Lacunae

Chapter 6

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zack said angrily at me.

"I wasn't looking at you." I told him nonchalantly.

"You were looking at me." He said as a smirk creeped its way up on his face.

"What makes you think that you're worth my sight. I was looking at the garden behind you." I told him as I pointed into the direction of the garden outside the window behind him.

He rolled his eyes but went back to typing on his phone.

"Oh Valarie, I'm so sorry you had to hear that." She said while squinting her eyes towards her son who was currently pretending not to hear a thing.

"Oh no worries. I know the feeling." I said.

"Right, I heard from your grandmother that you moved out of the pilot section. I'm sorry to hear that." Mrs. Levi said apologetically but as I looked at her eyes, she seemed to have been apologizing for an entirely different reason.

"Oh no, it was my fault. I didn't watch my grades enough."

"Oh that's such a depressing topic. Let's talk about something else. How are you?" She asked me as if she couldn't wait to hear from me.

"I'm good. Better." I told her with a smile. A lie.

"That's great honey. I'm glad that you grew up so well." She reached out for my hand and caressed it.

"So you know my parents?" I asked her.

She smiled at me, "And you're just like them I see. Always straight to the point? Yes I know–-knew—them."

The past tense almost made me squirm in my seat but I held it in. I looked at Zack to see if he noticed the correction but he was too busy with the steak. Seeing how he was completely not there, I continued, "How did you know them?"

"We've always known each other. In fact, you and Zack were pretty close too because we always bring the two of you to play together." She said wiping her lips.

My mouth dropped and when I looked at Zack, well he was definitely listening because he looked at me in disgust as if the thought of having association with me even as a child is the worst thing. I can't say I felt differently.

I cleared my throat, "That's news to me."

"And to me." Zack commented clearly unhappy about what he heard.

"Well, you used to but we had to move for a bit back then and when we had gone back, you and your grandmother had already moved away." She said sadly. "I wish you had stayed close by."

"A lot happened since then." I told her with a nonchalant shrug but I was anything but.

"I wish I could have said goodbye." I heard Mrs. Levi choke the words out.

"Please don't!" I suddenly blurted out that made Mrs. Levi jump a little and Zack suddenly staring at me. Even I shocked myself, but I really didn't want to go there.

"What's your problem?" Zack asked irritated, definitely taking my outburst as rude.

I pursed my lips as if someone slapped me awake and looked at Mrs. Levi, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Mrs. Levi shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I got carried away. I wasn't thinking."

Zack slammed his spoon on the table and furiously asked, "Why are you apologizing to her? She's being rude!"

Mrs. Levi reached out for Zack's hand and calmly down, "Zack, it's not what it looks like."

Zack gave me a death glare sending a message that I wouldn't hear the end of it after we're left alone by his mom.