Sympathy

"Are you alright?", asked the cafeteria lady who has been hiding behind the counter the whole time.

Nobody was at the cafeteria yet but Alexa felt so embarrassed. She hid her face from the woman and let out all her tears. Stacy would never do things like this to her.

"Let me take you to the clinic", the lady offered.

"No, thank you", Alexa replied without looking at the cafeteria lady.

She stood up straight and brushed away some excess mushy substance from her uniform. She knew she was going to be scolded really good by her mother when she arrives home. Regardless of how she looked or smelled, Alexa got out of the cafeteria.

Walking in the hallway, she couldn't help but wipe her tears that insisted on streaming down her face. Alexa still couldn't believe that her best friend did that to her. She couldn't even think of a reason for such actions.

As she paced slowly towards the main doors of their campus, Alexa got really nervous that time might run faster and would result to students rushing out of their respective classrooms for their ten-minute break. She didn't want to run, so she just hoped that time would go slower.

"Alexa?", called out a familiar voice.

Alexandria stopped. She didn't turn to look at who called her name because she recognized the person's voice. She was also at a very vulnerable state since her uniform was all messed up with mustard. She looked ridiculous.

"Who did this to you?", Kyle asked her from behind.

"I... I just got into an accident", Alexa lied.

"Really? Are you okay?", he sounded really concerned.

"Yes. I apologize for not being able to catch up on the meeting", she responded, still looking straight ahead.

"That's fine. It wasn't really a serious gathering. They just congratulated the new staff members", Kyle explained.

"Oh, that's nice. Uh, I really have to get going now", Alexa hesitated.

"Yeah, sure. Do you want me to escort you?", Kyle offered.

"What?", Alexa replied in amusement, turning around to face him. "No... Thank you"

Then as fast as she could, she walked away from him. Kyle just stood there, realizing that Alexa has been crying. He noticed how puffy and red her eyes were. He was curious about the popular nerd in their school and he promised to himself that on that day forth, he will try and protect her from bullies as best he can.

When Alexa got out of the school, she immediately dialed her mother's phone. As soon as Marzia answered the call, Alexa burst out in tears. Monday wasn't really Alexa's day of the week. Her mother said she would pick Alexa up and it has been the most comforting news of the day for Alexa so far.

She stood at the front of her school for approximately ten minutes before Marzia arrived. Alexa received uncomfortable stares from passersby but she didn't have time to care about that. She was still so emotionally hurt for what Stacy did to her.

"What the hell happened to you?", Alexa's mother hysterically asked when she got in the passenger's seat of the car.

"Nothing", she replied. "What about your car? And our driver?"

"The car was impounded and our family driver's probably gonna lose his job if your father is going to know what happened earlier today", Marzia explained.

"That's too bad", Alexa said unconsciously.

"You have got to tell me what happened to you. I mean, you don't just get mustard on your uniform by accident, Alexandria. Let alone that it's not just a small stain", her mother exclaimed while keeping her eye on the road.

"Stacy did this to me", Alexa replied under her breath.

"What?!", Marzia overreacted, pulling over abruptly. "But why?"

"I wouldn't be crying over it if I knew why, mom", Alexa was frustrated.

"Haven't you got even the slightest idea why she acted like that?", her mother asked.

Alexa fell silent for a couple of seconds. She has been very stressed out as to why Stacy did what she did, but she never actually came to stop and think about the possible reasons. It made her head hurt. It would have been different if she was memorizing formulas and equations instead.

"Well?", Marzia said after a short while of silence.

"I haven't really thought about it. It's making my head hurt", Alexa answered.

Alexa's mother started to drive again while Alexa was left silent for the rest of the trip. All she could think of is that Stacy has a strong feeling of hatred and envy for her. But through the many years of their friendship, Alexa was always sure to put her best friend's feelings first before anything else. She didn't understand what went wrong now.

What she did know is that they will not be talking to each other for a while. It was the very first time Alexa felt such hate and sorrow in all her life. They were both strong feelings and it drove her crazy. As her mother pulls over at their garage, she stays inside the car and stare at nothingness.

"Are you gonna get rid of that nasty mess or what?", her mother asked, opening the door for Alexa from the outside.

Alexa got out of the car slowly. She went straight to her room and got rid of her ruined uniform. Her mother told her not to worry about her things at school, as well as her classes, because she volunteered to call the dean and make her aware of the incident.

"No, you can't tell them that", Alexa panicked. "Just tell them I wasn't feeling well, please"

"Fine", Marzia responded and proceeded to the living room to make the call.

Alexa was getting dressed when she received a text from an unknown number. She read it out of curiosity and was surprised. The message read, "Hi, you are the most interesting person I have ever met in my entire life. I want to figure out what you're really about. I want to know you more. I also want to protect you from everything and everyone. I'll always be here for you"