One Cup of Sugar || Sasha x Niccolo

20 - Stockholm Syndrome

Sashas POV:

I leaned my back against my car door, enjoying the early morning breeze that swirled around me.

Class, that was just Hange running around and preaching the emphasis of art in the world, had ended a while ago. Armin, Marco, and I were now sitting around and talking for a while.

"Hange is a character, that's for sure." Marco looks up at the sky, leaning his head back.

"Oh yeah, they're a character," Armin agrees, "but, they're so nice it's impossible to not like them. Not like anyone would want to not like them, of course. I don't think they could hurt a fly."

I nod at both, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Sash, what did you think about Hange?" Armins bright eyes glance at me.

I recall Hange in class, walking around and explaining their devotion to art. They were amusing to watch. They talked fast, barely finishing a sentence before starting a new one. I recall the electric look in their eyes as they talked about their favorite pieces, their favorite styles, and more.

If passion were a person, it would be Hange.

"Oh, I love them! I guess I already look up to them a lot." I start, "I admired their passion for their pieces and just art in general. I felt seen, for once."

I recall the uneasy feeling I got before class started. It followed close behind me, inching its way closer to me every time I thought it was gone. The feeling inside me resembled a stalker, watching me when I was the most vulnerable and filling me with indescribable fear. It wasn't a good kind of stalker, not my stalker. It wasn't like when Nic followed me down the alleyway, making sure I was okay when I was panicking. This stalker fed on my anxiety, turning it into power. This stalker didn't care about boundaries or how badly I wanted it to go away.

"Yeah, Hange will do that for you." Armin chuckles, "Anyways, I need to get home. Annie woke up with a fever and I want to make sure she's okay."

"Oh man, yeah get out of here, dude." Marco moves out of Armins way, backing up slowly. "See you guys' later!"

"Yeah, go take care of her. I hope she's okay. Tell her I said hi?" I get into my car, quickly waving bye to Marco as he walked to his car.

"Of course, see you both soon!" Armin drives off, leaving me by myself.

I place my bag in the seat beside me, pulling out my phone to a swarm of messages from Connie and Jean.

Con:
HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY!! I LOVE YOU!
MY LITTLE ARTIST!!

Jean:
You better kill it today or I'll hurt you.
I love you and I expect only greatness out of you, little lady.

I smile, sending them both quick thank you's and I love you's before dialing Niccolo's number. The phone rings for a few seconds, causing me to frown.

"Hey, pretty girl." His voice suddenly fills my ears. He sounded excited, like he had been waiting for me to call all morning. I smiled as I imagined his face right now.

"Hey," I drag out, unsure of what I should say.

"Are you on your way over?" He asks.

Yes, I was. But he didn't need to know that. I smirk to myself, setting the stage for this Oscar's level performance.

"I don't know," I tease, "why should I?"

The line goes silent for a second. I could practically hear the shock in his silence.