Painful Smiles

Claudia opened the door and sent a glare at Michael. She faked a smile when she saw the elderly woman besides him.

“Clara? Why do you look this sick?” Mrs. Peniel asked worried.

“It’s not Clara, okay? She’s someone different” Michael answered instead.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He then faced Claudia, “I was bored so I came. Do you need to go to the hospital? My car is here?”.

Claudia exhaled and opened the front door wider for them to come in.

“Aren’t you related to Clara dear?” Mrs. Peniel asked again.

“She is just friends with her. Please stop asking. They can’t be sisters” Michael pleaded.

Claudia rolled her eyes, “Yeah, we so can’t be. Clara is a chicken, I’m not”.

Mrs. Peniel was visibly confused but she waved off the feelings. She was really broken to know that the young girl in front of her had a deep knife cut.

“You mean your childhood friend did that?” Michael was in shock.

“Childhood friend? Did Clara say we were that? Tsk. Fine then” Claudia shrugged.

Michael thought something was off but he didn’t dwell on the thought, “I’m sorry for aggravating it”.

“Aggravating it how?” Mrs. Peniel faced Michael.

“Um…”

“He accidentally made it bleed again. It wasn’t intentional” Claudia came in to say.

“Oh, you should be careful. You know why” Mrs. Peniel advised.

Michael gave Claudia a small smile but she acted like she didn’t see it.

“So, I’ve had treatment. I don’t need any medical assistance anymore. Just I’d be having shaky hands for the next week” Claudia sighed.

Michael nodded. After his attempted suicide as a kid, he had shaky hands. They were painful as the hand just vibrates continually.

“By the way, for who gave me your phone number, it was Paul, your little brother” Michael announced.

Claudia was surprised but she didn’t show it. “Next time, don’t pick up any kid from the road” was all she said.

She could have hit him for the stress he put her through but she was too tired to say anything more.

She had been standing for too long, her head was becoming woozy. Michael noticed and rushed to place her down on a couch. He sat close to her and looked at her pitifully.

“We should leave now” Mrs. Peniel said to Michael, when it seemed he couldn’t stop looking at her. He rose his head slowly and nodded.

“Thanks for com…” Claudia couldn’t finish as a pang of headache shut her up.

“You’re welcome” Michael answered, visibly excited to hear the “miss dangerous” thanking him.

School was due the next day and Claudia felt better to attend. Clara was consistently looking at her. Claudia wasn’t sure if she was worried or just glaring.

“I will drop you two at school first, but would pick you up last, is that okay?” their driver asked.

Claudia smiled at him to give her consent while Claudia said “whatever”.

The lessons of the day flew beyond Claudia’s head for the day. She stared at the teacher right in the eye to get a hang of what she was saying but everything just sounded like bad music.

Worst still, the math teacher gave a classwork since, according to her, may people sent submit their weekend’s assignment.

The loud groans the whole class made was painful to Claudia’s ears and head. She literally shielded her ears and rested on her desk.

“Don’t blame me. If more people had submitted their assignment, this won’t be happening” the math teacher shouted.

Michael noticed Claudia hadn’t lifted her head up. His brain assumed it was the headache but he wasn’t sure. If only he had done the assignment, maybe they’d be no classwork now.

“It is just easy, don’t complain” the math teacher went ahead to write the questions on the board.

Claudia didn’t bother look up. At worse, she would fail math, it’s not like she was bad at it anyway.

The teacher sat at the table to watch them as they wrote. Michael hoped Claudia would raise her head up but she didn’t. The teacher overlooked her so many times.

“Ma’am, Claud…” Wright was about to call the teacher’s attention but she just looked the other way.

Wright looked at Claudia, then took her math notes.

“I’ll be coming around to take the books so better finish your work” the math teacher announced. Wright glared at her. He hadn’t even finish the stupid shapes she asked them to draw.

He scribbled some solutions to Claudia’s book and closed it knowing he wouldn’t have to time for the drawings.

“Ten minutes and I’ll come around” the teacher announced again.

“We know. Shut the damn thing” Clara yelled out as the teacher just kept on making everyone tensed.

The teacher walked angrily to her and in the speed of a light second, Michael reached out for Claudia’s math book on Wright’s desk.

“Just help her draw” Wright whispered to Michael as if he knew why he took her book. Michael nodded to him.

“I hope you do well on this like you did in your assignment. I’m pretty sure it was Claudia doing those assignments for you, wasn’t it?” the teacher slammed her table.

Clara looked her in the eye, “You said we should do our assignment so I did mine. Why’d you care how I did it?”.

The teacher slowly went back and shook her head, “Claudia had brain but no beauty. You have beauty but no brain. The thing you two have in common is bad character” she made a spitting gesture then pointed at the Class rep. “Gather those books. Time’s over”.

The class rep. skipped Michael twice as he didn’t want to offend him by taking his books. Michael finished the drawing and shitted both his book and Claudia’s. At least, he was good at drawing.

“Thanks. She said she had a headache” Wright said to Michael after the class.

“Oh really?” Michael acted like he wasn’t aware.

“Maybe, she’d be nicer to you for helping her” Wright playfully patted Michael. Michael smiled, “I hope so”.