Chapter 2: New Friendship

Chapter 2: New Friendship

“HEY. THERE YOU are.”

She was startled when I greeted her the moment she passed by the hallway. She seems to be so engrossed in what she was listening to on her earphones, making her forget about the world as if she has her own. I chuckled at her response to me.

“You scared me,” she told me with coldness in her eyes.

Instead of being scared of what she’s showing me, I felt amazed because of what I’ve heard. “Really, did I?” I asked her in disbelief. I shrugged and said, “At least I made you feel a different kind of emotion. I’m already happy and content with that.”

As I keep on observing her these past few days, I noticed that she’s like voided with any emotion. Well, there are two expressions that I would always see on her face. Either she looks irritated in her whole life or her face is just a total blank. It’s like she doesn’t care about the world at all—reminds me of Dwayne. She hardly remembers people and looks like she will just be surprised that someone ever existed. That shit happened to me. She barely knew my existence until we were paired up. Now that’s a bummer.

“You know what? You’re unbelievable,” she told me without even glancing towards me.

To be able to get her attention, I walked in front of her and walked backward so we are now face-to-face-like what I did the last time. “We don’t have classes,” I said cheerfully.

“So, what?” She asked, raising her eyebrow.

“I just thought you would want to go on a newly opened diner downtown with me? It’s on me,” I said with conviction.

“Is that as important as breathing oxygen that I need to live?”

I was caught off guard because of her question. What am I going to answer? One wrong word, I’ll lose this conversation.

“I assume no?” Amara said when she got nothing from me.

“Yeah, no, but I want to be with you. Is there something wrong with that?” I told her, trying my best to hide my tension. Why am I always tense whenever she’s around?

“There is,” she said and walked past me.

I can’t understand. What’s wrong with trying to be friends with her? What’s wrong with hanging out with her? What’s wrong with what I am doing?

Before she could totally walk away from me, I grabbed her arm to stop her. “Amara, if you think that I’m just playing around with you, I’m not,” I sincerely said, hoping that she will believe me.

She stared through my eyes. But I can only see the emptiness in her eyes; I can only see those dark orbs—mysterious dark orbs—and they are drowning me in.

“I don’t give a shit on whatever you do, whether it is about me or not,” Amara said leaving me astounded by what she told me.

I was not able to move nor speak the moment she left me hanging in the middle of the hallway. She left me with my heart pierced because of what she said. Why is it so hard to exist to her?

“DON’T TELL US you’re gonna turn down our offer just to catch up with that weird and creepy girl? Huh!” Miranda kept on complaining to me.

It has been when since the last time I hung out with them? Uh, not so sure. I just found myself wanting to hang out with Amara more than them.

“Drop it, Miranda. Stop calling her names,” I told her, annoyed by what she was calling Amara.

“C’mon, Nicholas, you're not supposed to be like that!” Miranda said in a high pitched tone. Guess she’s becoming already annoyed, too.

“Then what am I supposed to be? Hang out with you, calling other people names like you do even though we don’t know a fuck about them? Seriously, Miranda, can you be more rational?”

Disbelief went across her face. Guess she didn’t expect me to say those words, as well as Gray and Dwayne who were just silent, letting Miranda burst out. We all know better that this is her way of release so we usually let her. But this time, it’s like when she called Amara weird and creepy, she got into my nerves.

“Have you already fucked Amara that’s why you’re going nuts?”

Before I knew it, I wasn’t able to stop myself from hitting Miranda. Well, thanks to Dwayne who caught my arm before it happens.

“I know Miranda’s being an irrational bitch again, but I would not allow you to hurt her. She’s a girl after all.” Dwayne told me, trying to warn me and calm me at the same time.

I took a deep breath before glancing back at Miranda. “You know nothing about Amara. But I know for a fact that she’s better than you! Who would be thinking that way? No one but an immature like you!”

“That’s enough, Cole! What you’re saying is too much!” Gray went in between us.

I just pushed Dwayne and Gray away when they tried to restrain me to make sure that I will not be laying a hand on Miranda. Of course, I wouldn’t. I just became impulsive a while ago, I’m even surprised.

“Says who calls other people names and judge them over and over. So, are those not too much?” I asked sarcastically.

I pushed Dwayne when he tried to get near me again. He raised his arms to let me know that he won’t touch me again. I saw Gray trying to comfort Miranda. I got my backpack from my locker and decided to leave but before I could walk away, Miranda spoke when she had found the courage to speak.

“So you’re choosing her over us, your friends? Then what, huh, you’ll just be like her?” She asked in disbelief.

“If finding the best friend on earth means to become creepy and weirdo, then why not?” I answered her and I saw how disbelief crossed her face, same with Gray’s.

I glanced towards Dwayne and nodded at him. Among all of them, I know it’s him who will understand me more. I just need time off from everything when I’m mad. I will just make it up to them when everything has cooled down.

“HEY, AMARA,” I cheerfully greeted her. She just answered me with a frown. That was so sweet of her, eh?

“Well, goodbye to you, Nicholas Hawthorne,” she said, rolling her eyes on me.

My eyes widened upon hearing her call me by my name. She doesn’t usually call anyone by their name and I never knew she knows my name!

“Wait, Amara. What did you just say?” I asked her, trying to prove that I’ve heard it right-that she called me by my full name.

People usually call me Cole as a nickname to Nicholas. I just lived with it, Cole’s a cool name, though. But I never thought my real name would sound as good as how Amara called me.

She raised an eyebrow and answered, “Goodbye?”

“No! The name you called me!” I told her excitedly.

“That’s your name. What’s wrong with that?” She asked frowning as if I’m a weirdo bugging her.

“Nothing!” I cleared my throat when she seemed to be stunned by my sudden rise of voice. “I mean, I was just surprised hearing you call my name. This is the first time you call me by my name,” I can’t help but be bewildered.

“Whatever,” she says, dismissing the topic.

“I wonder if you want to grab lunch with me. My treat, yes?” I asked her cheerfully because it feels like I have to treat her for calling me by my name.

Before she could speak, we saw my friends walking by. They glanced towards us. Dwayne and Gray nodded at me while Miranda gave me a death glare. I just shook my head and shrugged.

“The girl’s glaring at you. Was that because of me?” Amara asked which made me look at her.

“N-no! Don’t bother yourself. It’s just that, we had a fight,” I said and bowed my head.

“Was it because you’re hanging out with a creep like me?” She asked a follow-up question.

I bit my lower lip. Guess she knows what other people, most especially my friends, call her after all, despite not caring about everything—well, almost everything.

“I know what they think of me, and I don’t give a flying fuck about that.”

I looked at her, only to see a cold expression on her face. I became more desperate. If she doesn’t give a fuck about what other people think of her, then I do. I don’t want them to judge Amara because of the gossip roaming around the school. She’s more than just those gossips!

“That’s why I decided to distance myself from them—from my friends.” I bowed my head once again. I feel so ashamed. “I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stand it being friends with people who only know how to despise others because of what they hear about them. I’m sick and tired of what they are doing.”

“And you chose to hang out with me? What if they would call you creep and weirdo as well?” Her question is like putting me in a life-and-death situation. One wrong word, Nicholas, and you will lose her.

“I didn’t just choose to hang out with you, but be friends with you. And if being friends with you means being called creepy and weirdo, then I don’t give a flying fuck as well. All I want is to remain by your side and have you by my side, too.”

After I answered her question, she’s just staring at me as if she’s searching for something—searching something from deep within my soul. But deep in my heart, I’m praying that she will finally believe me.

“Let’s go to an ice cream parlor downtown. I don’t care whether you’re into ice creams or not, but that’s where I want to go. All mine, no worries,” she finally said, flashing me a small smile—a small smile that brought a huge smile on my face. It was just a small smile but it caught my heart and soul.