What If Our Life Threads Bind?

Chapter 7.

I hate being late because when I get late, I have to cross the mini-ramp alone and then everyone sitting on either sides of the mini-ramp stare. I hate when people stare. It is not even my subconscious but they really do stare; their eyeballs follow each person that begins their walk into the mini-ramp, judging the way person carries themselves till he goes off the road and into the building.

I begin to watch myself and very quickly my gait turns from cautious to awkward as I walk through the mini-ramp.

Mini-ramp is a place where people sit and chat when they don't have classes or for no reason at all. It holds a special place in everyone's heart. It connects the people the way social media connects people. You get to know the person as much as their privacy settings let them, and unlike everyone, I am devoid of both. Because has anyone ever read about a demon or an immortal using social media? It was just a month or two ago when I insisted, or should I say, pleaded Lila and Chloe to let me install Skype so that I could talk to Paige.

Despite the fact that Paige is a human and I am the Goddess Of Death, one of the Parcae; Our bond seems to be a relation of blood. She is the closest I have ever been to the human kind and the only reason that makes me believe what my sisters tell me not to believe; Not all humans are bad and destructive.

I take the earphones out of my ears and shove them inside my bag pack, silently praying that the professor was not already inside the room. "May I come in, sir?" I ask immediately when I saw the professor inside. He nodded and I took my place on the second bench. "Is the roll call done?" I whispered to the person next to me and then I realized who it was.

"No." said Ansel and quickly looked away as if it was painfully impossible to see someone not-hot like me.

A ping from my phone echoed in the entire graveyard-silent class and I mentally cursed myself to have not turned my phone on silent. It was Spencer.

Spencer: Save a seat for me. I'll be there in 2'.

It wasn't too long when Spencer and another girl entered the class; the latter standing before Spencer. The girl had a mango-shaped face like my own, although mine looked like a baby mango and hers was a mommy mango. She saw the vacant seat next to me and was just about to approach when Spencer push passed her so hurriedly as if her life depended on it and took the vacant seat. She heaved a sigh and reluctantly, decided to sit on the first bench. A part of me felt bad for her.

"Thank God. I thought I was too late." Spencer whispered.

"You actually were."

A few minutes had only passed when our professor starts to quiz. I try to hide behind the girl in front of me and succeed. The professor asks the mango faced girl a question and she stands up, her eyes glued to the floor.

"I asked, What sort were the structures used by the ancient man to hunt?"

She remains silent and I feel nervous for her.

"What's your name?" The professor asked and I heard her say mango. I was about to laugh but I managed to keep a straight face.

"So Margo, why aren't you paying attention in my class?"

"I'm sorry sir. I'll be attentive now." She said quietly and he dismissed her, waving a hand at her and she sat down on her seat. Although the professor told her it was okay and took it lightly, he kept quizzing her with questions after every two minutes, and every time she had no answer to give him.

Poor girl, I thought when I saw the look on her face. She looked sad, pale and someone who might have cried their eyes out the minute before they entered the class.

To both, the girl's satisfaction and my own, the class ended. She no longer had to answer and I no longer had to witness her go through the humiliation, because every time I did, I'd put my own foot in her shoes.

***

I was walking down the corridor towards the canteen, talking to Spencer when I saw him again. My cute senior guy.

He was looking at me and when he realized I'd seen him, he looked away. I was about to convince myself that maybe he wasn't looking at me, when he looked at me again, just a peek and again looked away when I caught him doing so. An absentminded smile played through my lips and a frown rested on my forehead.

What is he doing?

I couldn't stop smiling. It was so cute. It felt like our eyes were playing hide-and-seek with one another like two children in a playground; my sea green ones looking for him and his chocolate brown ones, hiding like a child who, in the urge to see how close the seeker is to him, exposes himself a little and right at the moment when the seeker almost calls him out, he hides again, afraid to get caught.

He does that a few more times and I instinctively laugh a little, looking away from him pretending that I haven't been looking at him and smiling all this time. "What's up?" Spencer asks and I start to make up a fake funny story to tell her and she laughs. I steal a glance at him and he's still looking at me and this time, I look straight at him and so, he doesn't look away. He smiles at me and gives me a wave, taking a step forward towards me.

"Hey!" He said, shaking hands with me.

"Hi." I beam at him. I am up so close to him that I can literally see the freckles on his cheeks and smell him. He smells like sweat and deodorant.

"I actually don't remember your name...what was it?"He gave me a nervous smile and I laughed a little.

"Martha." I said and that's when I realize I still don't know his name. "What's your name? I am sorry, I never even asked." It was my turn to laugh nervously.

"Austin. Austin. Austin. Austin...." He said repetitively and I bobbed my head with the rhythm of his name coming out of his mouth. We locked eyes for a few minutes and those minutes seemed like hours. I swear if I could see through Spencer's eyes and look over at us, I am sure we would have looked like two lost and love struck puppets of Cupid'd doing.

That was the moment when I felt that all that authors write in books, those undying moments that I have read of, when the clock seems to stop whenever the guy stares at the girl and the girl is staring back at him; both smiling and blushing; all joking up outside and flirting in their minds. It is all true. It doesn't just 'happen-in-books'. Fiction is, anyway, the new real.

I heard a ping from my phone and I realize that I totally forgot the fact that Spencer was super hungry a moment ago and is still waiting for me to finish the conversation with My cu- ....Austin so that we could grab lunch and some coffee.

"Uhm.." I began and he responded with a "huh?" as if he was as lost in my eyes as I was in his. "Actually, I gotta go. I could kill for some coffee and she could too, for some burger." I explained and he nodded. "I'll see you soon." I tell him, hopefully and he smiles, and suddenly my hands lose the touch of his. I almost forgot that all this time, I had my hand in his and a sudden worry washed over me, if my hands were wet with sweat or not.

I just took a step away from him when he called my name, "Martha..wait." and I slowly spin to see him.

He scratches the back of his neck and speaks again, "Can I have your phone number, please?"

"Sure." I said and he gave me his phone so I typed it in myself.

"Thanks. I'll save it." He winks and Spencer literally drags my ass away from him. I put my phone in front of my face as I take a huge gulp of cold coffee and open the message Chloe had sent me when I was lost in Austin's eyes, trying to calm my adrenaline rushing through my veins.

Chloe: We need to talk. Venus has entered your cards.