"Why do you always wear full sleeves? Not saying that you look bad or anything," said Alice, as she tried to keep the conversation going. This was her only chance to ask him out, and she wasn't going to let it go that easily.

"I just like it this way," he smiled and said. His smile wasn't happy anymore; you could see the pain in his eyes.

Alice smiled back and immediately said," so I have two tickets to the movie and I would love for you to join me."

Arthur wasn't in any mood to go with anyone, but as soon as he was about to make an excuse, Ryan popped out from somewhere and said," he'd love that! See you at 7?" And Alice gave a squeal and hugged Arthur before going to her class.

"Why would you do that?" complained Arthur as soon as they began to go to the class. He didn't want her to have feelings for him, because he didn't have any for her and he didn't want to play with her feelings. He'd been there and he knew how hard it was to come out of the pain. All the sleepless nights, all the hidden tears, all the unspoken words; it was just a pathetic feeling.

Ryan opened the class door, and entered, followed by Arthur. "Buddy, you need to be as busy as possible. As it is you used to like Alice, why not take the chance?"

"Fine. I'll go," said Arthur. He was in mood to argue, and their maths teacher had already entered the class.

........

It was 6:45 in the evening, and Arthur was still sitting in his room staring at his closet. He pondered upon Alice's question. Why did he wear full sleeves? Not like he had any marks there, or any scar. It probably became a habit when he once wore it the day he met her. It was in a book store near his house; he had gone to buy a magazine for his mother. While searching for the magazine, he suddenly caught sight of a very familiar pair of eyes, staring at the magazine in front of her.

The girl suddenly turned around, making her way to the cash register, when she saw him. Instantly her mouth broke into a grin.

"We meet again!" She said as she stood in front of the cash register. Arthur smiled back and picked up the first magazine his hands touched. He stood behind her as she she paid the money, and she in turn waited for him as he paid.

"I'm sorry, but what was your name again?" Arthur asked. They both went down the same street even though he had to go in the opposite direction.

"I never gave you one," she replied. In embarrassment, Arthur ruffled his hair, and she laughed.

"Don't worry, let's start again, okay? So, hi! I'm Evangeline," she said as she stretched her hand out for a handshake.

Arthur smiled nervously and shook her hand. "Hi! I'm-"

As he was about to introduce himself, Evangeline cut him off in the middle and said," Arthur Hayden, the hottest guy in my school, the best footballer in my team, who looks good even in a really plain full sleeve shirt. If you want to talk to me, join the line and wait for your turn."

Upon hearing this Arthur cocked his eyebrow at her and said," well, since you have done such intense research on me, I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you!"

She tried to show some attitude, but ended up laughing. They both were now standing at the end of the street. The hot summer sun was setting in the distance and a rather chilly wind blew softly. Right across the street was a park, filled with children and their parents, and teenagers hanging out. None of them spoke, but just stared at the park.

"You still haven't told me why you took up smoking," said Arthur. She still didn't move or reply to him; instead, she took his hand and started walking towards the park. He didn't resist either, just kept on walking. Evangeline didn't stop until they had reached the most deserted part of the park, accommodated with a few broken swings and a broken slide. She then took out a cigarette and lit it up.

"You won't get it," she sighed as she lied down on the grass.

Arthur protested by saying," try me."

She said," really? Does Mr. Perfect-life think he can handle it? Fine then. I started smoking because it helped me survive, it took me to a place where no bullshit rumors could scare me, where I wasn't judged for everything I did. I mean, seriously this other day this guy called me a slut because I was wearing a tank top. Smoking helps me to forget what a fucking bitch my best friend was, how her one small comment changed my life. You know when we had joined High School, I gained instant fame because of my parents and she was always jealous. So, just a week into school, and I had got a boyfriend who was a Junior and instead of being happy for me, the bitch started a rumor that I had had sex with a teacher in this school. Naturally no one believed her, so the next day, she made fake texts between me and a teacher from the school and pasted them all around the school. And that was it. My life went downhill from there. Heck, even my own parents believed her more than they believed me. After that I became the school's slut; guys message me, girls hate me and my parents are on the verge to disown me. So, to conclude, I'll say that smoking is my best friend!"

He just quietly lay next to her. Her didn't know what to say, but he sure didn't want her to feel sad for making her remember her past. So to lighten the mood, he said," I'm not Mr. Perfect-life, to be honest."

Upon hearing that, Evangeline broke into laughter. She laughed a lot, on really small things, but maybe that's because she was so broken, she tried to find the good in everything, in every situation.

"Yeah, let's talk about your 'imperfect' life next time we meet."

She left after that and Arthur still remembers staying there, lying on the grass trying to think of the problems she might have.

Arthur came back to reality, and saw the time. The clock read 7:30. Shit, he was late. In a swift move he took out the first shirt which came in his hand, and it was a black and red plaid shirt. He smiled to himself, because it was the same shirt in which he met Evangeline for the first time.
"I still love you," he whispered as he quickly wore his shirt and went to the theater.

New Chapter! Tell me what you think about it!

Comment, Vote, Share.