The Night We Met by Ruero

Chapter 22: Closer

The next morning, I woke up with a weird mix of emotions—half good, half crappy. But I decided to drag my sorry ass out of bed anyway. After a quick shower, I scarfed down my usual breakfast, which was dwindling fast. I was running low on everything, and with a week left before I got paid from Walmart, I had no damn clue how I was going to make it through. I was even rationing my milk like it was the last drop on Earth.

Once I was done, I headed over to Angelica's place. As I knocked on her door, I heard her shout, "Coming!" She burst out of the house like a kid on sugar, all smiles and energy. We walked to campus together, like we usually did, but something felt off today. When I got to class, I noticed Laurine was missing. I couldn't help but wonder, Where is she ?

I barely made it through class, my mind too busy spiraling over how the hell I was going to survive this month. I kept thinking about getting fired and how I was going to afford a new guitar. When lunchtime rolled around, Angelica practically dragged me to the canteen. I tried to resist, mumbling about not being hungry, but she wasn't having any of it. Stubborn as hell, she dragged me there anyway.

She got her lunch, and I just sat there like a broke fool, watching her eat. "Don't you feel hungry, Ethan?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.

"No, I'm full, don't worry," I lied through my teeth. Of course, right then, my stomach growled like a damn thunderstorm. The noises were so loud, it was like my stomach was screaming, Feed me, you idiot!

Angelica looked confused. "I forgot my wallet at home," I blurted out, trying to cover up my obvious lie.

"Oh, you should've told me! Come on, we can share my lunch," she offered, sliding half of her meal towards me.

"No, no, I'm totally fine," I protested, feeling like an absolute idiot. She didn't listen, though. Instead, she got up and sat beside me.

"Come on, Ethan, you've got a night shift, right? You need energy," she said, eyeing me with concern.

"What?" I stammered, shocked that she knew.

She smirked. "What what, Ethan? I saw you near Walmart one night. That's when I figured out why you've been looking so damn tired lately."

I tried to play it cool. "Oh, that? It's just for experience. You know, for fun." Yeah, real fun, being broke and exhausted.

She pushed the tray towards me, and we started sharing the food. It was like something out of a dream, only a little more pathetic. "Actually, I'm thinking of quitting that job. It's too much," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah, you should focus on exams now," she replied, nodding in agreement.

"Yes, we should," I echoed, feeling like a total moron.

She looked at me, trying not to laugh. "What happened?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Your cheeks—you've got sauce all over them," she giggled.

"Oh, sorry!" I wiped at my face, feeling like a complete idiot. "Is it okay now?" I asked, hoping I hadn't made it worse.

She took a napkin and gently cleaned the rest of the sauce off. "Now it's perfect," she said with a smile that made everything feel like it was moving in slow motion.

I was so stunned by how nice she was being, it felt like I was in some kind of dream sequence. I was just staring at her, lost in the moment, when suddenly, the bell rang.

"Shit! Class time!" I jumped up so fast I almost knocked the tray over. In my rush, my wallet fell out of my pocket and hit the floor with a thud.

"Oops!" I quickly grabbed it, avoiding Angelica's eyes. Great, I thought. She must think I'm a total liar now.