Chapter 148: Anxiety (2)

The rest of the week was filled with exams for the remaining classes, bringing with it a tense atmosphere for most students. However, as the final day of the semester approached, excitement began to stir.

Having seen the light at the end of the tunnel, many felt a renewed sense of life and purpose—as if the clouds had disappeared, revealing the warmth of the sun that had once been hidden.

However, not all shared the same enthusiasm.

With the final exam finished, Melody, Rudy and Michael returned to their dorms, the atmosphere thick. Even Rudy who had been rejoicing loudly merely fifteen minutes ago was now somber.

Michael turned to Melody beside him who had not said a word all day. At a glance he could tell that she was anxious, likely because they would be returning home to the Winterborne manor tomorrow..

For a moment he considered saying some words to lift her mood, but Melody left the room before he had a chance, mumbling something about being tired. He could only watch her retreat through her bedroom door, leaving himself and Rudy in the lounge area alone.

“Well, she’s a bummer.” Rudy stated, falling onto one of the armchairs with an exaggerated sigh.

“She’s just anxious, you can’t blame her.” Michael remarked, taking up a spot on the lounge. “After all, who knows what kind of shit the Bishop family has planned?”

“Those bastards…” Rudy spat, “I still haven’t gotten them back for ambushing you back then…”

Seeing his friend’s righteous anger made Michael feel warm inside. But then he remembered how the guy had reacted when he found out that he’d almost died—the tears he shed and the pain behind almost losing someone again.

It’s hard to think that Rudy went through so much at such a young age… he thought, his eyes evaluating the teen.

The way he acted so carefree and happy-go-lucky would make anyone think he was just a regular flippant teenager. But beneath the surface was a life rooted in pain and loss.

He had nothing, he had no one—yet he still persisted. Still smiled and laughed, taking it all in his stride.

But Michael knew better. It wasn’t that the guy had gotten over his trauma, just that he kept it buried inside—much like himself. While he had been taking strides by opening up to his friends, Rudy had yet to make the same progress.

Michael was aware of what happened in Claywall and the subsequent events afterwards, like Rudy being captured by the slave traders. But as for what had happened in the three years he was a slave, the guy had not uttered a word.

Of course he couldn’t blame his friend for keeping this to himself. What kind of person would want to relive such a thing by vocalizing it? And Michael would never ask the guy to do so either.

“Are you okay man?” Michael asked after a period of companionable silence.

Rudy raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing the mood shift.

“We just endured a hellish week of exams, you should ask yourself the same question.” He shot back, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Michael let out a hollow chuckle, appreciating Rudy’s diversionary tactics. “Well I’m fine, though I’m a little anxious to be returning to the Winterborne manor tomorrow—especially after this… mess.” He finished, gesturing with his arms.

Rudy’s smile receded, his expression turning a little serious. “Yeah, I can understand why. Even if you’re not really Melody’s fiancé, you might be caught up in the appeal because of it.”

Michael let out a small sigh, nodding his head. “Melody’s father sure messed up, perhaps he has a lot less foresight than I gave him credit for?”

However, Rudy just shrugged, “Who knows, maybe this was his plan from the beginning?”

At his friends words, Michael scoffed. The guy would have had to possess some sort of foresight to predict the events that had transpired since they left for the academy.

However, just as he was about to vocalize this, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was fleeting, but just enough to sow some seeds of doubts in his mind.

Surely not right? There’s no way the guy planned for all this… Michael thought in his heart, frowning slightly.

But in the next moment Rudy laughed, his amusement evident. “Bro, don’t take me seriously, I was just messing with you.”

Michael let out a half-hearted laugh, feeling his heart beat a little quicker in his chest. “Yeah, I knew that…”

“Well it looks like someone just stole your pudding—you ain’t convincing me.” He said with a chuckle, getting to his feet with a long stretch. “Speaking of pudding, I should have got another helping of dessert after dinner. I’ll be missing out on my special menu for over two weeks…”

As he said this, Rudy’s expression turned grave—as if the thought of not eating the academy food was too depressing.

“Oh don’t worry, the food at the manor is great, you definitely won’t be missing out.” Michael retorted with a smile.

But Rudy seemed unconvinced. “I doubt it will be as good as my special menu…”

“You will see,” Michael said with amusement. “I’ll tell Shirley to fix you up some of her signature cheesecake, she makes it from scratch.”

As he mentioned the young maid’s name, Michael felt his spirits surge—he had not seen the girl for over four months and he missed her dearly. But his delight was quickly shadowed by a sliver of guilt. With how busy he had been lately, he had almost forgotten about her entirely.

Rudy’s expression lit up before he managed to control himself. The guy let out a small embarrassed cough before replying with reservation, “I guess I’ll give her a chance to prove me wrong…”

“Well, we should get some sleep, we’ll be leaving for the manor in the morning.” Michael said, getting to his feet slowly. It had been a long and arduous semester, capped off by stressful exams one after another.

Either fortunately or unfortunately, they would not know their test results until the start of the second semester.

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