The rest of the day went by slowly for Jerome and Mara.
Both Mara and Jerome were in the same class together and Jerome seem to avoid her, each lesson he would sit further and further away from her.
Eventually lunch came and Mara looked around for Jerome but she couldn't find him. She saw Alfie eating lunch at a table without Jerome he was all alone and she wonder if he knew where he could be.
"Hey Alfie" Mara said sitting down with him.
"Hey Mara, what's up?" Alfie asked as he smiled at her.
"Nothing just having lunch with a friend"Mara said as Alfie looked at her with a questioning look on his face "you looked lonely all by yourself" Mara smiled at him while eating her lunch and Alfie loosened up.
"Well I usually have lunch with Jerome but he said he was busy and that he didn't have time for lunch" Alfie told Mara as he continued to eat his sandwich.
"Did he say what he was doing, or where he was going?" Mara asked Alfie becoming more concerned about Jerome.
"No he just said he had things to do and places to be and then he walked off" Alfie said sounding disappointed.
They had the rest of their lunch in silence apart from a few times were Alfie would talk about aliens and make Mara laugh but the rest of the time Mara couldn't stop thinking about Jerome.
Jerome was sat on the fallen tree again. He had tried to call again but when he heard the answering machine again he hung up.
Lunch was almost over and he knew that people would wonder where he's been and by people he means Mara.
He had been avoiding Mara all day and the reason why he didn't go back until lunch was over was because she wouldn't be able to ask him questions in class and he could sit away from her until he was ready to tell her.
He looked at his watch he was going to be late but he didn't care he walked back slowly and then realised.
What if he got detention for being late and what if his mum phoned Anubis house while he was in detention and never call back the thought scared him so he jogged back to school and made it to class just in time to avoid punishment.
"Hey mate where you been? I haven't seen you since the start of lunch" Alfie asked as he high five him for getting back in time.
"Oh you know here and there, how was your lunch" Jerome asked trying to get off subject and it worked, Alfie sat for the whole lesson telling Jerome about everything he missed at lunch but Jerome wasn't listening he was thinking about what he was going to tell Mara because he couldn't keep away from her forever.
Finally it was the end of the school day and everyone could go back to their houses and relax.
Jerome walked back alone because Alfie walked Amber home carrying her books and Patricia had walked back with Mara and Joy.
When Jerome returned to Anubis house he stayed in his room.
He took out his phone and turned the sound up in case his mum decided to phone back on his mobile that was if she decided to phone back at all.
To pass the time he started his homework and although people labelled him as a prankster Jerome was almost at the top of nearly all his classes, Mara would normally be at the top. He was almost finished when there was a faint knock at the door but he heard it.
"Come in" He said as he packed away his books.
The door opened and Mara peered her head around the corner of the door and looked at Jerome.
"Hi" was all she said after a long pause "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, What about?" Jerome smirked at her.
Mara sat down beside him on his bed stared at him and raised an eyebrow with a look on her face that said you know what about. Jerome laughed at her expression and was about to tell her everything when Trudy knocked and walked in.
"Hello, hope I'm not disturbing anything but suppers ready" Trudy said in her usual happy voice and returned to the kitchen.
"Saved by the Trudy" Jerome muttered as they walked to the dining area.
When they got there everyone was already seated and the only two seats left were next to each other. Jerome and Mara sat together. There was an awkward stillness in the room until the phone in the Anubis house hallway rang. Jerome stop eating and his heart was beating so fast that he was afraid everyone at the table would hear it.
His heart stopped when Trudy picked up the phone and began to talk to the person on the other end.
"Ok…Yes ok…I'll go get him" Trudy said into the phone as she place it on the table and walked into the dining room trying to hide the surprise on her face.
Please, please let it be for me Jerome couldn't help but hope it was for him he shut his eyes tightly until Trudy spoke.
"Jerome the phone's for you…it's your mum" Trudy said not knowing to be happy at the news.
Jerome got up from his seat so fast that his chair fell backwards and hit the floor. There was a concerned look from Mara and the rest of the house looked at each other they were shocked and confused at Jerome's reaction.
Trudy closed the door so he would have more privacy.
Jerome walked over to the phone and sat on the chair beside it he took a deep breath in before putting the phone to his ear.
"H-hello" Jerome stuttered his voice was wavy weak he hadn't talked to his mum in years.
"What's so important?" She asked her voice unlike his was firm and she sounded angry and annoyed that she had to phone him, he was beginning to regret calling her.
"Well there is a careers day coming up and they said our parents had to come and speak about their jobs" Jerome said trying to relax and not stutter.
"Oh…I'm busy that day…sorry" she said not sounding sorry at all.
"I didn't say what day it was" Jerome said becoming more fixed.
"I-I have meetings and conferences all week I don't think I can make it" She said.
She should win actress of the year award he thought as he sat there listening to her excuses.
"Oh…t-that's ok, bye mum I love you" Jerome said trying to hide the hurt in his voice.
She didn't return his goodbye as she hung the phone up. He knew she wouldn't come. He held the phone to his ear for a moment as he heard the dial tone he place the phone back into the holder.
Trudy came out with a sympathetic look on her face.
"Is everything alright deary?" Trudy said as she moved towards Jerome.
"Jerome" Mara said entering behind Trudy.
Jerome didn't reply as he stormed out of the house.
