The Casanova's Class Clown

Chap. 17: Maybe

MAYBE...

No one ever noticed anything.

And for that Emma was grateful, breathing in a content, wistful breath by the end of her shift.

She would never in her wildest dreams be able to live for the day anyone would consider Oliver and her a fad. Even if rumors only lasted seventy days, she would never be able to survive one. The mere thought of being put on a pedestal by anyone would be enough to send her to her room with no internet for the rest of the school year.

Her friends had called it exaggerations whenever she would mention those facts, but they'd take it in stride, rolling their eyes with mock peeve.

But Oliver would know better. He would always know better when it came to her, just as she would know better when it came to him. And she told him just so as they walked down their street.

After work and picking up Kat from the library, Oliver drove them both back home, the wallflower first before her, and began the night as routine. Bouncing out of routine for the night though, was when Emma saw her sister at the front door pass seven, about to get her jacket from the umbrella rack.

"Where you goin'?" She had asked.

"I ran out of ink." Lucy had answered then, resting her hand on the arm of her jacket. "I was going to make a quick run at the school supplies' store down the street. Want me to get you anything?"

She listed everything she needed in alphabetical order, and after ten minutes of nonstop words and "if evers" Lucy got fed up, marched pass her back up the stairs, and told her to get her some black ink pen and to come home before it gets too dark.

Oliver was another predicament. She was already a few meters away from home when she heard the heartthrob's familiar footsteps behind her. She had stopped, looked back, and waited for him to catch up then, and now they walked side by side, chatting over the new ins and outs of their interests that no one in school would have ever known about.

"So have you seen yesterday's update?" He asked just when he caught up to her.

Her reaction was swift. "Oh my GOG. YES!"

And then he let her nak for the rest of the walk, methodically inserting a nod of compression, a sound of agreement, or a reaction to fit her sentence every once in a while. Mostly he just let her talk though, since he rarely ever could get her to talk to him and him only. Even earlier was such a let-down for him.

Heck, no one ever noticed anything.

And for that Oliver was actually pretty disappointed, breathing out a heavy, frustrated sigh after his shift.

He had always in his wildest dreams lived for the day anyone would consider Emma and him a fad. Even if rumors only lasted seventy days, he would revel at every single one. The mere thought of being put on a pedestal with her by anyone would be enough to send him to the highest levels of heaven for the rest of his life.

His friends had called him exaggerated whenever he would mention those facts, but they'd take it in stride nonetheless, rolling their eyes with mock vexation.

But Emma would never know better. She would never know better when it came to his feelings for her, just as he would know better when it came to her true feelings for him. And he never bothered telling her so as they walked down their street.

Oliver looked up ahead for a second when he saw they were near the end of the block. The convenience store down the street was a 7 Eleven consuming an entire block of its own, divided by four equal parts, all parted by an even, imaginary boundary. Once across the street, the first thing they step on would be the store's gas station, where he frequented in filling his Porsche up. To its left, stretching to the other side of the block were tables and chairs spread out for those who wanted to hang out with their Slurpee. There was free Wi-Fi access until 11 pm, so it was no surprise that there were still a few lounging around and enjoying their access for the price of one cup of drink. The top version was the store itself, the familiar rectangular building whose sign above the sliding doors flashed in green and red.

They stepped on the welcome mat which signaled the door to slide open, and entered into the air-conditioned vicinity. With one 180 degree look, everything was easy to spot. From left to right, the products shift from food consumables to utilities, with the Slurpee machines to the farthest left and the school supplies to the farthest right.

7 Eleven didn't usually sell school supplies, but, as rumors went, to make their city a location, the big names of the city conditioned they sell school supplies. Whoever those big names were and for what purpose they conditioned school supplies of all things, Oliver might never know, but then again, it wasn't much of a topic anymore anyway.

"What were you going to buy?"

Oliver hid his shoulders jerking up when Emma asked the question. He looked down at her just as she pulled her scarf over her nose, obscuring half her face, and Oliver suddenly realized why. He gave a side-glance to the CCTVs at the four peripheries of the store and inwardly sighed. She was hiding again.

They stopped by a customer-less counter.

"I'm gonna go get some produce. Wanna walk home together?"

She nodded, her beanie distorting a tad at the process, and, instinctively, he fixed it up for her.

Her cheeks went warm, and she thanked God he couldn't possibly see it. His wands were cold though, and, instinctively, she held them in her mitten-covered ones.

"It's freezing outside, why didn't you wear gloves?"

His cheeks went red in coyness as he looked away, she thought. "I lost 'em in the wash. Haven't seen them since this spring, actually."

He didn't see her pout. "You better get some new ones then." She stated matter-of-factly. "Or else by New Year's, your fingers might have already fallen off."

"Yeah, yeah." He smiled down at her.

She let go to prop her glasses back up her nose, and nodded content.

He sighed when she turned away. Maybe one day, just maybe, she might look his way.

Neither noticed the hooded figure that came in five minutes later.