Chapter two
Jema
I checked my small, battered watch again, sure enough it wasn't lying to me; 8:30, Konstantin was a good hour and half late for dinner with me... A dinner that he organized himself. I looked around the rustic Indian restaurant, the saris draping from the roof seemed to distract me from looking for the familiar face of my best friend. There were trinkets lining the walls, trying to tell the story of an exotic past but there was not the one person whose past I wanted to know more than anything, there was no Konnie. The warm smell of curry made my stomach growl and my impatience grow. I could have been to the dance studio by now, I could have practised my solo at least once by now, and I could have checked what classes I was teaching this week. My temper was a quick thinking beast that always seemed to get the better of me, today was no exception. He was never late to anything, hell! He didn't even bring his togs to school once and had to free ball in the pool so he wouldn't be late. I don't know what made today different. My temper was a beast that was quick to anger and blind to reason, after all he was the one who asked me to come to dinner with him today at history class.
"Sweetie... I know I don't know you but he's not coming.... You've been stood down." The waitress’s eyes were sympathetic as if she was my mother telling me that my pet rabbit was hit by a car. I sighed at the good intentions of the seemly all-knowing waitress and smiled sweetly at her.
"Maybe you are right, I should really call him and tell him that he should rot in hell or something like that right?"
"That's the way sweetie! Would you like anything to eat whilst you are here?" I gave her my order and with a flick of her chestnut hair she left towards the kitchen. I really didn't want to talk to Konnie at that time but I had found a new found courage talking to the complete stranger who took my order. I rummaged through my bag to find the scratched pink brick that was my phone. I flipped the lid open and punched in the numbers to the prehistoric key board.
"Hello, this is Konstantin's phone." A nasal American voice answered. Why would an American be answering his phone? Even worse was the question; why would a girl be answering his phone? My mind formulated several answers however I didn’t like the concept of any of them. I chewed my knuckle thoughtfully as I debated the idea of just hanging up on this strange girl.
“Well speak up! I can’t wait all day! I have important things to do!” My confidence was slipping away and whatever courage that the waitress gave to me was melting with it.
“Just tell Konnie that I hate him and also tell him that I really don’t want to talk to him for a long, long while” My voice was a tiny squeak in the hustle and bustle of the busy restaurant, there were a thousand other things that I wished I could say but the words seemed to elude my lips and they would not form. Stinging hot tears rolled down my face as I punched the end call button and threw the large object into the bottomless pit that is my bag. Things were turning to shit, and fast. I leapt out of the fake leather booth and ran out of the restaurant to the shock of the minimal patrons. My eyes were attacked by a torrent of emotions as I took off down the poorly lit street. My feet slipped out of my strappy black heels as the speed of my gait ruffled my chin length blonde hair. My mind didn’t know where my rouge feet were taking me but they seemed to enjoy the movement so I let the rhythm take me to where it felt like going. I should have known that it wasn’t a good idea to be outside at night especially at this time. I could almost see the bright lights of the dance studio when I was hit, I could see the sign that I posed for last summer in an unreasonably sparkly tutu when the world went black and my vision faded away.
