“I don't remember that, but I do recall you coming in with a high fever last year, and half the class ended up sick,” she teased.
“I didn't!”I shot back sarcastically, and we both laughed.
“Quiet, please!”Professor Mancini bellowed.
“Are you still upset with me?”I whispered to Emily.
“No, I can't stay mad at you,” she assured me, her sincerity shining through.
“I'm relieved to hear that.”
“And what about you?Is everything okay?Did you talk to Marco?”she inquired, concern etched on her face.
“No, I didn't.Was he on the bus today?”I asked hopefully.
“No, but… um, I texted him just to check in on how he was feeling.He's my friend too, after all,” she said, searching my eyes for reassurance.
“And?What did he say?”I asked, my heart racing with anticipation.
“He's fine; he's just taking an earlier bus in the morning and the second bus in the afternoon,” she replied, her tone cautious, as if afraid her words might sting.
“Oh, I see…” I felt a familiar ache in my chest, deeper than I cared to admit.I knew all it would take was a little time to heal these wounds; time would set everything right.
A week slipped by without any notable events.Clous continued to torment Emily with his jokes and unsettling stares, while others simply laughed.Oh, how I longed to tear their heads apart!Just the sight of them made my stomach churn.
My mom spent four out of seven nights in Rome, which was odd; my dad insisted it was due to a major project she was involved in.I still hadn't seen Marco, and I found myself missing him—his warm hugs were something I missed the most.
Jessica was completely caught up in her new boyfriend, whom we hadn't met yet, but she assured us that we would all get together soon.
“Ms.Bernardi, are you with us?”I jumped in my seat when Professor Baldi asked sarcastically.All gazes turned to me.
“I'm sorry, yes, I am.”I froze for a moment, looking outside the window.It had been raining all week, and still, it was a warm rain.
“Yesterday they opened the art lab; they fixed and painted everything,” Emily whispered to me.
“How do you know?”
“I heard others talking in the restroom; they already had classes in there.We have our last class there today, too,” she said excitedly.
“Oh, that's right, I forgot.”
“You forgot?Are you okay?”she asked, concerned, as it was unusual for me.I always knew everything and never forgot things.
“Yeah, it's just that my mom is spending a lot of time in Rome, and I see that it bothers my father.”
“Everything will be okay; I'm sure of it.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
As the bell rang, we moved through the crowd to our last class in the art lab.For some reason, my heart was pounding.Then, suddenly, somebody hit my shoulder hard.
“Watch where you're going, blondie,” Vendetta said through gritted teeth.
“If you hadn't noticed, you bumped into me,” I responded with equal anger.
“Careful…” She came closer; I could smell her breath, which reeked of cigarettes.
“Or what?”I responded.
