Emerald's POV
"So...how do you know Hannah? Like how did you became friends with her?" I finally uttered for the first time after minutes of walking together in silence.
"She's my neighbor. My house is just some feet away from hers." She answered.
"I wonder why she never told me she has a friend that lives close to her. I've visited her some few times hoping to meet some girls and for her to introduce me to them, but she's a lonely ass." I whispered the last phrase which prompted her to chuckle.
In my few visits to her house and Cynthia's, I was only introduced to some few girls through Cynthia. I've never met or been introduced to any during my visit to Hannah.
I did get their contacts but because I thought I and Neriah were a 'thing', I ended up ghosting their messages which I was regretting.
No, I don't want to think about her—at least, for now.
I intended to try my best to make her believe I'm in love with her for us to be in a relationship to at least make Neriah jealous, but at the moment, I only want to focus on Ysa. All I have for her is just infatuation, just like many other girls I've been with and a tool to make Neriah get jealous, which I intended to keep that way.
"So you visit your friends just to link up with their friends to flirt with them and probably for some other reasons?" I was slightly taller than her, so she had to look upward to make eye contact—to meet my gaze, and she furrowed her brows.
"No...no." I swiftly replied for her not to get a bad impression of me—at least till I achieved my goal with her.
"Besides what do you mean by 'some other reasons." I grasped her hand, causing her to stop walking as I did, in order to get her attention.
She looked at the grip, expecting me to release her hand, but I ignored her expectation.
Her gaze made me observe her beautiful eyes for the first time.
Her beautiful eyes were captivating with a unique sparkle that I couldn't describe.
"You already know what I mean, so there's no reason for me to spill it out." She still maintained the eye contact.
"How am I suppose to know what you mean when I'm not a telepath?" I smiled.
"Let's just forget about it then, whether or not you know." She continued walking, letting loose of the grip, which I finally let go.
I walked to catch up with her because she increased her pace.
"To set the record straight so you won't have a bad impression of me, I'm just surprised that she has a neighbor whom is also her friend and you can ask Cynthia; I've never been romantically involved with any friends of hers. The least we did was talk for two days and act like we are strangers back."
"So why are you telling me?" She scoffed, while we continued walking.
"Because I need to, to let you know that I'm not that type of guy you've pictured or think I am." I replied.
"That's what you lot say."
"Wait, are you a misandrist or did a guy broke your heart recently?"
She was taken aback by my utterance as if I casted a spell. She stopped, made direct eye contact with me with a scrunched face. She didn't say anything, but rather, continued walking.
"Did I say something wrong? I mean, I was just joking. If someone really broke her heart, why would she get annoyed because of that? Hasn't she moved on?" I wondered at the same spot.
"I'd rather let her be for now than follow her around trying to prove who I am to her like a simp." I concluded.
I knew she was definitely going to dance to my tunes at the end because I've dealt and been with some girls like her—that act like they don't give a heck about guys and relationships. They are usually the ones with vulnerable and fragile hearts who end up becoming obsessed with guys they are with, after initially acting aloof.
The sport competitions were approaching, prompting the school administration to temporarily modify the schedule, allowing for more training sessions and fewer classes.
Since I had no training at that moment and nothing to do, I went to the cafeteria to have my lunch and hopefully meet someone I knew there, which were Cynthia and Hannah since I had no friend except them.
I would have been with Neriah but it is what it is. I just hoped she wasn't there because I didn't want her to see me alone.
The thought of having just two friends hit me since we were some few weeks away to the end of the semester and I had no one to associate with except Cynthia and Hannah.
If not for that we were usually together when we acquainted, I'd have made more friends.
I ordered a meat pie and ice cream and,I was looking for a perfect seat for me to enjoy my meal upon receiving them, when I saw Neriah and the football captain together, in their lovey-dovey moments which made me fury, which promoted me to deliberately chose a vacant seat at the far right of the cafeteria to avoid making contact—consciously and unconsciously with them.
"Where are you guys?" I texted Cynthia after I had finished eating since I was utterly bored, but I got no reply from her.
I left the cafeteria and walked to the sports ground to clear my mind and to alleviate the boredom because I knew some persons would be there for training sessions.
I walked aimlessly, appearing directionless, much like a homeless person who was wandering without a clear destination, when I saw Ysa sitting alone on the bleachers.
"Hey angel, waiting for me?"
"What did you just say?" Awe was evident in her facial expression.
"Do you want to pretend that you didn't hear what I said? Come on." I smiled confidently.
What fuelled my confidence was the intention to get the name and the person, Neriah out of my head, which is the reason I aimed to use Ysa to achieve.
"Where are you coming to? You are definitely not here to meet me so go over to whoever you came here to meet." She scrunched her face, appearing jealous or something.
"Who would I waste my precious time on to be here if not for you?" I approached her, still beaming with a smile.
"You are a bloody liar! How did you know that I was here?" I saw her cheeks reddened which increased my courage to approach her.
"I don't need to be told about your location. My heart and soul is like a compass, which only directs me to wherever you are. What if I told you that I had no idea how I got here? It feels like I was compelled with a spell to be here or like a zombie that had to be here because he caught your scent? I don't just know to be honest and I'm not joking." I walked closer to her, placing my hand in the pocket with an air of confidence.
"No, no, no. Please don't come closer. I don't want you to kill me with your teases." She giggled, revealing her teeth.
"Don't you get it? They are not teases, but compliments and facts." Before I could get close to her, she stood up abruptly and ran towards the hall.
"Oh shit," I muttered and kept following her while repeatedly saying, "wait, Ysa."
Our chase came to a halt when she collided with Neriah's newly-found love, who has repeatedly proven to be a villian in my book.
From the way they reacted, it seemed they had met or knew each other before which amazed me.
"This guy again? Why is he always interfering in my business?" I huffed, my hand placed on the waist.
I was about to approach them to bail Ysa out when the bell for the end of break rang.
"Oh shit! This dummy already ruined my moment." I faced downright, nodding my head in disappointment.
I instantly lost the courage to continue the flow, and walked behind Ysa to class, instead, making sure she didn't notice me.
"How was it?" Cynthia whispered as class was going on.
"What?" I was dumbfounded.
"We saw you and Ysa together. How was the walk?"
"Nothing happened and please I don't want to have this discussion." I bluntly told her.
The bell for the end of class rang and I immediately dashed to the locker room to kit up for training, avoiding both Ysa and my friends, although it was the captain that annoyed me.
The coach announced that the match was postponed to the following week before the training session which got me disappointed because I knew I wasn't going to play in the match as I was a backup player to the position I played and we'd continue having training sessions—although it wasn't really voluntary, but I didn't like missing them.
Just like the previous training sessions I had, mine wasn't hectic like the starters.
"What's the point in trying to impress the coach if he has chosen the starting eleven already?" I muttered as I sat on the pitch after engaging in some training drills.
The session ended early than usual, and I dashed home without texting to know my friends' whereabouts because I knew they'd still be in school for their trainings.