Painful Smiles

He flew up from his seat and it shook her. “Oh my, you scared me” she held her chest dramatically.

She rubbed her left hand gently and smiled, “Don’t worry I’d go to my family doctor. I’ll be better tomorrow”.

She smiled wider when she saw his clenched fists. He could go punch Claudia and get in trouble on her behalf, she didn’t care.

At least, Claudia would get rewarded fairly for the huge embarrassment she gave her and Mark at the cafeteria.

“I could take you to the hospital. I know where it is” Michael said lowly.

She nodded hurriedly and waddled to him. It would be so amazing him driving her somewhere.

“Lets go” she giggled cutely and dragged him towards the exit. He had to smile from her cute expressions while an evil smirk curved her lips.

Clara began a crying drama immediately Michael dropped at the hospital. He looked at her confused. Was the hand that bad?

“Ahh, it’s a way to get their attention. They’re too busy” she whispered to him.

She started fake crying and holding her hand like it was broken. A nurse came running to her. “What happened?” the nurse came holding her to a ward.

Michael signaled to her that he would be waiting for her. He sat down and watched her act. It was entertaining.

“What happened to me? It’s my nemesis, Claudia” Clara cried. The nurse gave her a suspicious look but said nothing.

“Claudia again? You and that girl” another nurse that heard what Clara said shook her head.

Michael began wondering if the nurses knew Clara as Claudia’s nemesis. Was the Claudia that bad? Did she make Clara frequent the hospital?

A nurse walked to him and politely asked who he was looking for. He pointed to the ward Clara went into and said she was already there.

As the maid left a blurry flashback of a lady shouting his name while driving him on the stretcher ran past his mind.

Her body was stained with blood and the only thing she shouted was “Stay with me Child”.

The nurse so just met him was an older version of her. Probably the same nurse who just grew older.

The pains from the cut came back and he gazed at his hand. He could imagine the red liquid pumping out of his flesh.

He looked up from the hospital but then everywhere began resonating his screams and the nurses pleas for him to hold on.

His traumas were coming back. He had to leave the hospital before he accidentally see blood, it would worsen.

He hurried to Clara and saw her fondling a teddy the nurse had given her. “Your hand is okay, Clara” the nurse flicked her head.

It was as annoying as it was normal for her to rush for medical tests when nothing was wrong with her. Just to indict her twin.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“It is now. But I’m sure Claudia will find a way to break it again” she murmured while running her hair with her hand.

Michael sighed. That Claudia was a threat to Clara’s happiness. She must be removed somehow.

He always hated bullied and since he had never been bullied, he wouldn’t let someone he owed his life to be either.

As they drove back to school, he remembered that they hadn’t taken a permit by their teacher before leaving.

The security guard had just opened for him the moment he swayed his car keys at him. It wasn’t how it should be, was it? Or was it another preferential treatment he was getting?

Class had started by the time they got back. The teacher just smiled as they both walked in. While the students scanned them up and down with questions sprouting up their throats but none dared say it out.

Michael had looked for Claudia amongst his classmates and found her glaring at him. It wasn’t suspicious like the other students but highly annoyed. Well, he was annoyed at her too.

“He’s into Clara? He’s so lowly” he heard someone say behind him. He turned to the girl and she bit her lip nervously and looked down.

“Don’t intimidate her. She can say whatever she wanted. Not like she was lying” Wright, who was sitting besides him, said. Claudia’s glare didn’t falter.

Michael wondered what courage the boy had to speak like that? It could be the same courage the girl who called him lowly was tapping from?

And what sin was it taking a classmate to a hospital? Why was everyone jumping to conclusions like that?

“Clara Larabee, Mega and Belle. After you’re done with your notes, please meet me in my office” the teacher said politely and left.

The whole class fell silent. Clara looked at the girls and they looked as confused as her.

“We’ll see what the old witch have to say” Belle shrugged.

Claudia stood up and left the class. Wright peeked into her book and saw that her notes weren’t done yet so he took her book to help her copy.

Michael looked at him in disgust. Sometimes he wondered how he put up with Claudia’s temper. And why he always played slave boy instead of friend to Claudia.

Maybe because she couldn’t have friends. He noticed Clara exercising the had she claimed had been twisted by Claudia.

He stood you and went to the door, he waited for a while before finally going outside to confront Claudia. He wouldn’t like taking Clara to the hospital again because of her.

He wouldn’t like to have the reaction of their classmates again as well. So she would have go stop her threats or taste her own medicine.

“Let go, jerk” Claudia yelled and dragged her hands from Michael. What demon possessed him? He had dragged her all the way from near the female’s toilet to the school garden. No teacher was around.

“Hey, you, Claudia. I have simple instructions for you to follow. Concerning Clara” he roared. She massaged her almost red wrist.

“You are crazy. Another French crazy guy I’ll be meeting since five years, that’s you. So lowly” she scoffed at him. He frowned, that was the second time someone was referring to him as “lowly”.

“Crazy, lowly or whatever. I have some words for you..” a sharp pain in his groin made him scream out the last part. She was turning it to a fight.