Capítulo 10: Mixed Feelings
T-3 Days to the Incident
#After school
The chime from the last class announced the end of a tiring academic day at school, a necessary closure for Cacey Summers. Her teachers reprimanded her for her wet clothes. “That’s not my fault. Why are you all rebuking me?”
When the classes resumed after the incident in the bathroom, she was wearing male gym clothes. All of the teachers asked about it.
"Why are you wearing male gym clothes?"
"Teacher, I was in the toilet, and someone splashed dirty water on me. I couldn’t call anyone, but someone gave this to me. I don’t know who he was. Perhaps he knows what happened there."
"That I understand. But why haven’t you changed into your gym clothes?"
"I was going to. When I came back to my class, I couldn’t find my gym clothes. It seems someone hid from them to put me in a bad situation."
All the boys were in uproar. "Who did this to Cacey? Who dares touch her hair? We will teach them a lesson!"
"Silence!" shouted the teacher. "Who hid her gym clothes?"
The whole class was silent. No answer. However, no one came forward. The culprits were furtively glancing at each other and carefully hiding their vile smirks. Cacey couldn’t figure out who did this to her.
The rest of the classes were just repetitions of this. Each of the teachers asked, but no one came forward.
“Gym class doesn’t take attendance seriously; otherwise, the culprit would have been caught. Should I point this out? What if those who didn’t attend the class get in trouble as well? Not everyone who was absent from the gym was involved in this. I have the right, but it will look like I’m snitching on my classmates.” After contemplating for some time, she decided not to press the matter anymore.
“Who knows what kind of problem this will create next? I’m just a transfer student. I still don’t belong to the student community here. I feel like a scarecrow standing naked in the middle of a field, all alone and ugly. If I don’t get accepted as one of them, I won’t last long here.”
As she was considering so many things, the chime announced the end of the school day.
“Let’s run. Mom should be here by now.”
After a few days of transfer, she asked to be escorted back home. Sometimes her mom, and sometimes her dad, would come pick her up. She feared that, in the absence of a chaperone, she would have to endure the morbid presence of some undesirable visages. Today, her mom, Eliza Summers, came to pick her up. As she eagerly waited for her child, Cacey appeared with the tails of a few overzealous fanboys. Eliza felt the discomfort Cacey exuded right from the main entrance.
“This child is so timid. Why not say you don’t appreciate their constant presence?”
She shook her head in sadness. She was worried about her baby daughter’s future.
For Cacey, the day was a mixture of emotions: fear, irritation, anxiety, exciting anticipation, thrill, and so many others she couldn’t understand.
“I don’t have words for them. Maybe there are just redundant feelings under the guise of different incidents? Like, when I was in the stall and the boy gave me his dress, did I feel grateful or attracted? Everything is so messed up!”
Cacey gave up after trying hard to shake the boys tailing her on her way back home as well. The consequence was that now one of her parents was taking her back home. As she neared the entrance, she saw her mom’s loving but worried face. She gleefully waved at her, "Mom!"
The presence of an elderly figure around Cacey was a great deterrent to the fanboys. They gradually made their way away from Cacey.
“Let’s call it quits for today. She will be here again tomorrow!”
They would slowly disperse into the departing crowd of students, some moving to the public transport stop, and some more blessed had their chauffeurs picking them up.
"Cacey! How was your day?"Eliza’s eyes got stuck on the male gym dress on Cacey. "What’s that?"
"Gym…dress…why?" Cacey tried to hide the fact that it belonged to a boy she didn’t even know.
"Yes, that's what I’m asking. Why?" Eliza smiled playfully and thought, “My daughter isn't a baby anymore. I shouldn’t be too protective about this."She casually tried to pry out the answer from Cacey while holding Cecey’s hand. "A friend of yours?"
Cacey linked her arms with her mom’s. "It’s a very interesting story, mom!" She smiled shily.
"Ohho! My baby is feeling shy! Do tell me!" Her mom matched her rhythm as they walked.
Cacey told the story of how she got the dress, but it was a complete lie.
“If I told her the truth, she would freak out.”
"I was washing up after the gym class." She continued with some lies mixed with some half-truths about meeting a boy for the first time, how the tap suddenly broke, drenching her wet in front of the boy, and how the boy who skipped the gym offered her his dry gym clothes.
"Oh! How chivalrous! It's hard to see these days! Did you get his name?" Eliza casually tried to fish for the name. She didn't ask where her gym clothes went.
"Ah!"
"You forgot to ask his name?" Eliza was surprised. "How can you not ask his name?" She shook her head in fake disappointment, with a faint smile on her face.
As the mom and daughter duo casually moved toward the bus stop, they walked past a boy, agonizingly limping. From the back, he looked vaguely familiar to Cacey, but she paid no attention.
"Mom, should I just drop out of school?" Eliza was quite taken aback.
"Why? What happened?" Eliza looked at Cacey with a worried face.
Cacey didn’t speak for some time. Clearly, something was bothering her. However, this wasn’t her first time saying this. Throughout her school life, she said this countless times, yet she continued with good results. Every time her mom or dad asked why, she remained silent. I don’t want to make them worry about me. They aren’t young parents anymore. I should handle my own problem.
"It's okay, mom. It’s just that studying feels very tiring. I could get into a vocational school." Eliza didn’t miss her daughter’s sigh. "Just two more years! We won’t force you if you don’t want to continue studying! At least finish high school." Cacey remained silent again. She hated it so much to tell the tale of her timidity.
"I was just saying."
"Tell the truth, Cacey! Something is happening at school, right? If you aren’t open with us about it, how shall we help you?" Eliza was worried about her youngest child. This child is never open about her problems. What will she do when we’re not around anymore? Baby, you must tell us!
Cacey changed her tone to a joyful one and faced her mom, "Mom! There is no problem at all! Let’s hurry home. I’m hungry!" However, her forced smile wasn't convincing enough for the mother of four children. She knew when her children were lying, but Eliza smiled back.
They arrived at the bus stop. After a few minutes, the bus arrived as well. As they boarded the bus, Cacey sighed. “That’s troubling! If mom keeps asking like this, I’ll have to tell her! But how can I trouble them with my problem? My existence is a problem for them.”
She clearly remembered how her siblings looked at her with virulent eyes when they were around. To them, she was an unwelcome existence. As she grew up, she faced her world of troubles all alone. She was convinced, from those hateful, angry glares and stares she received from her elder siblings, that she was better off all alone.
Cacey and Eliza both took their seats, and the bus began its routine journey on a pitchy, monotone road. As Cacey looked out the window, she saw that limping boy plodding slowly toward the nearby park.
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