Shadows and Popularity

Chapter 14: Second Night

Chapter 14: Second Night 

Nathan sat on the fountain ledge, his eyes to the sky, looking at the august full moon. The spray was off for the night, and he was thankful for that. The wind was already cold as it was, and he wouldn’t know what to do if it got colder. All he wore was a white polo the school gave him and straight black pants that paired the uniform. He still wore his Nike sneakers though, so he was comfortable enough.

“Nathan?”

He turned, and there she stood. Under the gas lamp’s shade was the girl he wouldn’t have ever even met if not for his carelessness. Her dark locks cascading gracefully down her shoulders, the chestnut brown world of perspectives under her long, dark lashes. Her lower lip bit as though she was trying not to say something, but what she wanted to say, he couldn’t tell. She wore the school’s blouse and skirt, and Nathan couldn’t help but smile at the thought that they seemed to have worn the same type of clothing.

“Hi.” He greeted as he stood.

He was making his way toward her as she spoke. “We can’t get out of school, so how would you spend the night thinking?”

He shrugged, standing just a feet away from her, his eyes piercing hers. “We could just go and take a walk.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

And yet they didn’t move. They stood there, the autumn wind a cold gust, the insects their only music.

What was he doing now? Why must he drag her along every single thought of action that pops in his head? Must he always bring her along whenever he’d need company? Must he wake her up in the middle of the night every single time he’d turn into an insomniac? She was too nice. He knew that, and he knew she wouldn’t be able to say no to anything anyone would ask of her. That was why he was so confident that she’d agree to come with him tonight. But now that she was right in front of him, now that she stood right there an arm away, why wasn’t he doing anything? He always knew what to do when it came to sweeping the girls off their feet, but what was going on with him now?

We aren’t together…

That was it. That was the real reason. The only reason they even knew each other was because of his situation. If it wasn’t even for that incident in the cafeteria, Nathan knew they wouldn’t even be talking to each other, he knew he wouldn’t have even tried to know her name.

“Tell me…”

His eyes widened by a fraction when Maya snapped him back to reality.

“What?”

She looked at her feet when she shook her head. “I think it really is better if we stayed as strangers.”

He felt his heart sink. “W-why?”

“B-because…” She whispered. “I’ve been thinking… if we keep our distance from each other, pretty soon, they’ll get the hint that we broke it off, right? I don’t mind either way. You can have a press conference yourself and tell them we were nothing, and that last night was just a one-night deal. You know, kids having fun and all that.”

“C-can’t we at least be friends?” He knew the last word was a lie. He didn’t just want to be friends. He knew he wanted more than that.

She shook her head. “We can’t. The more we turn into strangers, the better. Back to when we didn’t even know each other. I go back to my shadows, you go back to popularity. I wouldn’t mind, promise. This is for the best.”

“Maya…” He took a step forward.

She jerked back, her head shaking side to side, her eyes hazy, her lower lip bit. “No.”