33
News had spread round the next day, with some embellishments added along the way. Most of her course mates had been particularly surprised on hearing the news and Ramiel brought up the topic while working.
"I heard Tahti and Demir were having an affair and that woman had caught them."
"No way. They'd got caught in the act?" Herley asked.
"Yeah."
"So that's what happened to Demir's face. He got hit by a woman." Chris said as he lessened the force he used in scrubbing his piece, to hear more.
"I heard it was a guy, though." Chris said and Ramiel buried his face in his palms.
"Don't tell me Demir is..."Herley asked as he resumed scrubbing his piece.
"I heard it was Tahti who hit Demir. Someone saw them fighting at night."
"Your friend again?" Ramiel scoffed.
"That doesn't make sense, though. Why would she hit him?" Chris asked and Jasmine slapped his shoulder, annoyed he could ask such a silly question.
"That's because she found out he was cheating."
"That's ridiculous." Herley said and they turned to him. "If it Tahti really hit him that hard, she should join the UFC."
"I can't believe you." Ramiel sighed.
"You guys are so ridiculous." April was saying as she walked up to them from behind Jasmine, who was dumbstruck on seeing her.
"Wow."
"What's that reaction? It's just a hair dye." She said, flipping her newly whipped cream blonde hair.
Wanting a new look, she'd gone to a salon for a new haircut, but had been told, by the hair stylist to try out one of their best hairstyles, to which she'd reluctantly agreed to at first, but later gushed over it when the stylist had been done.
"You're unbelievable!" Herley snorted and resumed scrubbing his piece.
"Yup. She's a total attention seeker." Chris was saying as she turned to see Derek throw her a glance before he walked out.
"Is it bad?" She asked. There has been no slight hint of surprise or admiration which Jasmine had offered her, when he had glanced at her. "Everyone at the salon said I looked good."
"It's pretty, but it's a shocking look." Herley told her.
"The colour's really pretty. Did you bleach it at first?" Jasmine asked.
"Yup. I almost lost all of my hair." She replied and Herley chuckled.
"By the way, did you hear anything about Tahti and Demir?" Ramiel asked and Chris gave him a slight nudge.
"Keep it down, Tahti's coming." He whispered and Herley turned to see Tahti walking into the class with Sol and he turned back to whisper excitedly.
"Sol's here too."
"Hey." April screamed and the crew flinched before raising their heads to see she was referring to the girls. "You both aren't coming t the workshop?"
"You changed your hair, April. It looks nice." Tahti said as she brushed past her to walk towards her table.
"Thanks, but don't try to change he subject. How can both of you not come? I feel so betrayed right now." She said.
"You girls should come. The professors aren't coming." Herley said as Sol walked to her desk and April hopped towards Tahti's table.
"I don't know about that." Sol replied and April turned to her with a groan.
"You should both come."
"Can't you convince Demir to come too?" Jasmine asked and everyone slowly turned to look at Tahti's reaction. "Everyone will come if he comes."
"Ask him yourself." Sol said, a hardened look on her face. "Don't ask her to do that kind of stuff."
"But they're close..."
"But what happened to Demir's face?" Herley quickly threw and returned back to scrubbing his piece.
"What do you mean?" April asked.
"You didn't know? I heard he had a fight with someone. But who..."
Tahti dropped her working gloves as Chris's voice trailed off before she turned to them, trying to look as unbothered as she could. "Can you please stop asking me about Demir Wilson? I don't know much about him, either."
Sylvia, the sister of the man, who'd punches Demir, the previous night, was taking a drag from her cup of smoothie when Demir walked into the cafe, that morning. She lowered her cup and her eyes widened on seeing the bruise on his lower lip, as he sat.
"Oh, my God...I'm so sorry." She said as she reached towards his lip, a contact which he avoided by turning his head.
Embarrassed, she thinned her lips as she lowered her hand. "I'm sorry. He must have sent something and misunderstood. I don't know why he suddenly went all crazy like that." She paused to lower her head. "Tell your girlfriend I'm sorry too."
Demir's eyes returned back to hers, surprise written on his face. "My girlfriend?" He asked and she raised her head.
"I heard you were with someone. Wasn't she your girlfriend?"
Demir folded his arms as he reclined on the chair. She thought Tahti was his girlfriend? Did they look that compatible?
"Anyway, if anything happens, call me..." She said, before naughtily adding. "Even if it's nothing special..."
Demir was quick to cut her short. "That won't happen. It'll be best for both of us."
Her expression showed she didn't look happy with the news, but he couldn't care less. "Okay. Of that's what you want..."
April decided to get off school, since she had nothing much to do there, when she spotted Derek on one of the tables at the school cafe. Had he left her back there at the studio without a word, only to come sit out by himself in the cafe? She thought.
A girl, whom she recognized as the girl she'd seen in the restaurant with him, served him a cup of mint ice cream and her eyes widened in shock, when she saw him take a bite.
"Is that jerk actually eating mint ice cream?"
That had been one of the reasons why they'd been so attracted to each other than other people in the department. Jasmine had ordered ice cream and cashew nuts one day, and they'd both been disgusted when she'd told them she'd ordered the mint flavor for the ice cream.
April remembered saying she detested it and Derek had told her he didn't like it because it was akin to eating toothpaste. How could he then turn on her to eat mint ice cream for a girl?
Gnawing on her lip, she stormed off.
