Kiara࿐
I gaped at him as he made his way down the stairs.
Great! It's the late guy. How lucky! It's not even someone punctual. My life is just fantastic!
I stepped off the stage and shuffled awkwardly to the right side of the hall, followed closely by him. I was pondering on how to start a conversation with him. After all, we needed to get to know each other, right? Except. . . what do boys even talk about?
We stood in awkward silence for a moment before I gathered my courage and turned to face him. "Hi, I am Kiara."
He glanced down at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Hayden." His voice was deep and breathy, it almost sounded somewhat comforting.
I frowned.
Okay, so now what? Should I ask his age or something? Ugh. It's alright, just try to be comfortable. Remember what Irene said; just speak and smile, speak and smile, speak and smile--
"What medium are you going to try?" he asked, yanking the hood of his red hoodie over his head and adjusting the width.
"I haven't thought about it yet." I looked over at him. "What about you, have you decided on one?"
"Video format," he answered confidently, brushing away the hair that had fallen over his dark eyes.
"That's cool," I commented.
That's when it hit me. The assignment was about the partner. Which meant he was going to have to video me!
Well, that'll be embarrassing.
"Don't feel too overwhelmed." He blew air on his nails, dramatically. "I've done a lot of videography so I can just cut the useless, embarrassing parts."
My eyebrows furrowed at that. "What do you mean by that?"
"No offense, but you don't really seem like the type to, you know, do well in front of cameras," he deadpanned. "How should I put it . . ." --he paused for a moment, inhaling deeply-- ". . . you don't seem like a confident person."
I was shocked. It took me a while to comprehend what he had said. And when I understood it--oh, boy--it was like a kick in the teeth. The comment was so accurate that it hurt a lot hearing it come from a stranger.
Before I could muster up a good comeback--even though I knew I probably wouldn't have the guts to say it to his face--Dr. Alastair dismissed the class after pairing up the last couple of students.
What the hell?! Who is he to tell me what I look like? Why is he so damn rude?
As we stumbled out of the lecture room, a thought nagged at the back of my mind. I tried to ignore it well enough, but ended up swallowing what little pride I had and tapping on Hayden's shoulder.
This time, I would give him a piece of my mind, because the more I thought about his hurtful remark, the angrier I got by the second. I mean, even I had a limit of being the 'polite' girl.
"You do know we'll have to meet up often to do this assignment, right? So, don't you think it'll be easier if you give me your number?" I inquired, my face burning. I was trying to look as rude as he did, but it was obvious that I was failing miserably.
He stilled for a moment before gaping at me dead in the eyes. "Did you just ask for my number?"
What's up with this dude? It's as if it's his first time being asked for his number. Weird much? Gosh, I swear I am a million times ruder in what I think than what I say. What a coward.
"Uh, yeah. Otherwise, we won't really have a way to contact each other, would we?" I arched an eyebrow as I held out my phone to him.
Wow, check out this boldness.
He stood in silence for a second, presumably thinking over the options available instead of giving me his number.
After what felt like ages, he eventually gave in. "Fine, but don't give my number to anyone else," he warned me as he snatched the phone from my hands.
"And why would I want to do that?" I muttered under my breath.
Oh God, is this really me talking or a ghost that's possessing me? How come I'm suddenly good at comebacks? Or maybe it's just my annoyance at getting a rude partner that's making an appearance.
He must've heard me because he scoffed and stared at me in disbelief.
I chose to ignore the look and glanced over at the sky, now obscured with massive, grey clouds. It looked like it'd rain soon. The excitement was pulsing through my veins at the thought. I loved the rain! It was soothing for me; I had no idea why.
"Here," he said, handing me back my phone. "Don't spam, it's annoying."
"Yeah, sure," I called behind me as I turned my back on him and left.
●●●
Sure enough, it started pouring just as I reached home, soaking me as I rushed up the cobbled walkway--my foot nearly slipping upon the wet cobblestones. The rain fell in crazy, chaotic drops, the gusting breeze whipping them in wild vortices one moment and in oblique sheets the next, sending them hurtling down in all directions. It sprinkled on me, drenching my hair, skin, and clothes--the chilly wind cutting through me like a knife.
Talk about 'great' timing.
Opening the door, I scanned around the house. It was silent and uninviting. Dad was probably out somewhere with one of his friends, and Mom was still in her office.
Mom was technically retired now--she was over sixty--but the company she'd worked in had begged her to stay and work for a few more years because her performance was outstanding over the past years.
That's just how my mom was; she might be old in years, but she still worked as efficiently as a young woman in her twenties. Her hair was dyed black to hide her grey strands, so she actually looked half her age.
Irene had gone for an outing with her university friends two days ago. That's what she does. She takes off on trips, enjoying her youth while I am left at home, hopelessly overthinking whether Mom could afford my semester and whether we would go penniless soon.
Lately, I am always left with these thoughts. Irene doesn't seem to care about money problems at all; it's all fun and games for her. I sometimes wished I could just cast off my anxiety and have fun myself. But that'd never happen to me. Anxiety is in my genes, I guess.
After I had a shower and freshened up, I plopped down on my bed and checked the calendar on my nightstand. I was free on Friday and Saturday.
I switched on my phone and scrolled down my contacts list, clicking on Hayden's number. He didn't really make a decent first impression today on me, but I decided to forgive him. He'd improve, hopefully. Keeping this in mind, I decided to let go of the earlier incidents of the day and type out a message:
Kiara
Hey.
Within seconds, I got a reply.
Hayden
Who's this?
Kiara
It's me, Kiara.
Hayden
Ah, just you. Hey.
Kiara
-_-
So, it seems like
I am free on Fri and Sat.
Hayden
I am free for the entire week
except for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kiara
Great, so then let's meet on Fri.
Hayden
Where and at what time?
Kiara
I'm okay any time between
10 am and 5 pm before it gets dark.
Hayden
What the hell?
You ARE a grown-up, aren't you?
Kiara
I am sorry, but unlike
you, I have strict parents.
So you might as well just cooperate and
not point out facts that I already know.
Hayden
And here I was
thinking you were old
enough to decide the time.
Kiara
Shuddup!
I have the right to decide the time!
Hayden
Yeah, right.
Kiara
-_-
Just tell me the time you are fine with.
Hayden
I'm okay with anything after 5.
Kiara
Dude, are you for real?
Hayden
Yeah.
Kiara
Quit playing around
and just pick a damn time!
Hayden
Okay, okay, no need to
get your knickers in a twist.
Let's go with three in the afternoon.
Kiara
Knickers?!
What the hell?
Who even wears
knickers in this day and age?
Hayden
You, that's who!
Anyway, I have
stuff to do, unlike you, OFC.
Kiara
I DON'T WEAR KNICKERS!
Plus, I'm busy too!
I'm just good at multitasking.
Hayden
Whatever floats your boat, sweetie.
Bye.
Kiara
Don't call me 'sweetie'!
I was already beginning to hate this assignment.
Who does he think he is to be this rude to me? Ugh, so much for making new friends. Thank God, I at least have Rose.
Now, all I had to do was think of a way to convince Mom to let me have a meet-up with a guy I barely even knew.
I'd never really gone alone on the bus, let alone met a guy alone. Whoa, that's a lot of 'alone' in one sentence.
Mom won't make this easy, though. I hope the fact that it was a college assignment would help her make an easy decision.