Reuben walks out of his room smiling broadly, he was thinking about his little enticement with Lillian yesterday while they were at her house, "you asked me if I would like to be your girlfriend earlier right?" Lillian had asked and when he said yes she said "Well this is my reply" and then she kissed him.
He kept replaying the scene in his head over and over again, "she's finally mine" he thought, ''but to think that she also had an ability just like Saraphina, or rather unlike Saraphina, she's a true gifted'' back then when she told him about it he didn't really think much about it but later on he had put more thought to it, and the more he thinks about it the more fascinating it becomes.
"To have the ability to read minds, only God knows what I'll do to have such ability" he thought. He had asked her if anyone else from school knows about this and in response she told him that apart from him and Saraphina no one else has a clue.
"To think that Saraphina knew all along but still kept it away from me all this while, I wonder how many times she had red my mind in school or rather I should be wandering how many times she hasn't done so" Lillian had told him that her ability to read minds works at random, meaning she could sit down and be hearing what everyone was thinking at the same time, during her childhood time, it was painful not being able to get rid of those many voices speaking in her head but with time she was able to control the it, by focusing on a specific person she's able to cut off other voices from her head thereby making the person's thought the only one that she could hear.
"The more Reuben thinks about it, the more fascinated by her he becomes''
"Seems like someone just won the lottery" said Saraphina who has been observing him since he came out of his room"
"Winning the lottery huh, I guess you could say that" he said.
"Care to share?"
"Nah, I'll pass"
"By the way your mom said i should remind you that you aren't allowed anywhere outside the house today''
''Yeah leave it to my second Mom to pass down my mom's message, by the way there's something I'd like to talk to you about"
"Okay, am listening''
"It's about Lillian''
''Oh I see, so she finally accepted to be your girlfriend?"
"What!!!" Reuben exclaimed.
"Don't what me, I ain't stupid enough not to notice how you've been trying so hard to impress her, so you finally asked her out? did she say yes?"
"Hay this isn't about that'' said Reuben. He didn't bother denying or accepting the claim that he has been trying to get Lillian's attention, knowing Saraphina, the more you try to hide something from her the more indirectly you tell her all she needs to know, so instead he just changed the subject completely.
"That's not actually what i wanted to talk to you about"
"Oh i see" said Saraphina, somehow she felt much calm and happy that it wasn't what he wanted to talk about, although she doesn't know why. "So what is it then?" She asked.
"It's about Lillian's ability"
"Oh looks like someone finally decided to show up, took you long enough to find out"
"Actually she's the one that told me"
"As expected, I guess I overated your ability by thinking you found out about it by yourself"
"Hay, you don't have to make a big deal of everything, by the way, I still can't believe you knew about this but still said nothing, not even to me''
''Hay cut me some slack here, what was i supposed to do, run to you and say hay Ruby do you know that Lillian is a telepath?"
"That's not a bad idea"
"What you've got to be kidding, the fact that she didn't say anything to you until now just goes to show that she didn't want you to know, well not till recent"
"Good point, but I still believe that it won't hurt to at least tell me, come on Saraphina am your best friend"
"Best friend?"
"What aren't we friends?"
"No, it's not that, I just haven't really considered it that way"
"Hmm, what are you talking about" Saraphina stares at him.
"Nothing, it's just, I guess I've always seen you more as a brother than as a friend"
"Well if that's the case then am like your big brother"
"Big brother huh" she smiles "more like an arrogant kid brother''
''Hay not fair''
"In any case, I guess you are right, we shouldn't keep secrets from each other, I was wrong I apologize'' Reuben stood there transfixed. This was the first time Saraphina has ever accepted to be in the wrong, the first time she has ever apologized for anything, and for some reason he didn't want her to, he didn't want her to apologize, he didn't want her to be wrong, he was supposed to be happy that for once he was right but for some reason it felt strange, he didn't want to accept that she was wrong and he was right, he wanted her to keep being the miss perfect.
"No you shouldn't apologize'' Saraphina tint her head backwards, I was the one who was wrong, you are right if she doesn't tell me herself then you are in no obligation to do so, I guess I was just jealous of how you are able to crack everything so easily while I have to wait until anyday the cat finally gets out of the bag''
"Huh, what are you talking about?"
"Look am just saying that you should never apologize again, you're never wrong and am always wrong, let's just be that way, I like us better that way''
"I see, very well then but still, we shouldn't keep secrets from each other again don't you agree?"
"Well you are right on that one''
"If that's the case then is there something else you've been hiding from me?" Reuben freezes, he wanted to tell her about him and Lillian but for some reason he couldn't move, he couldn't say a word.
"What is wrong with me'' he thought ''if I don't tell her she'd find out eventually, afterall she's super sensitive, she'd pick up on the fact that am hiding something from her, and when she finds out that's if she hasn't already, she'd be angry, I have to tell her now''
"No, am not hiding anything" he said, that wasn't what he wanted to say but for some reasons unknown to him that ended up being what he said. Saraphina stares at him, he was trying to act cool but she could see through the act, it was obvious that he was hiding something, but she decided to not chase the topic, if he doesn't want to tell her then she won't bother asking.
"Okay that's good" she said.
"Excuse me for a minute" said Reuben, he walks away. Saraphina sat there staring at him until he was out of sight.
"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself, ''why do I feel this way, I know he's hiding something from me even though we just said that we shouldn't have any secrets between us but is that why am sad, no, not at all, am sad because I think it has something to do with Lillian, but why?" Saraphina sat there all alone questioning herself while Reuben was inside trying to gain courage to tell Saraphina that he's in a relationship with Lillian.
"Could it be?" She asked herself ''could it be that am beginning to have feelings for Reuben? No no no, that's impossible, Reuben is like a brother to me, then what's going on?"
This question kept bothering her, she pondered over it all day, on the other hand Reuben still couldn't get himself to tell Saraphina about Lillian so at the end she ended up going home without knowing, though Reuben doesn't know it but Saraphina was already suspects that he was dating Lillian and that was the reason she felt sad, it's not like she has any grudge against Lillian but still the thought of Reuben being in a relationship with Lillian felt unbearable, for the first time in her life she couldn't quite understand herself, and it bothered her all day, but the truth wasn't that she couldn't understand herself but that she didn't want to accept it, she didn't want to believe that Reuben meant anything more than a friend and a brother to her, the more she tried to make herself believe that, the more she began to doubt herself, it worried her so much, all through out the day she kept pondering about it, and then when they were making dinner she decided to confide in her mom.
"Mom''
''Yes darling, there's something that's been bothering me''
''Huh, what could be bothering my little angel, please do tell''
"There's this guy I know, we've been friends for so long just friends but it seems like recently he's been seeing someone''
''Seeing as going out on a date?"
"Yes mom, and though am actually not sure whether he is truly seeing someone but the thought of it bothers me so much I just don't know why''
''Now who could this so called friend of yours be, is it Reuben?"
"What Mom!!! Why would you think it's Reuben''
''Well it's just that you both have been friends since childhood so it's only natural for me to think it's him. Do tell please, if it isn't Reuben then who is it"
"You weren't supposed to ask mom, you were supposed to just tell me what you think I should do"
"Oh dear, seems like I have overstep my boundaries again, anyways I think it's natural for you to not want this so called friend of yours to be in a relationship''
''Really, but why?"
"Why, why else dear, you are in love with him''
"What!!!!"
"Don't get me wrong dear, but that's how love is, you probably didn't notice before because you had him all to yourself but now that there's a third-party in the picture you are beginning to get jealous''
"Me, jealous''
"Let's do it this way dear, next time you see him, let him know how you feel, who knows maybe he feels the same way''
''What!!! But I told you that _ _ _ _"
"You said you suspects that he is seeing someone else, you aren't sure yet so I would advise you to at least tell him how you feel, if at the end he feels the same way then it will work out for you, but if he says that he sees you as nothing more than a friend, then you would just have to accept that you've lost, but at least you have to tell him how you feel first, you have to know where you stand" Saraphina stares at her mom, if what she's saying is true then could it be that she has fallen for Reuben, she didn't want to accept it but still she had no better explanation to what is happening.
"Thanks Mom"
"No problem dear, love is a mysterious thing, it comes when you least expect and the more you try to deny it, the more it hurts"
"I see" said Saraphina, "if what mom just said is true then i won't try to deny it again" she thought ''tommorrow when I get to school I will let him know how i feel''
Saraphina has finally decided to confess her love to Reuben tomorrow but on the other hand, Reuben was busy practicing ways to approach Saraphina and tell her about him and Lillian.
"It, has to be tomorrow, I can't let it pass tomorrow'' he said.
The next day when Saraphina got to school she stood outside the gate waiting for Reuben, she has decided to confess her feelings to Reuben but she didn't say she was going to do in in front of the whole class. She stood there watching people passing through the gate into the school, she had deliberately come to school late today so as not to wait long, but even with that, it seems to be taking forever for Reuben to show up, she was already contemplating the idea of going in to wait for him when he called out to her. She turns.
"Oh it's you Ruby, as usual you just coming huh''
''Never mind that, but what are you doing outside the gate alone''
''Oh I was waiting for you"
"Waiting for me?"
"What, is it wrong to wait for you to arrive?"
"Not really, it's just this is the first time you've done such a thing, am quite stunned''
''Well there's a first time for everything'' Reuben nods in agreement.
"Well you are certainly right about that" he said. There both stood there staring at each other, having something to say but being unable to say it.
''This is it'' thought Reuben ''if there's a perfect time to tell her about it then it's now that we're together alone'' Saraphina lowers her head unable to look him in the eyes.
"By the way Reuben_ _ _ there _ _ there's something I would ''
"Saraphina'' Reuben called out loud, she looks at him.
"Huh what's wrong?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, I lied to you yesterday when I told you that I wasn't keeping any secrets from you, the truth is that I didn't know how to tell you back then''
''Huh, what are you talking about?"
"That am dating Lillian, she's my girlfriend now" Saraphina stood there transfixed unable to say anything ''i know that you are angry and you have every right to be but _ _"
"It doesn't matter'' said Saraphina, Reuben looks at her ''it's not like I didn't know anyway, of course I wasn't sure but I suspected something fishy'' Reuben smiles.
''Leave it to the school genius huh''
"In any case, thanks for telling me, it's better hearing it from you than finding out myself'' she smiles and with that she decided to just be an audience.
''No point telling him how i feel now'' she thought. ''we better go in before we get sent back home for coming late.
"Yeah good idea'' said Reuben.