Forget Her Not

5 | go sort through the new cabbage

Delilah is standing down from us in the corridor, eyes fierce and her mouth a little pursed. A tall Asian boy, with a vaguely familiar face, stands next to her. Their faces are similarly stony as they look at us.

"Arden?" Delilah says.

Not good enough. Was never good enough.

I look down. I hear footsteps coming closer. My hands are still shaking, and my head throbs. My papers are still scattered around me. I press my knuckles against my knees.

"Oh, Delilah!" someone says. "We were just having a friendly chat with Arden. She's such a klutz though, dropping all her things!"

There is a brief moment of silence. Delilah takes a single step closer.

"Oh, friendly chat, was it?" she asks sweetly. "And what part of all of this, would you call friendly?"

There is a nervous tittering of laughter.

"Delilah, we weren't-"

"Jisung," Delilah cuts in. "Jisung, did you hear what this friendly chat was about?"

A level, male voice smoothly joins the conversation.

"Not exactly. I did hear a lot of yapping though."

"Yapping?" Delilah questions.

"Yes, yapping. Some smack talking too. You know, the whole usual, insecure, deluded talk."

A chorus of indignant voices rise up.

"Hey, what are you trying to-"

"-none of your business what we-"

"There aren't any dogs around?"

Delilah cuts in again. "Hey!"

She waits until she has their full attention.

"Hey," she repeats again, softer and slower. "Get lost."

No one talks back to her. No one huffs, and goes all 'no, you get lost'. I hear footsteps as they all leave. I still do not look up. I hear a sigh.

"Come on, Arden. Up you get."

Delilah offers me her hand, and when I take it, she pulls me to my feet. I hug my folder and books close to my chest.

"Don't mind them. It doesn't matter what they think. You have to learn to hold your ground."

But I have none of her confidence. None of her beauty or charm. I am too sensitive and that equates to too easily hurt. My heart stops at just the thought of talking back to someone. Weak. Suddenly, my eyes are wet. I cannot bring myself to look at her.

Delilah starts to say something else, but the boy that she is with shushes her.

"Arden, is it?" he says.

I manage a nod.

"I'm Jisung Lee." the boy says. "We've met before, yeah? Do you remember?"

I dare a peek at him. Jisung does look a little familiar. Tall. Cute ruffled coconut hair. Dark almond eyes, and a left dimple.

"Oh. You were at Coffee House, that day." I say.

Jisung smiles. It fills in his face prettily.

"I'm in your Modern History class too, but you're always falling asleep there so I guess you wouldn't know."

It takes me a second to realise that he is only teasing. I smile back, a little embarrassed.

"Let's get you back home." he says.