004

Jenna Brooks's POV

I  felt my heart sink in disbelief at Conrad’s words. He was asking me who I was? How could he not recognize me when I recognized him even without looking at him twice? I felt a wave of betrayal wash over me at the fact that he failed to recognize the girl he had once shared countless childhood adventures with.

How could he do this to me? How? Had he forgotten about me so quickly? At least he remembered this used to be my room. "I... I am Jenna. Jenna Brooks."

I watched as surprise flickered across his face, followed by a cold indifference that sent a shiver down my spine. He spoke with an apologetic tone that somehow felt hollow, "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, Jenna."

With those words, Conrad turned and walked out of the room, leaving me standing there. There was a lot, literally a lot wrong with what had happened just now. First, Conrad had never for once called me ‘Jenna’ when we were kids. He’d only called me shortstuffs and shortie because I was a lot more shorter than him when we were kids even though he was just a year older.

To top it all up, he didn’t recognize me. How could he not? I have hardly changed in these past twelve years—something I shouldn’t be proud of. Sure, i had grown a few inches, gotten more light skinned and all but I hadn’t grown so much for him not to have recognized me. I was literally the way I was twelve years ago.

Which brought me to the question, ‘why did he sneak into my room?’ Was he perhaps here to see me? Or was he trying to sneak into the house without being noticed? But why my room then?

I slowly laid on my bed, my heart heavy with a mixture of confusion, hurt, and a profound sense of loss. I couldn't help but wonder how everything had changed so dramatically between Conrad and I, and what secrets laid beneath the surface of his indifference.

I was going to ask him tomorrow but for now, I needed to rest.

***

Next day…

I stood in front of the full length mirror in my room, as I neatly buttoned up my jacket. I smiled in satisfaction as I looked at the way I was dressed. Like those rich kids in high school movies, except I wasn’t rich, it was just my jacket that was accentuating my silhouette with a touch of sophistication.

Beneath my jacket, I wore a crisp white dress shirt, impeccably tucked into the skirt. The shirt's collar peeked out, lending a hint of formality to my ensemble. A slender, tasteful tie in the school's colors completed the look, its knot neatly tied at my collar.

The skirt flared out gracefully, falling to a modest length just above the knees. It swayed gently with her every step, adding a touch of femininity to the overall uniform.

Completing my outfit were polished black dress shoes, practical yet elegant, and knee-high socks that neatly covered my legs. Auntie Laurel had brought me the shoes earlier this morning and I had given her a hug in appreciation because I really loved them.

I grabbed my bag and made my way out of the room and down the stairs. Everyone else was at the dinning area except Conrad. Auntie Laurel was making bread and toast, Jeanette was putting on a round brown something on her face—probably make up and Jamie was standing in a corner buttering his toast. The amount of butter he was using stressed me out, a pat that size was costly.

Mom would always say that to dad whenever he was adding too much butter to his toast. Mom would always say, “half of a stick of butter everyday and we can’t afford it, and his diabetes can’t afford it either.”

I walked up to Jamie, his lips curling into a smile the moment he saw me. “Can you use less butter?”

“Huh?” Jamie replied, clearly into his toast more than me. He still hadn’t changed, he would always ‘huh’ me whenever I asked him something he didn’t want to reply to.

Experated, i headed to the dining table and greeted Auntie Laurel. She replied me with a warm smile and I sat next to Jeanette who was still busy with her make up. I slowly ate my food as Jeanette put the cap on her tube of lipstick and rubbed her lips together to spread the

plum color over both of them. I thought her natural color was so much prettier. Besides, this much make up to school? I glared at her and told her she looked like a beauty queen.

“You look like a beauty queen,too.” She replied, partially because I didn’t believed it, but mainly to reassure me. But it didn’t look like Jeanette needed reassurance because she was already so confident in herself.

Conrad didn’t show up for breakfast and when I asked Jeanette why, she said he hardly ate at home. After breakfast, we headed out. As the sleek limo glided through the streets of Houston, a heavy silence hung in the air.

Jeanette was engrossed in her phone, her fingers dancing across the screen. Jamie had his nose buried in a thick novel, his eyes darting across the pages with unwavering focus.

And then there was Conrad. He sat beside me, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery, but his mind seemed to be a thousand miles away. I hesitated, wanting to break the silence that hung in the air, but the cold shoulder he had given me earlier weighed on my mind.

"Conrad," I finally ventured, my voice tentative. "Is everything okay?"

His response was a barely perceptible nod, his attention still locked on the world beyond the tinted windows. It was as though he had built an impenetrable wall around himself, shutting me out.

As the limo finally came to a halt in front of the imposing school building, the Declan siblings exchanged their goodbyes. Jeanette and Jamie bade me goodbye before leaving for their respective places. Conrad remained seated, his distant gaze unbroken. He seemed detached, lost in his thoughts. I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, the chasm between us growing wider by the moment.

"Goodbye," I mumbled softly, my words lost in the void between us as I stepped out of the car and closed the door behind me. The driver's polite nod went unnoticed as I made my way to the administrative office.

Inside the bustling office, I provided my name and was assigned a class and a class teacher. With a sense of apprehension, I followed the teacher through the labyrinthine corridors of the school. My footsteps echoed in the empty hallways, a reminder of my unfamiliarity with this place.

The teacher, a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Mrs Andrés, led me to a classroom door. I took a deep breath, preparing to face the unknown. As she pushed the door open, I couldn't help but wonder how different this new chapter of my life would be compared to the one I had left behind.

As the classroom door swung open, a wave of anxious anticipation washed over me. Mrs Andrés stepped aside to introduce me to the class. I could feel the eyes of my new classmates boring into my skin, scrutinizing the stranger who had just entered their world. And to think that I was right about the school being filled with Jeanettes.

They were all intimidating, to say the least. Most of the girls were pretty just like Jeanette. But there was this particular girl that stood out among the others. I couldn’t deny the fact that she was pretty. I liked the way her eyes lit up as she stared at me, and the way her hair fell in messy waves around her face.

She had a beautiful face and a graceful figure. Her long, silky hair cascaded down her back in loose waves. She had sparkling eyes, full lips, and a warm, inviting smile that could light up a room. Her skin was smooth and flawless, with a natural radiance that enhanced her natural beauty. I could go on and on about her looks but Mrs Andrés voice interrupted me.

"Class, this is Jenna Brooks," she announced, her voice carrying a sense of warmth. "She's joining us today, so please make her feel welcome."

But the welcoming atmosphere was overshadowed by the weight of their gazes. It was as if their stares were digging holes into my very soul, dissecting me with every passing moment. I tried to summon a smile, to ease the tension that had settled in the room, but my nerves refused to cooperate.

Mrs Andrés next words caught me by surprise, pulling me from my self-imposed cocoon of discomfort. She pointed towards a vacant seat beside a figure I had failed to notice until now – Conrad. My heart skipped a beat as the realization hit me, and I hesitantly made my way to the designated seat.

Conrad sat there, an enigmatic presence, his eyes fixed on the front of the classroom as if he could see right through the walls. He hadn't uttered a word to me since our encounter in the limo, and now, as I took the seat next to him, his silence was deafening.

The teacher resumed her place at the front of the room, and the lecture began. I tried to focus on the words she was saying, to immerse myself in the subject matter, but the atmosphere in the room couldn’t let me because I felt people were staring at me for some reason.

As the lecture continued, I stole a few glances in Conrad’s direction, hoping to catch his eye or perhaps exchange a word, but he remained stoic, his gaze fixed ahead. It was as though we were two strangers occupying the same space.

After class, recess arrived, and with it, the opportunity to escape the stifling classroom for a while. I made my way to the cafeteria, hoping to find a quiet corner to gather my thoughts and perhaps make a friend or two.

As I walked through the corridors, my sense of direction betrayed me. Instead of finding the bustling cafeteria, I ended up in an unfamiliar, dimly lit hall. It was eerily quiet, and the shadows seemed to play tricks on my perception.

My footsteps echoed softly as I tried to backtrack and retrace my steps, but each turn I took only seemed to lead me deeper into the maze of the school's interior. Panic began to creep in as I realized I was well and truly lost.

That's when I saw them, hidden away in the shadows at the edge of the hall – two figures locked in an intimate embrace. As I approached cautiously, my heart pounding, I recognized one of them instantly.

It was Conrad.

His lips were pressed against a girl's, and they were all touchy feely. His eyes were closed, his face illuminated by a gentle smile that I hadn't seen all morning. My heart sank as I watched them, a mixture of disbelief and hurt washing over me.