Unpopular - Enemies to Lovers

➳ 3

FELIX'S POV

It was Tuesday again.

Jack's advice for me was to ignore Maude, and I planned on following it.

I knew Lucille needed the money, and Maude needed a tutor, so there was no point in not wanting them to work together. That would've been selfish of me.

Since I knew Maude would be here today, I locked myself in my room where I wouldn't have to interact with  her. I was afraid if she saw me she'd tell her friends about it and give them another reason to make fun of me.

Through the walls, I could hear the sound of Maude's saccharine laugh. I rolled my eyes and put my headphones on.

◍

After half an hour, I snuck into the kitchen for a drink.

I stuck my face into our white fridge as I searched for my water bottle.

"Hey, Felix."

Maude's golden voice startled me.

I turned to see her standing by the kitchen entrance with her hands dangling by her sides. She was wearing a white linen shirt with frills all over it and light washed out jeans. This was the first time she had ever spoken to me.

I couldn't lie, Maude was somewhat pretty.

She had soft hair and big round eyes. Her facial features were all plump and small which made her look cute.

I winced at my own thoughts - She's not cute. Gross.

"Hi," I replied awkwardly.

"Lucille said there are pens in here, do you know where they are?"

"Umm, none in here. There should be one in my room."

Maude quietly followed me to my room. I could feel her eyes on my back, and when we entered my room I could tell she was judging the way it was decorated.

My room was messy, but it was an ode to everything I loved.

Music, music, and music.

Large posters of bands like the Beatles and Oasis plastered every inch of my walls and I had a bookshelf filled with CDs, records, and classic novels.

I found a pen on my desk and handed it to her. Our fingers briefly touched against each other which made me shiver...

After I gave her the pen, I expected her to leave but instead she lingered in my room. Her eyes were analyzing my posters.

My heart was beating rather quickly for some reason.

She's just a girl. I shouldn't be so nervous. This is dumb.

Maude was short compared to me. Her head only came up to my shoulder. I observed her delicate features as she looked around my room.

She's not pretty, Felix.

"Are you taking notes?" I asked her.

She smiled inquisitively at me.

"On how to decorate a room," I finished.

"No, my room is better," she smirked, "I have better posters."

"What bands?" I asked out of curiosity.

Like Jack, I had some strange beliefs of my own. I strongly believed music taste said a lot about a person. I braced myself to hear her generic music list.

"The Pixies, Fleetwood Mac," she paused, "I also like a bit of reggae and older stuff."

I was shocked.

"I love those bands too," I bitterly mumbled.

Her eyes widened in excitement.

"Really?!" She asked.

"Yeah, listening to music is my only hobby."

"Would a true music fan really have a blur and oasis poster side by side?" She teasingly asked.

She was referring to the posters I had above my bed of the two warring bands. I smiled at her observation. No one had ever noticed that before.

"I actually have this CD that I've been trying to get rid of. I accidentally bought two."

I turned to my book shelf and rummaged through my CD bin until I found it. It was cheap thing I had found at the thrift store that I wanted to give away anyways. I handed her the CD.

Maude looked up at me with big doe eyes which sparked a feeling in me that I didn't recognize. She hastily looked away from me and back to her hands.

As Maude looked down at the CD, she bit her lip.

"I can't take this," she said.

"It's fine, it was super cheap," I replied.

Maude smiled at the CD. Strangely, when she smiled it was bittersweet. I could see some kind of distant sadness in her.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

She gave me a small nod and walked away.

I was left standing in the the middle of my room with my heart pounding loudly, wondering if I had been wrong about Maude Sinclair.