18 17th Dawn - Girl Meets Boys? Pt. Two

Ruben and the blonde dude's stares burn holes on me with how intense they are.

I only sweatdrop at this, wondering how I can escape this time. The situation gets even more disgruntling as soon a I spot two all-too familiar figures who are about to enter the diner. I didn't expect Sol and Felicity would catch up to me this fast. Then again, this mysterious guy was able to chase me like that in a matter of minutes and had even seen the stunts I pulled back in that shortcut earlier. This implausible position is simply preposterous, indeed.

"Ruben, I'd really like a break now, but if you don't mind, can I also ask for a back up?"

He only blinks at me in bafflement. When I points at Sol and Felicity then at the blonde who looks utterly confused and peeved, he was finally able to decipher my words. He then heaves a defeated sigh at this before scratching his head, which is something he usually does when he has no choice but to oblige.

"Okay, okay... I'll let you off the hook for now."

With that, I beam at Ruben with a wide grin before running pass through the boy. Flummoxed at the turn of events, he tries to block my way but only to get hauled back by his shoulders. Ruben restrains him while I sprint towards the next hurdle. Sol and Felicity just entered when I sneak from their behinds and dash away like a ninja.

"Hello, Ruben. I thought Lillian's here?" Felicity greeted as they approached the bar's counter.

"I had her run an errand for me. She's not coming for today," Ruben replied with a strained smile.

"Lillian? You mean that girl who just-"

The blonde tried to cut in but the red head covered his mouth immediately. He squirms away from his grip but he only tightens it in return. Ruben doesn't even look concerned when he's already running out of air to breathe. All the while, Sol and Felicity only watch the two in bafflement.

I think I managed to completely get away this time. Though I'm grateful for Ruben and Madeline supporting me, I also feel ashamed for falling more indebted to them. I can't possibly get even more pathetic than this, but then again, crying once more won't solve anything at this rate. I'll just have to accept reality for now and deal with it later.

"Now then, what should I do...?"

I stroll around for a while with no particular destination in mind. That's until I wounded up in the patroness' monument for the second time. Though it's something I should consider a bad memory since it's where I had my mental breakdown yesterday, the place itself looks resplendent and riveting. The stairs can serve as a perfect spot for viewing the sunset.

"Oh, I know! I can take a break there!" I enthused before sprinting to a handrail.

I then hoist myself up and flop on its metal handle, enjoying the gentle gust of wind that comes my way as I eventually settle down. Somehow, I find myself at ease despite all my previous heartaches. It also could just be that I already ran out of tears from wailing myself to sleep last night. No matter the reason, I'm still grateful for whatever entity there is that keeps my emotions in check and gives me an ounce of serenity at the very least.

"Miss, don't do that!"

At this, I tilt my head to the side in surprise. A boy with bluish silver hair and gleaming sapphire irises greet me. He is wearing eyeglasses, dressed in a long sleeves white polo and a pair of grey pants. He also looks appalled, or maybe frightened for some reason.

"Another strange guy, huh?" I deadpanned to myself, unamused.

It seems like I've been running into troublesome ones since I had my very first heartbreak. I should be allergic of men for now, but then again, that doesn't really make any sense.

"Wait, are you planning to jump?" he asked, bewildered.

"No...? Why?"

What's more, this one has something to do with me jumping once again.

"I can tell what you're thinking, Sir. No, I'm not planning to jump in this skirt so don't worry."

At that, he only blinks at me with a quizzical look. He then paces towards me and rests his hand on the handrail, eyeing me incredulously.

"Forget about the skirt. What I mean is, if you jump from here, you'll die, you know."

It's now my turn to blink at him, dumbfounded. That's when I fully digest the sight before me. I'm actually sitting a few feet away from my demise. It turns out that there are more stairs below, thus making my current location in an elevated position.

"Pfft...! Now, you're scared!" the blue-haired boy blurted out, his lean frame shaking with mirth.

I only huff at this and slowly turn my body on the other side of the handrail. I then look back at him who's now gazing at the sky with a tranquil expression on his face. Fascinated, I find myself mirroring him and eventually relishing the reposeful sight. I completely forgot how a good weather can actually lift someone's mood up.

"You're from here?" I inquired, but only to be answered by silence.

"Do you live here?"

Once more, silence.

"What's your name?"

Then, silence.

Just when I thought he's the nosy type, I turn out to be the prying one instead. He just continues to bask in his moment of peaceful quietude, completely ignoring me. At that, I decided to just let him be, but not without pouting for being neglected. First, I ran into a bigmouthed guy, now it's a mute one. But now that I think about it, it's probably because he thinks that we're simply strangers to each other.

"My name is Lillian, by the way."

With that, he finally turns to look at me. My breath hitches as soon as I meet his ocean blue irises that seem to glow like jewels once streaked by light. He also appears to be stunned while staring at me, and with that, we just mirror each other's astounded expression.

"Miss, you have white hair under that weird-looking hat, do you?"

It seems like his attention is only piqued by the most unexpected things.

"Yes. I hid it since it stands out too much."

Then, all of the sudden, he takes a few steps backward and scrutinizes me from head to toe. It doesn't feel like he's going to do something bad, though. If anything, he looks like he's trying to capture and engrave this moment in his head.

"Miss, you also wear rubber shoes in a skirt?"

"Yeah, got a problem?"

"No, I just think it's very interesting."

My eyes then widened at that in surprise. For the first time in forever, since coming to this city that is, someone didn't chide me for wearing these. What's more, I've been complimented. I may not be certain what his deal is, but I can tell that he has good taste.

"May I draw you?" he asked out of nowhere, perplexing me even more.

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