Wish you luck
Wish you luck
When she stepped into the school premises, she was first welcomed by a large banner which was congratulating Benjamin as the new Student's Council President. She looked at the banner not longer than necessary before she continued her journey to the class.
The only thing that kept ringing in her head was "Dance, Exam, Leo, Dance, Exam, Leo." Those were the most important things in her life at the moment and she didn't want anything to ruin it.
Did she want Mary and Linda far away from her? The answer was yes. After much thought, she realised those people weren't good at all for her mental health. She didn't want them around her. Something told her she would do well without them in her life. Something also told her to stay away from them so they wouldn't keep blaming her for whatever was happening to them. Maybe if she stayed away from the Lucas, her father would return then they can live happily ever after without her.
Once she entered the class, a bright smile from Jeremy greeted her and she smiled back. She was glad he looked okay now and better than the way he looked earlier this week.
"You look great." He complimented. He wasn't necessarily talking about the corporate pants and shirt she was wearing but the fact that she looked brighter than she looked yesterday.
"So you're no longer sick? What a weird illness." He said with an hint of 'I hope whatever was troubling you has been sorted out?' in his voice.
"I'm okay. You look really happy." She noted and looked at Chloe's direction. Chloe wore her earphone with her usual straight face as she flipped through a note book.
Jeremy sighed. "I don't know what is wrong with her. One moment she is like this, next, she is entirely different. I think she would need to see a psychologist or therapist or whatever people who have problems sees."
"Any idea about what is wrong with her?" Mia asked in concern.
"I have no idea." He shook his head. "She seem like someone who has been locked in a cage for a really long time. So even if she comes out, being free seems weird so she runs back inside the cage."
"She would need help." Mia noted. "You can help her. Can't she talk to you?"
"Chloe doesn't talk to people. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT." He reminded her.
Everyone has a problem. Mia noted with a sad sigh.
"What about you? What is your problem?" She asked curiously. He always seemed cheerful but there was no one human who was without a problem right? Doesn't that make the world balanced?
"Me? Nothing... I'm good." He said and opened his bag to take out his textbook and another material.
"Who owns this?" Mia asked, and picked up the printed material to look at it.
"Chloe gave this to me. It's a summary of all our courses. I've been studying it with the one you gave to me. At this rate, I think I may beat the both of you and get better grades." He said with a smug smile.
"Haha! In your dreams." Mia said and rolled her eyes.
"I miss yesterday." Jeremy suddenly said with a far look in his eyes.
"When we left your place, Chloe and I went shopping. I remember how people looked at us when we got back to campus. I could hear them saying we looked so good together. And Chloe didn't seem to mind the gossips but after classes, her mood changed again. Hiss! Women are so difficult."
Mia looked at Chloe's direction again. Something was definitely wrong with her and it was bigger than it seemed. Or was it a personality disorder like Schizoid for example?
"Just try what you can to help her. Sometimes, we tend to push people away from helping us but we really do need help and would really appreciate it if someone helped us." She said, remembering all the times Leo had helped her out and sometimes, without her knowledge.
Jeremy thought about it for a while before nodding. "I will do something."
"I wish you luck." Mia said with a genuine smile which he returned.
"Have you decided to sign up for the school's talent show?" Jeremy remembered to ask Mia.
She shook her head. "I won't be doing it."
"What? Why? The benefits are mad! You stand to gain a lot especially if you are among the top 5."
She shook her head again. "I have never really watched a competition from up close. All shows I've been to, I go there to participate, not to watch. Before I leave school, I want to know how it feels like to watch without almost dying of anxiety because your group may be next to perform, and you are a nervous wreck. I want to sit among the crowd and cheer for people." She turned to look at him with a smile. "That's what I want."
Jeremy looked at her sadly. He really knew nothing about Mia. It was a simple thing, yet, she said it like it was among her bucket list. Why hadn't she watched a competition before?
Of course she couldn't watch it because at first, Linda had stopped her from going to shows especially when she realised Mia had a thing for dance. She didn't want Mia to settle for something as 'mediocre' as dancing. Then eventually, Mia couldn't go out to watch because she had to work. She had too many part time jobs that watching a competition was the least of her problems. And when she saw an opportunity to make money from dancing, she grabbed it. The first time she stood on the stage, she had almost had an panic attack. Thankfully, she hadn't gone there with her bare face since her face was painted with colors and she also wore a mask. It had been so because she told Mr B about how her family didn't want her to dance and could easily identify her if they saw a video of her dancing, so he had suggested that heavy make ups be used on her face. Seeing how hiding her identity also gave her confidence, she stuck to that pattern.
Maybe one day, she would reveal her face to the world? But she wasn't sure dancing was the career she was going to pursue.