After an hour of what seemed like an endless epilogue to Ben, the long awaited bell went off for lunch break.
Mrs Stella announced their project date and end of research tour. The whole class instinctively roared with applause and chit chats, among others except Ben and his friends; who just felt exhausted by her presence. She smiled and went on.
" I already see your exuberance towards this– Let's get prepared. See you all in two weeks for the tour"
"Okay, Mrs Stella!! " They answered amidst cheers. She tilted her head with smiles and turned to leave.
" Alixies and Lawrence, I believe you know your duty as class Presidents? " She stated.
"Yes, Mrs Stella " They answered and she bobbed her head with a smile.
"Alright, kindly present the details of each student towards the tour to me at the office before lunch break is over–Okay?"
They nodded and she stride out. Alixies rolled her eyes with a groan, burying her head on the desk, already exhausted with the task.
" Damn, Can't believe I've got to go through all this.It's actually not my thing – I'm neither cut out or born for this " She cried. " If Laura was here, I wouldn't be in this mess– This was her job, anyway. I really miss her" She lamented.
Rubin, whose gaze was fixed on her , following the call, scoffed, tilting his head in the process. "Can't believe she's already exhausted before the start of her work." He chuckled and turned to his bag as he returned the note. Just then, something caught his attention.
"Will you get up! " Ben roared at Fred who hesitated with a shove.
" Leave me alone! – I'm not going with you!– Just count me out !!" Fred shouted back which made Ben scoff with a sneer as he glared at him, his breath was harsh. Patrick instinctively tapped him on the shoulders.
"Calm down, Ben, else you'll draw attention on us– Let me handle this, trust me" He stated and Ben glanced back at him. He swiftly gesticulated with a nod of assurance. With a sharp, heavy sigh, Ben glanced away from them– His face flushed and veins throbbed in the neck.
"What's with them?" Rubin thought to himself with a furrowed brow, his gaze, diligently fixed on their every move. " Why are they acting so strange today? – What are they hiding? " He wondered.
"This is so suspicious of them." He mumbled. Just then, Alixies slammed next to him in the desk which got him startled.
"Hey, what's that for? " He cried and she scoffed with a sneer. "Why, did I scare you?–Huh?" She mumbled with a chuckle.
Rubin scoffed. "As if you can – I'm off for lunch. You can join me if you like." He exclaimed and jolted out of his seat, sauntering off.
Alixies laughed, " He's not scared of ghost –Why should he get startled " She chuckled and paced after him. "Wait for me!."
Just when she closed up on him, they heard Patrick's voice. They stared on with a suspicious gaze.
"Come on, Fred– Don't make things harder than they are, already. " Patrick stated. " Let just end this, please." Without a word, Fred sprung to his feet and shoved Ben out of his path with his shoulders as he hiked ahead of them. Ben clenched his fist with a step after him but Patrick swiftly held him back from his retaliation. "Just let him go" He mumbled.
With a wide stance and a wolfish glare, he aggressively shoved him off and trod out. Patrick let out a harsh sigh of devastation and sped after them.
"Hey, wait for me" He howled.
Rubin glanced at their back with narrow eyes and a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, what's with them–I've never seen them like this before" Alixies stated which heightened Rubin's suspicions. He instinctively glanced at her and back at their direction with a frown.
" Thought Mrs Stella asked you to meet her at her office" He queried and she tilted her head with a shrug. "Yeah, why did you ask "
" Get going – I'll catch with you later" He stated and hastened off in the direction Ben and his friends took. Alixies scoffed with a slightly slacked jaw and a creased brow. "What's with him?"
She rolled her eyes with a half smile and shuffled off. "Weren't he who first invited me for lunch?– So why the sudden change of mind?" She winced on as her back faded among the students.
***************
Mya alighted from her car and strolled off towards the control room of the school.
"Where the hell is Rubin?" Laura mumbled with darting eyes as she shuffled after her.
Rubin rounded the corner towards the library but saw
no sign of Ben nor his friends. "Where did they go?"He stuttered. His steady eyes swiftly lurked across the corridors leading to the theatre hall and the administration block. Just when he took a turn towards the theatre, a familiar figure flashed before his eyes in the distance.
"Laura?" He bellowed with wide eyes and a creased brow. Clearing his doubts, he instinctively rushed off towards her direction with precised movement.
"You!" He barked with squinted eyes and a clenched jaw– his fingers pointed at her. Mya and Laura flinched following his loud roar. Their gazes instinctively turned to him as they halted in their tracks. " Do you know how worried I was?" He yelled without hesitation. His anger swiftly covered his sense of reasoning which made Mya invisible to him.
Laura stared at him, completely speechless. "Why is he creating a fuss?" She mumbled to herself, the thought of Mya's presence suddenly escaped her.
"Hey, what's the fuss about? –Why get all aggressive" She howled.
"Why just leave without a word!" He shouted. Mya who didn't know what was going on, just stared on with a blank gaze, confused. She swiftly glanced around but found no one except herself. She scoffed with a twisted mouth.
" Hey!, are you talking to me?" She exclaimed. "And why are you addressing so casually? "
Her voice instinctively dawned her presence on them. Rubin and Laura glanced at each other and back at her with a gasp, their mouth slightly open.