Friendship And Family

CHAPTER 20. Heartbreak

                    Maria's POV

Our relationship felt like it ended without my knowledge, and I'd stayed quiet because I didn't want to seem desperate, or be that girlfriend who craved attention a lot more than she offered one. Loads of questions kept poking my head, and I kept shoving out the worst assumptions. But now I needed answers as the silence were becoming too loud, and I had only one way to find out, and that was dialing his number.

I took a deep breath, and tapped the call icon, placing my phone to my ear. My heartbeat ran faster with every ring, which went on until silence hit me again. I brought the phone to my face, disappointed he didn't pick up, but one dial was too soon to give up, so I called him again.

"Please pick up..." I whispered while it rang.

"Hey."

My heart swelled, overwhelmed with warmth on hearing his soft voice that I hadn't heard in a while, and anxiety, from the cluelessness of his silence in the past few days. Plus, his voice sounded too casual, missing that familiar friendliness, that kindness, giddiness and longing it always had to hear my voice; as if we hadn't just spoken in the previous hour, or spent the whole hours of the previous night talking about unimportant stuff that meant the world to us. So it was obvious that there was a problem, not just a problem, but a serious problem, and that scared me, a fear akin to that of an innocent defendant while they awaited the final verdict of a judge.

"Uh, hey... uh, it feels good talking to you again." I cringed hard at the nonsense that just came out of my mouth.

"Maria, I..."

The world held its breath.

"I'm running late for school." He sounded disconnected, uninterested, and my heart heaved with the shame that came from an ignored desperation. "Take care."

"Wait!" I held him on the line. I couldn't ask questions, so I make it quick. "We need to talk," I said, but no response came. "Can we meet up at the field after school?" My heart sank deep in his silence.

"Okay," he finally said, and ended the call.

I slowly dropped my hand that held the phone, not believing what just happened. I thought a call would help, but it only made me feel terrible, and left me with more questions.

I picked up my school bag from the bed and stood up to join my siblings for school.

                         ******

I'd almost given up on his arrival, still I couldn't leave, not until we were done settling whatever the problem was, and we had the right space for it because the field was secluded, quiet and empty.

I endured more minutes, and then impatience began to eat me up, with my hand squeezing and releasing the strap of my school bag that hung on my shoulder, while my legs marched around where I stood, conflicting to stay or leave. I started becoming cautious of time, hoping that Dad hadn't already sent Mish to go about looking for me.

As if a hand gripped my neck, my breath seized when Reuben finally strolled in, following the path in between the bleachers. I watched him closely as he approached me. His school uniform showed no sign of distress. His school bag straps sat nicely on his shoulders, the way they were meant to be worn, and his hands clung to the lower part of the straps. His face was blank, making it difficult for me to get a hint on what the issue might be, and he seemed intentional about hiding it.

"Hey," he greeted when he reached me, his face lacking that breathtaking smile I'd become one with, and those sparks that were always present in his eyes, but I was determined to break the ice.