Now You Know ✅

Chapter 38: Between Forgive and Forget

"Did I just see you and Roshon," April was saying, having caught up with Pelham on his way to the examination hall, "talking?"

Pelham, who was currently poring over his thick Chemistry textbook whilst gnawing on his pencil, barely spared her a glance. "We were discussing over this," he said, flicking a page and muttering under his breath. "You are aware that I'm very bad at this subject."

"Without killing each other, though?" she pressed on. "Pelham-"

"D'you think they want us to balance every chemical equation we make?" Pelham wondered aloud, finally looking up at her.

April blinked. "I don't take ..." she shook her head. "Pel, c'mon."

Pelham finally snapped his textbook shut and focused his attention on her. "He came over last night to talk," he said. "So we talked."

"So you two talked? Just like that?"

"What, are we supposed to hash over political matters or something?"

"No, it's just ..." she bit her lip, trailing off. Pelham knew what she was trying to convey there. It was all over the anguish in her eyes.

"We're fine," Pelham tried to reassure her. "Okay?"

"I can see that," she said. "But he ... well, you know, he kinda ditched you and pretended you never existed."

"At least he didn't try to make excuses to defend himself," he shrugged. "He just admitted he was being a bastard."

"Aren't you mad, though?"

"I was," Pelham nodded.

"But?"

"But I don't think staying mad at him will get me - get both of us - anywhere," Pelham explained. "It's kind of pointless, you know? Not to mention stupid. Besides, he needed someone to listen to him - that's pretty important. Being ignored might just be the worst feeling ever."

"He acted like a complete prick to you!"

Pelham sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm aware. Everyone can become jerks. It's only a matter of time before someone sees them for who they are under different circumstances," he said. "Doesn't mean it makes them a bad person."

"Don't you think you're not being fair by forgiving him, though?"

"Life never is fair, April," he said. "And who says I've forgiven him completely?"

"But you two talk,"

"That's not a crime now, is it?" he said. "Yes, he was a prick, but I don't hold grudges, April. In one way or another, things will still work out between us."

April was looking intently at him, her eyes softening. Her hand went up to touch his wrist, instead she curled her fingers into a fist and dropped it to her side. "Lucio's a lucky guy," she murmured to nobody in particular. "Well, good luck for Chemistry. I'm sure you'll ace it."

And by that, she hurried off in another direction - towards the library, as Pelham observed, seeing as she wasn't sitting for any examinations that day. He tried not to think about her words regarding Lucio - despite the fact that they were currently swimming in his head, refusing to stay put - as he headed towards the examination hall, where the rest of his batch who were taking Chemistry could be seen waiting apprehensively outside.

It was true that Pelham and Roshon talked earlier on - mainly Pelham asking questions that had relevance to their exam subject that day, really, owing to the fact that Roshon was very good at it. The latter had been somewhat self-effacing when Pelham approached him in the corridor earlier on, and Pelham could only presume that Roshon thought he was never going to let him off. Not that Pelham had put much thought to it. Sure, it still stung whenever he recalled the brawl they'd had a few weeks back. But he had long since learned that focusing on one petty thing for far too much than the things that were actually worth focusing on wouldn't get him anywhere.