Chapter 8

Ava’s Pov;

    

   I opened my eyes, bleary and unfocused, and the first thing I thought of was Liam. I reached for my phone and checked for messages. Nothing. My heart sank a little. 

I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, feeling the warmth of the water on my skin. I washed my face and hair, trying to calm the nerves that were starting to flutter in my stomach. I got dressed in my favorite jeans and t-shirt, then put on my sneakers and packed my hair in a bun style.

I headed downstairs and into the kitchen, where my mom was already making breakfast. She looked up and smiled at me, but I could tell she could sense something was off. I forced a smile as I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table.

“Dad was waiting for you as always to drive you to school,Ava”she said.

“Ughhhh,don’t he ever get tired of waiting for me,I don’t want everyone seeing us together in school and thinking that I have much privilege just because my dad is the fucking principal of the school”,I said.

“Hehehe,don’t be that way”she said.

“I’m not happy mom”I said.

“I noticed,why are you sad baby”she asked.

“You know you can talk to me”,she continued.

So I told her how I met Liam and how concerned I have been of him lately.

“Darling,you don’t need to be concerned,he probably have things doing and maybe that’s why he never texted”she said.

“Why not talk to him in school??,let him know how you feel”she said.

“Okay mom,I will do just that “I said. 

So when I was done eating,I cleared the table. 

“Bye mom”,I said as I hugged her.

“Bye baby and don’t forget to smile”,she said as she waved at me.

I walked into the school building, and the familiar faces of the staff greeted me. I gave them a small wave as I made my way to my first class. 

It was strange to walk into my first class and not see Liam's familiar face. Usually, he was already sitting in his seat, though I came once to school just so I couldn’t walk in looking at his face.But today, he was nowhere to be seen. I took my usual seat and pulled out my notebook, trying to focus on the lesson. But my mind kept wandering to thoughts of Liam. Where was he? Was he okay?.

As the bell rang to end class, I couldn't wait to get to my next class, hoping to find Liam there.

As I walked into my second class, I scanned the room, looking for any sign of Liam. But he was nowhere to be found. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. What if something had happened to him? I couldn't shake the worry that was consuming me. I forced myself to focus on the teacher, trying to listen to what he was saying. But my thoughts kept drifting to Liam.

As the bell rang to end class, I felt a sense of dread.

I pulled out my phone and opened up my messages. I started to type out a text to Liam: "Hey, where are you? I haven't seen you all day." As I tried to hit the send button but I wasn’t courageous enough,so I cleared it,hoping that in few minutes,he could be here,but he wasn’t.

After the last class,I walked to my class and he wasn’t there either.

Is something wrong?,I was beginning to worry.

I pulled out my phone and opened up my messages. I started to type out a text to Liam: "hi,are you okay?you never texted and I haven't seen you all day,can we meet at the cozy cafe?" As I hit "send," I felt a nervous flutter in my chest. I waited anxiously for his response, my eyes glued to my phone.

The three little dots popped up on my screen, letting me know that Liam was responding. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Then, his message appeared on my screen: "I’d love to”.

“Please give me 10mins”

I felt relieved and got  excited as I hurried to the cafe.

So I waited at that cozy cafe

It’s been 30 minutes since I have been waiting for him

Maybe something was up,he will definitely come

So I waited and waited and waited but he never came.

As I sat there waiting for him,the attendant walked up to me with a coffee drink.

“I didn’t order for this”,I said looking up to her.

“No,you didn’t ma’am,but the guy at the other side asked that I give it to you as the weather is getting chilly”,she said and walked away.

For a moment,I felt excited,maybe it was Liam and he has been watching me but it all faded away as I saw Noah proudly walking up to me.

“Did you order this?”,I asked as I looked at him in a mean way.

“Yeah babe,I did and that’s no way to look at your lover”,he said as I rolled my eyes.

“I see that you have been waiting for someone,is it that guy??,come on babe,you can do better,you never waited for me”,he said holding my hands.

“Let go”,I said looking at him and I could feel his eyes change from warmth to mean as he pushed the coffee and it fell on me.

I stood up and he started wiping it off,”I’m sorry babe,I didn’t mean that”,as I removed my hands from his.

We heard thunder claps as the rain started dropping down.

“I can take you home”,he said.

“No,it’s fine,I willl go on my own”,I said as I picked up my bag and started walking towards the door.

“You will get wet Ava,please listen to me”,he said but I didn’t stop to listen as I walked out the door.

I walked through the front door, dripping wet from the rain. The house was silent, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall. I dropped my bag on the floor, feeling completely exhausted. I just wanted to go to my room and collapse into bed. But then I heard my mom's voice. "Ava? Is that you?",She sounded worried. I knew I couldn't avoid her. I had to face her.

I took a deep breath and walked into the living room. My mom was sitting on the couch, her face full of concern. "Where have you been?",she asked, her voice full of worry. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. My mind was blank, my body frozen. My mom stood up and walked over to me, placing her hand on my arm. "Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes searching mine.

"I... I..." I stammered, trying to form a coherent sentence. My thoughts were racing, but I couldn't string them together. My mom looked at me with concern, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath and tried again. "I was at... the coffee shop," I said, my voice shaky. My mom's eyes widened. "What happened at the coffee shop?",she asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. "I... I was waiting for Liam," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. My mom's face grew serious. "What do you mean, you were waiting for Liam?" she asked, her tone urgent. 

“I texted Liam and he said he was coming,I waited for Liam but he never showed up”I said.

My mom’s face softened,

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry." I leaned into her embrace, the tears starting to flow. "I don't understand," I said, my voice shaking. "What did I do wrong?" My mom pulled back and looked me in the eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong," she said, her voice full of love and compassion. "Sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to."

As I stood there in my mom’s arm,I felt a sense of comfort.

I wiped my eyes, trying to compose myself. My mom's words were comforting, but I couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment and confusion. Why did Liam stand me up? I kept replaying the moments we shared in my head, wondering if I had missed something. Maybe there was something I had done to upset him. Or maybe he had just changed his mind about me. I felt my heart sink at the thought.

"Come on, let's get you dried off and into some warm clothes," my mom said, her voice full of concern. "You don't want to catch a cold." I nodded and let her lead me to my room. I changed out of my wet clothes and put on some warm, cozy pajamas. As I lay down on my bed, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I just wanted to crawl under the covers and forget about everything.

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about Liam. Images of him kept flashing through my mind, like a movie reel on repeat. I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. The more I tried to sleep, the more awake I felt. I felt trapped in a vicious cycle of sleeplessness and worry.

I lay there, the hours ticking by, the darkness of night giving way to the first rays of morning. I felt groggy and disoriented, as if i had been wandering in a dream-like haze. Finally, the sun rose, and i could no longer resist the pull of the new day. I got out of bed, feeling more tired than when i had gone to sleep, I showered and dressed up for school.

I slowly made my way down the stairs, feeling as if I were moving through molasses. The smell of breakfast filled the air, but it did nothing to lift my spirits. I saw my dad sitting at the table, his newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He looked up at me and said, "Good morning, sweetie." His tone was warm and gentle.

“I heard you got home late last night,everything okay?”he asked.

“Yeah,everything’s fine”I said.

Mom came out of the kitchen wiping her hands off on the dish towel.

“Morning baby,did you sleep well”she asked.

“I had a hard time sleeping but it’s fine”I said.

She sat next to me placing her hand on my arm

“You sure you are up for school today?”she asked. 

You can take a day off”,she continued.

“No mom,I can’t lack behind in school then everyone will get to say it’s because my dad is the principal”.

“I can take her to school”,dad said putting his newspaper down.

Mum looked at me because I’d never agree

“Fine dad,thank you”.

“That’s a first”,dad said chuckling. 

As we walked out the door,I took a deep breathe feeling the morning air on my face.

As we got into the car, I noticed the smell of my dad's cologne, a familiar and comforting scent. I closed my eyes as he started the engine, feeling the vibration of the car beneath me. The radio was playing softly in the background, a familiar tune that helped to calm my nerves. We drove in silence for a while, the hum of the car and the soft music the only sounds breaking the stillness.