"No. I'm not doing this. Perhaps I shouldn't go for lectures today. Lord, please what am I to do?"
"Meg?" Mo's call came behind her door before it creaked open. "What?! You're still lying down, you've not even prepared?!"
"Mo, I don't feel so fine." She said sleepily, rolling to the other side of her bed. Mo's look changed immediately from disappointed to worried.
"Are you okay? How do you feel?" She said, coming to her bed and feeling her forehead. Meg shut her eyes firmly as she forced herself not to laugh. "Thank goodness you're not burning today. Maybe you should just rest more. You can stay back today. It's just 'getting to know your group members' today right? "
Meg nodded as she rolled again, as if very uncomfortable and sick.
"Don't worry and just get enough rest okay? After all, Michael isn't also attending lectures today."
"What?!" She jumped from her bed. "Are you sure?"
Mo nodded as she stared at her in awe. "Yes... but, why are you... wait, don't tell me you're like this because you're avoiding him? Megan?!"
"No! That's not true. I'm really not getting myself right now," Meg defended as she laid down again. "I'm not avoiding anyone. It's just that my head has started again and it's really making me dizzy."
"Then come, let me drop you off at Dr. Raymond's. He needs to scan your system..."
"No, I'm really okay. I already took my drugs and I guess it's because I over worked yesterday night. I read a lot. From books about AH to lecture notes." She looked at Mo but she was staring at her, unconvinced. "I'll be fine Mo, I was drugged or... poisoned with cyanide and this is just the effects but enough rest with my medications will really do and I'll be good soon. Trust me."
Mo just hummed and shrugged.
She then sat up on her bed. "Will you wait for me then?"
She was surprised. "To do what? You're not well to attend any lectures today."
"Yeah, but I might try. I forgot I also have my singing class today and I missed the last one so I can't miss today's. Let me prepare please, at least," she checked her phone. "We still have like.... 30 minutes left right?" She smiled, and began dragging herself from the bed.
Mo looked happy, Meg knew she would be. Rarely do they go for this routine without each other. "Okay, I'll wait for you. Let me know if Nanny's done with breakfast so I can bring yours." Her tone rang in excitement as she left, loudly banging the door close.
Meg laughed as she went into her bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush. "Finally, I'm not going to meet him again, at least not today." And she couldn't also risk staying behind, she might as well run into him again.
They had their breakfast of avocado toast with poached eggs before bidding Nanny farewell and zooming off in Mo's car.
"I just spoke with Rich," Her voice came with her excitement as she sped. "He's in school."
"You've missed him a lot." Meg smiled beside her.
"Is it very obvious? I don't want him thinking that."
"Well, it's stamped all over your body." Meg laughed, pinching her cheeks.
"Ouch! Megan! Stop else you'll have to be hospitalized again."
----
The Tesla arrived at the garage at exactly few minutes before eight.
"Well, I'll see you after lectures beside the fountain then, Rose and Emily are already in the hall." Mo said as she grabbed her bag and shut her door.
"Right. I'm having my singing classes first and that man's saying that we have a competition upcoming so..." She shrugged and gave her twin a tight hug as they kissed their cheeks. "I'll see you later."
"Megan! You're just coming." May said as Meg came close and took her seat beside her.
"Yeah, I'm not so well," she looked around. "He isn't here yet?"
"No, but he said the competition is in a week's time, and you're singing on stage. Hope you're getting better?"
Meg nodded with eyes bulged. "Yeah but...why am I ..."
"You sing so good. Congratulations." May smiled as she nudged her, picking up her guitar.
Sir Grey came in few minutes late, with a hat covering his bald head. He looked around the music hall and sighted Megan immediately.
"Megan Adams," he called, walking towards her. "We didn't see you yesterday. Was there a problem...at home?"
"I wasn't feeling okay, Sir Grey. But I'm getting better." Meg smiled. "May told me about the competition. I'm presenting on stage. "
"Good she already told you. Hope you're preparing yourself?"
Meg was quiet for a moment. Prepare? She can't even remember when last she touched her keyboard.
"Yes," she smiled. "I am, we'll win that trophy, so don't worry Mr.Grey."
Mr. Grey nodded cheerfully. "Good. You practice after lectures and I also help to brush you up. Now, to the music of the day..."
The rest of the practice was hectic. Meg feared her headache might return if she kept repeating stanzas and straining her voice. May's enthusiasm with her guitar was her only encouragement. When 'Baldie' finally left, she took a deep sigh of relief and cleared her voice. Next was the project class. She thought of meeting Diana and asking for a change of group. But on a second thought, that's cowardice. She will face Michael, finish her project. Well... but not today.
Rose came behind her running as she made her way towards the lecture hall. "Meg, wait up," she was panting. "I thought it was Morgan, but she doesn't wear skirts."
Meg laughed. "You're just coming?"
She sighed. "It's because of Davis. I don't know if the freak is stalking me. He appeared on me today at the gym."
"You went to gym before coming here?" Meg asked surprised as they took the last direction to the hall.
"Well, I needed to feel energetic. I felt my bones loosing strength. So he just...came out of nowhere and was behind me on my treadmill, whispering rubbish to my ear."
Meg laughed at how she said Davis 'came out of nowhere.' Like he appeared with smokes, as in movies?
"What was he saying?"
"How he wouldn't leave me for anybody. How he's so sorry, how he's been missing me lately....brrrr....so many trash." She said, making a face of disgust as she shook her head. Meg couldn't help but laugh.
"Next time if he appears on you again, just try to disappear." She joked as Rose laughed before they stepped inside the lecture hall. Students were already full in there. "Wow, can't believe they all turned up for this." Left for her, she wouldn't have if not that she was avoiding been bored and then running into Michael... maybe, Again.
They saw Diana in front of the hall as she banged on the lecturer's stand before her, seeking attention.
"You know, I'm still nervous about the whole thing," Rose whispered as she looked round. "Meeting Kingsley. Guess he's not even here yet."
Meg just gave a little smile as though her attention wasn't even there. What would even be the cause of Michael's absence in school today? She sincerely hoped he was alright.
"We were given till week's end for this project and you guys know it," Diana began. "So please, we have to be serious about it. We have from group one to ten, and each group is with six members. It fully resumes tomorrow at the laboratory. So please, let's cooperate."
"But Diana, " Someone raised a hand. "what if you're assigned to the same group with a freak you've been avoiding all your life?" A girl asked as she looked over at another girl with a frown, who in turn made a finger of 'fuck you ' to her. There were murmurs as the question arose, which many people like Rose were affirming to, including herself, Megan.
"Well," Diana shrugged. "You deal with that. Thank you." She firmly stated before stepping down from the stand. Meg knew that her answer couldn't be anymore different. She was always like that, so uptight.
"I wonder if she even has a boyfriend." Rose scoffed. She was pretty, yet she had never been heard dating any boy in campus.
"Well, I bet she doesn't."
"Megan?" She heard someone call her name just as she was still chatting away with Rose. She wondered who could own such husky voice as she turned.
"I knew it's you," The guy said with a smile. Meg stood for a while as she tried remembering where she had met him. Oh, God. It was him, James Garfield. She already forgot about him.
"You were the guy we met the other day right? Umm, Michael's friend?" Rose asked as she shook him.
"Yeah, have you seen him by the way?" He asked, gazing more at Meg.
"No," she shook her head in a stutter. "I... I don't think he's coming today."
"Ohh." He was surprised. "I should have called him but his number hasn't been reachable since morning. Meanwhile, you look great." He complimented, ofcourse, Meg. She was already feeling so uneasy about his gaze as she thought of Michael. Again, what could have caused his phone unreachable? Since morning? She thought of heading home already then taking a peep through his gate. Stupid. She shook her head immediately. I can never do such a thing. James' huskiness brought her back again.
"Well, seems we'll make a good team. We're in the same group."
"I saw. We might." Meg faked a smile. Nothing was a flaw in James' look. Both him and Michael were the handsomest in that hall, she was sure. His heavily -built body reminding her stubbornly of the incident that recently occurred between her and Michael. His chest. Her hands on it. His....
"Megan," Rose's call drifted her back. She has been losing her focus a lot lately. "Why do you always zoom out? What's on your mind?"
That was when she realized that James already left.
"Where did he...go?"
"So you weren't even listening to him? He was talking to you before he left to meet his friend...."
"His friend?" Meg asked in confusion.
"Michael is here."
Her heart skipped a beat as she gasped before she flung round to meet his intent eyes at the hall's entrance. His eyes locked with hers already, as he halted his laugh with James and began walking towards her. She almost held Rose's arm. What the hell was happening? What stupid twist of fate is this??
"Megan, I've missed you. Your lips. I really want to have you... tonight."
"Megan," Michael's voice came as he stood hands pocketed before her. "How're you doing today?"
Gosh. It wasn't Michael but her silly mind talking earlier. I want to have you tonight? She couldn't believe her innocent mind was already this dirty.
"I'm... okay. Cool." She managed to say, avoiding his eyes. James came beside him.
"Rose? How're you doing too? You look good." Michael asked as he channelled his attention to Rose already.
"I'm good too. Thank you. Oh, you look so handsome." Rose drooled. "Both of you."
Meg scoffed. "How could she even say that freely to him? This is making me so ashamed right now, only if you can just stop Rose."
"Rosemary," a familiar voice called behind them. It was Kingsley. Her breath became unsteady, a wave of nervousness sweeping over her. She knew that voice so well. It however turned into an annoying one after what happened with Louisa.
"Oh, it's so good being in the same group with you."
She was silent as her smile disappeared immediately she faced him. She wondered why he would even muster the impetus to walk up to her like that. Like they had been best of friends. She couldn't even remember when last she saw him in lectures.
"How're you? You rarely attend lectures." She managed to say, smiling apologetically and excusing herself from them, leaving with Kingsley without any option.
"Well, many stuffs to attend to," Meg heard him saying as they left. She prayed Kingsley should leave Rose alone so she could come stay with her, not leaving her now in the middle of two tall guys which felt very intimidating. There was silence for sometime between them as Rose was away which made her feet itch in discomfort.
"Umm, Megan do you mind coming with us for lunch? Don't worry, it's my treat." James broke the silence, sounding very caring. She wouldn't lie to herself, she was so farmished, yet she must decline. She had to.
"No thank you. I have to go."
"Meg, you're coming with us." Michael said just calmly, if he didn't even mean 'me'.
The next thing she saw, she was already sitting at the cafeteria before the both of them. Michael had simply just held her hand and dragged her there. Rose had also called, sounding surprised that she couldn't find them again just after few moments she left.
"Just wait for me by the water fountain. Mo and Em will be there."
"I heard your stomach give a slight grumble." Michael said, not smiling as he went through the food menu. Meg frowned.
"Yet, I never told you I want to have lunch with you." She said, then felt she was a bit rude. Michael just shot a glare at her.
"Suit yourself."
That was cold. Damn. She have to behave. She picked up her own menu before her. "So," she tried raising a conversation. "I thought you were not coming today. Mo told me."
"I wasn't going to come." He said plainly. Megan looked closely at him. Something was seriously wrong with his mood as she could notice. Perhaps some one provoked him. She wanted to ask what the problem was, but on a second thought...why care? Then she remembered how he had saved her at the party. She might give it a try.
"I wanted to travel." He said as he motioned for the waiter to place an order. When he arrived at Roosevelt, he had been impressed on how the campus even had waiters and waitresses at the cafeteria to take their orders instead of them making at the counter. James had been praised for his good choice.
"Who's Mo? "James asked for the first time as they sat. He had been just silent, looking around and then at Meg which made Michael the most uncomfortable when he noticed.
"Her twin sister. They're so identical."
"Ohh, that's lovely." He smiled, looking not satisfied with the answer. "So, you guys met here in school?" He asked again.
"We're actually like... neighbors. Our houses are close." Meg replied as she placed her order. They all did.
He tried not to show his disappointment. "Okay, neighbors."
"Where did you want to travel?" Meg asked Michael, carefully as he studied his reaction.
He was quiet for a while. "Back to Italy. I wanted to get some stuffs. But, I'm not needing them anymore."
"So it that you guys met in Italy? Like...you guys were raised there?"
James smiled. "His uncle lives in Italy. We met there and schooled, but we're originally from London."
"Oh, that's great."
Their orders came and was properly served. And immediately Meg's plate of hot spaghetti with poached eggs were served, her belly grumbled the more.
"Tantalizing," she licked her tongue. For the first time since they met that day, Michael let a little smile escape his lips. Guess it was funny seeing her like that.
"One of the reasons why I love this particular cafeteria, they seve the best meal."
"So how many more do we have here?" Michael asked her, not looking at her.
"Three." She simply replied as she twirled the spaghetti round her fork before carefully placing inside her mouth. "Oooh, very hot."
"Sorry, here... you have a stain," James began as he picked up a white hanky. Michael looked up from his meal immediately. "Wait, let me help you..."
"James? By what time did we leave for Italy again that day?" Michael interrupted as he gently took the hanky from him, wiping the corner of Meg's mouth already. Meg blinked in confusion. James sat short of words.
"I...I think by ten am. Why?"
Michael smiled as he dropped the hanky back beside James. "Nothing. I just wanted to know."
Now, this is getting awkward. Megan sighed. He was acting like he was already claiming her.