Chương 17: LET'S BE FRIENDS
Lucas' POV
I stared at her. I watched the look in her eyes change, until there was no trace of the turmoil from earlier in her eyes. She was staring at me with clear glassy eyes. She was good, really good. Such a person could hide anything, such a person was dangerous, not just to others but also to herself.
"Is that so?", I said after a while. She remained silent and just stared at me.
"Mister Williams, please take your seat. You shouldn't interrupt a classmate like that and saying things like that no less", Miss Winston said after some time.
"I'm sorry ma'am", I apologized before looking at Tiana.
"I'm sorry Tiana, I was just worried about you that's all", I said with a small smile on my face as I walked back to my seat.
She still stared at me, her gaze never leaving me.
"Ms. Williams please do continue", I heard Miss Winston say after some time.
"I'm sorry ma'am. Please excuse me, I have to use the restroom", she said and left the classroom.
I watched her go with mixed feelings in my heart.
'Had I done the right thing? Cornering her like that and in public even'
I saw her again in English class, she was quiet all through. She didn't answer questions as enthusiastically and I wondered if it was my fault. Soon it was lunch, as I walked along the halls, I received a message from Ryder that him and the guys had something to do so they probably won't be at the cafeteria for lunch.
"K", I replied.
I continued walking towards the cafeteria when,
"Hey did you hear about Tiana and the new boy?", a girl whispered to her friend.
I stopped in my tracks.
"No, what?", her friend asked.
"I heard they had an argument in social studies class"
"Seriously?!"
"Hm, my friend taking that class told me"
"Damn that girl, she already has Sky and Romeo under her leash does she want to add the new guy too?", her friend complained.
"I don't think it's like that"
"Oh?"
"Apparently they had an argument about a class topic"
"What?"
"According to my friend, Tiana was talking on mental health when the new boy suddenly stood up and asked her if she's suffered from it"
"Really?
"Yeah"
"But why would the new boy ask that?"
"I don't know but there's no smoke without fire. The new boy must have had a reason for asking her something like that"
"I know right"
"Who knows maybe they've known each other before and the new boy knows something about her"
"You think?"
"Or who knows? Maybe she's approached the new boy and the new boy was repulsed by her advances so he did that"
"Well you might be right because the new boy looks like someone with a high standard, a girl like Tiana is probably not his type"
"Yes. And if you think about it Tiana could very well have suffered from mental issues, could be the reason she acts like such a bitch", the girl said and her friend snickered.
I couldn't take it anymore and I approached them.
"And what gives you the right to say that about her", I asked them in a cold voice and they gulped.
"Wh...what?", the girl stuttered.
"Tell me are you so insecure that you say such things to console yourself?"
"We...we didn't say anything wrong. It's true Tiana acts like a bitch", the other girl said pretending to be bold.
I chuckled,
"Oh really? Well that bitch seems to be exactly my type", I smirked and walked off.
I had most definitely made a mistake. Maybe my actions had brought about a more different result than I'd hoped. At that moment all I could think about was one person, Tiana. I wondered if she'd heard the gossips by now. I looked for her. I walked into the cafeteria. I saw her at a table with her friends, she seemed to be having an argument with one of them. Was it because of what happened?, I wondered.
"I'm fine Grace", I heard her say as I approached them.
"Are you sure?"
"Hm", she replied.
'Was this about what happened?'
"Hi, Can I sit here?", I asked them when I reached their table.
Her friends looked up at me surprised and she slowly turned towards me, she looked surprised to see me and I smiled at her.
"What?", she asked.
"I want to sit here, can't I?", I asked as I put my tray down on the table and sat down. They all stared at me.
"I don't think I've properly introduced myself, I'm Lucas", I said and smiled.
"Well, I'm Stephanie, the most sassy beauty in school", one of the girls introduced winking at me and I smiled. She looked like the mischievous type.
"And might I add that you are exactly my type, are you free this Saturday?", she continued and smiled mischievously at me and I smiled.
"Steph!", the other called and hit her head.
"Ow! Why did you hit me?", Stephanie grumbled.
"Because you are being ridiculous", the other girl responded before turning to me.
"And I'm Grace", she said casually.
"Hm", I responded and turned to Tiana, she hadn't said anything all through. She just sat quietly staring at me. I had to admit, I didn't know what she was thinking at that moment. She was so good at controlling her emotions it was almost impossible to read her.
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?", I asked her with a small smile and her friends immediately became quiet and she remained silent, not saying anything. We stared into each others eyes, each of us having our own thoughts, each of us trying to read the other, the atmosphere at the table had suddenly became tense.
Ring ring, a phone rang.
" 'That person'. Who's that?", Staph asked Tiana after she glanced at her phone.
"None of your business", Tiana replied cutting off the call.
She turned to me.
"And you, come with me", she said and got up.
I smiled at her friends and followed her out.
"What do you think you're doing?", she asked me sternly.
"What? What did I do? I'm only trying to get to know my grade mates better", I replied casually.
"Really?"
"Yes. I was hoping to be friends. Why can't I be friends with you?", I asked.
"What? Friends? Hahaha", she laughed.
"On the very first day we met, you called me a pretentious bitch"
"I...."
"I didn't even mind that. Everyone gets called a bitch nowadays, it isn't a big deal", she interrupted before staring into my eyes.
"But what you did earlier...", she said and advanced towards me.
"What the hell did you think you were doing earlier?", she asked me with an icy look in her eyes.
"Oh? You mean social studies class?", I asked non challantly, trying to gauge her reaction.
"Why? I only said the truth, you seemed too emotional for someone who was just giving a talk. I just wondered if you were speaking from experience", I said as I moved closer to her.
"But if you weren't, it doesn't matter, does it?", I asked gazing into her eyes.
A smile soon formed on her face.
"Stop trying to read my emotions", she said and I wasn't too surprised.
She had been skillfully taught how to control her emotions, it'd be a shame if she couldn't tell when someone was trying to read her. I smiled.
"What do you mean?", I asked feigning ignorance.
"Because of what you did earlier, people are gossiping about me, did you know?", she asked and I felt a pang of pain in my heart.
Had she heard the gossips like I did? Even though I knew that gossips like that could do nothing to someone like her, I still felt somewhat guilty.
"If it's the gossips, I'm sorry", I apologized sincerely and surprise flashed in her eyes.
"But the gossips isn't really what you are mad about, is it?", I asked her.
She stared at me.
"What are you afraid of? What are you hiding that even your friends don't know about it?", I asked her slowly my gaze never leaving hers.
Ring, ring, her phone rang again.
I took a quick glance at the screen and the name, 'That Person', displayed on the screen.
I gazed at her, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker in her eyes when she saw the call.
"Go ahead", I said.
"Pick up your call"
She glanced at the screen again before cutting off the call. She raised her gaze to me.
"Whatever I'm hiding, whatever I'm afraid of, has nothing to do with you"
"I don't know what the hell you want from me but stay away from me", she said and walked away.
"Oh and..", she paused in her tracks and glanced at me.
"About being friends, don't bother, so you better stop now before I make you my enemy", she warned and walked away.
I sighed as I watched her go. Above all else, she was also opinionated and strong willed. Her strong willed nature was what has driven her all this time. She had completely shut herself off. She had lived with the pains for a long time that I could understand her, for her this was the only way, the only way she could survive, but could I, would I be able to show her another way?
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