troy in a chronological order. I used to tell her everything. And she told me everything except her work, her past, her families, and Ben of course. Until now, I never knew Mom's job. And I didn't ask because it doesn't matter anymore.