2 SOMETHING NEW

My eyes wandered around the cafeteria, trying to find a place where I can sit and just eat quietly.. the way I used to.

"Ashleah!" I closed my eyes tightly and sighed. I tried to avoid him in every way possible but this little devi-- argh! This guy always finds away to like.. find me! And it's creeping me out.

"Nash, can you please stop pestering me? And have fun, you got the looks. Be friends with those popular guys!" I told him, and tried walking away but he held my wrist and smiled. Oh no, not again--

"Oh come on Ashleah! Stop being grumpy, won't ya?" He said and pulled me, I groaned. Another day.. Another annoying day with him! I can't take this anymore!

He stopped walking when he saw a bench, yes. He brought me outside the cafeteria. Good thing I brought homemade meals for today. I took a deep breath and exhaled before sitting down, there's really no escape from him.

'Why is he always doing this?' that thought popped inside my mind, it's been a week since he transferred here, and he's been pestering me and following me everytime! At first I thought he was scary because the time that--

"What are you thinking about?" I suddenly stopped and looked at him and chuckled. He's quite a messy eater.

"I'm thinking about new ways to run away from you." I said and he scoffed and looked at me, wow is he a kid or what? Seriously this Nash dude.

"But I'm still going to find you!" He said with full of confidence. Ah this guy seriously. "And for your information I am your only friend!" he said with that smug look on his face.

My eyebrows twitched and I faced him. He looked quite shocked and tried to stand up but I pulled him "Ah, you're really getting on my nerves!" I said and pulled him, but before I can punch him, he got away and ran off. "Don't you dare run away Nash!!" I shouted and fixed my lunchbox and ran to catch him.

"Slow poke!" He laughed while running. I groaned loudly and shouted back at him "I swear! I'm going to kill you if I catch you!" I said while waving my lunchbox while running.

"Kill me?" He suddenly stopped running, but there was this tremendous scary feeling that's consuming the both of us. It really felt like there was something in circling us.

There it is again, that feeling that gave me shivers down my spine when we first met. The feeling that made me sweaty. We were just joking around earlier but when I mentioned 'killing' his mood suddenly changed.

Why? What made him change so suddenly? I really don"t get it, and I don't know why I feel like he's hiding something from me, something that he can't even talk about it with other people. Deep inside those red eyes, there's some lingering pain and longing, why? It feels like he's been alive for so long that he can't even be more surprised with what's going to happen.

"Of course I was joking! Don't take it so seriously" I awkwardly laughed at him, trying to remove the tension that's been consuming us. He faced me with that unknown facial expression, that facial expression that I felt like I saw before, but where?

"Of course it's a joke." He finally smiled but I can't shake it off, his eyes has still that unknown feeling in it. "Let's just go--" and the bells suddenly rang telling us that we should head back now. I just nodded in response. It's not my business right? I should't mind..

I opened my chemistry book, trying so hard to distract myself because I just can't get it out of my head, I can't. My hands are trembling slowly as I turned the pages. Hoping that I won't look back because I know that he will smirk at me, or not.

"Everyone! So now we have our upcoming school festival next month and our class, class 5 was given the responsibility of taking care of the entertainment." Everyone gasped in disappointment, I was very sure that they wanted to take care of the stalls.

"Ms. Millar! Why are we given that kind of stuff? They know that almost all of the students here aren't talented like them!" Our class president suddenly stood up with that 'I am offended' look plastered on her face. I sighed and shook my head slowly, yes they're right. We are the worst section seriously.

"Then try finding something that can make them shocked and be like 'Wow! Are they really class 5?' surpass your own limits guys! Don't be so down idiots! Ah seriously." She facepalmed, but what shocked me the most is what our vice president said.

"Then let Ashleah perform!" My eyes widened and looked at her with that unbelievable look on my face. What is she taking about? Is she out of her own mind? "I saw her dancing all alone inside the dance room the other day, she can dance or like the main event of the show!" I saw how a smirk formed on her lips.

Ah, so she was expecting me to do something stupid and embarrass myself in front of many people, do they really think that I am that stupid to do something like that? Of course I will say no to their offer-- "I will dance with her"

WHAT? My soul officially left its body. My eyes are even wider now! Nash just stood up and told everyone that he's going to dance with me?! W-Wait a minute! Get my permission first. These scumbags!

I stood up and "What? Who told you guys that I'm going to dance for you guys? I won't!" I told them with full of confidence, I won't dance! Never, it.. gives me bad memories. Our vice president and class president looked shocked, I mostly will say yes if they ask me some requests, but today is different. I won't--

"Why? You don't want to dance with me?" His voice echoed around the room, I slowly looked back and his red eyes were staring intently at me. "Come on, Ashleah! Just say yes." He said and smiled. I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Please, don't." I didn't know why but when the bell rang being the signal that classes are now finished felt like a way for me to run away from this situation, I got my back and quickly ran outside the classroom. It was too suffocating for me.

Legs trembling while running away from the suffocating air, when my foot left the school grounds it felt like I've finally been free from something that's been holding me like a bird inside a cage. My hands held my books tightly and I started walking again.

When will this day end? I bit my lip slowly, I didn't notice that I was now in front of a park, I sat on a bench and silently took a deep breath and exhaled slowly trying to calm myself down. I can't loose control.

'Dancing? What kind of pathetic talent is that, Ashleah?'

'Are you really sure that it's called talent?'

'Be more like us, don't waste your time to useless things.'

I suddenly remembered what my parents told me when I told them that I want to start having dance lessons, they never supported me in such things. They are both inside the business world but unfortunately they never gave me a spare of their time, it never felt like I was their child.

A small smile formed on my lips and I looked up in the sky, The sun is now going down, telling me that another day passed without them by my side. I should be used to it right? But why does my heart react like this every single time that I remember them?

They never showed care for me, they were merely taking care of me because I was their daughter. And I still love them, I just wanted the warmth of a mother's embrace, i just want them to know that I love them so much.

"Why are you so down?" My eyes widened and threw my bag at the man who was now beside me, but started laughing and I slowly relaxed when I realized who the man was.

"DAMN YOU NASH!!" I said and he started laughing even harder. This jerk! He really likes surprising, teasing, and annoying me huh?! What is his face made of?! "Shut up, stop laughing Nash!" I told him and pulled my bag from his hand.

"But seriously why do you look so down earlier? Is it because of their request about you dancing?" He asked with those eyes that are telling me that he wanted to know more about me, i tried to shrug it off but he suddenly said something that made me stop.

"If it brings back memories that you don't want to remember, don't do it. But you can't keep on running away from those memories." He said and looked at the sunset, my eyes are now trembling slowly, trying to stop the tears from falling down. Because he was right, all this time I've been trying so hard to run away from the problems that cause me a lot of pain.

"Hey but really if you feel uncomfort-- why are you crying?" His eyes landed on mine as tears started to flow down on my cheeks one by one, the pain was uncontrollably overflowing. He looked shocked but a small smile appeared on his face, Nash slowly pats my shoulder. "I'm sorry"

I was confused, I looked at him. He was sad, his expression was.. sad. I blinked a couple of times, tears still streaming down my face but I took up a lot of courage to ask him. "Why are you sorry?" He slowly moved closer and hugged me but still keeping a little distance between us.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was always late." I didn't know why but after that it feels like it doubled the pain and I started to cry harder, I can hear his heavy breaths, it was like he was also refraining himself from crying.

This was really the start of SOMETHING NEW.