Unconquered

✓Casper (Chapter 14)

I've been sitting under this huge tree in the park since a long time now. This Elm tree and I shared a lot of memories together. It brought back the times when I would sit here and just watch Tyler and Noah play in the open space.

My brain was on fire.

It felt like my brain was running a long distance marathon and it was hurting me to have it inside my skull. I wished I could just remove it from there for a while.

There was a tornado of thoughts swirling around inside my head.

I was feeling very 'Hangry' as well.

Why?

Well, obviously because I was very hungry.

And secondly, I've been thinking about Tyler.

Not in a weird way, of course. It's just that, the things he did before puzzled me.

More like, something clicked in my head.

How did he find my number? Did he have my number all these years all along? No, that was impossible.

I had to change phones when I moved to the other country.

But then... who gave him my number?

After I came back, only Noah and Cynthia have my new number.

But Noah wouldn't give him my number. Though they were inseparable friends in the past, my existance made them fall apart.

Noah and I grew close because we were neighbors and our relationship flourished all those years. It wasn't until we got into the last year of elementary school and Tyler got admitted to our school that their friendship had started. I would sense Noah and I were drifting apart but I didn't mind. Because I without realising, I was crushing on Tyler. As long as I was able to see him everyday through Noah, I didn't care about my friendship with him. Aunt Chapman and my mom would take us out here to play every evening, and Tyler would tag along. Both of our mom's would take a nice evening walk while the boys would play soccer and I would sit under this very exact tree and watch them play. I was mostly out of it for two reasons; one- I was heavy. Like a lot, and by a lot, I mean, a lot. Second- I was a girl and I would run back home to mother crying and complaining about how harshly the boys defeated me because boys are stronger- Tyler's words, not mine.

Overall, their friendship was pretty strong. But I ruined it all. If only I hadn't develop feelings for Tyler, he wouldn't have act like a dick towards me and Noah wouldn't have been so made that he cut off all ties with Tyler.

I just keep imagining Tyler walking up to Noah to ask for my number and Noah sticking up a huge pole- I imagine that pole bigger than Tyler's ego- up his ass.

Woah there! Getting too violent, aren't we?

There was another thing that kept bothering me. Tyler picked me up for school.

How the hell did he find my address!?

The answer to all of these questions was beyond my intellectual capability and understanding.

I felt someone plop down beside me and I immediately stiffened my posture. I turned my head to my left to see a guy probably my age grinning up at me.

He was cute with his blue eyes and blond hair swept to a side and covered one of his eyebrows.

"Hey! How are you doing, Ruby?"

I froze at that.

He knew me?!

Shit! I tried so hard not to get recognised by anyone. How did this happen!? But then again... I did not see anyone I recognized so I might've let my guard down...