Looking For You

Chapter 43 - Tranquil

Chapter 43 - Tranquil

Climbing into the minibus felt good because the maths decathlon had come to an end and the thought of going home was on my mind. I follow Christian to the back seats, me sliding in first to the window seat, and Christian sitting down beside me, our bodies close together. Being shoulder to shoulder with him felt good, because I know I have someone to lean on and someone to turn to. He feels warm beside me.

“Well done, everybody. I’m all proud of you!” Mrs. Bloomsfield steps inside the minibus, holding up a silver trophy to show off our prize. We had come second place, meaning we had made it all the way. Liberty High University won the overall prize — two years in a row — and took home the gold trophy and prize money for their college. We had won some prize money, but obviously less since we came second. It was a great experience altogether; I had fun and enjoyed watching everyone compete. It was heated at times, but we all got through it and tried our best. The minibus suddenly bursts into a round of applause.

Christian and I join in on the claps, smiling at each other as we recall our favourite moments during the decathlon. Christian did awesome; he answered almost all the questions correctly. He looked so confident up there, never seemed to shake in his spot. Christian is just laid back and carefree; he’s too perfect.

I feel the minibus rumble underneath my seat, signalling that the engine has started and we are on our way back to NHU. It’s already ten past two, reminding myself that the football game has already started and the cheerleading team would’ve completed their routine by now. Why am I so worried about the cheerleading squad now that I’m out of it?

A tap on my shoulder snaps me from my thoughts, whipping my head to Christian’s face, not realising I had been staring out the window at the moving streets. “What are you thinking about?” Christian asks me with a soft voice, producing a small smile. I just smile up at him and scoot closer, intertwining our arms together.

“Nothing.” Shaking my head, I rest it on his broad shoulder, feeling the exhausting feeling wash over me as I slightly close my eyes. Wow, I never knew a maths decathlon could tire me this much. Christian wraps his arm around my back, placing his warm hand on my arm. He warms my body and comforts me, leaving me to relax for a bit.

Without even realising, I had fallen asleep for quite some time. But when I wake up, I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing, playing the soft but loud marimba tone through my closed bag. Waking from a short slumber, I remove myself from Christian’s body, him immediately unwrapping his arm from me and giving me space to search for my phone buried deep in my bag. “Who is it?”

Finally taking out my phone from my bag, I check the caller ID, suddenly becoming confused as to why this person is calling me. I turn my head to Christian with my mouth parted, knitting my eyebrows together in a frown. “Tiffany.”

I don’t bother to wait for Christian’s expression, I just accept the call and press my phone against my ear, sending chills down my spine. On the other end of the line, I hear heavy breathing and background noise, sounding like cheering and whistles being blown. She must still be at the football game.

“Hey Tiffany, what’s up?” I ask, not really sure how to present myself to someone I used to call a friend. She didn’t really do anything to me, I’d just rather keep my distance with those group of girls to stay safe. I don’t get a response back straight away, so I look at my feet slightly moving from the minibus turning into streets and picking up the speed. My knee shakes out of boredom, trying to decide what she could possibly want from me.

“Oh my gosh, hi Aimee, I have some really bad news,” Tiffany explains, using a shaky voice that came out fast and deep, “something’s happened to Tibby.” As soon as I hear those words, my heart immediately dropps. Everything around me falls silent and all I can hear are the cheers coming from the other end of the line. Bad news. Tibby. It’s my worst nightmare; something really bad happening to a friend. Right now, I suddenly feel like I’m still as close as anything with Tibby; always keeping an eye out for her safety, always wanting to be with her… but the whole memory of us breaking apart comes crashing down, reminding myself that I’m no longer friends with her.