Chapter 4: Her Moods

"Your pretty good at Tennis Lorelai."

"Thanks. You were also pretty good."

It was an hour after P.E. The last matches of for the day were just ending, and I was sitting with Lorelai on a nearby bench, resting from the tough games we just played, though it was more of Lorelai that played. She's that good.

The sun was radiating immense heat causing me to sweat profusely under it, increasing my levels of fatigue but I'm glad i didn't have to endure it anymore, me and Lorelai won our matches from 5 wins to 1 loss, and unfortunately that one loss was due to Neil and Ace.

During our last match for the day, Neil and Ace somehow got paired with us, before the match Neil was jumping up and down saying how fun it's gonna be playing against me and Lorelai, he even had a slight grin when he saw that when i ran out of water, i drank from Lorelai's bottle since i was out mine. Why he did was a mystery to me, yet it didn't stop me from wanting to sock his face in. Oh, and Lorelai turned beet red when it happened. The heat must've got her that bad.

When the match began, it was fine; we got scored some points in as Neil was tired and so we took advantage of it since his reaction was a bit off when it came to it. But of course he was with Ace. Now Ace is something, man.

He probably noticed that Neil was fatigued from the constant heat bearing down on us, so he took action, compensated for his mistakes and late reactions, and quickly turned the game around for them. We lost the 1st set since to be fair; we were pretty fatigued ourselves and Ace is just a stamina junkie.

Regardless, we bounced back in the 2nd set and won it in considerable fashion. It seemed strange to me at that time that we won that fast and along with a big gap in the score. We didn't want to lose, some and Lorelai went all in on the 2nd set and i didn't know of it at that time but it was the reason for our downfall.

In the 3rd and final set, things changed. Overtaxed from going all in on the previous set, we stood no chance against the Ace and Neil duo, as they still had a considerable amount of stamina left, allowing them to win by a close margin, Close margin because even though me and Lorelai knew our chances of winning were bleak, we still gave one last final push to try to win it all but inevitably, the goddess of luck didn't smile down on us as we still lost.

Lorelai didn't take that it too well because even though we our previous matches, she was still down about us losing against Neil and ace, I even saw that she had some tears in her eyes when i said that she even though we lost, she was still the best player in my eyes.

In fact, logically speaking she was as I'm sure that her scores beat all of us by a wide margin so i just told her what was the truth, and yet she teared up for some reason, heck i just wanted to cheer her up and she instead cried, sigh.

I pause my thoughts as i turn to look at Lorelai beside me; she had her feet up on the bench and holding it while putting her head on her knees. I look closer and she still had some tears in her eyes. Sigh, what did I do now?

"Lorelai, it's fine, it's fine. Even though we lost our last match, we still won our previous games."

Lorelai slightly raised her head to look at me and wow, it stained her beautiful blue eyes with redness. I didn't know it was this bad. I panic as i thought of apologizing for not carrying my weight properly in the match. God damn it next time i need to practice more when I'm partnered up with Lorelai.

"Malik… I'm sorry i didn't win our final match. It was my fault that things ended up like this."

Her face scrunched up when she said that and it seems that she was about to cry again, panicking, i try to think of something to soothe her pain and it came to me, maybe doing the same thing my mom did when I cry will work.

And so i raised my palm and gently put it on her messy hair, rubbing it as gently as possible to not make her crying even worse, i hope she doesn't think I'm rubbing too hard.

All of a sudden it seems to work as she stopped crying and instead her face turned red for some reason, oh no, is she sick or something? I stop stroking her head as i look at her with worry.

"Shit Lorelai, are you sick, your turning red all of a sudden."

"No, NO! I mean no I'm not sick, i just feel better now."

"Oh thank god, i thought that you were gonna get sick from all this heat. Wait here, ill get you a bottle of water."

"Uh ah wait…"

I heard a meek and silent voice when i turned around to get up, i felt a slight tug at my shirt and saw that lorelai was the one doing it, she seemed to be a bit sad again as she buried her head in her knees again.

"Um, Malik, I'm not sick, but I'm feeling a little sad again. Can you stroke my head again? It makes me feel better when you do."

"Oh uh sure Lorelai, whatever you want."

I go back and sit down as i gently stroke her head again, and this time a silent atmosphere pervaded us but this wasn't the bad type of silence, it was the serene type, like being here was somehow right and made me feel that i didn't want to go anywhere but here.

I looked at Lorelai or a while as i stroked her smooth yet messy hair, i thought of the way her soft head perfectly fit the palm of my hands, for Every time i go back and forth gently brushing her head with my hand, i focus more on her, completely forgetting everything around me, and the only thing i can see in my vision is the sight of lorelai hugging her knees and burying her face in it, while i look fondly towards her action, she would remind me of a cute puppy seeking attention.

Nevertheless, i look away as i didn't want Lorelai being creeped out by my obvious stares, i look around us and i now notice that again, everyone is looking, stopping whatever they were doing to see the sight of me rubbing Lorelai's head. What's up with them, they should mind their own fucking business, i glare at every single one of them who stared in my direction and they looked away, except for one as Bradley was still glaring at me.

I turned and didn't pay him any mind as i went back and kept my attention at soothing Lorelai's saddened mood. And as i was just enjoying my time with Lorelai, wait, why am i even enjoying this whatever ill think about it later, but the more important thing is while i was rubbing Lorelai's head. idiot 1 and silent idiot 2 barged in and ruined it.

"Malik! What are you doing with Lorelai?." said Neil with a wide grin.

I stopped brushing Lorelai's head, turning to Neil with seething annoyance.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You already ruined it." I gave Neil a glare as i signaled for him to fuck off, yet he just shrugged it off and looked at Lorelai instead.

"Lorelai! are you okay? Probably not since malik here was just enjoying rubbing your head."

This time Lorelai unburied her face in her knees and turned to look at Neil with a smiling face, yet her eyes were telling a different story.

"Neil, shut the fuck up and mind your own business."

Neil's grinning expression froze as he didn't expect Lorelai to respond like a sailor out at sea while being drunk on booze. His grin was quickly wiped off and replaced with a flustered expression.

"Wha… I mean…"

Lorelai then ignored her and turned to Ace with a cold expression, this time they didn't exchange any words as they just stared at each other with a stoic face, Ace seemed to have understood her intent as he nodded and pulled the shocked Neil by the elbow and dragged him away.

Lorelai then looked at me with a pained expression, like a cute puppy denied attention. She went back to her previous position and just sat there waiting for something, but i didn't understand as she no longer seemed as upset as before.

"Lorelai, it seems you're okay now so why are you still sitting like that?"

I looked at Lorelai with a confused expression as i didn't understand why she's still doing this, i also ignore the previous fiasco since Neil kind of deserved it, but what i didn't expect was Lorelai going Rambo against Neil.

Lorelai no longer sat as before and just stared into my eyes with her deep blue eyes, it went on for a bit as we just gazed at each other's eyes, i didn't notice then but her eyes enamored me. her eyes that resembled the vast ocean, looking into me and my being. All i could see again was her and her only.

"You don't get it do you? Sigh." said Lorelai with a helpless expression.

"Whatever, thanks Malik for being my partner, i gotta go home. See ya tomorrow."

Before i could respond, Lorelai left swiftly. Leaving me dumbfounded at what just happened, not understanding why she left in a huff because i asked a simple question. Sigh what did i do this time?

After changing and showering i meet up with ace and a depressed Neil, intending to ask what did i do wrong. But before that…

"You deserved it Neil."

"Yeah… i guess i pushed it a bit too much but i didn't expect that for her to react that way, i mean, come on, man."

"Yup same, didn't expect Lorelai to react that strongly, and speaking of that, after you guys left, she then followed after and left in a huff, i don't know why she did that, i just asked a simple question."

"You… Your a hopeless idiot…" said Neil with a dumbfounded expression.

"Huh, what not you too?."

Sighing, Neil just looked at me with a helpless expression, like he couldn't understand the person he's talking to right now. That's rude.

"Dude, i sometimes wonder if you're ever gonna get with a girl."

"Huh? What do you mean, and what does that have to do with this?"

"It has everything to do with it, look ill ask a simple question."

"Um sure."

"What did you feel when i barged into your little world with Lorelai?"

"Well, of course i was mad, you just disturbed us out of nowhere and its rude."

"Okay, so at least you're human and you understand emotion, so why were you mad?"

"What do you mean, i just told you, i was mad because you barged in on us?"

"Why are you mad because i barged in?"

"Because you were being rude." i said but got cut off as i was about to explain.

"No no, that's not the real reason, that is a reason, but not the real reason. Why were you mad when i disturbed you rubbing Lorelai's head?"

" Because…"

All of a sudden i remember the reason why i was rubbing Lorelai's head, yes that must be it.

"Because you disturbed me from taking care of lorelai."

"See you do understand!"

"Yup, i was right, i was upset because you were being rude and barged in on me taking care of Lorelai."

"Your hopeless." said Neil as he facepalmed his face.

"Hopeless." said Ace with a stoic expression.

"Come on, i guys, that has to be the reason why i was upset, and dudes, i was asking about why Lorelai was upset, not why i was upset. You still didn't answer my question. And Ace, not you too."

Neil looked at me with mixed expressions, but gave up and just stared out into space. At this point int he conversation i still didn't get an answer on why Lorelai was upset as she left. Sigh.

"Look dude, I'm tired from playing and even though Ace looked like he could run a marathon right now, he's also mentally tired from dealing with you. I'll go first, see ya."

Neil no longer said a word after he said that and just left. Leaving me with ace and his stoic expression. "Ace, i didn't know you're tired, i thought you were still fine."

"Malik, think about it more." said Ace in a monotone voice before leaving going god knows where, maybe home.

Sigh.

Getting home from school, i went in my room and saw my usual stuff, A computer on the right of the room and a bed on the left. Beside the bed there was a library of books i read whenever i had the time, meaning every minute of the day after school.

I plop down onto my bed and put my back somewhere in my room, staring at the ceiling and wondering what went wrong today. I still don't know why Lorelai was upset at me, i was just worried about her and in the next moment she left me out to dry. What a puzzling experience.

I put it off my mind as i didn't want to think about it anymore, ill deal with it on Monday. The silence that enveloped the room made my mind calm down from all the noise that came from my thoughts, i no longer thought of anything as i took in this silence, this silent room i have, and in the next moment, i was off to dreamland.

"Malik Malik! wake up honey, it's already 8 am and you still haven't woken up."

All of a sudden, i voice jolted me out of my sleep and the world was blurry as i opened my eyes. It took a second for me to adjust and by then i saw my mom looking at me with a smile. With a yawn, i look at my mom and said.

"Mom, it's a Saturday i don't have school remember?"

"I know, honey, but you seem to have forgotten. You got another thing you have to do today."

I did? i try to remember what that thing was and i came up empty, i look at my mom with a quizzical look, trying to find out what i had to do today. With a sigh, my mom said. "Malik honey, you forgot that you're going to buy groceries today, and i reminded you of it yesterday but it seemed you forgot."

Like a light bulb turning on from my head, i remember that i did have something to do today, and it was groceries, but couldn't i have just done it later int he afternoon? I know that i didn't have to do it this early.

"Um mom, its still this early in the morning, can't i just do it later?"

"Yes yes i also know that but you also seem to have forgotten another thing again."

Again? What did i forget this time? I gave mom a quizzical look again as i forgot what i have to do again. "Malik, you have to workout remember? You told me yourself to wake you up if you oversleep on Saturdays."

"I did, didn't i?" I said with an enlightened look.

"Thanks mom."

"No problem, honey." Mom stroked my messy morning head for a bit before going down to prepare for work. Huh, i guess getting your head rubbed is a good feeling. No wonder Lorelai liked it so much.

Anyway, after working out for an hour i notice that it was 9 so i showered and ate breakfast mom cooked. Mom still cooks damn good food, yum. I thought about what i would do today so i pulled out my calendar app and scheduled it.

So it's currently 9:30 am and i have about 3 hours till i go grocery shopping, and so by 1:00 pm i should get going. Alright, so what am i to do with these 3 hours? Of course there's only 1 answer for that, and that is finish the book i was reading.

Satisfied, i go back to my room and read until 12:30, just enough time for me to have lunch then leave.

After having lunch i put on some proper clothes, a black sweater and a black ring on my right thumb, and black jeans my mom got me for my birthday, it's my personal favorite to be honest. To finish it off I wore white shoes, completing my outfit for the day.

Going outside, i go to the nearest bus station to go to the grocery store in the city. After waiting for about 10 minutes i saw bus about to pull up and stop. After getting in i look for any empty seats but the bus was packed today, there was barely any seats left except for one at the back. Sweet.

i make my way towards and seat and saw a woman, she was a bit familiar but i didn't get to see clearly as she was looking outside the window, i didn't mind it as i just sat beside her and closed my eyes, waiting for the bus to arrive at its destination.

I thought about my recent situation with Lorelai and thought about it more, and the more i think about it the more i realize that i still don't understand shit, but thank god i don't have to deal with it till Monday.

"Oh Malik! I didn't know we were riding the same bus. What a pleasant surprise."

Sigh.