He explained that today, they'd have to work in teams of two or four, to decipher a song he had specifically chosen.
Great. Either she'd end up alone, or stuck with people who ignored her.
After the teacher was done giving out the explanations and handing out the sheets, he gave the students a few minutes to find their teammates.
Maria didn't even bother moving. She simply let her head rest against the wall, and looked down, sadly. She was used to it at this point. Nobody wanted to be with her.
She heard commotions coming from her side, and, curious, she looked up. A girl and a guy were talking rather expressively to another guy, which turned out to be Timothy. She couldn't focus on what they were saying, but needless to say, she was a bit intrigued. Not every day she got to witness drama right in front of her eyes.
But then, that curiosity turned to complete confusion, once Timothy, seemingly a bit annoyed by the conversation he just had, walked up to her desk, crouched down, and looked at her.
"You're still alone, right?" He asked softly.
Maria, shocked, nodded slowly. And Timothy smiled, a bit awkwardly. "Well… I'm alone too, so… do you wanna be my teammate?"
Did he really just ask…
Maria was now very shocked. Was this a prank? Did one of his friends dare him to do that? That could explain the earlier events. Maybe he was forced to be in a team with her, maybe-
"Sorry, that sounds weird, I know. You just looked kinda sad, I thought it was because you were still alone." He started standing up. "Sorry. I'll leave you be."
He seemed genuinely disappointed.
"N-no!" Maria exclaimed, a bit louder than she meant to. Some people turned around to look, and Maria blushed, embarrassed.
"N-no… it's okay." She said again, this time a bit more softly.
Timothy smiled, and crouched back down. "Oh, really? Thanks!"
Maria chuckled. He was an odd guy, that was certain, whether or not he was pulling a prank.
The teacher then called for everyone's attention, all the students going back to their seats, and gave a few more explanations. The project would have to be done over the weekend, and finished for the next class, which was on Tuesday. Then, the class actually started.
But, unlike usual in french class, this time, Maria couldn't really concentrate.
Someone asked to be on her team!?
She didn't know much about Timothy, other than the fact he was a new student. But… he seemed genuinely nice, didn't he?
Although, she shouldn't be getting ideas too fast. There were still chances that this was all a big elaborate prank.
French class ended, and Timothy, oddly enough, followed her to their next class.
He asked for her social media name, so they could text over the weekend and work on the project.
This felt so weird.
After making sure he wouldn't tell anyone else about it, and that he was okay with seeing a bunch of bird pictures, she shared her name and he did with his. Then, as they went in the next class, they parted ways. But there again, Maria simply couldn't focus.
This guy… was actually being nice to her!
That was weird.
As the class went on, however, another thought invaded her mind.
Tonight, her parents would go talk to her principal, to try to find a solution.
Damnit, that was a horrible, stressful thought. Much more than whatever the hell Timothy was up to.
The class ended after what felt like hours, and Maria quickly went back home.
When she did, she found the house empty, and the car gone. There was a note on the table, written in her mom's handwriting, that said "we left at 16:50, there's pre-cooked chicken in the fridge. We love you!"
So they were already gone…
At least, she wouldn't have to come with them. She assumed they knew she wouldn't have been comfortable with it. Talking about her bullying to her parents was one thing, but the principal? That was another.
Maria took some of the chicken and heated it up in the microwave. As she was preparing some rice to go with it, she felt her phone buzz in her skirt pocket. Weird.
She grabbed it, and looked at the notification.
It was a text.
A text?
"Testing, testing, 1-2-3!"
Who was that?
She opened up the app, and realized that it was from Timothy. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Cute way to start a conversation, she had to be honest.
"Hey" she simply answered.
"Do you have the worksheet? I forgot my french books at school <:("
Reading this, Maria's heart skipped a beat. He was… asking for her help?
"Yeah. Do you wanna start working rn?"
"Yeah, sure, if you wanna :D"
Even on text he sounded rather cheerful. That could only be a good sign, right? Either that, or a very, very bad sign that he was smarter than he looked and knew exactly what he was doing.
Grabbing her plate, Maria motioned to the table, and got her books out. She took a picture of the paper, and sent it.
"Nice tablecloth :3"
Maria, surprised, shot a quick look at the table. White flowers. Nothing crazy.
"Thanks."
She started eating, and they texted a bit about the assignment. The task seemed much more easier now that she was doing it with someone else, she had noticed.
That was nice.
An hour or so after, Timothy had to leave, as he had football practice. And Maria found herself a bit sad that he had to leave. Why..? He was just another bully, right? It's just that he was hiding it so well! There couldn't possibly be someone who actually cared… right?
Even though they talked mostly about the project, even then Maria could feel at ease around him. Unlike anyone she'd ever interacted with in her last 5 years, he was the first to actually treat her… rather normally. Was that weird? That was weird, right?
Maria's train of thoughts was interrupted as she heard the door's alarm ring, and her two parents walk in. They were in the middle of a very heated discussion, which already wasn't a very good sign. The meeting probably didn't go well…
As soon as they saw her, they stopped, and then her father sighed loudly, as her mother simply gave a sign for her to stand up, so she could give her a hug. They both had saddened expressions on their faces, and that immediately gave Maria the cue.
"Did it not go well?" She asked softly, although she already knew the answer.
"N-not really, no." Answered her father, as her mother stroked her hair. "They… didn't want to listen. Neither the principal or vice-principal."
"Not really?? More like, absolutely not!"
Her mother growled "They said it was your fault!! I can't believe them!! The nerves of these… these-" she stopped, searching a word, then simply groaned.
"If I could, I'd just sue them or something. They can't be saying that, these morons!!"
Her father gently ruffled her hair, and smiled sadly "It'll be okay sweetie. We'll find a solution, okay?"
Maria nodded, and let go of her mother, grabbing her phone and walking up to her room.
Obviously, it wasn't going to be fixed like this… if it were at all. Maybe it was never going to be okay. Maybe-
Her phone buzzed.
She looked at the monitor. It was from Timothy.
"Oh, do you mind if I sit next to you on the bus, next week? Might be less lonely ^-^"
She felt like crying earlier, but… now? Not as much.
The shadow of a smile passed on her lips.
Maybe, if it wasn't getting fixed, maybe at least it wasn't as hopeless as she thought…
Maybe running away just wasn't an option she thought best after all.
Or at least… that's what she hoped.
But really, she'd only know once the week started again. For now, all she could do is wait, and hope.
Comments (0)
See all