The Moment- 2

“You what?!”

“Cheryl! Come on, I have done him a great favour by not referring him to the police already! According to the law, I’m supposed to, in addition to expelling Jason, refer him to the police for… for what he has done to you!”

“…”

“Just stay at home until I get back, ok?”

“Whatever, dad, whatever.”

Cheryl’s dad sighed as he put down the phone. Ever since his vice-principal had stumbled upon Jason and his daughter- both very much naked- in a classroom together and reported the matter, Cheryl’s dad had come under much pressure from the school’s Board of Directors; although the common thing was to expel the parties involved and get the police to conduct a thorough investigation, the Board of Directors weren’t senile despite their age. They knew that if matters get blown out of proportion, it could be detrimental for the school’s reputation- this could, in turn, lead to lower student enrolments. As such, Cheryl’s dad, being the school’s principal, acted as he should. He had gone according to his school’s rules and regulations and expelled Jason, although he hadn’t gone so far as to make an official police investigation. After all, Cheryl is still his daughter.

What happened to that sweet, angelic little girl that I once knew…?

Cheryl muttered a swear word as she shoved her handphone into her imitation handbag- bought at Bugis Village for a mere $23- furiously. She tried dialing Jason’s handphone number; the line was engaged. “God-damn it. Where on earth is he?” she thought, as she reached his voicemail for the umpteenth time. As Cheryl looked at the neo-print that she took with Jason, an idea struck in her mind. Snapping her handbag shut, she rushed out of her Sixth Avenue terrace house.

Love. It makes even the most intelligent person, the cleverest and smartest person on Earth, dumb sometimes.

The arcade at the basement level of the Bugis Junction shopping complex wasn’t too crowded at that time of the day- it was only in the early hours of the afternoon, and most school students weren’t allowed entry yet. Cheryl looked around for her blonde haired, roguish-looking, cigarette-smoking boyfriend; she spotted him almost immediately. He was shooting hoops at the basketball machine- and missing the target for most of his shots.

“Darling.” She called out. Perhaps it was the din in the arcade that was too noisy for him to hear. Or maybe Jason was pretending not to hear her. Either way, he ignored Cheryl. She sighed, and walked over beside him.

“Darling. Darling!” she shouted, pulling at his uniform, which was, by now, tucked out in the most untidy fashion. His bag was strewn without much care, on the floor beside him. A half-empty pack of cigarettes was placed on the basketball machine, his anime-designed lighter placed beside it. He ignored her continuous tugging, and continued throwing the basketballs, each shot getting further and further away from the hoop that he was supposed to be aiming at. Cheryl didn’t stop at her relentless tugging.

What happens when you find out that you stand to lose every thing in the name of love?

Jason stood in front of the basketball machine, not moving, even as the machine flashed the words ‘Game Over’ repeatedly. Without warning, he turned abruptly sideways, and hugged Cheryl tightly.

“Cheryl!” he muttered, as he teared openly.

“Darling…” she whispered, patting her boyfriend softly on his shoulder. Despite his rough looking exterior, Cheryl knew that Jason, like all the other sixteen year olds his age, was just a softie beneath his tough exterior.

Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of TLC to iron out everything.

Labels: The Moment

Jason took a glance at the iron-wrought gates, perhaps a second longer than he had wanted to. After all, it would be the last time when he would walk through those gates for a very long time. Scenes from his past flashed in his mind like a silent movie as he traced the intricate designs on the gate; the many mornings when he had clambered over it hurriedly to the point of almost tearing his uniform in a bid to escape detention for being late; the equally numerous afternoons when he had, along with his gang of friends, clambered over it once again, this time, in the opposite direction, with their Discipline Master hot on their heels.

Brushing away the solitary tear that had started to form and threatened to flow down his cheek, Jason adjusted his uniform, and walked slowly towards the Grand Hall, taking in all of the sights and sounds of his surroundings. The sounds of his juniors enjoying their time kicking a soccer ball in the pitch, the slightly pungent odour of the ammonia coming from the laboratories just to the right of him, the feeling of the wind as it blew against his cheeks, his face and his entire body.

It just wasn’t fair. Everything didn’t have to end like that. Not when everything was just starting to be alright!

“Sit down, Jason. The principal will call you in shortly.” The receptionist informed him, as Jason took a seat outside the room. The receptionist looked at Jason sadly, and sighed loudly. He looked up at her; a face of pity and worry was all over her otherwise attractive face. Jason knew what was going through her mind; it was what everyone said about him, all his parents, his aunts, his uncles, his cousins, everyone. How can such a promising young child be reduced to such a sorry state today?

“Jason, the principal is ready to see you now.” To the receptionist, it sounded almost routine. To Jason, it was a death sentence. Despite his cool and roguish exterior, Jason’s interior was just like any other sixteen year old in his school, frightened, worried, confused, and of course, ever-searching for his true identity; for what he was going to become in the future. That is, if he still had a future after everything.

Love can be kind, like the guardian angel that watches above us, silent in whatever is being done. Love can also be merciless and evil, like the devil who kills without mercy.

Nothing had changed in the principal’s office since Jason’s previous visit. That occasion, he had been caught fighting in the classroom with another student from a neighbouring class; the reason, as Jason so wittily put it, was because we had our own differences. Now, he was being brought in for a totally different reason. Even Jason himself wished he hadn’t been so careless; he wished he hadn’t been so naïve, so stupid, so foolish.

“Jason. How many times have you been here already, since the start of the school term?”

“Six, sir.”

“On what grounds?”

“Two times for fighting, three times cos of defiancy, once for truancy.”

The principal sighed. He was getting too tired for all these problem kids already. But this time, Jason had gone too far.

“Do you have any idea what the consequences would be for what you’ve done?”

Jason did not reply this time. All his witty remarks; all his well-thought out excuses would not work this time. Sighing heavily once again, the principal continued.

“Jason. You were caught with Cheryl in a classroom last night, and you were both naked! Do you seriously have ANY idea on what you guys were up to?!”

“Sir, we were just having fun-“

“Fun can be carried out in other ways, other methods! I knew you are young; you are just reaching puberty, but this, this is simply ridiculous!”

“Sir, I can explain, it was the alcohol-“

“I don’t want to listen to your excuses anymore!”

“Sir, please, just one more chance-“

“Jason, as of now, you are officially not a student of my school.”

Labels: The Moment