Bullet ~ Cai Xukun

Chapter Three.

Song~
Charlie Puth and Kehlani: Hotline Bling (Cover).

***

You don't feel like getting out of bed, drawing the blanket closer to your chin, trying to cover up as much as you can, crawl into a ball of warmth and hibernate.

The weather is getting colder with each passing day, the rain getting harder and continuous, leaving you with an urge of savouring some hot chocolate and marshmallow.

Contemplating if the hot chocolate is worth your movement out of the blanket, you settle for the former, kicking your legs down the bed, wriggling your toes before standing on the floor, arching your back, doing some awkward poses flailing your arms around before straightening up.

On your way to the kitchen, you see Miranda on the couch, her books sprawled in front of her, a pencil resting between her lips, her eyebrows frowning as she concentrates on her notes.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?"

Miranda answers in negative. "No."

You make her a cup of hot chocolate anyway, which she accepts without taking her gaze off the notes.

You're walking down the hallway leading to the college library where Miranda is supposed to be in before getting stopped in your tracks by a petite figure.

"Do me a favour please!"

"Yes?"

"Help me with the notes," Nessa says, grabbing your hand, looking at you expectedly, "the test is in two days and I'm not prepared, at all. Like, at all."

"I was going to the library," you say, "Why don't you join us? Miranda is better at teaching anyway."

Nessa's grip on your hand loosens. "Won't you be able to help me with those?"

You stare at her blankly.

"I mean, yes, of course Miranda is great. She's among the top students. But, I might not be much comfortable with her."

"That's understandable."

"I don't want to sound offensive, but..."

Your gaze doesn't leave the girl.

"...Miranda is very creepy."

"I don't know why you'd say something like that about her to me."

"You know I didn't mean it that way."

"Find someone else to help you with your notes or whatever."

Your gaze shifts from Nessa to another person standing behind her, stopped in her tracks.

Miranda looks at you, the red tinge around her nose clearly signaling that she heard it, however her eyes are the same.

Lifeless. Unbothered.

Please Miranda, react. Please show some emotion. Yell. Scream. Curse. Get angry. Do something. Anything!

Miranda adjusts her bag over her shoulder before turning around, making her way opposite to the direction of the College Library.

You leave Nessa at her spot and follow Miranda, calling out her name. She turns around only once, just to say, "I want to be alone for some time," before continuing her walk, rounding the corner and disappearing.

You find yourself standing in front of the departmental store, your bag hanging low on your shoulder as you stare at the outline of your gray sneakers matching the monotonous concrete ground, reflecting the dimmed colourless sky, the rain drops playing at the edge of the evenly spread clouds.