before the pain | luke (JATP)

VIII

When Mila went to school that Monday morning, she felt rather strange. She didn't quite know what it was, as the memories of the weekend events kept repeating in  her mind. When she came to her locker, number 272, she opened it trying to push the feeling away, which succeeded...

until she heard the clicking off pink high heels and the smell of a way too known perfume. She closed her locker after having taken her English book and notebook out. She turned around looking directly at Aera who smiled brightly to her best friend, yet that smile faded slowly...

"Where were you Saturday?" Mila asked, Aera bit her lip, her ponytail was lower today and her make-up didn't look like she used to. "I walked home early" Aera clearly lied, this only made Mila angrier, making her begin to walk towards English class, as Aera followed after.

"What did you do?" Aera asked with a gentle smile, yet Mila wasn't pleased and the anger and feeling she had felt at the party towards Oliver now came back but towards Aera. She stopped up and looked into her best friend's big brown eyes.

"Listen, you were the one who told me you didn't even want to go! Then you go ahead and leave me alone and you're lying about what you even did Aera. Where were you?" Mila tried again, but Aera looked down at the floor. "You're my best friend" Aera whispered, but Mila sighed.

"Right now, it doesn't feel like it" And with that she went to English class, leaving Aera standing alone. She placed herself at her usual seat, making sure not to begin on her notebook, she had to focus on what was important.

Getting into Hamilton College, that was her number one priority right now and she would not let the strange feeling she had, that made her heartache and her palms sweaty ruin that for her.

Miss Bone entered the room, looking delightfully at Mila. "I heard you got the basement chore?" She smiled like a snake, Mila gulped. "Yes... I did Miss Bone" Miss Bone nodded slowly before heading to her desk and beginning roll call, in the middle of it the door went open, and in came Reggie.

"Sorry, I'm late miss" He placed himself beside Mila and smiled brightly, leaning forward whispering gently. "How are you, my savior?" This comment made Mila gently giggle and nod.

"I'm fine" She whispered back looking at Reggie's nose. "How is your nose?" She whispered before saying yes when Miss Bone called her name in roll call.

"Much better thanks to you" His brightly slowly faded as he remembered something, he licked his lip before asking, unsure if he should or not.

"Are you really in love wit-" Mila interrupted him: "Please don't tell anyone... no one was supposed to find out" Mila whispered, her voice was almost quiet, as you could hear the pain in her voice, this made Reggie sighed and nodded slowly leaning back in his seat looking up at Miss Bone, who was excitedly talking about pride and prejudice by Jane Austin. Reggie sat still as he thought for a bit, before biting his lip, he took a piece of paper off his notebook and gently wrote on it.

Do you think there is a reason for everything?

Mila looked at the note that he placed on her desk with a confused look, she looked over at Reggie who bit his lip gently nervous about her answer, she took a pencil from her pencil case and wrote back without Miss Bone noticing.

Do you think there is a reason for everything?

Why do you ask?