red lights

one

The bell rang, and I immediately sweep all my books and stationery into my bag, zipping it up as I headed for the door.

I was about to brisk walk down the hall to my locker, when I heard rushed footsteps behind me. They seem to be calling out my name... mentally.

Aria. Aria. Aria.

I quickened my footsteps. I did not want to see anybody else today.

Besides, I'm late.

Late for that meeting.

"Wait!" The person that was behind me called. The male voice sounded unusually cold. I stiffened.

OK, I'm just going to pretend that they are addressing someone else. Easy enough, right? I'm basically invisible in this school, anyway.

If only anyone here saw me out there, in the battlefield.

Man, I would be signing autographs by now. Talk about chasing the wrong dream.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. I did not dare to turn around. I just walked slowly and cautiously towards my locker, which was now less than a mere metre away from me.

Just as I was about to enter in my number combination, a strong force behind me applied pressure to my back, causing me to spin 180 degrees, with my back leaning on my locker.

My bag dropped to the ground. It was just hanging on my right shoulder.

I was afraid to look up. I was afraid of whose eyes I would meet. I was afraid that it would cancel today's plans. And no one is allowed to do that to me.

The voice had sounded cold, and deep.

I felt their hot breath on my arms. I continued to look down, refusing to look at them in the eye. If they wanted to play this game, I will play it with them.

No matter how curious I was to see what colour, what life those eyes held, I stayed as stubborn as ever with my eyes on the ground in front of me, an empty space just a few inches away from the other person's tacky brown sneakers.

"You got the wrong person," I managed, trying to sound as dismissing and as cold as I could.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure I got the right one." The voice, now so close to my ears, sounded a few octaves deeper than before. The voice resounded in my head with volume, making me feel like the room was spinning in circles.

Then it clicked in my head.

Deep as heck voice. Tacky brown sneakers.

There is only one person in this school I know that wears tacky brown sneakers.

"Trey." My eyes finally found their way to meet a pair of stormy blue ones, a sinking feeling already making itself comfortable in the pit of my stomach.

"Hello, Aria," he whispered in my ear. "We meet again."