Destined

Chapter 6 - Fantasy Turns Into Reality

I woke up to the sound of Andy crying. I tried to reduce the impact of his loud wails by covering my ears with my pillow but it didn't work. I got off my bed with my eyes half closed and dragged myself to the kitchen. Mom was seated at the dining table and Andy was jumping up and down infront of her in hysteria.

"Why are you crying?!" I groaned as I entered the kitchen and sat opposite to Mom at the dining table. I was angry at Andy for interrupting my peaceful sleep. If it weren't for my tiredness, I might have already kicked him.

"Mom's . . . not taking me to . . . the football field! " He said loudly between his cries as tears rolled down his pink chubby cheeks. Such an awesome actor. I wondered. Andy started to shake Mom's shoulder and continued to beg her.

"Mom, please take me there, pleaseeeeeeee." Andy pleaded as Mom took a last sip of her coffee from her mug. I looked at Mom. She looked fatigued, her black, glossy hair was tied in a messy bun and she had dark spots under her eyes. She must have been researching the whole night, again. I don't know why but she just can't sleep without spending atleast two hours reading random stuff online.

"Mom, why aren't you taking him to the field?" I asked her, still feeling sleepy. She stood up from her chair and placed the mug in the sink and started to clean all the dishes.

"I have to go to work in ten minutes, I don't have the time to drop him there." She replied, her voice hoarse. I looked at Andy's crying face. "Urgh!" I groaned. His stupid face makes me weak every single time! "When do you need to reach there?"

"Half past one." Andy replied in soft little sobs. I look over his head. There was a big, round clock hung on the wall and it read eight forty-five. I look back at Andy and said "I'll take you there but I'm going to go and sleep now and if you dare to interrupt my sleep again or if you make a single noise then you won't be seeing that stupid field of yours, ever!"

I noticed Mom stare at me while she washed the dishes, her eyebrows narrowed as she looked at me with confusion and doubt. I looked at her and said "I need to go to the library today, schools are starting in a week so I have to finish all my homework. I'll drop Andy on my way there."

" . . . no blood this time, I promise." I added softly, holding my pinky finger up and smiled at Mom. She smiled back at me and mouthed Thank you, her frown disappearing and her shoulders relaxing.

Truthfully, I didn't want Mom to worry about me so I decided to go out of the house, take some fresh air and throw everything that reminded me of you-know-who out of my mind and my life. Mom is probably happy to know that I am not spending another sunny day of Summer Vacation retreating myself in my room. I eyed Andy and mouthed Not a single noise to him and dragged myself back to my room. I buried my face in my soft pillow and went back to sleep.

**********

I am siting in the library, causally doing my homework. There is not a single person in sight, even the librarian is in her office, taking out some books to put them on the shelves. It seems like everyone is enjoying their last few days of Summer Vacation under the sun and here I am, with thick books of History and Geography, my homework and stationaries spread on the table. There is only silence, but then the silence shatters as I hear loud footsteps. I look up and see . . . Max.

He is now standing right infront of me. I could feel my heart beat faster and louder. Maybe loud enough for him to hear. I felt a mixture of happiness and horror. Happy to see him after so many days and horrified to confront him. I watch him as he smiles at me, his perfect lips curving at the ends. He looked very handsome. His eyes as blue as the ocean, his brown hair held in a slick quiff. I simply wished to melt away.

But suddenly, the lips that seemed so beautiful now twitched into an evil grin and I watch him as he leans down toward me, closer to me. Our faces now just inches apart. It felt like we were together again, like nothing had happened over the Summer Vacation. But a lot has happened. The truth was revealed, and a heart was broken.

He looks me in the eye and says "You still love me, Ally. You still love me, don't you?"

My throat becomes dry. Yes. . . yes I do love him. I still love him, and I'll love him forever but I am not going to tell him that. He will use it against me as my weakness. I let Max touch my arms, his touch felt so familiar yet so wrong. His fingers felt very soft and gentle on my arms, but then he starts to dig his fingers into my flesh. It starts to sting and eventhough I wanted to scream, I wanted to tell him to back off of me, no sound came out of my mouth. He holds my shoulders and starts to shake me vigorously and asks me again

"You still love me, Ally. I know you do. Tell me that you love me!" His voice changes, from soft, deep and dangerous to squeaky and loud. My eyes flew open and I saw Andy shake me vigorously.

"Wake up! Wake up, we're getting late!" He shouted.

"I'm awake!" I yelled as I bolted upright on my bed. My forehead was beaded with sweat and my heart was beating rapidly. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and tried to steady my breaths. After a few seconds, I realised it was just a horrible dream. I took in some deep breaths to calm myself. Ignoring the dream, got off my bed and went into the washroom to take a shower.

I changed into a red T-shirt and light blue denim jeans which reached below my knees. I stood infront of my dressing table and stared back at my reflection as I dried my hair and tied it in a high ponytail. I wore my favourite shoes, white converse, grabbed my school bag and entered the living room. There on the sofa sat Andy. He was all ready for his practice. 

"Let's go, Andy." I said as I took my keys, phone and wallet and put it all in my backpack. I entered the kitchen and took out a bottle of orange juice and a sandwich Mom made earlier today. I ate the sandwich on the way as we left our home. We took the staircase and just when we were about to go down the stairs, I saw a hint of red out of the corner of my eyes.

"Uhm . . . Andy, I think I forgot to lock the door. You go ahead and wait for me in the lobby. I'll be with you in a minute." I told him.

"OK." He said and ran down the stairs. I climbed a few steps of the stairs and there lay a white handkercheif dried with blood. It was Austin's handkercheif. I guess he left it here when we had an arguement yesterday. I felt like an idiot for arguing with him. I bent down and picked it up. I went back home, placed my less than a half eaten sandwich in the kitchen and washed the handkercheif in the bathroom, red coloured water flowed out of the handkercheif and into the sink. I twirled it tightly to let the excess water out. I stored the handkercheif in my backpack and left home.

When I reached the lobby, Andy was waiting there for me. "Let's go." I said Andy and we left our building. In ten minutes, we were sitting on the train.

"By the way, what are you going to do at the football field anyway?" I asked Andy.

"I am going to learn football there." He said with a cute smile. After three stops we got off the train. We walked for five minutes and there right infront of us was the football field. Andy said goodbye and ran in. I smiled and took a taxi. In just a few minutes, I was standing infront of the library. I entered the library, still amazed to look at it. It was huge with many floors. I used the escalator and went to the second floor where all the books were located at. There, in the middle of the library, was a big brown table. Book shelves stood around the huge table. Books were piled very neatly on each of the shelves. I looked around myself. Behind the counter sat a middle-aged librarian, her square glasses placed at the tip of her nose while she read through a thick book. I walked quietly toward the big table and placed my bag on it. I searched for the non-fiction shelves and found two books which could help me with my homework. One was about American history and the other was Geography. I went back to the table and placed the books on it. I looked around, not even a single person in sight. My dream flashed in my mind. I shivered. No way! I have dated Max long enough to know that he is not the type of person who would spend a day of the Summer Vacation in the library. I sat down on the chair and started filling in the blanks on my homework.

Tock, tock, tock. I heard the sound of footsteps. My throat became dry. I peeked at the corner of my eyes and saw a pair of shoes. It was a dream. There's no way it can come true. I told myself but the sound of the footsteps only grew louder. I closed my eyes and hoped that Max wasn't here when the sound of the shoes tapping against the floor stopped. I opened my eyes and saw a tall figure stand beside me.