The truth is everyone is going to hurt you. You just have to find the ones worth suffering for!’
……
The day has come to an end. Silvery white moonlight sprinkled on the ground, the night’s aroma pervades the air, woven into a soft net, covering all the scenery inside them !!
The night sky was aglow with bright city lights. The pale Cresent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky. The night sky is dotted with countless stars.
EJ arrives at the usual spot outside the? campus where he and Robert used to spend time whenever they wanted to. The whole city is lit up in lights, like a night of pearls filled with bustling streets and the silence of night gives them peace. It was a breath taking view to look at the night sky, the moon, all the stars around them.
EJ sat on the stone bench, waiting for Robert’s arrival. Their usual spot happens to be few hundred meters away from the campus. Robert and EJ has known each other ever since high school. They belong to the same neighborhood. It was during his 7th grade when EJ moved to this city, Washington DC. Robert knew him ever since he moved to his hometown but slowly and gradually they became buddies during the start of high school.
EJ has always been a bland and unexpressive person. He doesn’t open up to people nor tries to socialize with others. He tried to remain silent around his own pals. But it was Robert who brought out the best in EJ. Robert has always been cheerful, friendly, flirty, easy-going. He turned EJ into a adaptable person. EJ’S appearance was the most common talk of his high school. EJ was inviting, gorgeous, cool, charming but he doesn’t socialize like Robert does. EJ doesn’t care about what people think of him and never wanted to be in anyone’s good books.
But Robert has played a great role in bringing out the real EJ, for what he is today.
“Hey, EJ!!”, Robert sat beside him in the stone bench. EJ continued to admire the beauty of the city at night and Robert joined him as well. They have always liked the silence that prevailed among them. They understand each one better devoid of words. The unsaid words and the silence have brought them close.
After minutes, EJ decided to speak up.
“So, kathleen happens to be one of the so many other girls that you have flirted and played tricks with?? Is she your new target?”, questioned EJ with a expressionless face.
“What!! Gosh, no, man!! She is something different!! I’ve never thought of her like that, I swear!!”, announced Robert. EJ smirked at him for the comment.
“I’m serious, EJ!! I’m not getting into another relationship. The last one with Marilyn was disappointing”, signed Robert.
“Yeah, Marilyn still wants you, so badly and she’ll do anything to win you back, Robert”, claimed EJ, looking at him.
“But, that relationship was toxic, man !! Maybe I better stay the most enticing playboy of the campus”, winked Robert making a joke out of the conversation.
“Anyways, talking of Barbie, I’m sorry, it’s kathleen, she is different to me. She is not like the other girls out there!!”, confessed Robert.
“I couldn’t say how, but she is distinct”, added Robert looking at the stars.
“Why did you name her Barbie?? I couldn’t get it”, stated EJ.
“Even, I couldn’t recall why I did so! And I became used to it”, laughed Robert.
“While all the other girls were scared of us and were holding themselves back, she was the only girl who stood up for herself!! She wasn’t afraid of Liam, Zach, me not even you!! I knew you could never stand to the sound of a girl against you, but she was brave enough to talk to you!!”, affirmed Robert with a smile.
EJ remained silent and gave it a thought. That’s true, he neither got furious towards Kathleen nor disliked her actions. If this was for any other student in campus, EJ could have made their life harder, but EJ never thought of hurting Kathleen or taking revenge on her.
“The best thing about her was that she made sure that she gives back what she receives. She slapped Rachel and taught her a lesson. That’s when I knew she was something epic”, spoke up Robert.
“Hey, Marilyn was unhappy with the way you behaved towards Kathleen, during lunch hour”, affirmed EJ.
“Have you made it clear to her that your relationship has come to end and it has nothing to do with you?”, EJ asked Robert.
“Of course, I’ve made it crystal clear to her few days back”, assured Robert.
“Make sure she and the other girls doesn’t try to hurt Kathleen, like that did last time”, stated EJ.
“Oh my god, it’s the first time in history that you have cared for a girl”, teased Robert.
“Come on, I don’t care for her!! I’m just telling you to make sure they don’t create a mess again”, EJ replied back.
“And, I have to ask you this!! Why is she avoiding you? why isn’t she looking at you?”, questioned Robert wondering what might be the reason.
“She can’t look at me since she is too short”, lied EJ with a smirk. Robert found it funny but didn’t question him further. They left the place and moved towards the boys dormitory.
…………
The next few days were peaceful for Kathleen, Laura and Janice. Kathleen avoids looking at EJ and never crossed his path. She kept avoiding Robert and didn’t give him any chance to get close to her.
On the other hand, Janice couldn’t find Gerald around. The last time she saw him was the day at the Cafe when they had lunch together. Janice thought it was good he didn’t show up, because she was actually in the plan of avoiding him as well.
Days were probably good for these girls since they didn’t let any boy ruin it. Though they had a rough start for the week, it somehow ended well.
The day dawned crisp and clear. The light of dawn seeped into Kathleen’s room. Kathleen rubbed her bleary eyes and walked to the window. There was a pearly glow in the sky. It was new fresh day, which meant new start, new goals.
“Alexa, play shake it off, by Taylor swift!!”, beamed Janice, standing on her bed. Laura and Kathleen chuckled on seeing Janice’s enthusiastic early morning behavior. She starts singing and dancing to the song ‘shake it off’.
I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That’s what people say, mm, mm
That’s what people say, mm, mm
I go on too many dates
But I can’t make ’em stay
At least that’s what people say, mm, mm
That’s what people say, mm, mm
But I keep cruising
Can’t stop, won’t stop moving
It’s like I got this music in my mind
Saying it’s gonna be alright
‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (Whoo-hoo-hoo)
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off (Whoo-hoo-hoo)
Laura and Kathleen danced along with Janice. They three had the best start for the morning.
……
“See you later!!”, Janice waves goodbye, heading towards her department. Laura and Kathleen waves back walking towards their respective buildings.
Kathleen had design arts and graphics engineering as her first class for the day. She walked towards her classroom. She was scrolling through her Instagram and continued walking at the same time.
“Watch out”, the modulated male voice yelled, dragging her that made her collide with him. She panicked dropping her phone and her heart starting to beat faster. His grip was tighter on her right hand. She was shorter to him that her forehead hits his chest.
Before she could look at him, she turns around to find a person driving his motorcycle crossed her path faster. If it was not of this person who saved her, she could have got hit by him.
She was very close to him that she could almost hear his ragged breathing. She was panting as well. She looks up to find who her life savior was. Kathleen froze on looking at his face.
“Thank….. you….. Ethan…..!!”, she stammered, trying to snatch her arm away, but his grip was stronger.
“Ethan….. I have to go”, mumbled Kathleen, fighting to get her hand free. She avoids looking at him while his gaze was fixed on Kathleen.
He lowers his face close to hers and said, “I knew that you are good when it comes to avoiding people and from now on, try to avoid accidents like this, that was about to happen few minutes back”.
He stood there with a smirk. Kathleen rolled her eyes at him for his sarcastic way of conveying her that he knew she was trying to avoid him.
“Okay, fine!! Now tell me go”, said Kathleen, glaring at him. He let’s her free. She picks up her mobile phone from the ground. It wasn’t working and broken.
“Oh, no!! I’ve broken my brand new mobile just because of you!!”, chided Kathleen.
“That’s what I get for saving you”, snapped EJ.
“I don’t expect you to be this ungrateful”, stated EJ. Kathleen was losing her mind, she was pissed off. She couldn’t accept the fact that she has broken the only phone that her dad gifted her with love.
“Arggggg, get lost”, kathleen yelled in frustration. EJ was astonished to hear her say him the same words that once he used against her.
……………
Hey readers hope this chapter was better compared to the previous one. Feel free to comment and keep reading. Read out the next chapter to know a lot about Kathleen and EJ.