Mae hated school .

Most teenagers just disliked the idea of school. And Mae thought she could just be one of them. As much as she tried her best to understand her reasoning, she couldn't shake of her attitude about school.

Monday.

The day after Sunday.

It used to be one of her best days believe it or not.

She pulled the strings of her white hoodie and began to trudge through the pristine gates of the school, briefly looking behind her to see her father's car drive off towards the road.

Now from their school gate, was the main building, built four floors high. If only she could get past the group of students standing at the front of the building. If only she didn't glance at the crowd, owing to herself to find out the cause of the gathering.

If only she didn't see him.

She was instantly reminded of the sun that morning. She decided to draw her curtains the previous night, letting in a chance of sunshine. The state of her room that morning was peaceful. Her state of mind was anything but.

She allowed herself to hear the whispers coming from the four people that had gathered near the double glass doors.

"That's Mae right?"

"I can see that, Lia I'm not blind."

"Isn't it too hot to be wearing a hoodie?"

"What brand are those Converse though?"

"Lia please."

None of those voices belonged to him.

She allowed herself to enter the building without stopping to listen or stare. And this was the one thing she had allowed herself that she was proud of.

***

"So what's the plan this time? My house or yours, bro?"

They all stopped staring at Mae and focused their eyes on Roman.

Liam glances at Ruby and smiles painfully. "Oh. I'm sorry dude. What were you saying?"

Roman sighs and looks at each one of his friend's faces. He was already upset as it is. He didn't need anymore stress of all days.

He tilts his head to the side and looks at Liam. "Why are you so distracted?"

"I'm sorry dude, I'm just not used to hanging with you on Mondays. I usually have... appointments." Liam muttered.

"Yeah, pussy appointments. That's what." Ruby rolled her eyes shuffling slightly away from Liam.

"Hey! Just because you haven't gotten laid this week, Ruby, doesn't mean you can get salty on me."

"Excuse me?! What has me getting laid have to do with anything?"

Roman looked back and forth at Liam and Ruby knowing a possible argument was occuring, every single time. He glanced at Lia, his eyebrow raised, only to find her admiring her nails and taking pictures of them.

He quietly walked away from them and entered the building. Shaking his head, he made a mental note to text them later as he made his way directly to his first class of the day, Geography.

***

Everybody knew who Roman was. Not your cliche popular bad boy, not your cliche shy nerd. Roman was what you would call a book worm. If he wasn't with a certain someone at the bleachers or in the grass field behind the school during lunch, then he was in the homeroom reading a novel.

Not many guys his age would be found freely reading like he does. Not many guys would even admit to reading. But Roman has never been one to care about how his actions affect people.

The art of escapism.

It's how he called it.

It's a whole other talent to be able to see a different world through a different person's eyes. To be able to visualize control in your mind.

Roman was into the little things.

And he loved it to say the least.

Ever since he was taught to understand, his point of view of some things changed. It's difficult to always have to put yourself in someone else's shoes. But it's the most humane way. It was human.

But Roman liked to criticize his character's flaws. He liked to forget that they were just fictional characters. Because characters that come to life in someone's mind were not fake.

But imagination didn't work like that.

Sometimes he was way to in over his head to be able to pay attention to what matters, but Mae always kept him in check.

Kept. Not keeps.

Past tense.

Mae was something he liked to get lost in. Sometimes she didn't know that. Or that's what he thought. He could almost imagine her smiling as if to say Oh Roman in her mind, everytime he would stare at the wall overthinking about a certain character he read about. She would burst into laughter and shake her head, while his words, as soft as her laughter, a quiet it's okay sounding from his lips, while graced with a smile of his own.

As he settled in his desk for Geography, he pulled out his phone and stared at it.

"What colour are your lights?"

Was he attempting conversation?

He didn't know. But one thing was for sure, he missed Mae.

He had pretended not to see her or hear his friends talking about her earlier. He didn't want to be faced with the same heartache everytime he looks at her and she's not smiling at him.

He just watched from the corner of his eye as she passed, without even looking at him.

Maybe she didn't know I was there?

Excuses excuses.

Roman had never been one to care how his actions affect people. But he cared about what Mae thought of him. And the moment he realized something had shifted in him, his changed ideology, he decided to ignore it. But that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge it fully.

🔸🔸🔸

🔸With the right music, you can accomplish so much.

🔸I'm trying to write a romance story. I'm not good at such. So if this book wasn't up to your expectations I don't know.

Have a great day ~