In the Crowd (Tye)

Chapter 8

Damn, that girl was so messed up.

After settling down I once again picked up Choi’s writing. Everyone went back to their own things as they realized the tiny mishap was over.

Skimming the building, I was amused by how much the story had changed- the whole plot really. It was still well over two hundred pages- no joke but I couldn’t see one resemblance this was to the previous novel I had read so long ago. I stopped flipping through the pages a couple away from the ending and finally began to seriously read the book.

I found him standing on the ledge, far from the crowd bustling with exciting air after an extreme concert. The ocean air and gentle sound of crashing waves was soothing to me, and I found it reasonable why Tye enjoyed that particular spot.

Tye was surprisingly quiet after the loud concert he’d just preformed at. I took a step quietly toward him, not wanting to bother Tye. I only intended to tell Tye that Raito was looking for him but he cut me off.

“So, Arina,” Tye began slowly. I was still surprised when he called me by my first name. I wasn’t stupid. I knew he’d only called me my last name until recently. “We’re friends now?” he asked cautiously. I shrugged nonchalantly. I kind of wished we were more that “just friends” but I wasn’t picky. As long as I could be close to him- this guy who seemed so amazingly out of reach.

“Sure, I guess,” I replied what I hoped was simply.

He leaned against the long metal railing that separated people from the rocks and sand, which were being sulpted by harsh waves.

I stood there, just watching him as Tye stared at the sun which was beginning to set. His soft hair blew in the wind, but never getting into dreadful knots like mine would have. I looked over the bar, as he stared at the sky, I would stare at the earth, which locked us to the ground. I imagined his thoughts were probably flying throughout the air, following the wind and reaching incredible heights. I imagined that if anyone could really fly, Tye could have.

“Why did you fall in love with me?” Tye asked, breaking the mystical silence which had just recently been draped over us. In my confusion, I looked at his face, trying to meet his eyes and receive an explanation for this sudden question. He wouldn’t look at me, just staring at the endless hazy red sky and blazingly bright sun. I could feel the remaining rays licking at the earth before it would disappear out of our sights.

“What?” I responded stupidly after a long while. Tye laughed quietly, looking down at the bar, his hands covering his face.

“You really are stupid,” he said my thoughts aloud bluntly. I sighed, disappointed in myself.

“Well, how do you know that I love you?” I countered, desperate to hide the coat of deep red creeping up my face. Tye only gave me a mysterious smile in response. We received another moment of serene silence, neither of us answering a single question. I didn’t mind, and I supposed this famous rock star didn’t either.

Tye buried his face into his arms which were propped onto the metal railing. I could still see the trace of his sarcastic smile as he began to talk, “You never knew what I was like. And when you first met me, I called you a bitch and acted like a piece of shit,” Tye looked up glancing briefly at me. “Yet you still followed me. More oddly than any other fan.” Realization and disappoint crept up his face.

“Oh, you weren’t in it for me were you?” he breathed. “You were for the money, or the name or something right?” his voice had turned cold and accusing.

“And you’ve almost succeeded. You stuck around for us to get closer- but because I’m the stubborn bastard I am we’ve never even kissed.” He went on and on and on. I took a sharp intake of breath.