Changes

Chapter Twenty-One

Luz

We had just won our fourth game of the season against our rivals Glandis and I had sprinted off the field with a huge smile on my face. I'd been searching the halls on a mission. I ran into someone without watching where I was going and turned to see Willow. "Hey Luz, where are you off to in a hurry? And how did your game go?" She asked me curiously and I realized she'd been wearing her band uniform.

"We just won our game against Glandis! I'm going to go tell Blight about it!" I told her with excitement and she paused looking at me weirdly. "Where are you headed?" I asked her in return.

"I'm off to band practice. Today is the homecoming pep rally so we'll be performing in the gym during it." She told me and it reminded me of the football game between Hexide and Glandis tonight. "Why are you going to tell Amity that anyway?" She questioned me.

"What do you mean why?" I asked her not entirely getting why she'd asked me this.

"I mean why would you go tell Amity about it? Don't you guys hate each other? Why would she care whether you won a soccer game or not?" I paused at her rapid-fire inquiries.

"I don't know." Taking a moment to think about it.

"So you win a game and the first person you think to tell about it is Amity?" She asked while adjusting her uniform.

"Well, yeah? It was an important one. " I started as more of a question. "I'm gonna go gloat about it and then call my mom and tell her the good news," I told her and she seemed to grow even more confused by my response.

"I will never understand you two," Willow mumbled to herself yet I had caught it. "Well I have to go to practice but I'll see you after lunch in the gym for the pep rally." She said before making her way down the hall I turned around continuing my previous search.

I couldn't find her since I had no idea where she ate lunch at. So after a few more moments of searching, I almost gave up before a familiar head a blond hair caught my attention. Hunter was walking down the hall toward me while smiling at his phone. "Hey, have you seen Blight?" I approached and asked him. He jumped frightened by my sudden appearance beside him. Looking up at me and placing his phone in his pocket he furrowed his brows.

"Surprised to see me?" I chuckled at his reaction and he shook his head.

"Like finding a knife in a cereal box." He commented bluntly and it kind of reminded me of Amity which put my thoughts back on track.

"So? Have you seen her?" I asked again and he looked at me confused.

"Not yet, I'm headed to see her now to have lunch with her." He responded.

"Really? You eat lunch together?" I looked at him for a moment though it made sense since they were friends. "Where does she eat?" I found myself asking without realizing it.

"You don't know?" He looked surprised. As if I was supposed to know everything about her. "Wait, why do you care anyway? Don't you hate each other?" He commented and I rolled my eyes. I get why people keep saying that but Amity was right. Not everything about us has to do with our hatred.

"I care for Amity in my own way. We may argue and disagree at times. In our most unwanted ways, we tend to unfairly mistreat each other." I started to say closing my hands into fists at my sides. "I am capable of hurting her in the same way she is capable of hurting me. So neither of us is innocent in that case. We may not be good for each other but that doesn't mean I don't care about her in some way." I hated how I felt the need to explain myself to him.

"Our hate is something that has grown over multiple years. But if she needs me and I need her then we'll be there for each other." I looked off to the side uncomfortable that I had even said anything like this to begin with. "I'm not sure what type of hate that can be defined as but you're wrong to say that I don't care for her." Then my eyes met his as I gave him a look. "Not everything I do with regards to her is done with bad intentions." I set my jaw and slowly released my clenched hands from the grip I had them in.