by Segunda L.
"Yeah. Thanks." She said. Her voice was weak and tired. The nasty remarks disappeared completely. I had not heard any complaints from her for the whole time. Her silence was making me feel uncomfortable. It was giving me the vibes that something was not right. Holding onto her armpits, I pulled her up as gently as I can.
Hot. Her skin was too hot. She was burning with fever again, of course any logical person would not venture out on this rain if they had a fever. Making her walk in this rain was not the smartest idea that I could muster. But we weren't left with much choice, what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't leave her either, and I wasn't going to risk her life by camping out on this place unprepared, that seemed almost suicidal. Too dangerous.
Fuck, I was out of ideas. Underneath the plastic bags, I was sweating profusely. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I realized that we were in deep trouble. Samara could get pneumonia out here and I got nothing to remedy that. Using the back of my hands, I wiped off the sweat on my forehead.
"Jared, I don't think I can walk anymore." She confessed, her eyes were half open. Her left hand was on my shoulder, using it as support. Any minute now, she looked like she was about to collapse again.
"Don't force yourself. Climb on my back, I'll carry you." I suggested with urgency.
"No, I don't want to." First time she argued since we started walking.
"Samara, this is not the time for your stubbornness." I scolded, my voice came out harsher than I intended. "Besides, girls find that thing romantic right?" To lighten up the mood, I commented with a smile on my face.
"No, Jared. And even if you carry me, we won't be able to go that far. I'm way too heavy." It was taking all of her energy to talk.
I sighed. She was right. How far will I be able to walk with her on my back? A maximum of a hundred steps? That was not enough. And I was carrying two bags already. The feat was almost impossible.
"I know what we should do, you go ahead. I'll wait for you here." Samara said, walking towards a tree and plopping on the ground as soon as she reached it. She leaned her head on the trunk of the tree, shut her eyes and began breathing warily.
She was tired...
And sick.
Cold wind made the leaves rustle and the branches sway. Tiny droplets of water hit my face and my exposed skin. The hairs on my arms and neck stood up. Helplessness was beginning to shake my body in fear. I was scared.
Not for me...but for Samara.
It wouldn't do any good to show my fear in front of her. I have always been good at hiding my real emotions, this was the best time to put on a brave face.
I picked up the umbrella that fell when Samara slipped on the ground and walked towards the tree that she was using for shelter. Kneeling down on one leg, I put her under the umbrella. "Hey, I'm not leaving you here." She opened her eyes when she heard my voice. We were eye to eye, I could tell that she too was scared and was fighting hard not to show it.
"Go. My head hurts too much and I don't have the strength to walk." She countered.
I placed my hand on her forehead and I wasn't surprised to find it scorching hot.
"I can't leave you alone. What if there's a―."
"A what? A werewolf?” She cut me off. “They only appear during full moon. You're being too dramatic. Have you been watching too much horror movies?"
I took a deep breath. A man had to make important decisions on his life.
"I've always been horrified with the movie Anaconda ever since I watched it when I was a child." I admitted which was answered with a soft laughter from her.
"You're such a baby, just like TJ. He was screaming the whole time we were watching that film."
A sinking feeling rushed through me with the mention of TJ. For a moment there, I forgot that she was in love with him. The forest made me think that we were alone and that outside of this hellhole, there was someone else who owned her heart. More importantly, just minutes ago, I offered my help in making that guy realize his own feelings.
Masking my real emotions, I said, "When we get back, I will make sure TJ will come begging on your knees and asking for your hand in marriage. Or something like that." Her expression changed into surprise from the sudden change of topic. I dropped the bag that was carrying the food and water to her side, just in case she got hungry. "So wait for me here. I'll come back for you soon, I promise." I walked away from the scene with my pride in tact and a strong conviction to return to the real world as soon as possible.
Chapter Twenty
Jared
I was not into cougars. But damn, I wanted to give Miss Santos an extra special hug. She was the first one who found me, and I swear, I saw a halo on her head when she emerged out of the bushes. She was holding a knife and chopping off the twigs like she'd been living in the jungle all her life. She was my hero! Okay, so I was obviously exaggerating here. Still, in my time of desperation, Ms. Santos was my angel. I made a mental note to pay more attention in her class from now on.
After all the drama that transpired after having found us, we were finally on our way home. Ms. Santos was now sitting beside me, we were riding the van for faculties and organizers. They were giving us special treatment ever since they found us, that is, after getting an earload of scolding from Miss Santos of course. Samara was knocked out right after she drank her medicine. She was using Trix's lap for her pillow.
Sleeping seemed to be her thing for today.
"Mr. Kippling, your mischief for today will not go unpunished." Ms. Santos said, she was on an illusion that everything that happened today was all my scheming to bully Samara. Thanks to Trix's blabbering mouth, all the blame was on me. I couldn't really defend myself since Samara decided to play Sleeping Beauty for the day.
I grunted. "Ma'am, are we going with this again? For fuck's sake, I didn't plan on getting lost out there."
"Watch your language, Kippling." Ms. Santos reprimanded.
"Don’t believe him." Trix turned her head to our direction and joined in the conversation. She occupied the seat in front of us with Samara on her lap. I glared at her and sent her telepathic messages to shut her mouth. Apparently, I had no telepathic powers because she kept on the sob story of me being the villain here. I groaned louder this time, sunk back to my chair then looked out the window and tried to drown her words.
"I saw it for myself. He went after Sam and chased her all the way into the wilderness. Sam kept quiet about it all this time, but I had a feeling Kippling has been up to something." She finished with a strong conviction.
I snapped my head to look at Miss Santos' reaction, I was not surprised to see her nod to Trix's tale on more than one occasion. She was convinced that everything was a prank that went wrong.
"Thank you for telling me this. That's very brave of you. You're a good friend to Miss Reyn." She spoke softly to Trix. Then she stared at me with a hardened expression and said, "I will see to it that you, Kippling, gets the punishment you deserve."
Punishment? Oh, okay. Was I the only one here who thought that sounded kinda kinky? I wondered briefly to what kind of punishments she had in mind for me but I dismissed the thought as soon as she mentioned about the long talk with the guidance and a call to my parents.
"What the fu―," I stopped midway with my cursing as Miss Santos gave me a warning look, "I mean, what the fudge, I'm telling the truth here."
"I've heard enough Mr. Kippling." Ms. Santos replied, with a tone of finality this time.
I saw Trix's head took a quick peek at us. And even if I didn't see it, I can tell she was smiling and rejoicing in victory. I shot daggers at her with my eyes, she must have felt the killing intent directed at her because she turned her head at my direction again.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity this time. Raising my hands up in the air in surrender, I growled at her, "Thanks a lot."
Her expression didn't even change with my obvious displeasure as she answered with sarcasm, "My pleasure."
~*~*~
The abrupt haltin
g of the bus stirred me from my sleep. I must have been more tired than I thought since I fell asleep without meaning to. I blinked several times, yellow and orange light blinded me for a fraction of second. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the surroundings, I realized I was looking at a series of street lights. My long legs were feeling uncomfortable from the almost five hour trip. Stretching my limbs as much as the space allowed me to, I yawned and gathered my thoughts. I hadn't even fully collected my wits with me when Miss Santos nudged my elbow and ordered me to get out of the van.
"Alright, we're here. Get out of the van Mr. Kippling and take responsibility for what you did. Help Ms. Reyn get to her feet." She instructed.
Obviously, the woman was a slave driver.
I wasn't about to say no to her at all. Hell, I'd probably kiss the ground she was stepping on if she asked me to. She just saved my neck from that hellhole, not just mine but also Samara's. Like a good errand boy, I opened the door and got out of the van. As soon as I got out, cold wind hit my skin. Shivering from the sudden change of temperature, I worried that I might catch a cold from all of this exposure to different weathers. It turned out a cold was not something I should I worry about.
A hand grabbed me from behind and pushed me with a strong force on the side door of the van. It made the whole van shake violently. My spine took the most damage. As I cringed in pain, TJ clutched me by my collar, elevating me a few inches from the ground. His eyes were blazing. Judging from his expression, I could tell that he heard the news about our little escapade in the jungle.
"I warned you to stay away from her." He said between clenched teeth, shoving me to the side door once again. I yelped in pain, and pushed his hands away but his held only got tighter.
"Look, I didn't do anything this time. Okay?" I answered with a level headed composure.
"Fuck, like hell I'd believe that." He tossed me on the ground like a rag doll. Before I could react, he pushed me down with his weight and began punching me on the face. I tried shielding my face with my arms but he easily penetrated my defense. It was obvious that he was holding back last time when he beat me up in the parking lot. His punches were merciless, it was meant to kill.
"Stop them." Ms. Santos yelled, the school staffs dragged TJ who was still in psycho mode away from me. It took four of the staffs to completely set us apart. Ms. Santos came to me, I was still in the ground, moaning in pain and gasping for breath.
"Oh God, Mr. Kippling, your face―."
Looking at Ms. Santos' expression, horror was written all over it. Horror and my face were two things that never go together. Just how awful did I look like right now?
Trix came out from the van, she looked at my state then at TJ. She had the same poker face on, if my instincts were right, she was probably expecting this kind of outcome. She might even the little birdie who informed TJ.
Right after Trix came out of the van, Samara popped out, bobbing her head, curious as to what was going on. She saw me lying on the ground and ran towards me without hesitation.
"Jared, what happened?" She asked, as her hands fumbled nervously the sore spots on my face.
"Sammy, get away from him." TJ shouted while still trying to overpower the four school staffs who were pushing him back. "He put your life in danger, I will make that fucktard pay for it."
Samara looked from me to TJ and understood what went on. I could hardly talk and explain my side. I just stayed immobile on the ground.
"No! You got it wrong! This is all a misunderstanding." She explained to TJ. "H-he approached me so we could talk and I ran away from him. We got lost and it was raining...h-he helped me out while I was having a fever." Her eyes were pleading, as she desperately tried to make TJ understand the situation.
The gates of the huge house that we were in front of opened, revealing a middle aged man. As soon as he saw the drama going on his front yard, he inquired with his forehead creased, "What the hell is going on here?"
Samara went pale at the sight of the man and stuttered, "D-dad..."
Chapter Twenty-One
Jared
At first I thought I heard it wrong, so I squinted and tried to get a better look at the person. Well, shit, it was Mr. Thomas in flesh. So much for trying to get a good impression. As far as I knew , causing a ruckus on someone's house wouldn't impress anyone's parents. All my efforts these past few weeks were lost. He was probably thinking I was some sort of hooligan. Which was half true, considering this was my second fight for the week.
Ah, damn.
The pain in my face doubled after that realization. Feeling defeated, I dropped my head on the cold floor in complete surrender and shut my eyes. Suddenly, it was pillowy enough. I heard shuffling of feet and recognized Miss Santos's voice.
"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding, Mr. Reyn." She didn't sound very sure.
Another shuffling of feet, this time it was heavier.
"Whatever this is about, these two boys better settle it somewhere else. My house is not a boxing ring."
"I guarantee you it won't happen again." Miss Santos tried to take control of the situation.
"I would appreciate that Ma'am, were you the one who called?" Thomas’s voice softened.
"Yes, it was me. I apologize for the behavior of my students and for the incident with your daughter."
"Oh, I didn't think my daughter had such a young teacher."
My ears perked up.
"I-I'm not that young, I'm in my thirties." Ms. Santos said, uncertain and did she just sound shy just now?
"Well, you sure look younger than your age. I thought you were one of the students."
I had to open my eyes. I couldn’t miss this. Ms. Santos, one of the few teachers who were not affected by my charms was now blushing and seemed unsure of what to say. Samara cleared her throat. She was still kneeling beside me. Watching the blatant flirting of his dad with her teacher. I could not imagine how awkward the situation was for her.
I guess her dad recovered some sense into him because he said, "It's getting too cold out here, everyone better get inside. Especially you, Sam. And these tough guys better not break anything in my house."
"We better get going, Mr. Reyn. It has been a long day." Ms. Santos announced.
"I should at least offer you a warm cup of coffee for doing everything you can for my daughter."
"That really won't be necessary." Ms. Santos answered, her tone was still all business-like.
"No, no. I insist. And you've all been stuck in the van for hours, fresh air and good food with warm coffee will do you all some good."
The mention of food got the attention of the rest of the staff, mine too.
As if reading our minds, Ms. Santos said, "Well, as long as we're not a bother..."
"Not at all, Ma'am. It would be my pleasure." Thomas gave Miss Santos his winning smile, gesturing for her to follow him inside. He came forward and put his hand on the small of Miss Santos’ back as he ushered her in.
"You can let go of him now." Ms. Santos told the staffs who were restraining TJ as she passed them by. They released him, sure that he was calmer now. TJ fixed his shirt and had to listen to Miss Santos’ lecture. “You may not be in my class, Mr. Dayton, but I can still call the school about this and have you reported.” TJ grimaced and kicked a rock on the ground.
While on the other side, Samara's weak voice commanded, "Jared, get up." She tried to pull me up but I didn’t budge.
"Nah, I kinda like it down here. Nice and cozy." Truth be told, I didn't have the energy to get up.
TJ at once strolled towards us, and pulled Samara by her armpit. "Up you go, Sammy. Leave that idiot here.”
"TJ, help him stand up." Samara requested, pointing to me.
"No." Was TJ's flat reply.
"I already explained to you what happened. It wasn't his fault."
"I know this guy like the back of my hand. I'm telling you, he's up to no good." TJ at least had the courtesy to lower his voice so that only the three of us can h
ear.
"Let's get you inside, Sam." Thomas intervened on their discussion. "And no more camping trips for you."
"It wasn't camping, Dad." Samara was being supported by TJ as they went inside of the house. She mouthed to TJ something like "help him up". But TJ was acting deaf to her plea.
As for me, I still didn't feel like standing up. Well, more like I couldn’t.
"Get up, Kippling.” Trix walked towards me from the van.
"Trix, shoo. Leave me alone."
She was standing over me, nudging my arm with her right shoe. "Get up.”
"Stop that." I laid there motionless.
"Did you die?"
"You wished.” I snorted and said, “Hey, mind helping me up?" Asking for a girl's help was lame of me, I know. But it was a moment of weakness. "Besides, you owe me one, you got me in trouble for things I'm not guilty of."
"Whatever, Kippling." At least she wasn't denying that she wrongly accused me. She then yanked my arm, placed it on her shoulder (roughly I might add) and wrapped her other arm on my waist, pulling me up from the ground.
~*~*~
Samara was taken to her room as soon as she went inside. TJ stood guard near her room like a lioness with an endangered cub, and all the time he was looking at my direction. The staffs and Ms. Santos were still in the dining room with our kind host, drinking wine and happily chatting about their adult lives. It turned out Thomas was single. He'd been divorced for five years now. Couldn't help but listen to him while he tries to woo Ms. Santos. Well, he had a lot of wooing to do. Ms. Santos actually apologized to me for not believing my story in the first place. I took great satisfaction in watching Trix squirm uncomfortably in her chair. Needless to say, I was the star of the night. Thomas was pleased to hear that I had been a gentleman to his daughter the whole time we were in the jungle. He even thanked me with mist in his eyes. As much as I like the attention, I had to exit and have some alone time. I picked one of their many living rooms closest to Samara's room.
So now, here I was. Sitting on a couch and sipping my cappuccino, while watching NBA live. This was one of the many reasons why I love urban life. The jungle experience was now like light years away. Life was good. Of course something just had to break my nirvana mode.
