Stranger to Me

~Twenty-Six~

Sajana's P.O.V.

My mouth stung with the terrible taste. It was all I could do to keep from spitting on the sidewalk. I wagged my tongue around like an idiot, hoping the sting would go away. It didn't.

Gilda had somehow talked me into having some tea. Why I listened to her, I have no idea. All I knew was that I thoroughly regretted it now.

I continued struggling when I noticed a person in their front lawn, weeding the ground. I also noticed that they were looking at me.

Intrigued, I shifted the weight of my backpack onto my other shoulder and picked up my pace. Coming into the person's vicinity, I realized it was-

Holden.

"Oh, h-hi, Holden," I greeted. I cursed myself for stuttering. He got up, weed in one hand, shovel in the other. He looked good, even with all that soil on him. I blushed at my thought, but attempted to hide the unwanted colouration of my cheeks.

"Hey, Sajana," he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just heading home," I answered. "I was at a friend's house."

"Really? Who? I might know them."

I realized that he thought I had an actual friend from school, but of course, that was not the case. I needed something to say, and I needed something quick. I thought about making something up, but I knew that was a dumb thing to do, so-

"Gilda?" I asked. "Do you know Gilda Perkins?"

"Yeah, I do, but" - he chuckled - "how did you manage to make friends with her? I mean, she was kind of known as a 'mean old woman', you know?"

Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Actually, she's far from that," I clarified. "And she helped me home one day when I fainted on the side of the road."

I was slightly uncomfortable mentioning that, but it was too late - I had already said it. Strangely though, it seemed that Holden was even more uncomfortable with it. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I already knew that," he finally voiced. "I saw."