^.^

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I Love You, MUM!

Chapter 9

December 2009

Happy times always came to an end. After six happy days of traveling, finally it was the last day of their graduation trip; tomorrow every student would be going back to Kansas.

The night before leaving, Serena, Sam, Joanna, Jasmine, Lax and Faith gathered in Sam and Joanna’s room and chatted all night.

“What kinds of guy do you like, Faith?” Joanna asked, as she led against the headboard.

“Um…he gotta love me so much, protect me and most importantly is to know how to cook!” Faith answered and turned to look at her.

“Ha-ha, I know you will like that type!” Lax laughed as he sat on the bed.

“What about you, Joanna?” Serena asked and turned to look at her.

“I, um, I like someone who has similar personality with me so that he won’t think that I’m way too active.” Joanna laughed.

“Joanna, no offense, but I really think that you shouldn’t be too close with guys, you always give them false hope.” Lax commented.

“What? Well…I never know, I mean, what’s wrong to be close with friends?” Joanna asked innocently.

“But you can’t be sure that every one of them treats you as just friend.” Serena said, sitting up from the bed.

“So should I act in an icy way to them? Gee, that’s not easy. I’m not that kind of a person.” Joanna chewed her lips.

“Well, practice makes perfect.” Faith smiled.

Tic ta, tic ta……

“Wow, it’s 3:30 a.m. already! We should get some rest.” Sam announced, sitting down across from the rest on his own bed.

“Lax, let’s go, I think I can fall asleep the moment I make contact with the bed.” Faith yawned loudly.

“Ok.” Lax got up from the bed, put on his jacket, “See you guys tomorrow.” Faith and Lax then returned to their room.

“Serena, Jas, stay here. We can put the bed together and we can sleep altogether!” Joanna offered.

“Are you sure?” Jasmine asked in doubt.

“Of course, besides, I’m the one in charge!” Joanna giggled.

“S, are you okay with that?” Jasmine asked as she turned to Serena, but Serena had already fallen asleep.

“Well, I guess that’s a yes.” Jasmine smirked and climbed into the bed next to Serena.

After Sam changed into his pajamas and after brushing his teeth, he exited the bathroom. Jasmine, Joanna and Serena, the three of them had fallen asleep; he turned off the light, and found his way to Serena and pulled the cover over her before getting into the bed quietly next to Joanna. Sam could not fall asleep, he looked up at the ceiling but soon he had his eyes closed and let the night took over.

*

The telephone rang and woke Serena up. She rolled to the other side of the bed and picked it up.

“This is the morning call service, and it---.” Before hearing what everything on the phone, Serena ended it. She got off the bed; she brought her hand through her untamed bed-head hair as she looked around, seeing Joanna was still asleep, she figured it’s a good time to rule the washroom over without anyone disturbing her. Serena began her trek to the bathroom; she pushed open the door and stepped into it.

The door creaked open and he turned around and faced the door, “Oh shit!” Sam shouted and turned away from Serena at once.

Serena opened her eyes widely, she did not know what had happened, but all she knew was that Sam was in the bathroom and she had gone right in.

“I’m sorry!” Serena said, immediately turned around and left the bathroom, feeling embarrassing. What the hell was wrong with them these days!? She thought.

Few minutes later, the flush of the toilet was heard and Sam got out of the bathroom. He walked to the other side of the room, picking up the jacket that was dropped on the floor; he saw Serena was sitting on the bed, staring down at the floor; she was either dozing off or still feeling embarrassed about just now.

“You can use the bathroom.” Sam said as he walked pass her.

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” Serena’s face blushed; she raised her head looking at Sam.

“It’s not your fault, don’t worry, I should’ve locked the door.” Sam said and they both looked at each other, straight in the eye, then looked away at that moment Jasmine entered the room.

“Jas?” Serena asked as she got off the bed and stood up.

“Yes?” Jasmine said, eyes flickering over both Sam and Serena.

“You got the key card with you?” Serena asked as she was putting on her jacket.

“Yep, here you go.” Jasmine handed Serena the key card and Serena walked out of the room.

When Serena got into their room, she walked straight to the bathroom and Jasmine followed her there, and shut door behind her. Serena took out her toiletries and started to have her teeth brushed, she looked at Jasmine with what imprinted on her face when Jasmine plainly looked at her without saying anything at first.

“Were you crying?” Jasmine asked straightly.

Serena looked at Jasmine with her eyes wide opened.

“What! No!” Serena said, as she removed the toothbrush from her mouth.

“Then did he say something that upset you?” Jasmine asked again. Serena spilt the toothpaste into the sink and cleaned her mouth with a towel.

“It’s not what you think. I…I went into the bathroom …when he was taking a leak.” Serena said, her face growing red.

“Oh my gosh. What happened then?” Jasmine said, astonished.

“I ran out, of course! Though he asked me not to worry about it, you know we had sex, so…. It’s ok. Still it’s kinda awkward.” Serena explained.

Jasmine nodded, “That’s it?”

Serena sighed, “Yeah, that’s it.”, she added, “So you mind going out and let me finish my business here?” Serena said, pushing her out of the bathroom.

“Sure, sure.”

Ten minutes later.

“S, are you done? Joanna was heading down to have breakfast already, with the others.” Jasmine knocked at the bathroom door.

“Yeah, one second.” Serena said, as she twisted the doorknob and slowly creaked the door open.

Jasmine looked at her and commented, “Are you ok? You look kind of pale.”

Serena half-smiled and replied, “I’m fine.”

Jasmine looked unconvinced but anyway she didn’t push anymore, “Ok then, let’s go.”

*

Jasmine and Serena went to the second floor to join the others to have breakfast. The moment Serena got into the restaurant, she smelled eggs and bacons and her stomach churned. She frowned and swallowed the burning feeling built in the pit of her stomach.

“Hey, what took you guys so long?” Faith asked as she was getting up and prepared to get something to eat.

“Can’t we have some personal time?” Jasmine replied quickly, and smiled.

“Fine.” Faith said and walked away. Jasmine looked at Serena took off her jacket with slow motion, Serena sighed as she set her jacket on the chair. This was just getting annoying.

“Are you done yet?” Serena’s voice was bitter and edgy.

Jasmine looked at her, “With what?” Jasmine asked innocently.

“I mean watching me. You’ve been staring me down since I got out of the bathroom!”

“I just wanna make sure you are ok, because you looked really pale, well, actually even now.” Jasmine said with caution, not wanting Serena to get annoy.

“I’m fine, really.” Serena pressed.

“OK.” Jasmine smiled. Serena looked around and seeing every single thing in this restaurant made her wanted to throw up. She then decided not to have any food but just some liquid.

“Can you go get me a glass of grape juice?” Serena asked Jasmine.

“Where’re you going?” Jasmine asked as she was putting her jacket on the chair next to Lax.

“Washroom, you wanna come with me?” Serena said with sarcastic. Jasmine shook her head and walked to the same direction of Faith. After that, Serena walked rapidly to the bathroom in case something more than words found it’s way out.

“Oops, sorry.” Serena apologized when she knocked Sam on the shoulder while entering the washroom. Sam didn’t even have time to say a word before Serena disappeared into the washroom. Sam stood there for a few seconds, his eyebrows pressed over his head and then walked away.

Sam took a plate and got few pieces of bread with some jam and paced to Jasmine, “Jas?” he asked over her shoulder as she was filling the cups with juices.

“What’s wrong with Serena?”

Jasmine turned around and looked at him, “What do you mean?” she asked with doubted.

“She looks pale, don’t you think?” Sam asked directly.

“I thought so too, but she kept saying she’s ok.” Jasmine replied with agreement.

“And you believe in that?” Sam looked at Jasmine, frowned with disbelief.

“If she said she’s okay, I guess she is.” Jasmine rolled her eyes and answered.

“She always lies about her health.” Sam said as he waved off his hand and added, “Anyway, do you mind go checking on her?”

Jasmine nodded, “Sure.”

*

Serena had her face buried in front of the toilet and began her retching, she felt so disgusting. She closed her eyes when her heaves continued for a few minutes, until it calmed down a few notches to her gagging, nothing coming out and probably nothing could since she hasn’t had anything eaten, her breathing shallow and dramatically labored. When finally Serena calmed down, breathing even and the sweat stopping falling, she opened his eyes.

“S? ‘ re you in here?” Jasmine knocked at the door.

“Um.” That’s all Serena could manage.

“Are you okay in there? Open the door, Serena.” Jasmine asked. Serena flushed and turned away from the toilet slowly and twisted the doorknob.

Jasmine looked at Serena with horror, “Gosh! Serena, you look like shit.” She said with her hands covering her mouth.

“Throw up.” Serena said, having one hand on Jasmine’s shoulder for support.

“Let’s get you inside.” Jasmine urged and dragged Serena back into the restaurant.

“Don’t make it a big deal. I’m actually feeling better now.”

Jasmine looked at her and said, “Someone told me not to believe in you when you said you’re fine.”

Serena rolled her eyes at Jasmine but too tired to argue back.