Leaving

# The next morning
Raquel dressed up for school and went down for breakfast.
She greeted her mom who was already at the dinning area, setting up the food casually before occupying a seat.
“You don’t look fine to me, Raquel. Are you alright?. You’ve got eyebags also”
“I’m… fine, mom. I.. didn’t get a lot of sleep. That’s all”she lied smoothly.
“Oh. And why is that?”her mom inquired as she placed a plate of bacon and egg Infront of Raquel.
“The exam is right at the corner so I busied myself with my books”
“Oh. That’s nice”her mom gave a nod.
She flashed her a fake smile.
“Good morning, everyone!”Mirabel rushed down.
“Easy on the stairs Mirabel, else you will have your teeth all washed out”
“Huh?. Just like the kid next house?”
“Yea. I’m sure you don’t wanna end up with broken teeth, do you?”
“I don’t”he responded with a cute smile as he took over a chair.
“Bacon and eggs?. I heard bacon makes one skin rough”Mirabel pouted.
“Who told you that shit?”their mom asked
“A friend of mine!”
“Ooh, is this little boy sure?. I sense she is more than a friend”Raquel teased.
“No!. Don’t think like that. She is only a friend to me”
“So, you quite agree with me that she is a ‘she’ “Raquel went on to tease him.
“Oh, please, Raquel. Learn to mind your business “he huffed.
Raquel raised up her spoon in a bid to hit it on his head but she was stopped by her mom.
“You little prick. I would have hit this on your big head… thank your big star mom was here to save you”she gritted.
He only rolled his eyes.
“Whatever”he mumbled as he picked up his fork.
“I heard that!”Raquel’s frowned.
“Didn’t recollect saying you shouldn’t”he replied, pissing his sister off the more.
“Speak to your sister with respect, Mirabel. She is the older one here, not you”their mother scolded him.
“Okayy”he drawled.
*
After breakfast, Raquel moved out to her ride and in no minute, they hit the road.
She stared out of the window, in pains.
She shouldn’t have released the video.
She bit her lips in regret.
She did the right thing.
She saved him from the chain of the police.
But, why is she feeling bad?
This made her recollect memory of her on her first day to the school.
She has been looking out of the window just as she was doing now.
That time she looked out of the window in anger because she was accused of what she knows nothing of and got expelled.
This time around, she looked out in regret.
He will also be expelled.
She felt a sting in her heart bit she brushed it off
“Miss, are you okay?”the driver’s words rang in her ears.
She looked up at him and oops!, just like her first day, she had went deep in her thinking that she didn’t notice they arrive at the school already.
She wiped a stray tear that fell and took her backpack then step out.
As she moved to the building, she was the talk of the morning as different fingers were pointed at her as they discussed.
“Yes, I am the girl that released the video”she says to herself as she entered and arrived at the lobby.
“Oh my!….”Miranda rushed over to her side.
“Raquel, are you okay?. I know it’s a hard decision. Look at your eyes looking all so gloomy”Miranda asked worriedly.
“Is he getting expelled tho?”Raq couldn’t help but to ask.
“Of course. It will be, nothing, but a hard decision for the principal also as his father is one of the top investors in the school but…”Miranda sighed with a shrug.
Raquel stopped walking, her eyes glued to the guy who also stood, holding a brown box, looking at her, coldly, but who suddenly beam a smile.
Her heart started a party drum as he walked towards her.
“What are…..”Miranda wanted to ask after walking ahead and found Raquel standing but as soon as she saw Styopa, she mouthed an ‘oh’ and left.
“Hi, Raq”he called out sweetly.
She felt her heart shattered into love bubbles.
Oh… the love.. it has ignited again.
“I understand you prolly hate me now but can we please, have a little dialogue?”he asked and stared around.
“.. in a maybe, quiet place. My request is too much I know but this is the only way I can say sorry for breaking your heart and .. well, say a decent goodbye to my first love”
Her cheeks reddened as he said that first love part.
She looks away and cleared her throat.
“Well, you already said that sorry, so no need for us to have any other conversation”deep down, she didn’t mean those words.
“Please….?”
*
“Okay, now we are here. Well, the janitor’s room didn’t seem bad at all”she said as they entered.
“Did someone threatened you?”he asked.
She spun around with a frown.
“Thought you said you wanna apologize?”
“Yeah, I did. And, I’m asking that questions for the sake of you”
Raquel pressed her lips together then gently gave a nod.
“Who?”
She looked at him.
“Why are you asking?”she scoffs.
“Like I said, for your sake”he voiced roughly.
“The boyfriend of the girl you r*ped”
A flash of light glinted in his eyes.
“Boyfriend?”
“Yeah. He actually… filmed you when you were…”
“Oh. What did he say to you to make you release the video?”
“I actually saved you!”she declared.
He tilted his head,”how?”
“He said he will give it to the police if I don’t post it in the group’s chat. And I thought over it repeatedly that you getting just expelled is actually a lot better than being imprisoned”
“You aren’t as smart after all. Since you posted it in the GC, you thought it won’t get out to the police?. Well, the group chat has been destroyed and so no more of that and we’ll, the students has been shushed also. About the guy that threatened you, he would be arrested tomorrow. Why didn’t he come to the girl aid when I was doing that but only video?.”
“They… deleted the video?”
“Not only that, the GC also”he replied.
“By the way, you can now delete the one you have on your phone now. Other students has done that too. And, I wasn’t in my right sense when that happened. It seems I was drugged and set up. I won’t ever do that in my right sense. Anyone behind this just want to get my father’s reputation tainted. I am not that brutal, Raquel. So, don’t think of me like that.
This will probably be our last encounter. I’m leaving the country tomorrow and well, this sounds a little bit awkward as it is my first but I will miss you”
Raquel’s face dropped. His words got her.
“To where?”
“Somewhere. I was told not to disclose it to anyone and God!, why I’m I saying this to you?. You’ve really charmed me with your love.”he smiles.
Raquel only stared at him.
He moved closer to her, gen tototly placed the box in his hand down and grab her by her neck, taking her in a deep kiss. One that says it all – what their mouths fail to say.
They kissed for some minutes before he pulled away.
“I will miss you, Raquel. I mean it”
“We might have only spent few moments together, but it felt like decades and I’m happy those moments were well spent”he gazed at her softly.
Her eyes welled up in and she didn’t know when they rushed out.
“Korea”he smooched her lips.
He hugged her and she reciprocated immediately, hugging him tightly.
“You are never coming back?”
“I am never coming back”
He moved back a little to stare at her. Their faces inches away.
He cupped her cheeks.
“Won’t you miss me?”he whispers.
She didn’t give a response but just look at him.
She wept. The moment she saw him pick up his box, slowly walk to the door and mutter a ‘i love you’ to her then vanished, she wept more.