Once we are dismissed to go I gather all my belongings and try to escape as soon as possible. I still feel the humiliation burning in my bones and I just want to disappear. Human beings forget incidents pretty easily because there’s a continuity of other events, and if you take away that object that reminds them of what happened, then they forget even more easily. I am the object in this case so I need to be removed from their sight.

Oh boy, even Zeke laughed at me! I think. After a while I’m not sure if what I saw was a smile, it was so faint.

Keeping my head low, I walk as fast as I can towards my locker. I don’t even think I’ll wait for Sam or something. I just want to go home and study or do something as to keep my mind out of what happened. I swear on my life that I’ll never allow this to happen again. During class I need to be focused on class, not other people.

If my parents found out they would be so disappointed!

I finally make it to my locker and I hurry to grab the textbooks I’ll need and leave the ones I won’t when I hear someone coughing behind me. “Um…” the person says and I freeze, expecting another humiliating thing to happen. “Allison, right?”

I slowly turn around because it’s clearly this person wants to talk to me, but when I do and see who’s addressing me, I drop all the things I have in my hands and step back in a hassle, bumping into the lockers, even closing mine.

I hold my breath whilst my eyes can’t look away from Zeke in front of me. Why is he here? Why is he looking at me so intently? Is that a smile?

“Sorry for startling you,” he says and I blink quickly, confused. Last —and only— time he talked to me his voice was rough and threatening, now he sounds almost shy. He even looks a bit uncomfortable because he looks to both sides and his right hand sneaks to the hair at the back oh his head.

I don’t think I’m breathing or moving at all, I’m frozen, not knowing what to expect. Why is he here? I didn’t do anything to him, right? I mean, I was just staring.

Oh boy, why am I so panicky?

“I um… I’m sorry for today, I guess,” he says ever so softly and I blink again, thinking I didn’t hear properly. “You got scolded today,” he adds, I think as a reminder.

“Ah, no that was my fault, you have no reason to apologise,” I was the one staring, I add in my mind and that helps me to come back. I shake my head and take a deep breath. He doesn’t seem angry or anything like that.

“Still,” he says and this time I’m sure I see him smile. It’s a shy smile, almost awkward, and it disappears almost as fast as it came. “Anyhow I was… I was wondering if…” my eyes widen as I see him troubled over this. It’s just a simple conversation, right? I mean, he’s not confronting me or trying to demand for an explanation, he’s just… talking to me. Yet he looks so uncomfortable, almost as I feel. “Do you have plans now?” he finally asks and I blink.

Out of all the things he could’ve said, I never expected this.

“Uh… plans?” I shake my head once again to get rid of the surprise and confusion. I need to think straight. “Sorry. And no, I don’t have anything in particular planned. Why?”

I fight a smile of my own when I see a bit of colour on his cheeks when he looks down as he keeps ruffling his hair.

“Would you like to come with me somewhere?”

Have you ever had one of those surreal moments when it seems that the whole world stops because nothing makes sense? I’m living one of those. Here I have Zeke, the guy I’ve seeing getting into fights, beating a bigger guy up, shouting and looking intimidating, a guy that until now has made me shiver with just one look, asking me to go with him somewhere.

Wait a moment…

Sam’s words come to me telling me to be careful. I don’t know Zeke, if I agree to go with him he could take me to some dark alley and kill me or something and then my body will be found five days later. But in all honest this feels different.

I’m someone who’s sensible and always does what’s rational. I think about it before making a decision and if I’m intelligent here, I shouldn’t accept to go with Zeke because I’m not receiving enough information as to make a sensible decision. Yet I feel like I should go, because going with him will provide me with the information I seek.

Should I follow my guts? I’ve heard of people who actually live their lives on impulses and intuition, but I’m not that kind. Should I try it?

“W-where?” I ask, unable to hide the tremble of my voice.

“Nowhere dangerous, I promise. You don’t have reason to be scared,” he hurries to say, surprising me once again not only because he knew exactly that I was wary to just go with him, but also because of the honesty in his voice and expression. He then blushes, really blushes, and looks away. Do I look like that when I blush?

“Okay, but can I ask why? I mean, why are you asking me to go with you?” I request a bit calmer because when he blushes he doesn’t look intimidating at all. It’s not like I know what a normal guy looks like, but when Zeke blushes all those ideas of a bad guy just fly out of the window.

“Everyone always assumed the worst of me… until you,” he replies and his eyes are on me once again, no smile, no blush, just his eyes showing me his upmost curiosity and even a bit of confusion. “Why?” he asks next in a whisper, taking one step closer. I can’t step back because of the lockers, so the distance between us only decreases.

“I saw you,” I answer in a small voice. “I saw you doing things that contradict your other actions and that confused me. You can’t be just a bad guy if you help the homeless.”

Zeke’s eyes widen in surprise and bewilderment at my words and this tells me that no one else knows he goes helping the homeless out of his own will.

“You don’t just get into fights, you stand up for people who can’t fight for themselves,” I carry on and he takes back a step, his expression unreadable. “At first you just seemed like a barbaric delinquent and I was… I was scared. But then I saw you and I just couldn’t accept you were just another bully.”

“You saw…” he repeats and his voice is almost a whisper. I don’t know what he’s thinking or feeling, but he looks so conflicted and flabbergasted. “You didn’t just judge.”

“One can only judge when one has enough data as to provide a proper and accurate conclusion,” I state with a small smile, knowing very well that I don’t sound like a teenager at all, but I’m used to talk like this.

To my surprise Zeke chuckles, or I think he chuckles, he even leaves his hair alone and covers his mouth as to hide from me the fact he laughed.

“So, Allison,” he says and this time he doesn’t sound awkward at all, in fact he has a small smile on his lips that doesn’t disappear when I look at him. “Will you come with me?”

“Yes,” I reply not feeling scared at all. “Once I pick up my stuff,” I laugh looking down to see my bag and textbooks on the floor where I dropped them the moment Zeke talked to me.

He immediately kneels and starts picking my stuff so I do the same and in no time I have my bag hanging from my shoulder and I’m walking next to Zeke outside the building. I have no idea where he is taking me, but I’m not afraid. However, just to be safe, I text Sam.

I went ahead with Zeke. If I don’t text or call you at night, start looking for my body —Allie

Of course in no time I receive three replies from Sam.

What? —Sam

you mental? —Sam

Please, be safe T.T I don’t wanna lose my friend —Sam

I laugh and shove my phone back in my bag to focus on Zeke next to me. We walk in silence to the bus stop and as time passes by I start to feel a weight on my shoulders. Is this what it’s called an awkward silence? It certainly feels awkward but I’m not sure how to break it. I look at him from the corner of my eye and he doesn’t seem uncomfortable. Maybe it’s just me.

By the time the double decker appears and we get on, I’m really feeling awkward and I can’t stay still. We sit together, me by the window, and I try to distract myself with the landscape, but I’m too conscious I’m next to Zeke. I’m buzzing with questions inside but I don’t know how to start.

Lucky me, he breaks the silence. “When did you see me? I mean, helping the homeless,” he questions not looking at me.

“Last weekend,” I reply, glad that we are talking now. “At first I wasn’t sure it was you. I was on my way when I saw you. You just turned around in the right moment and I recognised you. Do you usually go there?” I ask, knowing this is my chance to find out more about him.

“Kind of. There are other sectors I visit, too. It’s not like I go there all the time or something, but it wasn’t the first time.”

“That’s nice, helping people, I mean, not that they are homeless. You also helped that girl the other day, the one that was being bullied,” I comment and I notice him tensing, his fists clenching tightly.

“There are too many who take advantage of the weak ones,” he mumbles. “I hate those who think they can step on others.”

I blink in surprise, he sounds really angry about it and I guess I can understand a bit what he means, but isn’t nature like that? The stronger feeds of the weaker in order to survive. Of course, in the case of bullying is not to survive, it is to their amusement and that is not part of the natural selection.

“I can’t stand people being abused,” he confesses and my heart does something weird in my chest as a smile creeps to my lips when I realise he definitely is not a bad person. Even if the way he does things is not the best, his intentions are not ill.

“You’re definitely more than what meets the eye,” I say without realising and he looks at me, his eyes serious but intense and I hold my breath whilst holding his gaze.

“And you’re not your normal self-absorbed teenager,” he replies and for what seems the millionth time today, I feel my cheeks burning but this embarrassment is different. I don’t know how different, I just know it is. Good different.

-:-:-

shgajhsgajh please, tell me you also loved this chapter! jhagshgafsha I enjoyed it writing it so much. Anyhow, thank you for all your comments and votes! There were more than usual and I'm super happy.

Now, if you want an extra update before sunday can we have 250 votes?

Dedication to @SimplyEv

Bel, xx