Lost Ones

by Rute Canhoto

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Marina woke up to the sound of her phone’s alarm clock. The light on the bedside table was still on, which forced her to blink several times to adapt to luminosity. She reached her phone and pressed a random key to silence it. She started turning in bed, but stopped all of a sudden, hit by the memory that Lucas had spent the night with her. She widened her eyes, turned in bed and found out that she was alone. On his pillow was a red rose, and this time it had a card. She picked it up and read, ‘Thanks for the best night ever. Oh! And Happy Birthday, my sweet light.’ She smelled the rose and rolled in happiness on the mattress. It hadn’t been a dream; he had in truth spent the night there. It was strange that he had managed to leave without waking her up, but she didn’t want to know how he had done that.

  Marina jumped from ‘warmness valley’ with energy and tuned the radio to her favorite station. At the fast pace of the melody that was on, she dressed a long sweater similar to a dress, around which she would wear a big belt. Her black leather jacket, some black leggings and black boots completed the set. She also put on some long ethnic earrings, and held her hair in a braid falling sideways over her shoulder. Then she worked hard on make-up and put on a bit of perfume. After placing the rose with the others, she went to the kitchen for breakfast.

  As she ate, she remembered that she hadn’t told her mother that she wouldn’t dine at home. She jumped off from the chair, took a notepad from the closet and wrote a note: "Mom, don’t worry about dinner. I'll eat at Joshua’s place. He, his brother and Ana are going to throw me a birthday party. Get well! Kisses.’ When her mother went home for lunch, she would see the message. Even if she got upset and told her that she couldn’t go, it was fine – she had already won the day with Lucas’ gift.

  She grabbed her things, rushed to the entrance and opened the door at the precise second Joshua was about to ring the bell. Seeing her, the boy backed up and his mouth formed a silent ‘wow’ that he hoped she wouldn’t notice. Joshua was so impressed with her looks that he even forgot to greet her.

  “Good-morning to you too, Joshua,” she said playfully.

  The boy shook his head to force his voice to return, apologized and added, “Congratulations! This is so your day: you look… dazzling. I’m speechless!”

  Marina staged a parade and spun herself while laughing, allowing herself to feel a little vain. She was in a very good mood and would do her best to keep it that way. Who knew if that was going to be the best birthday ever?

  “You’re re very happy today,” noted Joshua when they started heading to school.

  “Let’s just say that I had a well spent night. And I won’t make any further comments.”

  Joshua found that statement a little strange, but decided to ignore it with wisdom. Maybe she had some pleasant dream last night. He hoped that it included him.

  On their way to school, Joshua enumerated the DVDs he had at home. At the end of the conversation, there were only four options to consider: two comedies and two horror movies. If by the end of the day she was still happy, she would bet on a comedy. However, if things didn’t go as she wanted, she would rather watch a horror film – it always had a great cathartic effect.

  When they got to school, Marina was received with whistles and shouts from Ana. Luckily, there wasn’t a lot of people in the lobby, otherwise she would be extremely embarrassed by her friend’s exaggerated compliments.

  “Uh-la-la, baby! Today you’re ready to seduce,” said Ana through a cheeky wink.

  “Ana, a little less, please…” demanded Marina, so that she would slow down.

  Ana smirked and retorted, “Less? No way! Besides, and before I forget, happy birthday!”

  “Thanks. Uh, I don’t want to seem ungrateful or displeased, but isn’t this the day that your French Translation teacher is not coming? Don’t you get in at 9.30?” asked Marina, finding it odd to see Ana there at that time. In fact, both Ana and Joshua got in at 9.30. How stupid! She had asked the boy to meet her in the morning and he had said yes, but was forced to get up earlier on purpose for that. She had to remember the time difference inside the classroom next time.

  Answering her questions, Ana enlightened, “Yes, she’s missing, but the Informatics teacher asked us to do research in pairs on the Pascal program, and we’re going to do it now. I can’t concentrate at Joshua's home, because Dennis spends all his time misleading me. We better do it here.”

  Bearing in mind that they were always glued to each other, Marina believed that.

  She escorted her friends to the computer room of free access to students, called “Nónio”, and headed to her locker. She changed the backpack’s contents, threw the sports bag into the cramped compartment, and left for the Informatics room. She found the door already opened and her peers inside. The few guys in class got lost in her looks for a few moments, but only until she sat down, because the teacher soon started talking and everyone directed their attention to her. She asked students to join in pairs and search for data on the Internet on the Pascal program. At the end of the class, they had to deliver her two pages on it.

  Lucas arrived when the teacher was explaining the task. Marina was startled. Her heart started beating so fast that that if she passed by a police speed control, she would be accused speeding. And the heat sensation that took possession of her? It was better not to mention it. How should she react? Should they continue to behave the same way, keeping away from each other, or were they… a couple? Oh, come on! They had only kissed; that was just a flirt, not a relationship. Unless they were both interested in that. Would he want that? He was such an independent guy that she suspected that he didn’t want ties of that kind.

  Lucas expressed a shameless grin that made her blush and wandered up near her. This time, he didn’t take the seat next to the colleague, but pulled up the empty chair beside Marina instead.

  “We must work in pairs, right?” he said in a mocking statement.

  Marina tried to suppress a smile, while his regular partner looked at her, incredulous, wondering why Lucas hadn’t chosen her as usual in those classes. Ignoring the girl’s ramblings, Marina turned the computer on, opened her diary and wrote what they had to do. While she was writing, Lucas went online to begin the search right away.

  “Open a document in Word to paste the information we deem most appropriate. Then we just have to work the text in at the end, so that things make sense,” she suggested.

  Lucas assented. Marina approached her chair to his then and to the computer’s monitor. Unexpectedly, his hand took hers sweetly under the table. The gesture surprised her, but she didn’t withdraw. None of them looked at each other, although they smiled inside. It was as if they were doing something forbidden, yet the adrenaline of the act was such that they couldn’t help it.

  When the class was about to end, they reviewed the final text and saved the document in the folder designated by the teacher. Marina put her stuff in her backpack. At the bell, the student’s babble returned and everyone rushed to recess.

  Before leaving the room, Lucas whispered in her ear in a sensual tone, “Do you know you're extraordinarily beautiful today?”

  Marina giggled. She put her mouth close to his ear and muttered, “You know, I had an excellent night. I guess that influenced my beauty today.” And she give him a quick kiss on his cheek, which lead him to adopt his typical insinuating smile that often made her lose herself in him.

  They left the classroom and each went separate ways. Marina wanted to go with him, but the doubt about their future remained: together or separated?

  She met her friends in the lobby. She went to them and said, “You’re not going to believe this! We’ve been doing the same work as you.”

  “Really? We were supposed to have done this last class, but the teacher took too long to explain things, so she sent us the task as homework,” explained Ana.

  “If you want, we can compare notes.”

  Animated, the friends grabbed a notebook and showed her the
fruits of their research. They spent the entire break checking data until the bell called them for French class. They walked into the room, talking about Pascal. The conversation lasted until the teacher ordered them to be quiet, because it was time to study the ‘Subjonctif’. ‘Que je sois; que tu sois; qu’il soit; que nous soyons; que vous soyez; qu’ils soyent’. This was the ‘music’ the French teacher wanted them to memorize at any cost. Marina was so tired of it that it was a relief to hear the bell. Ana and Joshua went outside instantly, while Marina stayed behind to go out at the same time as Lucas, allowing their hands to skim.

  She went with her friends to the bar to eat something. They sat at a quite table, next to the box office where they bought their lunch tickets, and stood there chattering and eating. After a few minutes, Marina stood up and excused herself to her friends, since she had to go to the bathroom before next lesson. And it was better to hurry before the bell or the Philosophy professor wouldn’t let her in. She snagged her rucksack and headed to the toilet.

  Relieved, Marina left the WC stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. She opened the tap, but the water didn’t flow. The plumbing roared loudly, allowing her to follow with her eyes the supposed journey of the liquid inside the pipes. Suddenly, the valve shuddered and began gushing a red fluid very similar to blood. Marina felt disgusted and covered her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. Although she was tempted to get out of there right away, she decided, in her naivety, to approach to observe better and try to understand what that liquid was. The reddish solution purled in the sink. To her horror, it began to assume the contours of a familiar face. It was the man/haunter that was chasing her. She wanted to run, but before she took one step toward the exit, his sepulchral voice was heard in her brain, Remind Lucas that his deadline ends tonight. What deadline, what was he talking about? And what did he want from them anyway? Enervated, Marina screamed in a demanding tone, “I'm sick of you! Leave us alone!”

  The visage broke up and the red liquid turned into normal water that flowed down the drain.

  Two girls entered the wash-room and found Marina still yelling. They stopped and gazed at her, stunned and confused. Feeling that she had to give them an explanation so that they wouldn’t think she was crazy, Marina said, “Cockroaches... Beware that school appears to be infested today. Even in here you find them!”

  The girls stared at the ground with repugnance, searching for some filthy cockroach, but none was visible. In fear, they went in the WC stalls and shut the doors behind them with expressions of mistrust.

  Marina took a deep breath to ward off the jitters and went straight to the classroom. The bell was ringing, which meant she had little time to get there or Manelito would close the door. Since the room wasn’t far from the WC, she got there in ten seconds. She threw herself into the chair and, soon after, Lucas settled down beside her.

  Noticing that her happiness look was gone, Lucas tightened up and assumed a cautious expression. Concerned, he asked in a low voice, “What is it?”

  “We’ll talk at lunch time,” she postponed, given that the teacher was looking at them at that precise moment with arched eyebrows. Concerns aside, she was in a Philosophy class, so she tried to focus and learn everything the professor explained. They were going to talk about syllogisms and fallacies.

  "Every man is mortal.

  Socrates is a man,

  Therefore, Socrates is mortal. "

  Based on this syllogism, the teacher taught them to distinguish the terms to find out which ones would be carried over to the last premise. From there, they created several, and Marina even found funny the foolish things said by some colleagues that made no sense at all. She had gotten away with homework in the previous classes, but the Philosophy professor was keen to write on the blackboard several syllogisms for them to copy and fix at home.

  With the bell came lunch time. Ana left to have lunch outside the campus with Dennis, while Joshua went to eat at home, as always. Marina settled at the usual table in the lobby and took the chance to do the Philosophy exercises before the canteen opened. She knew that she had to talk to Lucas about what had happened, nevertheless preferred to do homework first and only later deal with that. It was her day, for God’s sake! The haunting could wait.

  When she finished, she left the rucksack in the locker and headed to the back of the canteen to meet up with Lucas. She wanted to reclaim the joy she had felt the night before. She deserved it! She quickened her pace, as a smile began to emerge on her lips.

  She found him serious and restless, which saddened her. No, the haunt will not ruin my day, she scolded to herself, determined to stop that from happening. She drew near Lucas, grabbed his wrists and pulled him up, forcing him to rise from the pavement. The boy tried to avoid cheering up, but her charm was stronger than his good sense. Marina slid his arms to her waist, and wrapped his neck with hers.

  She swung a bit and put on a sullen air. Then, she protested, “You know, there’s a present I really wanted today and, at least in the daylight, I haven’t received it yet...”

  Lucas pretended to have no idea what she was talking about. Demanding, Marina closed the distance between them and gave him a gentle kiss. Her lips felt a slight tingling when they found his and the sensation spread to her body, which was conquered by instantaneous and pleasant warmth. What importance had the threats of the stupid ghost? She was there with him and that was all she cared about.

  When their mouths parted at last, Lucas whispered, "Happy birthday."

  Marina wanted to stay with him all the time, but Lucas shook his head from side to side. First, she had to have lunch, and she should do it soon since they would have Physical Education later and it was better to have her digestion completed before that class. With steady steps, he led her to the canteen.

  This time, Marina ate faster just to return quickly to him. In less than fifteen minutes, she was ready. After handing the tray to the employee, she left in a hectic rush and caught him when he was still getting up from the floor. On an impulse, she jumped into his lap. Surprised, Lucas retreated back and thanked God for his good physique, otherwise he might have had some trouble to hold her. Marina greeted him with a new hot kiss, which was welcomed. It would be so good if things could be like that forever.

  Lucas made her slide over him until her feet hit the ground. They sat a little further ahead under the roof’s protection, since the storm could come back. The sky was a dark compact mass that didn’t promise anything good. Marina settled between Lucas’ legs, rested her head on his torso and played vaguely with his fingers.

  They didn’t dare say a thing for a while, until Lucas asked, “You had another encounter out of the ordinary today, didn’t you?”

  Marina sighed. She wanted to ignore that event, so she put her best playful air on and commented, “I didn’t know I was so transparent! I mean, the best date of my life was last night, but I cannot complain of Joshua picking me up at home today. Yes, it was a little unusual, given that on Wednesdays we don’t start classes at the same time. Still, I can only thank him for the kindness.”

  He looked at her with a severe expression. “Marina...” he warned.

  The girl gasped. She was wasting too much time talking about what she didn’t want to. She hoped he would forget and leave the paranormal stuff aside for a few blessed hours, nonetheless it was impossible. It was better to get over that fast, to go back to her perfect moment.

  After a sigh, Marina said, “As you wish... Yeah, I had a spectacular meeting at the bathroom sink and it even made two girls think that I was a maniac. The annoying bugaboo asked me to remind you that your deadline ends today. I sent him for a walk and he went.”

  Lucas looked at her perplexed and, almost stuttering, inquired, “Y-you did that?”

  “Kind of,” she admitted, dragging her voice. Those weren’t her exact words, but that was their meaning. “I told him I wanted him to leave us alone, and he took off before I told him good. Anyway, nothing that I want
to remember, especially today.” And she kissed his hand. Why keep dwelling on an unusual message sent by someone weird and right on this day? She wouldn’t do that.

  Lucas remained quiet for some time without moving a single muscle, very thoughtful. Moments later, he swallowed hard. Not daring to face her, he assumed in a low voice, “Barbatos. That’s his name.”

  Marina waited a few seconds just to be sure that Lucas had in fact spoken. She turned in his direction to study him. So that man/ thing had a name, Barbatos. And he knew it. How? She scowled a question mark, but quickly shook her head to ward off that information to the most remote corner of her memory. Barbatos was a forbidden subject, at least until that evening.

  Lucas continued with his view nailed to the ground, not daring to look at her. There was so much important data he was hiding from her… He’d like to tell her certain things. He knew, however, that it would only separate them. He had to be honest with himself and admit he liked her a lot. He didn’t want to stay away from her. How could he tell the truth without losing her? It was impossible.

  Visibly shaken, and in a barely audible whisper, he put the pressing question, “What would you do if you knew I'm no good... that I have evilness deep down within me?”

  Marina reflected a bit, focusing on Lucas’ attitudes from the moment they met. He had been an idiot sometimes, but she could never believe that he was evil. In response, she said, “I don’t think you're mean. At least you never were to me. It’s almost inconceivable to think of that.”

  Lucas decided to rephrase the statement, suggesting a hypothesis that she found very peculiar. “Imagine then that I'm as wicked as a super evil demon. Even knowing this, were you willing to be with me?”

  Marina pondered the comparison. It was difficult for her to imagine him as treacherous as a fiend. It was true that when she had met him he wasn’t exactly the nicest person in the world, nonetheless she had seen a radical change of his attitude and she knew that he had much to offer if he was given a chance.

  The girl heaved a sigh. She held his face between her hands, looked deep into his eyes to show him she was being honest, and replied, “When I met you ages ago, you were nasty and almost despicable. Today, you’re the opposite, which proves that you aren’t, nor could you ever be evil like a demon. You said that you were a lost one, but I think you have found yourself in the last weeks. You’re a wonderful and amazing person and woe who says otherwise!”

  “So, you think I can be saved?” he muttered, lowering his eyes.

  “Yes and you’re totally worth it!” she assured, completing her answer with a kiss that silenced him for the rest of lunchtime.

  At five minutes to the bell, Marina stood up and invited Lucas to do the same, since they had to get ready for Physical Education class. Holding hands, they went to the descent that separated the old part of school from the one more recent. If they didn’t want to be seen together, it was better to separate there. Marina prepared to drop his hand, but he didn’t do it. Intrigued, she stared at him with doubt mirrored in her irises.

  Lucas shrugged and claimed, “Today is your day, so we’ll do things your way. Do you want me to let go of your hand?”

  Marina shook her head, showing that wasn’t what she wanted. There was no harm in being seen together. It was even good that people get accustomed to that, so the whispering stage about them didn’t last long.

  They went down the access ramp to the school yard together. Marina was in Heaven: it was indescribable the sensation of having him there with her, clasping hands in front of everyone. Maybe he wouldn’t mind being her boyfriend. She would ask him some day, if she had the guts.

  They headed to Marina’s locker for her to get her Gym bag. As she was pulling it out, her phone rang.

  “It’s my mom,” announced Marina. “This may take a while, but don’t be late because of me. We’ll meet at the gym. Oh! And take this sheet. It’s yesterday’s homework since you didn’t do it, because… you were busy.”

  Lucas glanced at her with malice and wove a little suggestive grimace while she passed him the sheet. Then he went to the male changing room, while Marina picked up the call. “Hello, Mom?”

  “Happy birthday, my dear!” greeted Luísa from the other end.

  Marina smiled to the phone and replied, “Thanks! And how are you today?”

  “The same,” complained her mother. “I’m glad your friends decided to throw you a party. I’m afraid I’m not the best company today.”

  The conversation lasted for a while, by which Marina was forced to leave for the locker room and equip herself as they spoke, in order not to be late. When she hung up, Ana was near her, all smiles. It seemed that her lunch had gone well.

  They entered the sports pavilion together and found Lucas already there, practicing a few scores with a basket ball. Upon seeing Marina, his face lit up and he tried to repress a shameless grin. Ana noticed this detail and coughed a suggestive “hmm-hmm”.

  Marina rolled her eyes, but Ana hastened to shake her index in front of her friend’s nose while saying, “Don’t you think you can fool me, I have plenty of experience in this field. Your response only confirmed that the rumors I heard when I got to school are true.”

  Marina gasped. Damn, news ran fast! And the only thing she had done was hold hands with Lucas. There were a lot of nosy people at the campus who should stick to their own affairs instead of dedicating to gossip. Without choice, Marina mumbled, “Fine. What did you hear?”

  “I knew it!” Ana shrieked. Calming down a little bit, she proceeded, “I was just told that you were seen holding hands with Lucas. I confess I had my doubts, but your reaction... you confirmed everything. I wish I had seen it. You still have to tell me a few details.”

  “Hell, no!” protested Marina. “As you said, it was no big deal. Come on, let’s approach the teacher to hear what he’s saying.”

  “What’s he saying? The usual: ten laps around the field. You’re trying to escape, but that smiley face of yours doesn’t trick me. Indeed, it mirrors that you already went far beyond holding hands. Or do you want to teach this grandma how to suck eggs?”

  “So what?” teased Marina, as she began to run like mad with Ana on her tail. She felt like poking Ana until curiosity consumed her. However. the teacher hastened to recall her that she was in a classroom, so she should stop joking. Marina apologized and regained her composure, swallowing her joy and arresting it in an imaginary cage.

  After the laps around the field, followed the warm-up leaded by Joshua. It was hard not to notice his gloomy expression and his lack of concentration. What was wrong with him? Marina made a nod to Ana in Joshua’s direction and she replied with another nod in Lucas’ direction. There was the answer: the same rumors her friend had heard had also reached Joshua’s ears. Crap! Why didn’t people stick to their lives? She had to sort out the situation somehow or else she would have a strange birthday dinner with a grouchy friend.

  The teacher asked them to join in pairs to practice the passes. Marina began by approaching Lucas, who was smiling at her with a look so seductive that made her heart throb. However, with a tinge of guilt in her eyes, she turned away from him, after telling him softly, “Sorry, but I can’t sit still when a friend of mine is sad.” That said, she headed to Joshua. She confronted him with a warm grin and asked, “Would you mind being my partner in this exercise?”

  Joshua was hurt, thus he felt tempted to refuse and to depart from her. Could she be kidding him? Would she think that she could use both of them as she pleased? Still, he recalled the promise he had made and responded in a controlled tone, “According to the promise you obliged me to make, I tell you now that you can be my partner, but I'm not in a talking mood.”

  Marina assented - it was fair and he was in his right. She herself had established his right to silence, since forewarned. He had warned her, now she just had to respect his space.

  After training the passes, the coach asked them to divide in two groups so tha
t they could play a basketball match, and so they did. The game went well and the team of Ana and Marina won the challenge, in part thanks to Joshua, who was the best player without a doubt.

  When the lesson ended, students headed to the changing room. Before entering the locker room, and noticing Joshua further ahead, Marina decided to mess around with him up. She put her hands on his shoulders for a higher jump and, after landing, she pouted. “If you don’t cheer up, tonight you'll be forced to watch a romantic movie.”

  Joshua stuck his tongue out. He had no patience for lame movies. He was more into horror films, with a lot of blood, and in which the characters ripped their opponents’ heads off.

  Marina hurried showering and went to her locker to exchange the sports bag for the rucksack with the material for last class. She still wanted to be with Lucas that day, but when the Translation class ended, she would follow with her friends to Joshua's house and wouldn’t see him. She decided to wait for him by the male changing room. While she was waiting for Lucas, two guys came out of the dressing room and left the door ajar. That made her feel a little bit embarrassed, because it gave the impression she was spying on them. All of a sudden, she heard Joshua’s angry voice calling for Lucas. With her heart in abeyance, she froze and tried to listen. Nothing... As there was no response, Joshua insisted on an even more heated tone. Another silence followed that call.

  Lucas went to the door, but before opening it, Joshua shouted, “You may have her today, but you know pretty well that she’ll be mine in the end. And don’t you think I'll give up!”

  It was as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her. She didn’t know how to react. She knew that Joshua was upset and wanted to fix this, but she was forced to admit that Lucas was right when he had said that, eventually, she would hurt one of them. A chill rippled through her. What if Lucas engaged a fight with Joshua? She felt tempted to go in to curb the moods. However, and by luck, Lucas crossed the door jamb and almost bumped into her. Marina jumped in place with the fright and goggled her eyes, to relax the very next second. Responding by instinct, she grabbed Lucas’ hand and dragged him in a mad rush to the room where they would have the last class.

  She pushed Lucas against the wall and, steadying her hands on his chest, she laughed. “See? How can you ask me if you’re a badass demon? If you were, you would have disrespected what I asked you about Joshua. But you didn’t. Thanks for that.”

  Before he could answer, she kissed him passionately and didn’t care about whoever might be watching. To hell with appearances! She wanted to thank him for being so respectful and enjoy the last moments of the day with him.

  When the bell rang, she moved a little away from him and said, somewhat laconic, “I suppose that today we’ll no longer see each other. Yesterday you didn’t go home. Your parents must be very concerned.”

  Lucas remained motionless in the same place, as if something troubled him. He stared at emptiness and muttered, “I have no parents any longer.”

  Hearing that, saddened her. She wanted to know more about the subject and to comfort him, but the classmates were piling up nearby, so she confined herself to entwine her fingers in his as if saying that she was there for him.

  The teacher didn’t take long and soon they were all in their seats. The sound of chalk on the blackboard made them look at what the teacher was writing: they were going to translate in pairs a text entitled ‘Living in America’. It was a text thinking of Joshua, and the teacher was keen to assure this when she directed a smile to him after completing the summary. Marina was divided: with whom would she do the translation? On one hand, she wanted to stay with Lucas, but on the other, she wanted to cheer up Joshua even because of the ‘party’ they would have next. What would the convivial atmosphere be like if he insisted on continuing to act that way?

  “I’m feeling a little sick, miss. Can I do the translation alone? I don’t want to prejudice any of my peers,” Marina made up.

  “You can stay with Joshua. I’m sure he won’t be late because you’re not at your best,” suggested the professor in a cheery tone.

  Marina opened her mouth wide and ignored the painful lurch in her stomach. If she had any doubts about whom to choose, the teacher had just put an end to them.

  Joana rushed to protest, “It's not fair, miss! Joshua and I had already agreed to stay together, because I have some difficulties and he promised to help me.”

  The pout of the most beautiful girl in class didn’t go unnoticed, and the teacher hurried to unsay what she had stated, although she kept that Marina had to choose a partner to work with. Students rose and joined whom they wanted. Joshua took his things and headed to the other end of the room, sitting next to Joana. Marina also picked up her stuff and jumped in the seat next to Lucas, and that Joshua had left vacant. She didn’t mind working with Lucas a single bit, she even preferred it. They opened their books and began translating the text.

  Lucas was an excellent translator and he didn’t even open the dictionary to look up a single word. Marina had never thought that he was that good. It was a pleasant surprise. Thanks to his extraordinary capabilities combined with hers, they finished the translation before the end of the class. However, they pretended to be still working, while their hands touched under the tabletop.

  When the bell rang, Marina asked Lucas to wait in the school garden. She waited for Joshua at the hallway and asked, “I know you're giving me the silent treatment, but do me a favor, will you? Ana said she was waiting for us next to the lockers, but I have to go to the bathroom first. I'll meet you there, okay?”

  Joshua nodded without looking at her and kept walking, while she ran to the door that gave access to the school garden. Sue found Lucas leaning against the building wall, waiting for her. She approached him with an expression of sadness, made a finger slide over his chest and sighed. “It seems that the day has come to an end for us. I gotta go. Ana, Joshua and Dennis are waiting for me. Will you send me a text later to let me know you’re well?”

  Lucas agreed. He pulled her to him with urgency and, without prior notice, gave her a kiss so eager that it gave the impression he wanted to merge with her. Marina was swept away. Her entire body pulsated to the rhythm of her fast breathing, and her chest seemed like wanting to explode with so much desire. She had to admit it: she loved his kisses and longed for them. When their mouths parted, Lucas didn’t let her move away and continued hugging her. Marina corresponded to the tight linkage and allowed her shape to frame his until not knowing where one ended and another began.

  In a moan, Lucas muttered, “If you knew how much I feared the arrival of this moment...”

  “Why?” Marina questioned, not understanding what he meant.

  “Because I'm afraid that things may change overnight. I don’t wanna lose you, you're way too important. I know we haven't known each other long and the words may even sound ridiculous, but I don’t say them lightly. I could almost say that I...”

  Love you? Would those be the words he was looking for? The incessant agitation returned to Marina’s belly. She understood him perfectly, as she felt the same way.

  Given his reluctance to complete his reasoning line, she smiled and declared in a shy voice, “I know what you mean, because I feel the same. Don’t be silly. Why would you lose me? If you're scared about the party at Joshua’s, calm down, because I believe in monogamy. And speaking of him, I really must go now.”

  She gave him another kiss, but a less time consuming one, otherwise she risked losing courage to depart. That was him - irresistible. Controlling the impulse that impelled her to go back and fall into his arms, Marina went in the school building and ran to the locker hallway, where her friends had been waiting for a good while.

  “At last, madam!” grumbled Ana when she saw her.

  “Sorry for the delay, but I'm here. I'll just leave some things in my locker and we can go.”

  “Really? Better check if you have to go back to the toilet, because, by the dela
y, it seems like a virus to me. Although I’d bet more on evil eye...” accused Ana in a cloudy tone, while nodding her head in Joshua’s direction.

  Joshua was still pissed off like a tied donkey. If things between her and Lucas continued as they were that day, he’d have to get a good amount of rope to hang that wild animal inside of him. She threw the backpack into the locker, retrieved the sports bag and she was ready to go.

  The four of them passed the school gate two minutes later. Marina looked askance at the entrance over her shoulder and she noticed Lucas coming out too, looking chagrin and sad. It was so hard to leave him like that she even considered going back. He had almost told her that he loved her - it was a big and important step. Who knew if they wouldn’t really assume themselves as a couple? Marina laughed at that. How ironic! She never looked for love, and now she had someone who liked her and who she liked, and things between them could become serious. Life gave many turns indeed. In a last attempt to cheer Lucas up so that he wasn’t so glum, Marina took her phone and wrote, ‘Do you know that I adore you?’ The answer didn’t take long and made her leap with joy, while her friends looked at her perplexed, as if her good sense had eclipsed. Lucas had replied, ‘And you, do you know how much I love you?’