befall

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For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

The boy had received all sorts of looks from people in his entire living years. From sympathetic to detest.

He was able to tolerate them but with embarrassment. But there was one such look that had been following him for the past two weeks.

It was that girl. The one with freckles.

It disturbed the boy that she was staring at him so intently, that it made him questioned himself if he had unknowingly taken something from her or had something on his face every now and then.

The boy became increasingly annoyed and one evening, he just snapped.

"What's with you?" he questioned the girl as he turned around to face her.

School had ended and he finally had the luxury to find peace on his way home. But only to find it shattered, as he discovered the girl trailing behind him.

The girl seemed startled, "Huh?"

The boy didn't change his tone,"Can't you leave me alone even for a minute?"

The girl clearly could not process his words properly as she looked at him confused, "I don't understand what you are trying to say."

The boy scoffed, "You've been staring at me weirdly for, I don't know, two weeks? And now, you are even following me home. Really? What is wrong with you?"

The girl understood the part where he accused her of staring but had still been confused about her trailing him.

Nevertheless her cheeks burned with fury when she was accused of watching him. She started to defend herself,"I-I wasn't looking at you. I was looking at Evan."

Evan was the guy who sat him.

The boy looked at the stuttering girl and thought to himself," At least make an effort to make up a story." But in reality he just ignored her words and walked away from her.

The boy could still hear the string of footsteps behind him as his hands balled into a fist.

But he kept it in.

It happened for another five minutes. There were no words being shared in the silent atmosphere, but only with the sound of their unison footsteps.

The boy pursed his lips in irritation, his patience running out.

When they had reached to the line of houses, the boy was on the brink of losing it.

He turned around swiftly, leaving the girl startled once again, "And would you stop following me? Seriously, it has already been seven minutes."

The girl opened her mouth to speak but abruptly closed it. But opened it again and muttered, "Six minutes."

"What?"

The girl looked at the boy, "It has been six minutes, not seven." She had not been affected by his sudden outburst, "And I live in this house."

She pointed to the house that was standing beside them.

She didn't drag his accusation and left it hanging in the air. The girl turned around and walked away, leaving the surprised boy behind.