Changes

Chapter Five

Amity

Walking into school I wasn't in the best headspace so my walls weren't held up as well as they usually tended to be. I tried to keep my head down in order to avoid anyone else noticing this to be true. That I was at a moment of weakness that rarely ever occurred. I was usually better at keeping up the front, but there were too many factors going against me at this point in time.

Making it to my locker I quietly exchanged the books I had for the ones I required for class. I felt eyes on me, yet it wasn't just the eyes of curious students I had grown used to. No, this was the burning gaze I could easily recognize amongst the many other gazes. And considering how we had left things yesterday I hesitated to look at her.

Suddenly she appeared beside me leaning against the locker next to mine as I kept my gaze straight ahead to avoid meeting her eyes. I sighed, not making any move to look in her direction. "Well good morning to you as well, Blight." Her voice cut through the silence and I couldn't resist the need to look at her in utter confusion.

Her face gave nothing away as she held herself no different than she usually did. Smirking and tilting her head at me awaiting a response. "Unusually quiet today. Is this a new normal or just a special occasion?" She chuckled as if yesterday never happened and this only led me to feel concerned.

"Why are you acting as if nothing happened Noceda? Shouldn't you be avoiding me in anger or telling me off considering what I did to you yesterday?" I asked while looking at her as if she were insane. The fact that she was showing no signs of being affected was absolutely baffling.

"Honestly, looking back on it, I definitely deserved to be knocked back into my senses." She attempted to joke but I gave her a look showing my concern for her words. She sighed at this and rolled her eyes. "You never cared about what occurred between us before. Honestly, it happens Blight, it was a mistake. From what I can tell you regret what you did enough already. Just don't go around clocking me upside the head any further and we're good okay?" She smiled in order to reassure me.

Her words actually did make me feel better about the situation. "Okay." I smiled but that only made Luz's face contort into a look of discomfort and disgust.

"Don't make it weird, Blight. Let's not let it change anything okay? We're fine just the way we are." She said yet I found myself staring at her for a moment longer than I should've due to her choice of words. And before I knew it I'd got stuck in my head, my thoughts consuming me as I unknowingly continued to look at her without being presently aware of it.

"You've been staring for a while." She shifted and though she attempted to sound arrogant I could see how awkward she'd grown. Though she shook her head and that smirk of hers I knew all too well grew on her face. This made me forget the slip-up in her demeanor I'd just witnessed. "Like what you see Blight?" I found myself rolling my eyes and the moment was long forgotten.

"If it's you being miserable then, yes, I like what I'm seeing," I spoke irritably and she gave me a sneer.

"Rude." She mumbled yet the quirk of her lips let me know she hadn't taken the comment seriously or to heart. Then she mumbled out something else I couldn't quite catch before walking off towards her class. I watched her turn the corner before shrugging it off. At least I can depend on Noceda never changing. If anything were to remain the same in my life amongst everything else I'd bet my money on Luz and me. Only to be beaten out by my mother of course and the constant that is her passion for the family business. But still, Luz and I were definitely up there.

We always fell back into our familiar motions and actions and this was something I could always be sure of if nothing else. That Luz and I would remain as we were even if it meant we'd have to fight for it to stay as such. Throwing hurt feelings aside just so we could keep our normal. Or what we'd considered normal that is. This was something I could always depend on, find comfort in even, because Luz always managed to keep it that way. So I simply shook the strange interactions that made up practically Luz and I's entire relationship and moved to head to my math class.