SHATTERED

╣THIRTEEN╠

“Sylvia! Sylvia!” Ethel said walking briskly after Sylvia who was walking briskly too but Sylvia refused to answer her. Ethel stopped running and yelled “Sylvia what is wrong with you, why are you acting weird?!”
    Panting, she rested her back on the wall in the school hallway. She took in a quick breathe before walking away to her locker to collect her materials she needed for chemistry class.
“Hey,” Brian waved at her as she sat on a stool beside him.
She forced herself to smile. “I am gratified that you are my lab partner.”
“Fortunately, I am.” she said as she arranged the apparatus on the table.
“Wow! You're so good in chemistry practical.” Brian said in awe as he watched her carry out the experiment given by their chemistry teacher.
“Thanks” Ethel said as pink colour filled her cheeks. She continued with the practical with Brian assisting her. As she lifted up the pipette to fix it on the retort stand someone accidentally pushed her making the pipette slip from her hand, the pipette fel in the floor and broke. She gasped as terror engulfed her.
“What happened here?” Mr Zachary, the chemistry teacher said when he walked to here he head the crashing noise of a glass.
“I am sorry sir,… I…I,…” Ethel stuttered, trembling in fear.
“Sir, it was an accident, I am sorry.” Brian said instead, covering up for her.
“You will pay for it, next time you should be careful. Now clean this up!” Mr Zachary chided Brian and left. Brian went to the back of the chemistry laboratory to get a broom and dust pan.
“Brian, you shouldn't have done that.” Ethel whispered to him.
“I know but I did anyway.” he said as he swept.
“Why did you cover up for me?”
“I did because I wanted to”
“You know you lied.”
“No… yeah, I did but my parents can afford to buy a new one.”
“Thank you.” Ethel said as tears welled in her eyes.
“I'll do anything for you, Ethel. Next time we careful, okay?”
“Okay.” she sniffled.

                  ➰➿➰

        After school was over, Ethel sighted Sylvia as she walked out of the school gate, she immediately ran, grabbing Sylvia's hand.
“Leave me alone!” Sylvia yelled yanking off Ethel's hand away.
“What's your problem, why are you acting this way?” Ethel was shocked by her reaction.“Or did you not pass the math's test?”
“Since the day I introduced you to Brian, you started flirting with him… you don't even talk to me anymore!” Sylvia scowled, tears trickling down her cheeks.
“What! I am not flirting with him, he is just my friend.”
“Liar! I see the way you look at him, you're even eating lunch with him. Katrina told me everything, she told me all about what happened today in the chemistry lab…she said you were the one who broke the pipette not Brian and you forced him to cover up for you.”
Ethel gaped shaking her head in disbelief “That's a lie! I didn't do that, he was the one who decided to cover up for me and what happened in the laboratory was an accident, Sylvia.” Ethel said as tears trickled down her cheeks, she used her hand to clean the tears away from her cheeks
“I don't believe you. Don't ever talk to me again, don't even dare call me or even visit me because you've betrayed the trust I had for you!” she sniffled noisily. “What a fantastic friend you are!” she said sarcastically and walked away.
Ethel stood in front of the school dumbstruck, she felt as if the building of the school has just collapsed on her.  She didn't know how she would cope in school without Sylvia as her friend. She and Sylvia have been friends since elementary school and now she is friendless. She bit her lips hard that she tasted blood.

      

                  ➰➿➰

      Tearing the envelope open, Thelma brought out the mail she had received as she sat at the kitchen island.
“Finally!” she sighed. It has been six month since Rex and her had divorced. Rex was nice enough to leave her with his car and the house. Three month ago, she had started looking for a job so she could take care of Eleanor and herself. Now, she had gotten a job as a head chef in a restaurant because her cooking skills was great. She passed both the written test and practical test for the job and the salary was okay, enough to cater for her needs.  A loud noise from Eleanor's room jolted her. She stood up from the stool walking briskly to Eleanor's room. When she opened the door, her eyes widened in shock. “Eleanor, what have you done?!” she yelled angrily at her.
“I was playing with my ball and I mistakenly threw it to the window.” Eleanor said frightened.
“Ha!” she shrieked as she saw the broken glass on the floor and then to the broken window.“I am trying my best to take care of you and all you do is to destroy all that I have worked for?!” she yelled at her which made Eleanor cry.
“I was only playing, I …I …” Eleanor yelled back at her mum, she hated to be spoken harshly to.
“Keep quiet you brat! No more playing with your toys, you are grounded! Get out of here! Get out!” Thelma said in anger.
“But, it wasn't my fault mum!” Eleanor cried as she ran out of the room.
       Thelma walked to where the broken glass on the floor was, she squatted, picking a piece of the broken glass. She winced as it pierced through her skin. Her eyes blurred with tears as she watched her blood drip to the floor.