Mary picked up her tray of food from the counter, then walked down the aisle to where she had seen an empty seat. She had no friends anymore, she was miserable, had lost some weight and she had baggy black eyes that must have cried a lot. Not only that, the three musketeers never failed to bully her. As she got slower to the seat, another set of pupils occupied the available seat. She silently said a curse and swiftly looked around for an empty seat.
As she turned, she didn't see the stretched-out leg and she tripped and fell downwards with her food in her hands.
"Goodness me! I'm so sorry. My apologies." Mary-Jane didn't hesitate to rush to her aid.
Mary pushed off her stretched-out hand as she looked down at herself grumpily.
Chrysolite and Ashley who sat not too far from them watched as the drama unfolded before them.
"Won't you just leave me alone?" Mary yelled looking down at her wasted spaghetti on the floor.
"I'm truly sorry, friend." Mary-Jane giggled.
"I'm not your friend!" She grabbed Mary-Jane by her white collar. The other two friends stood up to retaliate but Mary-Jane stopped them with a motion of her hand.
"Common now Mary. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself. After what you did in class like that?" Mary-Jane's mouth tilted upwards.
Mary grumbled again, letting go when she saw that she was the center of attention. Although both she had Mary-Jane share the first name, they never liked each other.
"Go away, thief." Janice grinned to the annoyance of Chrysolite.
"I don't like what they are doing to her," Chrysolite murmured to Ashley who was sitting beside her.
"She deserves it anyway."
"But it's way too cruel."
"She didn't help you when it was your turn? No, so forget about helping her. This is her punishment." Ashley said to her.
Chrysolite became worried that Sardius hadn't been in school for some days now. She hasn't even heard a thing from him. She decided to go see him. When she got to his house, she noticed his mother's SUV was packed in the garage. She greeted the maid and his mother who asked after her parents. Life had made them so busy that they barely had time for family dinners and picnics like they used to have once upon a time. She asked after Sardius and was told that he was in his room. She asked if he was ill but was told that he wasn't.
"But he hasn't been coming to school." Chrysolite seems worried. She didn't get home, she was still dressed in her white shirt and stripped grey skirt with shoes.
"He told me that he has been feeling emotionally drained," Beryl said.
"Emotionally drained?" Chrysolite scoffed at that. Who would believe that being emotionally drained could be a tangible reason for not coming to school?
"He's in the room, you can check on him."
"I will. And he will tell me what is making him drained for him not to be in school?"
Chrysolite threw a punch into the other hand as she climbed up the stairs which led to his room.
When Sardius heard the knock on his door, he thought it was his mother and he stood up to open it. The gentle knocks suddenly turned so aggressive that he had to stop himself from opening the door.
"Sardius, are you in there?" Chrysolite knocked.
He went back to his bed and faced the wall. He didn't want to see her. She was part of the reason why he didn't want to go to school. At first, he thought his mind was playing some tricks on him. Yet, he found himself thinking about what she said to him in the time past. She didn't like him one bit, after all, he was flawed too like her. He never shoved her flaws into her face and spoke I'll of her but she did the exact opposite. He knew that he was trying too hard to please her yet she never for once appreciated his efforts. Why can't she like him for who he is? Why can't she accept and be tolerable?
"Sardius, I know you're in there. Open up right now!" She was ordering.
"Go away!" He yelled back.
"Open up, we need to talk. Open this door."
"No, I won't. Now leave me alone!"
"Sardius, don't be like this." She begged but got no response. She kept on begging, pestering him, Sardius only covered his head with his pillow to avoid hearing her voice. After a while, she stopped.
"You know what Sardius, stop playing dumb. It doesn't always help. It's annoying." With that, she left bidding Beryl goodbye.
At dusk, Sardius finally came out of his room and was surprised to still find his mom around. She was always out of town while he stayed with the maid. When the maid wasn't around, he had to with Marcus's family.
"Talk to me Sardius, why haven't you been in school?" Beryl said when she saw him. He was looking lean, exhausted, and stressed.
"Chrysolite is a devil goddess." He said weakly.
Beryl flinched for a second.
"Mom, are you ok?" Sardius had to ask.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't hear what you say, say that again."
He did repeat the same words. It brought back memories that Beryl had long forgotten. She quickly reached forward and turned him around under close observation. "Did she hurt you?"
"Yes, the image did." He nodded.
Beryl was alarmed at once. "Where? Show me?" She twirled him around once more.
"Mum," he called, "not that kind of hurt. She calls me dumb, and stupid... Whatever ugly names she seems fit to call me and it hurt my manhood."
Beryl laughed at that forgetting the ugly lines of thoughts that crossed her mind.
"What's so funny mum?" He was puzzled by her laughter.
"See who's talking about about manhood. That shows you've got pride as a man, Sardius." Beryl smiled at him and then sat him down beside her.
"You need to prove to her that you aren't those awful names that she must have dished out to you. You're smart, good-looking and you've got some lovable skills just like your dad."
At the mention of his dad, Sardius smiled.
"But I got no skill like Dad." He protested.
"That's for you to figure out that." She dabbed his chest with her index finger.
His spirits suddenly felt relaxed, he felt good hearing this from his mother. He had never felt better. "I need to prove to Chrysolite that I'm not as dumb as she thinks I am."
"Yes. But why would she think all these awful things of you?" Beryl touched her son's face.
"Cause she believes I'm dumb."
"You're not."
"Maid Teselle gave me a call that you haven't been going to school, I thought you came down with the flu so I asked her to give you some medicine. Next time, she called crying, saying it's more than that, that I should run home now." Beryl demonstrated while her son laughed.
She reached for him and hugged him. "Please do me a favor and go to school, will you Sardius?" She cupped his face with both hands.
"I will mum." He nodded.
"Promise me."
"I promise him." He gave her the best grin ever.