Page 41 of Follow My Voice
More lightning, followed by a gust of wind that causes the door to slam shut, but not before giving me a brief look of the excited expression on Kang’s face. I’ve followed his voice for so long and now he’s only a few steps away. But I’m afraid of his reaction if he sees me.
19Face Me
I DON’T KNOWwhat to do.
I pace back and forth across the bathroom, trying not to panic, though I’m not sure I’m succeeding. Kang is out there, waiting for me, and this bathroom doesn’t even have a window I can use to escape like in the movies. I can’t let him see me. From everything he just said, it’s clear that he has very high expectations of me and I don’t want to let him down. I want him to go on thinking I’m worth talking to; I want him to keep being interested in me. I don’t want him to see the reality of what I am and be disappointed.
Think, Klara, think.
I’m still trying to decide what to do when I hear Ms. Romes’s voice outside the bathroom. “You can’t be here, Kang. For safety reasons, all students must remain in the interior hallway.”
“Okay, but there’s a girl in the bathroom—she needs to come back, too, doesn’t she?” he replies.
“Well, a moment ago it seemed to me that she was running away from you. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
“She wasn’t running away from me.”
“That’s not what it looked like. Klara is new here and she mightneed a little time to adjust. Why don’t you go back to the hall by yourself for now?”
“No.”
“Kang, I’m not asking, I’m telling you. Go.”
“Fine.”
I hear what I assume to be Kang’s footsteps walking away, and then Ms. Romes’s voice. “Klara, you can come out now; he’s gone.”
I poke my head through the doorway to make sure she’s alone before I step out of the bathroom. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You have to return to the hallway, too.”
“I can’t.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on, but I need you to go back with the rest of the students; student safety is my priority right now.”
The wind howls outside as incredible amounts of rain lash the roof. With my heart in my throat and my hood pulled as low as it will go to hide my face, I return to the hallway, trying to stay behind Ms. Romes. The lights are still out and I’m grateful for the cover of darkness. I know that, if I sit back down next to Perla, Kang will find me. So, instead, I take a seat toward the front end of the hall, far from Perla and Kang. Ms. Romes says nothing and moves on.
Taking a deep breath, I relax my tensed-up shoulders. I know I’m being a coward, but I can’t let him see me, at least not today. I’m not ready; I’m not brave enough yet.
I try to distract myself from these impeding thoughts by focusing on breathing exercises, when my phone alerts me to an incoming text, and I’m grateful to be sitting so far away from Kang.
Kang:Why did you run away from me?
I sigh and respond.
Me:I didn’t run away, it’s complicated.
I get another message, expecting it to be Kang’s reply, but it’s from Perla.
Perla:What happened to you? Where did you go?
I turn around, dim the brightness on my phone’s screen to be cautious, and strain my eyes through the darkness to see where Perla’s sitting, still in the same place as before. I reply, saying that I’ll explain later, and read the new message from Kang that just came in.
Kang:You don’t want to meet me, Klara?
Me:It’s not that.
Kang:So, what is it then? I’m dying to meet you but I feel like I’m the only one.
