Gated Heart

Chapter 4

As Mia stepped out of her apartment and onto the street for school, she saw Aren stitting on the curb, waiting patiently. Mia raised an eyebrow. Had he come to her apartment just to wait for her? She approached him. Aren stood up eagerly when he spotted her coming out. His face stayed calm but his eyes brightened at the sight of her.

"Oh, uh... hey, Aren." Mia said curiously.

Aren, as usual, said nothing. But for the first time he threw Mia a half-smile to greet her back.

Seeing his awkward attempt to look friendly, a smile broke out on Mia's face. In that moment, Aren looked sort of cute, like a lost puppy doing its best. Seeing this in Aren, who was usually so stone-faced, almost made Mia giggle.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him in a friendly tone.

Aren casually pointed down the road in the direction of their school.

"Ohhh," Said Mia. "Okay, let's walk to school together."

Aren held back a triumphant smile.

They walked down the street side-by-side. Aren stayed silent. He was satisfied just getting to walk next to her. Mia looked up at him as they went. Was he trying to be friendly with her? She thought about it. Maybe their encounter yesterday after school made him want to be her friend. It was clear that he didn't have any. Thinking back to the way he had always ignored the people around him and avoided interactions with all his classmates, she guessed that Aren had never even tried to make a friend in his whole life. When she treated his wounds yesterday, she didn't expect him to even acknowledge her again, let alone appreciate it and want to get closer to her. Mia tried not to overthink it.

They arrived at the school grounds and stopped near the gate.

"We're early." she said.

Aren nodded.

"Well, we've got some time to kill before school starts. Wanna go sit over there?" Mia asked, pointing at a bench. She didn't wait for his reply and headed towards the bench. He trailed behind her.

They sat down together.

She looked at Aren, not sure what to say to a boy who wouldn't talk. "So... why did you want to walk to school with me? She asked.

Aren looked down at the ground and shrugged.

Mia sighed. "You know, usually when two people are hanging out together, they both talk." She teased.

Aren looked at her and froze for a moment. Then, "Why?" He asked, confused.

Mia's head snapped back towards him in astonishment. She was shocked that he actually responded. She had only ever heard his voice once, and it was only a few words when he was getting beaten up by Jack and the others. At the time, she had been too preoccupied to give his voice much thought. Hearing it again now, she noticed how nice it was. His voice was deep for a 17 year old, and smooth like honey.

"You talked!" Mia exclaimed.

Aren nodded.

"You never talk!" Mia said excitedly.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why didn't you talk yesterday?" She asked.

Aren hesitated. "There wasn't a need for it." He stated matter-of-factly.

"So why did you talk just now?"

Aren looked confused again. "...You wanted me to." He said quietly.

Mia looked at him, wondering if he really was trying to make friends with her. "Well, yes, but you've never responded in the past when people wanted you to."

Aren shrugged.

By this time, most of the students were streaming into the building, catching Mia's attention.

"Oh-" Mia said. "Looks like school is starting."

They walked in together, and neither of them noticed the other kids giving them weird looks.

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Mia and Aren walked to school together each morning after that, but still, Aren hardly spoke. He was content to just listen to Mia talk and would usually answer her by nodding or shaking his head. It seemed like he just didn't view verbal responses as necessary, so if Mia wanted to hear his voice, she would have to ask very specific questions that required him to say at least a few words in order to answer.

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Soon a week went by, meaning both Jack and Chris were back from their suspensions.

Mia ran into Jack in the hall.

"Mia," he said in a dry tone.

"Hi, Jack," she sighed impatiently. "Welcome back."

Jack glared at her. "I heard you've been hanging out with the sociopath."

Mia looked surprised. "How did you know that? You weren't even in school..."

"I heard as soon as I stepped foot back in the building." Jack said, annoyed. "It's like all people are talking about. Everyone in our grade has heard about you two walking to school together everyday."

"What? Why?" Mia asked. "Why is that a big deal?

Jack scoffed. "That kid almost never says a word and hardly even makes an effort to make eye contact. People have tried over the years to talk to him but he barely even bothers to acknowledge them. And it's not that he's shy, he just doesn't think interacting with people is worth his time. He's the definition of antisocial. But all of a sudden he comes walking into school with you by his side, listening to you talk and actually paying attention. Everyone was hella weirded out. It's like seeing a fish suddenly hop out of the water for a casual stroll on land."

Mia rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating. He's not that antisocial."

"Are you kidding me? He's not just antisocial, he's also a massive dick."

"Hey!" Mia blurted. "That's my friend you're talking about."

Jack laughed. "Oh, really? Does he even actually talk to you??"

"Sometimes!" Mia stated defensively.

"Sometimes?" He mocked. "Doesn't sound like much of a friend to me."

"Whatever!" Mia huffed. She pushed past Jack and stormed off.