Overtime

Prologue

Playlist: "Spinning" by GRAE ***listen to this song while reading the chapter for maximum effect :)

Silas

The first time I climbed through Emilia Josephine Li's bedroom window, I was 12.

Her family had just moved to our block and she was the new kid at school. Our school wasn't small, but all the kids came from the same sort of background: well educated parents, involved extensively in some kind of extracurricular or sport, and financially well off. You can imagine the novelty that came with a new student, especially one who stood out like Emilia.

It was the sixth grade. The principal interrupted our history class on Pearl Harbour to introduce us to Emilia, who wore a side ponytail and this cardigan with flowers on it. Real, 3D flowers that popped out, making the sweater look like it weighed a ton. Her plaid skirt swished with every step she took. It was an outfit that stuck out like a sore thumb compared to everyone elses' casual jeans and t-shirt. She was carrying textbooks with an avoidance to eye contact that suggested vulnerability. The blush in her cheeks matched the colour of tulips on her shirt. But the first thing I noticed about her was the tremble in her fingers. I could tell right away she was shy, but as class went on, it became clear that there was something more. Something off.

It was a coincidence that the teacher sat her beside me, but it was fate that her locker ended up being next to mine. Despite all these convenient places to start up conversation, the first time I really spoke to her was in gym class. I felt bad because she was always the last to be picked in P.E, so when I got to be team captain in a game of badminton, I chose her. I'll never forget the look of appreciation on her face. Emilia was rare to make eye contact, but when I called her name first, ahead of all our other athletic peers, she stared right at me with a rare smile that had my insides turning out.

Turns out, she was good. Really good. She could smash a birdie like it was nothing. It had the other kids baffled, and after that, she was always picked first. And not just in badminton...Emilia excelled at most sports. Her speed and aim would bring her team to victory whenever we did Girls vs. Boys. But she never bragged or showed off her talent. The second gym class was over, she'd bring her head back down and revert back to the shy Emilia from before. It's like she had split personalities.

I tracked her in the hallways after that and asked what her deal was. Not to be mean. I was just genuinely curious. "Why do you pretend like you're not good at anything? I bet you could make, like, every sports team if you tried."

Up until that point, I don't think I'd ever heard her utter more than a sentence. And if she was talking, it was for attendance, or when the teacher called on her.

But she grinned at me, with a familiarity like we were good buddies. Said, "You're really good at drawing, but I don't see you entering in arts competitions." It threw me off guard, because how was she so anti-social with everybody else, and yet so comfortable with me? And also, how did she know I was good at drawing? The only time I drew was in my math notebook when I should've been paying attention to algebra. How long had she been watching me?

Her observance towards me was jarring. But also nice. Addicting, even. I liked feeling special. Like I was the only one worth noticing in the entire school.

After that, I invited her to sit with me and my friends at lunch (which she'd respectfully decline), so I'd alternate between sitting with them in the cafeteria and eating with her under the big oak tree outside. Because we lived on the same street, we rode the bus together and back. She always saved me a seat, and we'd share earbuds. We both loved Fleetwood Mac. She'd tutor me in math and literacy. I'd teach her how to swim in our pool. She'd come over to my house plenty times for dinner, or to study together, and my parents instantly shared the same adoration over her as I did.