Colours of the Heart
Good Hope School, Valerie Cheng, Fiction: Group 4
K
atherine Li stared at the sandy desert drawn on the page, and wondered briefly what
it held. Her teacher’s loud voice interrupted her thoughts, leading her back to the dull
descriptions of the Gobi desert.
The Gobi desert is spreading into the Southern edge of China, and the main reasons
are caused by human activities. For example, overgrazing and depletion of water source all
contribute to the alarming speed of desertification.
Kate scoffed. She decided that it was always humans that ruined and destroyed everything.
Maybe we shouldn’t be allowed on the planet- what with the amount of destruction we’re causing
the environment. We humans- we’re all self-destructive.
The bell rung, and without a single care for the teacher’s feelings, the students ran out of the
classroom like a bunch of piranhas that had just spotted their latest victim- cafeteria food.
While the teacher was mumbling something unintelligible- something that sounded like, ‘Kids
these days. No respect for authority’, Kate was packing up her books, collecting her scattered
thoughts that had run out of the classroom after her classmates.
Just as she passed the door, she was pulled back by a strong grip on her arm. She shrieked, but
he only chuckled. ‘You’re so easy to fool.’
Before she turned around, she already knew who it was. ‘You’re so immature,’ she retorted to
the still-laughing Jaime. ‘Was it really necessary?’
Under normal circumstances, he would have winked at her with mischief in his eyes. Today,
he only turned serious, eyebrows bunching together in… disappointment?
‘We need to talk.’
Her heart leapt up in her chest, getting stuck in her throat. She had to swallow a few times
to return it to its original position. ‘We’re not dating, Jaime,’ she merely answered, putting on a
calm façade.
The corners of his mouth turned up a little, but not enough for her to spot a smile. ‘I’m
being serious.
At his inability to joke, she fell quiet, as a sense of dread fell over her. It was as if a
millennium went by before he spoke up.
‘I’m going to America.’
She knew what he meant, she just could not bring herself to believe it- at least not yet.
‘For how long?’ she asked in a quiet voice.
He frowned. ‘Katherine, you know what I meant. I’m studying in America.’
‘When are you leaving?’ she whispered, her lower lip trembling. Her ice-cold mask melted and
sobs escaped her heaving chest. But her eyes were dry- as dry as a desert. ‘When will I never see
you again?’
He didn’t hug her and he didn’t comfort her; he didn’t even try to hide the truth. ‘July.’
She looked at her schedule. It read, May.
* * *
