Sidney part four
heartachecake



The cold metal of the food tray was nipping at my hands as I walked past many unfamiliar faces in the cafeteria. I could clearly see the two I was following from among the crowd and they were only a few meters ahead of me. Somehow the brunette had overtaken the black haired boy when he slowed to a normal pace, and she had already reached the single line that led to the trashcans where the extra food was to be deposited if not finished.
She stopped as she reached the back of the line, and turned around to see if the boy had followed her there.
Thinking fast, I quickly hid behind a tall, broad male who had walked in front of me so she couldn’t see me and had successfully remained out of site for the two.
I peeked very slowly around the big man I hid behind and saw that the boy had already taken his place behind his friend.
I made sure that neither of them was looking before I crept out from behind my hiding place and lined up behind the boy.
My hands were digging in the food tray, making my knuckles turn pale from the tightness of my grip, and my right thumb had pressed down into the greasy leftover mashed potatoes that I had not eaten because of my rush to follow the two.
Not long after, the line had moved along and soon enough the girl in front of him had thrown all of her food and had placed the metal food tray on a rack that was to be shipped off so workers could wash them
I had no idea why I had not made my move to tell him off yet, but I knew I had to do it soon, or I’d have lost my chance.
My flared temper had subsided slightly and I wasn’t as determined as I thought I was. My hands were trembling on the food tray and I found myself unable to render even a single word to him even as he neared the trash can to throw away his food.
The brunette was still in front of him though, and was just finishing putting her tray on the rack. Since many people had already finished eating their lunch, all the many dirty metal trays were stacked really high and even the tall leggy brunette couldn’t reach it until she tip toed on her four inch black strappy heels.
Without thinking, I shoved my tray forward with all the strength I had in me and had successfully hit the ebony haired boy square on the small of his back. He staggered forward, hitting his friend in the process, and she too stumbled forward with enough force that she made some trays slide of the rack.
Everyone around turned to look at the small scale commotion, but quickly looked away as they realized that it was really nothing too important and continued doing their business.
At first I was proud of myself that I had hit him powerful enough that he could stagger, but sooner regretted doing the act. I knew now that he surely would hate my guts for what I had done, but I didn’t care. I hated it when people despised me, and yet I really had no interest in making this boy in particular like me in the first place, so mission complete basically.
I still froze on where I stood though, when he had turned his head to look at me. It was pretty obvious by the way I was holding the tray that it was me who had hit him and I knew I should have hidden somewhere so he wouldn’t know it was me, but I couldn’t move. My legs were paralyzed, and my entire body was stiff with tension and fear.
His eyes were the first things I saw and they were piercing through my skin and burning a place on my face where he was glaring at. His deep snarl was like a rumbling in the back of his throat and it was almost like he was ready to chew off my head without any second thoughts.
He opened his mouth to say something but closed it immediately, changing his mind midway through.
I was still paralyzed in my place behind him, but relief was able to run through my veins when I saw that he had decided to let it pass and had walked away to join his annoyed friend by the rack of trays. He helped her steady herself and then placed his tray on the rack as well.
Unlike his friend though, he was able to reach the top most shelf easily and had placed his tray down with ease.
Not long after, the both of them had exited the cafeteria but that was after the boy had turned around to glare at me again.
Right after they exited the room, I felt myself tremble and shake almost as if there was a strong earthquake taking place and my entire body was shaking violently with fright.
What if he had hurt me? What if he was planning on hurting me later on?
I felt myself nearly tear up at the thought, seeing as he did look like he was capable of doing that exact thing.
I had rushed so fast to throw away my food and put away my tray that I nearly tripped as I stepped on one of my feet with the other. By this time, more people had their eyes on me, most likely wondering why I was acting so strangely. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the next day there would be a rumor spread about me being a freak that had just seen a ghost or something equally untrue.
I decided once I exited the cafeteria that I would skip the rest of the day, and head home. I was feeling a little faint at that moment, and maybe the nurse would let me out with a sick note.
I was a coward, I know. But I wasn’t about to face that boy again.
I hurried to the small clinic at the top floor of the main building, and found it soon enough without much problems or hassles.
The whole clinic had taken nearly all of the top most level and all the walls were constructed with glass. The entire top level seemed like it had been cut out from an entirely different place especially since everything there seemed way more modern than anywhere else in the campus of Varner Academy.
I walked closer to the walls of the clinic, quizzical as to how I was to get in exactly. There was no sign of a door or an entryway, and there wasn’t a single hole in the wall that could have sufficed as an opening to the inside of the clinic.
Taking a step closer to the nearest wall of the clinic, I jumped back suddenly in reflex as the walls of the clinic somehow slid open in front of my green eyes, and I soon realized that the entire wall had been the doors.
I walked in still a little wobbly from the surprise of seeing the walls part, and made my way over to the receptionist’s desk. It was a huge white table that shined from the afternoon sun rays that had flown in through one of the glass walls.
The wall looked over a courtyard where some students were loitering after they finished their lunch and something about the site was very calming and peaceful.
The girl behind the desk was so tiny compared to the size of the desk, but she greeted me with a warm smile that made her seem way more important than the table was.
She had a short pale blond hairstyle curled perfectly into a short bob that bobbled up and down when she moved and her eyes were hazel, which changed into many different colors especially when the sun shimmered off of it. Her skin was very white, almost radiating with a whitish aura that it blinded me slightly to look directly at it.
She was maybe the most colorful person I have ever met so far. She had large black earrings that hung from her earlobes and had tons of beads suspended from her neck in a necklace fashion that was dyed in different rainbow-like colors. Her knitted hot pink tank top was fitted over a bright yellow T shirt that fit her small frame perfectly and from where I stood in front of her, I could see that she was in a white bohemian skirt strewn with countless lace patterns.
“Hello, I’m Colette Draphus the receptionist here at the clinic. What may I help you with?” She chirped in a bright singsong voice from across the counter.
“I-I think I’m sick. I need to see a nurse or anyone that can help.” I answered a little shakily.
“Oh? You don’t seem sick. What are you sick with?”
“Fever I think.”
Colette directed me towards a door to her right that was made of glass and a few metal poles to keep it sturdy. Like the main entrance to the clinic, this door also opened in the same fashion with the doors sliding open to the next room.
I was greeted with the sight of a long-limbed man in aqua colored scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around his neck and he looked over at me once I entered the room.
He was maybe only a few years older than me and I was surprised to know that he was the nurse. I wasn’t aware of the fact that men could be nurses as well and was caught off guard when he had introduced himself to me.
“Good afternoon. I am Michael, your nurse, and I will be attending to your needs.” He said in a low voice.
He made me sit down on a white hospital bed that smelled off strong floral scented detergent and asked me the same question that the receptionist had asked me a while ago. I told him that I had a fever and when he pressed the back of his cool hand down on my forehead, I was surprised that he agreed with me. I didn’t know that I had really contracted a fever, but was grateful that he didn’t test my temperature with a thermometer anymore.
The male nurse had given me a slip which he said should be given to the exit guard so I could exit the school premises, and he had said to call for my fetcher so they could fetch me and take me back home to be tended.
I did as he said and went down to the exit gate immediately after he had told me so. The bell rang a shrill ring once more and I knew lunch was over by now, so the hallways would be clear off people I didn’t want to see or bump into for a second time.
I pulled out my silver flip phone and dialed for the mansion. Not long after, Ben had dropped by and had fetched me back to the mansion up the mountain. With his crazy driving skills, I was home short of thirty minutes.
Back at the mansion, I noticed that there was another sedan parked in the garage and Ben had informed me that my aunt was home already when he saw my inquiring expression.
I never had any fond memories of my aunt Georgia, and truthfully I was slightly afraid of her. Many of her employees had informed me that she was a fair employer, but I didn’t quite believe them just yet. I needed to see her up close and personal before I believed them.
I entered the huge double doors to the mansion for a second time and not long after I saw my aunt.
I was in shock. I never imagined that she would look like the way she did.
Her hair was whitish blond that was ironed straight and was pulled back into a ponytail that she tied with a simple white bow. Her face was similar to that of my mom’s except hers was more heart shaped rather than oval like my mother’s had been. She was in a tight pinstripe pencil skirt that was slightly above her knees and a white puffy sleeved polo short adorned her torso and chest, which was ten times bigger than mine. Her whole figure screamed curvy, and all in all she looked about twenty five when she should have been around forty already.
She was walking my way without even a small smile on her heavily made up face painted with concealer and powder and her entire persona was like an evil step mother vibe.
She surprised me by actually giving me a hug, but it was a quick lived one that was rushed, almost like she was in a hurry to finish greeting me so she could be off doing her business transactions again.
“Hello, Sidney. How was school? You shouldn’t be home for another . . .” She stopped to check her shinny Rolex watch. “Two hours.” She finally added before looking at me with no concern whatsoever.
“I left sick.” I said looking down at my school shoes.
“Okay, that’s good.”
That’s good? She didn’t even listen to what I said. How could being sick be good?
I ignored her comment when my attention was pulled away from my very attractive aunt to another figure moving from the corner of my emerald colored eyes.
“Oh! Katie?” My aunt called before the figure stopped.
“Sidney’s here. Come say hi.”
From the shadows, a girl the same age and built as me emerged with her head bowed down in embarrassment.
“Katie!? Cousin Katie?” I asked aghast. I wasn’t ready to see her, not yet at least.
“Hello Sidney.” She called out in a shy voice, still looking down.
“Why don’t you two catch up. I’ll be in my fourth floor office, and not in the one on the first okay?” My aunt called already halfway up the stairs and continued ascending them with haste after no answer was given.
Both of us stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before Katie started to talk.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Sidney.” She said silently.
I ignored her, and decided I would just head to my room in the second floor.
“Wait!” She yelled after me when it was clear I had no intent to answer her.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. It just happened out of nowhere and neither of us went to that party to hurt your feelings.” She cried after me. I stopped dead in my tracks as a tear spilled over my eye without warning. I continued up the stairs without looking back at her, but she still wouldn’t give up.
“I’m sorry, Sidney!”
Her voice had a tone that I’ve heard before. It was a desperate tone that she used back when she had left a message on my answering machine telling me of my parents’ death. The tone in her voice made me cry even more, but I couldn’t show the moment of weakness to her.
She didn’t deserve my forgiveness and I wasn’t going to be swayed by her apologies.
The blond had given up by the time I fully reached the top of the stairs and had decided to just go away and stop pestering me.
I skipped dinner that night, and decided to go to bed early so I didn’t have to cope with the loneliness I felt while I lingered in my room alone and miserable.
I closed the curtains of the big window that overlooked a cliff, but stopped once I saw what was down there. The last time I had looked down was when there was still thick mist covering the bottom of the gorge. It was deeper than I’d expected, and there was indeed, a stream that was flowing peacefully at the very bottom. I continued to pull the curtains together to cover the window fully, but I saw something move from afar. It looked like birds were soaring over the canyon, and one by one they disappeared as they entered a cave.
I was very intrigued by the site, but knew it was just some animal pattern that the birds followed.
I still couldn’t figure out what was making the site so eerie though, even after I had covered myself with the thick blanket of my bed. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t right with the site of the birds that soared over the canyon, but as I drifted off to sleep, I was diverted from the birds and was back to having nightmares of my parents and the night of their accident.