The Heart Never Lies

Chapter Twenty Three

Andy

I see my boys in the gym as they are getting prepared for the arrival of the bus. Everyone looked as if they would rather be in bed than to be here in this morning. I sent Carol off to the nurse's station first before I made an entrance into the gym. "Alright, spirits up soldiers!" Coach William is going at it again with his inspirational sessions. "We are going to be the National Champion again! Don't you forget that we had a three year streak for defending our title. Do not slack off!" His shout reverberated in the gym.

Coach Williams spotted me coming late and I got a nice scolding from him. "Andy, what time do you call this? The bus is about to leave! Get your ass on the ground." First of all, the bus is not here yet, and second of all, it's morning. I did not want to defy him so I just kept quiet and sat down with my gang. The first thing Kyle asked me when I took a seat beside him and Max are things related to Carol. "So... did you have a fun time with your girlfriend yesterday that you slept late?" Kyle grinned at me.

"Wait... what!" Max is startled at this new revelation. "Girlfriend!? Who is that! Tell me!" He is pulling on my arms. "Figure it ou—" I was about to tell Max to figure it out himself before Kyle interrupted. "It's the girl" Kyle emphasised the second word as he looked at me. Max looked plain confused. "The girl who?" He asked questioningly. Coach Williams interrupted our conversation by telling us that the bus has arrived.

"Alright, time to shine Eagles!" Everyone congregated with each other forming a circle and we each placed our hands in the middle before we brought it up and did our warrior's cheer. "Let's do this!" Max excitingly jumped and punched the air. I packed my bags and took it along with me to the bus. "Hey Andy." Kyle whispered to me. "I heard the cheerleaders are coming to the bus with us as well." Kyle looked like he really wants to get a girl for himself. So I told him this.

"Go get yourself one and we can go for a triple date with you, Max and me with our girlfriends." I encouraged him. "Heh, it's going to be easy. I will just show those cheerleaders what I can do in the match." He flexed his skinny biceps as I shook my head. We placed our belongings under the bus and we boarded the bus. Max, Kyle and I took the seat right at the back as we wait for the rest to come in the bus.

"Look, I told you!" He nudged my arms as a group of girls in their miniskirts flocked in the bus. The guys wooed and the whole bus went crazy with noise before Coach Williams and Ms. Corrinne came in. "I heard Bailey and Kelly are going to be the nurses for this year too!" Some boys in front of us said. "I wish I could get injured and treated by them" He continued. I cringed and put my headphones on.

"Not so fast Romeo" Max pulled my headphones away slightly. "Who's your Juliet. You know... the girl" I ignored him and try putting on my headphones again. He gave up and asked Kyle instead. "Yo, tell me" He kept pestering Kyle to tell. "It's uhm... the girl. You will know soon." Kyle grinned as he looked at my expression. I shook my head as I closed my eyes, hoping to sleep to the song.

Come to think of it, I never even asked Carol her favourite song. Does she even have a favourite song? Since it's her first time owning a phone. I doubt she even listens to any. Well, I will ask her when I have the chance, maybe I could listen to it and feel it for myself. For now, Perfect by Ed Sheeran is on my playlist. The bus started the journey and I could already see some boys asking the cheerleaders for their phone number.

Most of the girls did not want to give, apart from Kelly, the attention seeking queen, as she is famed. Everyone crowded in front as Max and Kyle went to sleep with their headphones. I wonder how Carol is doing now? I closed my eyes again. How I wish she is sitting beside me now, just the both of us. We would hold hands and smell each other. We would talk about things, about the future. I sighed heavily as I try to go to sleep. I will see Carol later anyways, so might as well save my energy for her.

Carol

"Remember, this is how you bandage wounds." I listen closely to what Nurse Gwen has to say to us nurses which only included me and Madeleine since Kelly and Bailey went with the boys in their respective bus. She demonstrated how to use the normal saline and iodine solution, just in case the wound is bleeding profusely. Madeleine and I are really curious and we decided to learn more from Gwen. Madeleine kept nodding her head like a little child.

"And remember." She gave us a last warning. "Boys like girls who are gentle." She smiled at us as she packed her medical supplies in her small backpack before signalling us to wear the nurse uniform. I immediately thought of Andy when she said that. Girls who are gentle. Maybe I should be gentler with him next time? I still regret slapping him. That is not gentle. But I had to do it.

I packed the medical supplies that Gwen told me to pack as I wore my nurse uniform. According to Gwen, this uniform is made in Italy to remember Florence Nightingale as the founder of Nursing. It has the colour of pale blue with two pockets side by side at the waist. I had to wear leggings to suit the uniform. "Oh my god" Gwen exclaimed as she sees me in the uniform. "You're so beautiful girl." I smiled at her and nodded my head.

"Do you diet?" I shook my head. "Genetic advantage?" I nodded my head simply because I do not know why am I so skinny. "Have a boyfriend? I bet a beautiful creature like you would do. " She grinned at me. "Yes yes yes! She does!" Madeleine shouted across the room as she wore the uniform. Gwen looked at me before she continued speaking.  "Whoever he is, he must be very lucky". I smiled at her and thought of Andy. Lucky? I smiled at myself. We went out of the nurse station and straight to the carpark. We see an old man standing beside the van reading a newspaper with his glasses.

"Hey yo girls! Naice to meet cha!" He greeted us from afar. We approached the van and Gwen started speaking. "Peter, these are our nurses, we have two more but they are following the bus so only the three of us thank you." Peter took Gwen's hands and kissed it. I cringed at the sight of that. Are they couples? "Aight!, will do Gwen, get in sweethearts" He smiled with his front tooth as he opened the van door for us and took the driver seat for himself.

Uncle Peter looks like a nice guy. "Peter has been serving for this school as the emergency driver since 20 years ago." Gwen introduced us to Peter from the front passenger seat. Madeleine clapped her hands and wooehed. "So whenever we need him for any hospital journey, he will always be there for us and the students" Gwen laughed a little. Definitely couple. "And there is also one thing that Peter is good at." Gwen said as Peter started speeding on the highway.

"What is that?" Madeleine asked curiously. "Speeding." Gwen replied with a smile. Madeleine shouted as she hugged me closely. The van is going at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour and it is still increasing. I let out a muffled shout as I hugged Madeleine tightly. "Sleeap well, sweethearts" Peter laughed as he put on his country song on the radio.

I tried closing my eyes, to distract myself. When I was young, I used to play hide and seek with my mom. She would tell me that if I closed my eyes, no one would find me, even if your being spotted by the seeker. So I tried it and it works, at least with my mom. But I learned that closing your eyes, will make you blind to the things that you should see. Instead of embracing them courageously, we retreat like a coward. Ever since then, I never closed my eyes anymore in a hide and seek, because it never works.

If Gwen is not afraid about his speeding then why should we? Plus, Uncle Peter seems like someone who could speed without getting into an accident. I begin to calm down as I have faith in Uncle Peter's driving skills. Madeleine is still hugging me closely. I sighed heavily. I closed my eyes as I try to go to sleep. I wonder what is Andy doing right now? How I wish he is sitting beside me, we would hold hands and smell each other. We would talk about things... about the future. I smiled at the thought of that. Well, we are meeting again anyways, so it is better if I save my energy for Andy. I slept knowing that Andy will always be with me wherever I go.