For My Soul

Chapter 5

REMEMBER TO VOTE AND COMMENT. Thank you to the loves that always so- I notice:)

Chapter 5

River's POV.

"What was that?" Rex asks me as we step back outside into the colder air. It's not cold, but coffee shops are always uncomfortably warm. The difference between in there and out here was nice.

I look at Tom. "Ask him. He's the one who still didn't even say hello to the girl he fancies."

"I didn't mean that." Rex laughs. "That was predictable and normal 'Tom' behaviour." He looks at me. "I meant why were you all grumpy and cold towards Darcie's friend?"

I glower at the reminder of Amelia, mostly joking with the attitude but Tom groans in response to my face. He looks at Rex. "Don't ask him, he has already ranted to me about it for an hour during lunch."

I may have been slightly unimpressed with the rejection earlier. I am pleasant enough to be around, I don't normally make people uncomfortable. It was a new experience for me and it annoyed me.

"What?" Rex laughs, pushing onward for a better explanation.

"I tried to be friendly to Amelia earlier in class. She was fully uninterested."

Rex raises an eyebrow.

"You're upset a girl wasn't interested?" He asks confused, yeah I guess when it is put like that it sounds bad and out of character.

"I was being friendly, not trying anything.'

"Yeah, but you were trying it on with her the night before, right?"

"I mean not-"

He deadpans.

"Nothing happened." I insist. "Was just being friendly."

"She did say that she usually just studied on her own." Tom pipes up. "Maybe you just annoyed her."

"And maybe you need to stop being afraid of Darcie and make a move."

"Make a move?" Tom says, appalled. "In our lab? Next to the bio-product of-"

"I mean at least talk to her." I chuckle and Tom groans.

Rex looks past me as we walk. "You didn't even talk to her?"

"I said hey or something I don't know."

"Oh Tom." He laughs.

"I know."

"It's fine." I say. "You can invite her to Halloween."

"Not likely." Tom says. "That's like a whole coherent sentence, I couldn't even manage a 'how are you?"

Rex and I laugh, we cannot help it. I haven't really been around someone so shy with girls but also so open with the fact he is shit at it. Usually, guys with no experience come off cocky to overcompensate. Tom is just pretty wholesome, and that's a change from the usual people I connect with.

I mean from home, home. I don't mean Rex who is from the town I moved to senior year. I don't really know much about Rex other than he was funny, didn't like Lottie and was happy to hear I was applying to the same uni as he was.

Lottie is my friend from last year, I guess you'd explain it as a family friend even though they're not my family.

I feel the thought come up, a flash of all the fucking shit, and I blink it away and concentrate on the path ahead.

"Well at least you waved," Rex says to Tom. "Just now, at the coffee shop. and that is more than River did, he blanked Amelia."

Right, back. "She didn't want me to talk to her." I laugh. "I wasn't trying to be rude, but it would have been so weird if I was super friendly again after she ignored me all lecture. The message was clear there- I am not one to push boundaries."