For the days that followed, she didn't come to school, and for some reason, I was disappointed.
I longed to see her. I wanted to know what it was that I did wrong to upset her so, and I wanted to understand her quietness.
I wondered if she had friends.
They should have confronted me by now, right?
I noticed the glares and unfriendly gazes from other guys, and the frightened looks of the girls everywhere I passed.
I understood them well enough. I thought I did.
She had to be one of the favorites, and on my first day of school, she attacked me and disappeared before I did something that could be classified as offensive.
What kind of message did that broadcast about me, apart from being dangerous?
Even when a book of mine was to be returned or delivered after a test, it would be placed away from me, so I'd have to go pick it up.
That way, they wouldn't end up interacting with me and being rejected by their friends. It was trouble, but I liked it that way.
I was naturally disliked.
At least this was better than the other place where I was attacked by haters for my appearance, instead of being ignored like I was here.
A week passed silently, and she still hadn't made her appearance. I still waited and wanted her to come. It was almost as if she was never there in the first place. Three more days passed, and still no trace.
Disappointed.
I remember sitting in class, listening to the teacher rambling on about math, something quadratic, I think. Someone came to call him from the door; it was one of the secretaries.
She spoke to him, I saw, and then pointed in my direction. Probably pointing at the empty seat behind me.
She was asking about Lily, I guessed, but the teacher went on nodding, then he was looking at me. He looked back at the secretary. With my skills of reading lips, I watched for what he said.
"Is it true?" He asked her. She nodded
"You can't be sure of that," he asked again, and she replied to him, but I couldn't see her well enough to be able to read her lips.
She pulled out her phone and showed him something. He stared at the phone, then, after a while of wide-eyed staring, he looked in my direction, and I looked away. I was sure it took exactly seven seconds, then he mentioned my name. I couldn't help but shudder subconsciously.
I could tell every other person was looking at me, but they pretended not to. He called me again, and I walked reluctantly towards him.
He looked at me with unfeeling eyes and said, "You have a visitor, go on downstairs." I said nothing and left the class to make my way downstairs. My class was on the second floor, so it would take me a while to get to the ground floor, enough time for me to think of why I was being summoned. I never noticed till I was descending the first flight of stairs that the secretary was following me silently.
"You're Christopher, the new student, right? You came here only a few days ago?" She asked after being caught. I answered in affirmation, but in a tone that wouldn't leave room for more talking, but she pressed on.
"So...how's the school? Having fun with your new friends?"
Why that stupid question? Everyone knew of my situation in the school, even the grass did, and I'd heard them say something about it once. I hated to answer the question, but since I was taught well, courtesy chose to hold me back from what I'd wanted.
"I have no friends," I said with the same tone as before.
"Oh, sorry to hear that. It's hard when you're new in the school, you know. The students here don't like to interact with new students if they don't already know them from somewhere. It could help you if-"
"I don't want to talk about it." I cut her off. I remember how quiet she became and how quiet the rest of the trip was. We made it to the office where my visitor would be. I entered the room and met this man.
He wore an expensive tux, looking elegant in his posture and appearance. I remembered everything clearly, how he smiled at me, stretching his hand towards me in greeting. I took it and shook it gently.
He looked the real gentleman.
The door closed behind me, and I was left alone with this stranger. We both sat down, him facing me across the table, and I wondered what kind of authority or trust he might have had that they left the room for the two of us only.
Normally, someone else, at least a teacher, would be there, so nothing goes wrong.
There was once an incident I heard where a student was left with a visitor. The man shot the student, and before anyone could enter, he shot himself dead, but this time, they left me with a complete stranger.
Maybe this school was special...Or I was the special one.
My life just kept getting better and better in this new school. He looked at me like a good father would his good son.
"You're Christopher?" He asked me
"Yes. I don't want to be rude, but I prefer it if things were done straightforwardly, sir. I still have a lesson in class at the moment." I told him so I wouldn't have to waste time here.
He smiled that charming smile of his. "Well, I've heard a lot about you, and if my sources are correct, which I know they are, I know you're a very diligent and brilliant student. Looking at your abilities, you could miss a whole month, even more, but top the class if you'd like to, so you're actually trying to make me let things go fast so you can leave, right?"
The way he knew so much about me was scary. I had to choose my words carefully.
"Yes, you are a stranger after all."
"Well, yes, technically I am a stranger to you, but in the little time that we would have to ourselves here, I hope I won't remain a stranger to you. I even hope that we get to know each other very well, and maybe get along. If that goes well, we would be seeing each other a lot more, and someone else too."
Where was he going with this?
"I don't understand."
"Very well, then. I'll say...I'm Lily's Father."
Her father? He looked so young.
Maybe he was hinting at something else.
He stared at me a good deal, noting my silence with a calm smile. A slight shift made the light from the window fall on something on his chest, which reflected into my eyes. A gold piece name tag.
TAYLOR.
He caught me staring.
Of course, he did.
He remained a while longer, and I knew he was just studying me, trying to figure out how I'd act in such a situation, the situation I'd gotten myself in or hadn't.
Was I nervous? Was I pissed, was I sad, was I scared? I could tell he was trying to know if you deserved to be told this, or that, or maybe I was just trouble that should be avoided.
I could tell that the way He'd seen me look at his name tag, he knew I was doubting him, which was true. I didn't speak; I wanted him to be the one to break the silence since he called me there.
"So...you came here eleven days ago? This school? Or you moved here altogether."
He already knew the answer to that, I could tell; he'd probably researched a whole lot about me before coming here. He was prepared, but I wouldn't let him know I knew that. He sounded just like one who understood what he spoke of, not the trouble-seeking type I'd expected, honestly.
"I moved here with my mother and started schooling here as well." I was frowning. He should know all this already. Something about the easy smile on his face made me uncomfortable. It looked too genuine to be real.
Was I safe?
He nodded. "I believe you do not know Lily well. You do not even know her at all."