Chapter 7
He was so hard on her. "Miss?" he called disgusted. He wanted to remove the book from Pershey's face but he couldn't.
"Grrr," Pershey snorted. To his annoyance, he just laughed softly. Neil smiled slightly with mixed annoyance when he saw her. He laid the book on the table. It made a noise. He meant that to wake her up. Neil didn't say a word and picked up the book he had placed on Pershey's desk, and then he left.
She was taken aback. She opened her eyes but she couldn't see him very well. She rolled her eyes with her left hand and held Neil's card with her left hand. She didn't immediately notice that it was Neil because she couldn't see much especially since she wasn't wearing her glasses and she just woke up. She looked at the card and just raised her eyebrow, and quickly lowered the card. She didn't notice that it was Neil's library card. "W-wait," she said. She picked up the card again and check it. She carefully examined the card. "Neil Samson," she pronounced Neil's name. Just weakly mixed with shock. "N-Neil?" She was sure. "Neil!" She called, Neil stopped. He was close to the door.
She looked at him who had turned his back on her. She placed her hand on her chest. She could feel her heart beating so fast. It's even faster. It would get even faster if Neil faced her.
She lowered the card first. "W-wait, S-sir," she muttered as Neil took a sharp step away.
Neil kept his back to her, and replied, "Why?"
She blinked steadily at Neil's response to her. She did not expect him to answer her. Her heartbeat quickened even more. She could hear how it exploded. Her mind went blank. Her ear was burning as if it were smoking. She could feel the heat on her cheeks that she knew were already red.
Pershey couldn't answer Neil's question to her. She couldn't think of anything. No idea enters her mind.
Meanwhile, Neil stepped away again when she didn't even answer his question. He didn’t want to wait long because he would only get bored when it happened.
Pershey blinked and swallowed her saliva, "W-wait!" Neil stopped. This time, Neil confronted her. There was no expression on his face. You don’t understand if he's angry, disgusted, annoyed, bored, or whatever.
Their eyes met. Neil's left eyebrow rose.
"H-how many books you borrowed?"
"You can't see?" He lifted the book he was holding. "Only one," he sarcastically said, then he leave.
Pershey took a deep breath. She looked again at the library card she was holding now. "N-Neil," she whispered. She gasped. She was so hard on her. She feels annoyed and trembling. "Shit," she said disgustedly. "Shit, Pershey! Such a stupid," she added. She gripped her hair so tightly that she almost tweaked herself or banged her head against a wall or desk. "What a mess," she complained.
"See? He snubbed you, Pershey," Iries said insultingly. She shot her an evil look but Iries just grinned at her. “You can’t get him just by donating books,” she added. "He's not as stupid as you, Pershey. Don't expect more, my cousin. Why? Because you were like that. Get it?" She laughed softly first and drank the juice she was holding. "Pershey, you're the richest student at this University. You can do whatever you want. Why don't you try to change yourself for him to like you back? But ... as if!" she added, teasing her is her favorite.
Pershey smiled bitterly, "Iries," she called.
"Pershey, you know ... you're the most beautiful woman in this University specifically with your uncombed hair, every day," she laughed. "You can be a model for this University. Think about it, Pershey Adejar."
"Iries," she called again. "What did you come here for? Just to annoy me? Don't you have anything else good to say?"
"I have a lot of things to tell you, Pershey. For what? For you to realize the value of everything in this world."
"You can tell me one by one, Iries. Don't make me stupid."
"You're already a stupid, Pershey. Chasing a guy is your stupidity of yours. Expecting more is stupidity, every expectation will just hurt you. Wasting your time and money is your stupidity. Pershey, you're a stupid woman I ever know. "
"Are you done?"
Iries smiled. She came even closer to her and pulled her hair behind her ear. "Not yet," she whispered.
"Don't touch me, Iries."
"Don't touch you? Why? Are you gold?" She covered her mouth and blushed. "Oww, I forgot that you're gold," she said. "But," she even stroked Pershey's cheek. "Yes, you're gold but you can't see your worth and value," she continued.
"Stop teasing me, Iries. You won't like it when I talk to you."
Iries nodded. "Then go, Pershey. Speak now."
"Won't you stop? Aren't you tired of tailing me? Don't you have anyone else to talk to? Where are your henchmen? Am I the only person here at university, Iries? I'm always the one you're targeting."
"You can't understand me until you have no understanding. You can't understand what I'm saying because you seem to be blind and dumb. You lead your blind neighbor and you talk to your dumb neighbor."
"Get out," she commanded. She tries to calm herself down so that there will be no fight between the two of them. "Leave the library before my blood boils in you," she threatened. Iries just laughed and looked down in front of her.
"Don't you want to know what I mean here?" she asked.
"You've been talking before, Iries. You've been talking so much and you haven't said what you mean here."
"Relax, Pershey."
"Go now, tell me now."
"Someone is looking for you, Pershey. He's outside of the campus."Her forehead furrowed. She wonders who Iries is referring to looking for her. She couldn't figure out who's man was looking for her.
Curiously, she asked, "He's looking for me?" Pershey raised her left eyebrow.
Iries nodded again and smiled before she speak, "He's your childhood best friend, Pershey. He said he's Caleb."
"W-who?"
"Deaf," she whispered and smiled after. "He's Caleb, Pershey," she continued.
She immediately stood up in shock when she was sure of what Iries was referring to. She was about to leave when Iries stopped her.
"I think he's going to transfer here."
"How did you know?"
"Simple, Pershey. He's following you."
She laughed slightly, "He's not following me, Iries. He wanna study here."
"Oh? Alright. It's up to you but I think he's following you."
"Well, believe what you want to believe," she did not hesitate to go out. She didn't even wait for Iries' answer. She knew that they would talk for a long time.
She walked out. She didn’t know why her feet were pulling her out of the university. She seemed to want to be taken to Caleb's place.
She stopped when the guard blocked in front of her.
She smiled. "I have to go, Sir," she said.
"Where will you go, Miss?"
She stopped talking and immediately took the freedom card given to her by the principal for being an inspirational student. She showed it to the guard and he just nodded.
She walked straight out of the university. She could no longer fix herself.
She feels a mixture of joy and nervousness. The smile drawn on her face could not be erased.
She walked fast. She doesn't even look at what she's going through until she's in trouble. She stumbled and fell to her knees on the bumpy road. Her knee was scratched causing her to scream, "Ouch, it hurts." She blew her knee, there was blood on her knee. She immediately stood up and sat down on a stone chair on the side of the road.
"It sucking, what a mess," she proclaimed. She took her handkerchief to smear the blood on her knee. It was only a small but long scratch on her knee. She blows it to somehow relieve the pain in her wound.
Her attention was focused on her knee as she steadily blew on it.
"Are you okay?" Pershey was surprised by the man who asked her. He's not in front of her so he wondered who was speaking behind her.
She felt nervous. Her heartbeat quickens. She felt like she would explode at any moment.
Sweat was dripping from her forehead. The weather was cold but she was sweating.
"Does it hurt?" someone asked her again. She looked away from her knees and slowly looked away. The man smiled at her.
She was recognized as shivering."C-Caleb?"
They were both staring at each other. She could not believe who she was seeing now. In front of her was Caleb whom she had not seen for a long time.
He nodded and smiled, "Are you okay, Pershey?" he asked. Pershey was just stunned as her gaze focused on him.
They have also not met for several years since Pershey entered the University de Forde.
"Hey," he called. Pershey was shaken in shock and disoriented.
She looked at Caleb again to make sure she was the one in front of her now.
"Caleb?"
He smiled, "Yes, it's me, Pershey. You forgot me? I'm Caleb," he introduced. "I am Caleb," he added.