The Key of Hearts by Mia Rodriguez

  Chapter 16

  Selena anxiously waited for Xavier at the bus stop, her heart beating fast and her hands fidgeting with wanting to express what had seemed so impossible a very short time ago. That morning she couldn’t perform her chores fast enough or eat her breakfast at a more rapid pace.

  “Last night—“ she started to tell him nervously.

  “I was there,” he said, astonishment bubbling in his voice.

  “We were both in the same dream,” she rushed out.

  “Yes,” he stated.

  “I’m so excited!”

  "Maybe I'm getting closer to seeing my mother."

  "Definitely."

  “I just wonder about . . .”

  “What?” Selena asked.

  “Deviations.”

  “What about them?”

  Xavier nodded solemnly. “Deviations are stopping me from seeing my mother?”

  Before they could continue their conversation, the bus arrived. She would have to speak to him later about the dream. It was then that she noticed that Moonflower was nowhere in sight. Saul had bought a car a few weeks ago and it didn’t take much for Selena to put two and two together.

  During lunch, Selena tried not to stare at Moonflower whose loud voice could be heard from the ugly table. She flirted with Saul, criticized what other girls were wearing, and bragged abut her new designer wear. Selena had never seen her act like this.

  “She’s becoming a hater,” Xavier stated.

  “I know. She’s completely deviated from herself.”

  As Moonflower’s voice expanded a few decibels, the tray she was eating from dropped on her lap, creating a huge mess on her designer skirt. Laughter echoed through the cafeteria, from those happy to see someone with her nose in the air get slammed down. Saul stared at Moonflower, horrified.

  “Are you okay, Moonflower?” asked Steve with concern.

  Moonflower didn’t bother to answer him. She hastily shot up and rushed out the cafeteria. The laughter grew noisier and crueler.

  Selena stared at Xavier with a serious question in his eyes.

  “That wasn’t me,” Xavier popped out.

  “But how did—“

  “Even with her acting like a jerk, I wouldn’t do that to her,” he stated, his deeply sincere eyes getting a hold of Selena’s. “It had to be an accident.”

  “I hope she’s okay,” Selena said, her voice in sharp concern.

  The rest of the school day passed excruciatingly slowly with Xavier and Selena exchanging certain knowing glances during last period. To the normal eye, he was acting as introverted as usual but Selena could feel his rapid heart beat. When they finally were able to sit on the bench outside her house, he was the first one to speak.

  “You have no idea how much the word deviations has been haunting me especially seeing what Moonflower is doing to herself,” he said, his whole form slumped and his dark eyes reaching into her.

  “It can really mess you up,” Selena said gently, trying not to get lost in his closeness or the deepness in his eyes.

  “I’ve got a big problem, don’t I?” he asked, pensive in thought.

  “I think so.”

  “I’m more tuned in to anger than to love?”

  “Yes.”