Miss No Label

   C H A P T E R   T W E N T Y - N I N E   

POV:

        I got through the whole subject, being bothered by the endless vibration of my phone. Without even checking, I was certain that those were calls from back home - from China. I adjusted my posture on my seat as I tried to ignore the endless vibrations. I was luckly it was on silent mode. If not, I could have been kicked out of the class. The professor seemed to be talking static as my attention diverted from him to the sensation I felt. At other times, I would usually be so uninterested in answering any calls from home, thinking they might just speak of nonsensical nagging at me, yet at that mere instance, I had an intuitive feeling that makes me want to answer the calls. Taking a deep breath and trying to focus back on the class, I waited for the bell to ring before answering.

       It was from my sister. To be honest, I was glad it was not my father for he would be the number one proponent of nagging to me, nor my mother for she always knew how to get me by emotions. Another side of me, however, was anxious of my sister's hoarse greeting. They would usually let my sister talk to me in terms of bad news; she handles things well. I shrug my negative thoughts off and let whatever was in store keep its course.

       "How are you?" She asked firsthand.

       "Been well. You?" I leaned on a wall to keep some balance, preparing myself for whatever the conversation may head to. "Why the sudden call?"

       "We're fine, Xing. Not much problem, except being in a silent house where everyone is busy." She sighed. "And... That girl you've been telling me about... Krystal? Was that the name?" She began, making me tensed up even more. "How are the both of you going, huh?" Being the only good listener in the family, I told my sister almost everything. Most times, she understood me well. She would point out my mistakes, and praise me for my good intentions. Only my sister and Sara knew about Krystal and me - and I had no intentions on adding more brains that knew.

       "Yes, we're perfectly fine." I said. "Get it straight to the point, jiejie. What did you call for?"

       "Okay. The thing is, Xing..." She paused for a second, perhaps trying to find the right words like she always does. "You have to go home."

       "Go home?" I asked, almost screaming. I did not want to and I did not have any plans to let anything change my mind. "I don't want to."

       "You have to, Xing." She said, weak, frail and slow. "You have to go home because you have to face it."

       I knew it, I thought. 

       "This Saturday, Xing. Baba will hold a party. It's mama's birthday, remember?"

       It took me another five minutes or more before I could turn my heels and get going. It was almost time for lunch break's end, yet I had no intentions nor any appetite to eat anything, so I thought of looking for Krystal instead. I mentally cursed myself after realizing that I could have made her wait too long. 

       I went to the cafeteria, hoping to see her there. I needed to see her comforting smile - I was desperate to see it. To my disappointment, she was not there.

       Library. No Krystal.

       Lobby. No Krystal.

        Lockers. No Krystal.

       I speedwalked to the parking lot, hoping to find even just Kang Jiyoung or Byun Baekhyun or any classmate of hers who could tell me where she was. I stopped at the middle of nowhere, turning my head, trying my best to find her.

        Just then, somebody called me. It was her, certainly. I turned around to see her getting out of a silver sedan car. She was waving at me and calling my name, signalling me to come. At first, I stood there in freeze, wondering whose car she was in or why she was there. I flashed my usual blank expression as if by default, earning an awkward and anxious expression on hers. I shifted and flashed a smile as I walked towards her.

       "Did you have lunch already?" She asked me.

       I shook my head. She had a grain of rice on her lips, so I got rid of it for her. Her lip's touch made me quiver a bit as I took memory of my conversation with my sister. "I guess you have eaten already."

       She nodded. "You're hungry, I'm sure. But Kris brought an extra one." 

        I shifted my gaze inside the car only to see a smiling Kris Wu. I had no time to get jealous nor show that I was. I was more preoccupied with my reality and my own worries. It pissed me off, however, how he smiled with an air of pride. Why in the world did he buy lunch for someone who's mine? I mentally cursed him. 

       "You can have this, bro. Jiyoung is nowhere to be found anyway." He told me.

       "No thanks." I told him, maintaining my blank expression. "It's almost time for the next class anyway. Right, Krystal?"

       "Omo!" Krystal exclaimed. "What shall we do, then? You must be starving."

       "I'm not." I said as I grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

       "Is something wrong, Lay?" She asked.

        I paused to slide my hand from her wrist to her fingers. "Let's go." This time, I started walking at a slower pace, and I could very well notice how she looked at me worriedly. I did not have any energy to be the actor who acted like everything was fine. I knew I was too obvious, and I did not have any plan on changing it. "Stop staring. Look where you're walking." I told her. "Yes, I'm not fine. Something caught up."

       "This is not about Kris, right?" She asked.

       "No." I replied. "There are worse things to bother about than that friend of yours."

       "You can tell me what's wrong. I'll listen." She told me as she gripped on my hand, ensuring me of her words.

       "Shall we cut classes then?" I asked her. This time, smirking. "Just this once."

author's note

So, what was Lay bothering about?
I did not give much details on what he had to face in China
since I wanted to put some mystery to it.
Feel free to comment. 

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