Arisa and Khaleel were dating.
I knew the probability of that was high but hearing her avoid the question was enough to pierce my heart. I wasn't ready to give up on her...but my feelings were becoming irrelevant. There was no point liking someone who didn't like you back. Right? I wasn't familiar with unrequited love. Especially when I already had the pleasure of calling Arisa mine. Especially when I could remember every sweet moment we shared last term.
I loitered around her neighbourhood for a bit after we talked. I strolled in hopes of clearing my mind but it seemed like an impossible task. My chest felt heavy and my mind numb. Before I knew it, I had unintentionally walked back to my house. Not to the Matsunaga home but to the Wilson manor. I contemplated turning back but I was running out of sweaters. It was a good opportunity to pick some up. I was hoping to avoid using the front door as well. I wasn't in the mood to hold a conversation with the housekeepers, my sister, or my parents.
I turned left into the street that connected the manor to the dog park. It was full of trees and pathways, which lead to different corners of the neighbourhood. That's when I spotted a girl speaking with someone over the phone. She was dressed in leggings, a fall tunic, and a red pea coat with black boots. "Don't worry about it," she was saying. "I was at the library anyway. I don't mind coming by with the paperwork."
I closed up behind her and overheard more of the conversation. "I think we should follow last year's campaign plan the best we can," she continued.
Matilda Hawkins. That's who it was. What the hell was she doing in my neighbourhood? Was she on the phone with my sister? It couldn't be anyone else. I followed her over the greenery, until the two of us reached another walkway, which interconnected with a bike path. That's when I heard it. A group of loud cyclists speeding around. Red and yellow lights flashed in the dark from their bikes, in an attempt to warn everyone in a close radius that they were nearby. My head whipped back to follow their reckless manoeuvres—it looked like they were heading straight for the walkway.
"Wooo!" a few of them screamed, bolting past Matilda. She jumped back and bumped into my chest. Her phone dropped from her hands.
"Oh my god, watch it!" she yelled at them, completely out of sorts. She turned to apologize to the stranger who caught her, but stopped mid-way when she realized it was me. Matilda moved up to collect her phone when another couple of cyclists zoomed by and almost knocked her over. I got a hold of her coat-belt and pulled her back towards me at the last second. Those boots of her must have thrown her off balance because she almost fumbled to the floor. I got my hands under her arms and lifted her up right.
"Jerks!" she screamed at the cyclists.
Once the coast was clear and I was sure Matilda could stand on her own, I walked by her and bent down to grab her phone. The screen was cracked and her call with my sister had ended. "Here," I said, offering the device. "You should be more aware of your surroundings."
Matilda snatched the phone, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked off. "You're welcome," I drawled, keeping up with her. She glared at me a few times but remained focused on getting to her destination. The same destination as me.
"Stop following me," she demanded.
"I'm not," I said. "I'm going home."
Matilda scoffed. "You haven't been home in months. Why would you go there now?"
"Why are you being so hostile?" I asked.
Matilda stopped dead in her tracks and made me do the same. She then crossed her arms. "Oh, I forgot. You tell people to take a fucking hint and get lost—projecting your anger onto them, but still expect them to treat you with respect. Maybe I should be the one apologizing!"
It took me a second to register what she was on about. "That was so long ago," I blinked.
"Well the North rememberers, okay!" Matilda retorted. I couldn't help but smile at the reference. I lashed out at her last term and I regretted it as soon as it happened. I knew Matilda didn't deserve that from me. I knew she was just as torn up about Khaleel liking Arisa as I was. We were broken hearted comrades.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I was in a really bad place when you came to the rooftop. I know you were too, so that's not much of an excuse, but I'm sorry nonetheless."
Matilda's angry expression slowly wavered. "Better late than never, I guess," she huffed. "Thanks for making sure I didn't fall on my ass."
"Yeah," I smiled. "Sorry about your phone."
"Thanks for picking it up for me."
"Sorry about the jerks with the bikes."
"That's enough apologies," she sighed.
I laughed. "Do you mind if I walk with you to the manor?" I asked.
"Why not? Walk me to your house."