The Painful Kiss of Augustus
Chapter 10
August rolled on as the crisp breeze of morning brew crawled through my skin. The sky reflected a total tranquility and some of the clouds strayed apart— like an ornament adorned on the sky. Wearing my white polo uniform topped by a suit embroidered with the logo of the school, I threw my leather backpack on my shoulder and sauntered out of our house. My mother acted like the typical stage-mother who fretted about my hairdo or anything related to my appearance. She was nosy and she meddled into everything concerned me.
Month had passed after I had that nightmare and after which, I coerced myself to be busy. Within that month of being idle in terms of academics, I downed myself on our business. I focused myself on it and studied how the corporate world works. Also, I presented some of my jewelry designs to the board and some of my works had been approved and I received some phrases from it. Craning my neck, I glimpsed at my Mother who was busy making line sheets for the upcoming gala lunch and for the exhibit that will be held at a hotel at the center of the Metro.
This was my first day as a senior and I was kind of excited. Languidly, I slid my hand on my pocket and lunged to our car. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my news feed. As usual, my timeline was bombarded with posts with regards to this school year and how they would miss to be at home; how they spent their vacation; and where they spent their vacation. A week before this day, Ivy went from Europe without her Family. According to her, they needed to attend a gala in U.S., so she needed to go home alone.
Looking at my phone, there was no reply from her yet. Early morning, I had texted her if she was ready for this day but apparently, the conversation did not stretch to its usual form since she was preparing for the opening of class. Never did I ask if she was fine, I mean, if she was angst about the bullies that awaited this opening for her. This bothered me. She didn't like me interfering with her life, nor did she want me to protect her from the cruelty of the students towards her. And right now, I was a perfect embodiment of a useless friend. I should have done something; I should have protected her before I leave her alone.
As the wind blew a moderate intensity, I closed my eyes before sliding my phone into my pocket. Our driver was waiting in front of the threshold of the mansion whilst the maids were greeting me and bidding their good luck. One maiden opened the door for me as I jumped into the backseat. The familiar fragrant of the car consumed my senses as I reclined on my seat. There was an odd feeling of indifference that perched within me. Obviously, this wasn't the usual feeling I felt every time the school year starts. There was an absence of excitement and I didn't know where would I look for it to gain the normalcy.
Normalcy?
Or maybe, that was the usual doings so I considered it as a normalcy. The culture of humankind cannot identify the authenticity of the word normalcy. The values and cultures that nurtured us, we considered it as a normal beliefs. The way we act, we considered it as a normal thing since it was the same with the others'. But how can we identify the true meaning of normalcy when we do have different perspectives and values in life. I had read a book, it said, you cannot say it was not normal because it didn't fit to your belief, or can't you tell it is normal just because it was aligned with your values.
Shaking my head, I smirked. I was thinking too much. I languidly fished my phone in my pocket and there was some messages from random texters. Their messages were greetings with a name at the last part. Honestly, I didn't know them so I opted not to make an interaction with them. I didn't even know on how they got my phone number since I didn't usually give it to anyone unless I needed to. Or maybe, I got a friend who liked playing as my cupid just to give me a chic. Damn, Sion.
