Never Alone, Always Running

Incompiuto Amore

"Why would I tell you?" I said, likely coming off harsher than I'd expected. I took the picture away from him and hastily slid it back into my briefcase, but he quickly rested his hand on the clasps to keep me from leaving him.

"Come on," He pressed, reaching for the drawing once more. "I won't tell anyone, honest." The look on his face was one of genuine interest, but nevertheless, I couldn't bring myself to tell him who it was.

"I don't know," I lied, letting out a small sigh. "That's why it's not finished. I don't know."

"Well, I'll tell you what," he began, taking the drawing out of the bag and carefully slipping it into his laptop case. "I'll finish it for you."

"You can't be seriou-"

"Relax. I'll get it back to you before mid-terms tomorrow." He smiled.

...He was serious.

"Jessê! I need that!" I said, careful to close my briefcase fully before reaching out for his laptop case. He turned swiftly away from me before I could grab onto it, and though I knew I was no match for his reflexes, it didn't stop me from trying to snatch the case from him a second time. He laughed and turned away once more, deep brown eyes shining with mischief.

"Don't worry! I'll handle it!" He shouted, right as he began to sprint away. I didn't even bother with chasing him, but instead shouted several insults at him that I doubt he could even hear. I was going to kill him if I failed my mid-terms because of him. I watched as he disappeared in the crowd of students, like a small droplet of water falling into a massive, consuming ocean. However, right before he was engulfed, I caught him glance over his shoulder and lock eyes with me with a fraction of a second.

Within that second, the world seemed to freeze, but only momentarily. I was drug back into reality by the sound of an especially loud bomb exploding in my ear drums, causing the world to leap forward in full motion. I let out a low grow and shook my head, steps sluggish as I slowly proceeded back to my dorm. How could he just run off like that? And why was the stupid painting so important to him anyways? It's not like we were good friends at all. It left me bewildered...

I pushed through the masses of people without speaking a word, until I felt a hand on my back. The touch stunned me, leaving me stiff and afraid.

"I didn't mean to scare ya lass, I apologize." The thick Scottish accent gave away who it was, making me release I relived sigh as I turned to face the fiery-haired boy as I pushed his hand away. It was none other than Allistor Breckenridge, by best friend since lower secondary school. You could tell he'd come from Scotland, and he stuck out like a rose in a field of violets.

"Oh shut up, you're never sorry." I grinned, playfully punching him in the shoulder. He laughed and rested his arm on my head, due to the fact that I was drastically shorter than him. His lively green eyes complemented his quite literally red hair well, along with his average statute.

"Aye, you're right..." He sighed, ruffling my hair as we stepped into the elevator that would carry us to the floor my dorm room was on. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about, lass."

"And what would that be?"

"I saw you with that young lad today," He grinned, drawing a heart in the air with his hands.

"And who exactly would this 'young lad' be?" I tried my best to imitate his funny accent, but it blended miserably with the Italian accent I already held.

"Oh come on, don't play dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about. Jessê Santiago." He smirked, just as the large steel doors of the elevator drew open. We pushed past a few people on the way to my dorm room, number 119. I assumed Allistor would hang out with me for a while before returning to his own dorm, 316.