BIG-J

6

The rest of the day passed smoothly, with Dominic leaving me alone and my classes going well. As I headed back home, I unexpectedly ran into James at the bus station. Without thinking twice, I walked up to him and took a seat beside him.

Looking up, James seemed surprised and asked, "Yo, what are you doing here?" I nonchalantly replied, "The same thing as you—waiting for the bus." A small smile tugged at his lips, and I noticed he was listening to music. Curiosity getting the best of me, I asked, "Ooo, what are you listening to?"

He responded with a grin, "Old classics." I was taken aback, not expecting him to have such a taste in music. Jokingly, I remarked, "Damn, big boi likes classics, huh?" He snickered at my comment and then surprised me by offering to share his headphones. With one earbud in his ear and the other in mine, we sat in comfortable silence, immersed in the music, while waiting for the bus.

Upon arriving home, I received a text from Dominic. Letting out a sigh, I decided to ignore it for the time being and muted my phone. Determined to focus on my homework, I diligently completed my tasks. Once I finished, I opened my phone, ready to reply to Dominic's message. He had asked if we could hang out and talk about things at school. Despite wanting space, I made the impulsive decision to respond with a yes.

The next day, after the art period, I made my way to the cafeteria and sat down next to Dominic. Elinia was also there, giving me strange looks, but I chose to ignore them. Dominic greeted me with a smile, and we engaged in our usual conversations. Everything seemed to be returning to normal, although I couldn't shake the feeling that my friendship with Elinia was deteriorating. Nevertheless, I didn't pay much attention to it.

After school, as was becoming our routine, Dominic waited for me, and we headed to the park instead of going home directly. We bought ice creams and enjoyed each other's company, almost like a cute date. As it grew darker, we decided it was time to leave. On our way back, we unexpectedly ran into James, who appeared to be heavily injured. Concerned, I asked him if he was okay, but he stared at me and Dominic before dismissing it with a curt "Nothing, just leave it." Then, he walked away. I wanted to go after James, but Dominic pulled me away, insisting that we leave "that jerk" behind, assuming he had gotten into another fight. I wanted to protest, but Dominic gave me a stern look, dropped me off at home, and left.

Feeling uneasy, I made my way to my bedroom, still preoccupied with James and his injured face. Despite my previous dislike for him, his image lingered in my mind, and I couldn't shake the worry. Acting on impulse, I decided to stalk his social media profiles in an attempt to find his number. Finally finding it, I sent him a text saying, "Hey, are you okay?" To my surprise, he responded rather quickly with a confused "lol who tf is this?" I replied, "Anushka," and as I drifted off to sleep, I anxiously awaited his response.