Our Way Back

Episode 4

I felt my body froze and everything around me was roughly a year ago: at the second day of the camp.

"Third!" I turned and saw two awfully familiar faces. I felt my body twitch, as if my body is telling me that I should at least smile. But who can smile? When I'm seeing my 'date' with my camp roommate? "Would it be okay if Raegan sleeps in my room tonight?"

Suddenly, I felt like everyone's stares were on me, and it's as if their whispering horrible things about me.

I felt betrayed.

I bit my lower lip and swallowed everything – probably including my dignity as a human person. "W-why would you ask me?"I awkwardly said, trying to avoid the look in their eyes. "It ... it does not concern me anyway. If he's okay with it then..." I said gesturing them 'go' with my hand.

With my grades and academic ability above average range, I suddenly felt very stupid. I did not even see what was going on. So, Raegan was her goal from the start. And he agreed to be my date because Raegan is my roommate.

Raegan was her target all along.

That night, Raegan returned to the room. He told me he found out that she was supposed to be my date too late. And he apologized. But everything went to get worse from that day on.

"Third?"

I suddenly felt as if something hit my head. I remembered that I was standing in the middle of the busy road, with a number of students running to the school gate, but I felt like time stopped on me. Everything was in slow motion. I felt like an idiot staring at the woman whom I supposed to hate. The soft collision of the rain and the concrete pavement, the splash of the water from the puddle students stepped in and the voice of the woman who is now calling my name. It resonates into my ears, vibrating ... echoing...

"Third, are you with me?" I feel a nudge on my arm and like a warp: I've been transported and waken up from the state I was in. I saw Lyka smiling in front of me, like what she did a year ago was nothing.

I awkwardly smiled, "Ye-yeah." I replied. "It's... it's good to see you, Lyka." I greeted.

"Yeah. It has been a year." she said smiling brightly, the exact opposite of what I'm feeling deep inside. "I haven't really found the right time to talk about what happened last year." she continued.

"I ... I don't really see anything to talk about what happened." I said, dodging the topic.

"By the way, it looked like you're in a bad shape." she said, trying to check on my wrist. But I immediately flinched. "Did you get into trouble or something?"

"Yeah, uh, sort of." I said, brushing my left hand to my arm. I turned away only to see Raegan's car coming my way. "Uh, Lyka, it's ... it's actually getting late. I'm uh, going to be late."

"O-oh, really?" she said, immediately checking her watch. "It really is!" she exclaimed. "I guess this was a bad time, but I would really love to talk some other time. Call me, 'kay?" she suggested before running inside the gate.

"O-okay." I replied to myself. Not. No. Never.

'Way to start the day.' I sighed and dragged my shoulders off the school. Where, I suppose, will be the start of my torture.

I walked inside my class only to find everyone to be glaring at me. There aren't words coming out from their mouths but I know that they are probably cursing me in their heads. Because my class is composed of two types of people: first, Axo's lackeys; and second, afraid of him.