The Piece of Him That I Lost

Chapter 3. Who is he?

I followed Lune out of the Canteen, feeling sorry for him. I can't let him leave like that. He moved quickly, perhaps because he was tall and could take large steps to travel faster.

"Isn't that Ash?"

"Is she not with her boyfriend?"

"No, maybe she was just looking for another boy!"

"She's awful."

I heard Tia and her friends talking about me. They intentionally make it loud so that I can hear them from here. Aside from Viola, who is after what I have, she was enamored with me. She's a sopomhore who acts exactly like me, pretending to be the department's ruler.  A little girl who fantasizes about being me. She's cute, yet she sounds annoying.

But I'm not going to waste my time on a fan. Throw everything they want at me; I'm not interested in a clone. I just stroll by them and try to catch up to Lune, who is quite fast. So when I caught up to him, I grabbed his bag and pulled him to a halt.

He stopped and looked at me, as if he was trying to figure out what I was doing just now. I expected him to ask, but he merely stared at me with little interest or care. He just stands there, watching me panting and patiently waits for me to say something.

"I..uh..I'm sorry, but are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replied, his gaze fixed on me. He seemed to be perplexed as to why I had stopped him. And I can't even say what's on my mind, which is why I'm clutching a piece of his bag so tightly that I won't let him leave without doing something for him.

"Do you have something else to say?" he asked, his voice cold and baritone. It was neither authoritative nor interrogative. But it appears that he is wary of what I am doing right now.

"I ah, I uhm..." I was hesitating because he was so serious, and I didn't want him to get irritated with me. "I'm really sorry and thankful at the same time, but can I do something for you?"

He just looked aside and adjusted his body, so I let go of his bag. He put both of his arms in his pockets, looking down on me because he was so tall. "I don't need anything from you—just leave me alone or your boyfriend might hit me again," he stated solemnly.

His lips are still bleeding, and it seems to be serious. I've never seen someone be punched in the face in front of both of my eyes. And, yes, I'm frightened, guilty, and thankful right now.

"Please let me accompany you to the Clinic, you don't look good at all," I beg.

He just gazed at me, and I couldn't tell if he was intrigued or if he didn't care about my offer. He looks at me intently yet respectfully. "Come on, the wound is still bleeding."

"I'm fine— you don't have to worry about me," he remarked as he walked away. Just walk away without looking back, and I'm left here, humiliated for being rejected, and it's like a slap in the face.

"How could this man?!" I murmured. "He is a sociopath!"

So I'm forced to go into the bathroom to clean myself and change. It took me so long to get through it. It's a girl thing. But, just as I was about to leave the cubicle, I heard some foot steps inside. So I halt and try to avoid making any noise, because I assume the shoe sound was not intended for a girl, but rather a man's.

I attempted to open the cubicle door where I was, but I heard camera flashing sounds, as if it was taking pictures somewhere inside the restroom. That's why I embrace myself; I'm terrified he'll catch me and do something dreadful to me. Then I heard him sniffing like if he was smelling something and exhaling as if he was under the influence or something. He was, without a doubt, a man.