Till The Count Of Five ✓

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Some chapters can never be closed, for they lead to the beginning of a new one.

Kiara

24th April 2019, Wednesday
7:30

I stepped down from the van at the end. The smiles these junior fifth graders were sending to each other made me search the crowd for a known face, any known face as long as it distracted me today. Papa said Shay could go to her house soon. My fingers were crossed. I lowered my head and kept walking. Inside, the ramp was occupied by noise-makers. Three guys came running down followed by shouts of a teacher.

The stairs, it was then.

My gaze fell on the badminton players. Dandelion Presidency had a design better than the other schools with two playgrounds if one did not count the back area. The assembly hall, library and computer labs separated the building into two, both of which had open grounds at the centre surrounded by our classes. I breathed in the air and smiled at the teachers passing by.

"Thank you." Nolan was talking to one of the teachers. He held a piece of paper in his hand. I tore my gaze from his handsome face and proceeded to the staircase.

"Kiara." He grabbed my bag and pulled me back. That was faster than what I had thought.

"Hey," I said. "That was rude."

"Good Morning to you too," he said and thrusted the paper in his pocket. "You saw me but never stopped."

I shrugged. "You were talking."

He nodded and joined me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am done with the talk. She was giving me a student's leave," he explained. "How did yesterday go?"

I craned my neck and peeked out of the window. "Good."

He sighed. "Kiara, you're doing it again."

I stared at his frown and chose to play dumb. "Doing what?"

"Pushing. I've tried to talk to you so many times and you have simply pushed away. If you have a problem, you should simply say so. I won't bother you, then." His voice lacked any disappointment if he felt any because I surely did. I was disappointed that this just was not the time.

I mumbled a 'good morning' to my class teacher who passed us. He smiled at me before passing Nolan a glance. I nudged him and he followed my words.

"You should wish people," I said once we were alone again.

He gave me a flat look. "Greet, not wish. And I'm sure you must be greeting our coach as well."

So he remembered my hatred for the coach.

I snorted. "I'd rather eat my shoe."

He laughed but stopped abruptly. "Kiara, it's been two years. I - I think this needs to start somewhere."

I tried to not show the surprise on my face. Two years? "Of course it has to. It did. We talked yesterday, didn't we?" As forced as I sounded, I did not have a better response.

I still could not believe it. Two years? And I thought I was the one with a sick heart. We first talked one and half years back, that was a one time thing only. A pen had fallen and he had mumbled an apology before leaving.

"I think you are required," he said, gesturing behind me to the ground. The words rolled off his tongue as a mumble I could barely hear. "Assembly's about to start. I'll see you around."