Maze

11

And I regretted taking a nap before school.

Shit!

The wheels of my bicycle crashed against a large puddle from last night's downpour. Water splattered right into my shoes and socks, seeping through and stinging against my skin. I recoiled at the sensation, but even that would never stop me from vigorously pedaling through the streets like some madman.

Yeah, I'm not going to detention for this! I gripped tightly on the bike handles, although my fingers started to ache. Strands of my hair—which I barely brushed—were flying all over me, nearly hindering my view of the roads. I could barely feel my hat, although I had shoved it down to prevent it from falling.

God, I owed Jordan so much favor for waking me up, although he had glared at me and protested for 'wasting his precious time'.

Sweeping past traffic lights had my chest pounding to the extreme. All that adrenaline was rushing through me as I slipped through a horde of honking vehicles. I forced myself to squeeze through some narrow gaps between some cars and buses. Heck, I dared myself to cross the intersection in a yellow light—something Mom would murder me for if she found out.

Fortunately for me, all of the wild adventures were worth the risk, as my school eventually came into sight.

Students dressed in navy blue uniforms were peacefully strolling towards the entrance. Then there was me, who practically whizzed through them, giving them a blast of breeze and even some rainwater. I didn't have the opportunity to apologize, because my shrieking mind was warning me of the large tree coming close into my line of sight.

Stop! Stop, now! You're gonna crash!!

I instinctively squeezed on my brakes, and my bike squealed as it abruptly halted. My body broke off its momentum as I was thrown off the seat, but my feet somehow found footing on the ground before my brain could even process. Oxygen was the subsequent thing my lungs desperately needed as I wheezed and grabbed upon my weak knees.

Holy shit, I almost died. That was close... Well, as long as I have entered the school's premises, I should be fine... for now.

Sweat drenched my face and some were trickling down my burning cheeks. I could not even feel my own legs, that I almost tumbled down as I trudged back to my fallen bike.

However, with everyone's awed stares boring right through my skull, I promptly dragged my bike and skittered off, not wanting all of their attention at once. Even with all the numbness, escape was the sole option... or endure all those whispers.

What a way to start the day...

Not to mention, all the parking lots for bikes were fully packed—this was what I got for being late—but thankfully, there was one spot left exactly on the edge. Without a second thought, I used my remaining energy to secure my bicycle in place, before taking a peek at the clock on my phone.

Shoot, 5 more minutes before my first class. I snatched my bag from my bike's basket and sprinted off for the doors.

***

So tired...

After what had transpired this morning, all parts of my muscles screamed sore, and they were rubbery all over. To add salt to the wound, I was bombarded with history and math back-to-back, but I have zero strength to understand what the heck all of those topics even meant. My ears completely blocked out all of the lectures, and I even had to go to the restroom to wash my face.

Thankfully my teacher dismissed me early, so I waited in front of Aly's class. I peeked from the window, where she had sat in the corner, dozing off into a daydream... as expected. Biology never failed to leave her groaning and scrunching her nose, then she would complain why we have to learn about our cells and molecules when we would not even use them in later life.

I mean, she isn't wrong though.

When the lunch bell finally screeched across the area, people cascaded out of the other rooms like a flowing river, piling up the entire hallway in no time. I stepped aside as the door swung open, revealing all the yawning students. Even with all the crowd, it was a piece of cake finding the iconic star-shaped clip Aly had consistently worn.

I was about to greet my fatigued best friend, but paused when a familiar boy appeared behind her. Of course, I would never forget to register the way his unkempt golden hair shrouded most of his deadpan expression. When his stone cold eye wandered straight for me, violent butterflies launched their assault against my stomach walls, and it had me looking down at the floor right away. Is it just me or does he look more... refined?

"Ugh, Rena..." Aly grunted as she suddenly planted her head on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. "This seriously sucks... Why do I have to learn about those molecule shit in the morning? And we have to memorize all of the stupid protein structures..."

Although I could not answer her understandable question, I could only help caress her hunched back, showing some sort of comfort. On the other side, Edward emitted a silent puff of air, before he walked off. 

"This guy... He wanna be friends and then proceeds to ignore both of us. Jerk," grumbled Aly as she folded her arms. "Yeah, truly he doesn't deserve you at all."

I watched as he was about to assimilate into the flock of students, but then something flashed inside my mind. That was when epiphany dawned upon me: I still have the loaves of bread I had promised to bring for him.

"Edward, wait!" I shouted, but obviously he couldn't hear me with all of the cacophony around us. However, there was no point in standing here and doing nothing, so I leaped into action and rushed into where he had disappeared. Aly followed close behind as I heard her calling for me.

"Excuse me, sorry...!" I blurted to any of the people I had accidentally bumped to. Thankfully, some of them formed groups and huddled themselves together, so it was a child's play to slip through them without hampering their way. After countless apologies and running into more people, at last, a streak of Edward's hair came into light.

Much to my relief, he was still by himself. And even more lucky, he had apparently stopped in his spot and noticed me.

"Um, so..." I said between my heavy breaths even though it was only for a short time. "I brought you some bread..."

Almost in an instant, Edward's whole body turned towards my direction. Not sure if my brain was playing tricks on me, but his typical inanimate look somewhat softened and his eye fleetingly glittered. Even if he tries to hide, bread has always been his ultimate weakness.

Don't worry, I got you.

I crouched down and unzipped my bag. rummaging through my notebooks. Aly, who had caught up with me, assisted—and never asked what I was up to—by carrying all of my stuff as I kept digging for the bread. Come on, where is it...? I'm sure I dropped it in this morning!

My hopes began to dash when there was not a single sighting of my lunch box. It was not even in the hidden pockets or on the big pouches. And with all the last things removed, an empty bag greeted me with nothing but blatant mockery. What?! Where did I put it?! Did I misplace it somewhere?

My brows twitched as a memory responded to my pressing questions.

I left the bread back home.