N A Y A
“Goodbye, Mr. Davidson!” I wave at him as I approach the door. He is a science teacher. I feel directly comfortable having him around. He always seems to understand the reason why I have been missing a lot of days at school. Unlike the last two classes I had before him, they usually kept me under their condition. Mr. Davidson didn’t. He asked about me why’s which I appreciate a lot when someone asks something about me out of concern.
He waves back saying, “Bye, Naya. Please, be careful on your way home.” He goes back to his computer and resumes typing. I know that he is at least in his 60s, which reminded me so much of my grandfather who died two years ago at the age of seventy.
“I'm glad-” We both speak up at the same time. Our eyes lock across the table.“You first-” We say the same time again.He laughs. I laugh. I can’t help but feel crazy hearing his laugh for the first time. I just can’t help it, too. “You first,” I tell him, hiding my smile behind my hand against my lips. “No, ladies do it first. I’m a gentleman, you know. ” He tells me with a smirk on the corner of his mouth. “I don’t really know what to say but I am glad you and Chloe are getting along well,” I say to him. He says, “Well, I am glad you and Justin are getting along well, too.” “We don’t know each other that much, but I am trying to trust him at least. He’s not bad at all. And he’s my partner for the trip so I have to deal with him.” I tell him. I wish I could just talk to Adam this way. Calm and at ease. I wish we could have met in different times and circumstances. “Not like how you always see me.” There’s a pain clingin
A DA MSix months ago“I wish I could do something for him. Anything but this.” My mother says to my aunt. They’re talking in the living room with a cup of coffee in their hands for an hour now. It’s been raining for days and my father hasn’t been home for two weeks now.“Think about what can happen if Adam finds out you're getting a divorce that’s why Calum is not home for weeks now. You have to think it through before signing those papers.” My aunt Celine said, convincing my mother.She looks to the window and sips on her cup again. “You th
N A Y A Have you ever felt like nobody ever wants you? Everyone is leaving and forgetting that you ever exist? It feels like a leaf falling into the unknown when I got home finding my father’s letter on the kitchen table saying; “Dearest Naya, This is going to be the first letter I will ever write to you. I remember you were growing up. You used to run around the house, picking up crayons and smudge them onto any wall your eyes would meet. You love putting colors to things and I figured you would want to be an artist someday. But as you grow up, you were no longer that child. I wish I didn’t have to write these things, but I figured out that all this time all I ever did was take away the color of your life when things got complicated between me and your mom. I blamed myself because if only I graduated from college, our life would have been different. Your mother wouldn’t have to work at
A D A M“Justin just texted me he’s on his way to Naya’s place.” Chloe says, sipping harshly on her Milktea.I immediately look at her with a startled reaction on my face.“He’s what?” I assert.“I think he’s helping her on something with school.” Chloe tells me, before putting her tea on the table. I can’t be that surprised Justin’s putting higher effort now with Naya, but she can’t trust him completely.“I should go.” I say, standing up.“What? Where are you going?”“I forgot to… turn off my heater at my apartment.” I rush to walk away from her before she can ask another question.“Thanks for coming with me today!” She yells from our table.
N A Y AI walk back to the living room where Justin is eating the pizza alone and watching a football game on the TV.“I’ll be back. I just need to get something from the room.”Just when I turn around, Adam is coming out of the kitchen. The hallway to my bedroom is right next to it so it’s hard not to pass him on the way. I can see the devastation on his face. His eyes are fixed on the floor. When I reach my room, I lock the door and lean against it. As if all this time I was holding my breath when I finally let all the heaviness out of my chest. I place my palm against it and cry hard. I didn’t mean to say those words to him. I’m still in pain and confused about the things Justin revealed about him. Maybe I was lying because I am so done with Adam always showing up out of nowhere and acting as if everything is okay when he’s near.I just wanted to give back the pai
A D A MMy phone is ringing from my pocket. Our warm breaths are colliding with each other. I try to pull away from Naya for once before kissing her back and then finally breaking the kiss. She lies underneath me , catching her breath, while I rarely make it on top of her on the couch in her living room.I can see the puzzled look on her face as I lift my phone in the ai.“Who is it?”“It's Chloe.”“Why is she calling you? What does she need from you?” She wants to know.“We'll figure out what she needs once I answer this. Give me a minute.” I lift a finger to excuse myself.I stand from the couch and walk a little farther from Naya.“Hello?”“Adam?” Chloe's crying voice drops my heart.“It's me. &rdq
NAYA Everyone gets busily slipping into their seats with their partners. Since the bus has a two seats in each column, assigned partners should seat next to each other and sleep in the same tent for the entire duration of the trip. As of this moment, Mrs. Lee is checking all the students’ attendance right before the bus door.The sun is out so she has to wear sunglasses, but one thing that has not changed about her is her teacher's uniform. It’s always been a black, knee-length skirt and a white button-up shirt. She looks hot to be a teacher, by the way. There is always be this one teacher that most population in school will admire because how admiring their physical appearance is which I think is Mrs. Lee in our campus. But I think every teacher is admirable in their own ways.When it’s me and Justin’s turn, I smile at her while Justi
A D A MThe bus got an engine problem close to the destination. At first I thought we were heading on a mountain trip, but I’m happy to see the beach location from afar where the bus stands by as the driver is contacting a mechanic to fix it.Mrs. Lee instructed us to walk our way to the destination, since it will take us only ten minutes to get there. She didn’t mention the name of this town, but I am sure it didn’t take more than an hour to arrive here.I wanted so badly to turn the bus around and go home and sleep on my bed for days, but when I caught Naya staring at me as I was pretending I was sleeping, I can’t help but laugh at her reaction. She almost jumps out of her seat as she’s covered in embarrassment. I halfway regretted it because she still is not talking to me. She just turned to the window and ignored as she walked out of the bus the problem announced.She’s w