Playing Hooky: Part 2

T-4 Days to Incident

#Playing Hooky

As Cacey’s bus left the boy behind and rolled on its wheels on the pitched road, Cacey was reminiscing about the events of the day in the morning. She was coming to school by her regular transport, Bus No. 103.

In the morning, when the bus almost arrived at the bus stop near the school, she thought she saw a familiar face, hiding behind the shed, looking hesitantly at the school entrance. Anxiety was so apparent on his face that it lost its usual hue. He looked like a performer wearing makeup in a haunted house. She looked at the school entrance as well. Somehow, the familiar gate seemed like a prison entrance. A sense of fear was welling up in her throat.

“I so don’t want to go in there today!” She looked at the boy once again as the bus came to a halt. Passengers, including a bunch of students, disembarked. She was the last one.

As the students crossed the road, Cacey stood in the shed. Tom was behind the transparent glass, with various ads plastered all over it. If Cacey hadn’t noticed him before, he would have remained invisible from where she stood under the shed. However, she knew now that she stood right in front of the kid.

A mischievous smile appeared on Cacey’s face. She thought, “Why not skip school today? Let’s play a game; see if the boy joins me or not!” She turned her face toward a nearby shopping mall. While walking, she glanced at mirrors or glass doors, hoping to see the boy. She wished the boy would keep following her.

“Yes, he’s still there.” She had her casual dress hidden in her school bag. Changing into it was her first priority. “Then I will visit the gaming zone, then eat something, and then visit my fishing club groupies.” She fixed her plan on the fly. She was smarter than she was given credit for.

She betted on Tom’s probable interest in a girl like her and the anxious face and reluctance to cross the school entrance written all over it.

“Hahaha, Cacey, girl, what are you doing at your age?” She was very amused at her sudden change in character. She thought about her plans and actions, all centered around the boy.

“Am I not seducing a boy, now?” She smiled. “I’m a sly fox! Entrapping a young man! What has become of you, Cacey?”

She never turned around to see if the boy was following. She wanted to keep that nervous expectation of attracting the attention of a boy her age. “Will he follow? Should I look back? But if she did, all her anxious anticipation might disappear. What if the boy doesn’t follow me? Then it won’t be fun! I want him to follow me. Follow me closely! Intently! Stalk me, dear boy! Hunt me down!”

Her face flushed. She showed the common symptoms of the first stage of lovesickness—flushed face and ears, body trembling in anticipation, sweating, and feeling hot. It was an insatiable attraction for the unknown. Her mind wouldn’t rest unless she was followed by the boy. Her existence wanted the boy to follow her.

"Please follow me! Please!” A thousand times, she wanted to turn back but quelled her curiosity to see if the boy was following her.

“Was he that boy who lent me his gym clothes? I want to know so badly! What if he isn’t the hero I am thinking of? What if there is another boy? Am I falling for the wrong boy? Why do I want him to get close to me so much?” A thousand questions crossed her mind.

A fear of mistaking this boy for the hero who saved her day threw her off her rhythm. Now, she was feeling another kind of sensation. She felt as if she was now cheating on her faithful husband. The sweet attraction turned into a sensation of dread.

“What if another boy was waiting for this chance and I wasted it on someone undeserving? But will it be wise to miss this beautiful adventure?”

Cacey was in a dilemma. She wanted to enjoy her time playing hooky but she was hooked into what she felt was a sinful escapade. For the first time in her life, she let go of her sense of morality. She felt dirty, soiled, and sinful. But she wanted to push on.

“I will just enjoy his company. If there is another boy, I will deal with him later. Now, let’s enjoy this illicit adventure!”

She was happy and relieved to see the boy still following her when she came out of the ladies' bathroom and surreptitiously looked around. She wandered around inside the shopping mall. She tried on some sunglasses just to see in the mirror if the boy was there. She smiled victoriously.

“Seduction complete.”

Cacey moved to the gaming zone next. She purposefully left one turn unplayed at every station in the gaming zone. She intentionally failed to get the plushy she wanted from the claw machine. When she saw a few dangerous-looking boys and girls, she left the gaming zone.

“Some of them are from our school. Steer clear.”

Then she took her sweet time reaching the bank of the Sunsunhan River. Her groupies were catching fish. This was her final destination for the day. She stole a glance and said, “Yes! He’s still there!”

“Hey, who’s that? He’s cute!” One of the girls from her finishing group whispered.

“Isn’t he? But he’s always so anxious!” Cacey told her, “Don’t look! He’ll run away!”

“So, care to tell me what’s going on?” The girl pressed on, “From the look of it, he’s following you uninvited!”

"We are both playing hooky.” Cacey laughed. She was thrilled.

She felt so exhilarated to have won the boy. “He came! Oh my God! He came, and I was so right about him! He did follow me!” She was excited, like a little girl enjoying a game of hide and seek in which she was winning!

“I won! Now, boy, it’s your chance to approach me. This is a good place for you to get close to me! Come on!!” her whole existence prayed so the boy would come talk to her. The sole purpose of this adventure was to get to know the boy. “I can’t shamelessly approach him, can I? I will wait for you! Now, move! Come to me, boy!”

But Tom just sat there. Cacey began fishing with the hope that the boy would approach her and befriend her. “Come on, boy, what’re you waiting for?”

But timid boy Tom dreaded that his muse would run away if he approached.

The rest of the day, Cacey sneaked a peek at Tom a few times with hope, but Tom remained stationed in his place.

“Boy, you think I don’t know you’re there? You stick out like a sore thumb with that face of yours! Girls in my group are all stealing gazes at you, you know that? Dummy! It’s your chance! Come on!!” Suddenly, she saw Tom stand up as if he had found his conviction at long last!

“Yes! That’s it; now walk to me!” But, to her disbelief, he only moved to get his food from the food court nearby.

The whole day went by uneventfully. Cacey’s flame of anticipation was watered down by a dumber and dumber Tom. He was an awkward fellow. He never knew how to make a friend, let alone approach girls!! He sat there, not knowing how those girls, sitting and fishing, were stealing glances at him or how they were so hoping that he would approach them! They were all so curious about him! But Tom sat there with fear of rejection.

But he couldn’t be blamed either. Timidity was in his nature. Besides, he was also taking an unknown pleasure from this hesitation. “Not today, maybe later!”

When Tom took her leave, Cacey, too, lost the reason to stay with her groupies anymore.

Cacey looked at the window again. The boy was not in the vicinity. The bus left the school suburb long ago. Cacey sighed. “What a timid boy!”