Running Away

Athena’s P.O.V.

I was walking away from him, but he was such a jerk. He was still chasing me after. He crept the hell inside of me. I did all my might to run like a marathoner but damn it! Why was he always following me? Couldn’t he just leave me alone? I was already outside the campus but I saw him still following me when I turned my head on him.

Who would have thought that I, Athena Cari, the rebellious Delgado daughter, would run like this? My goodness! I had nothing to fear. All my life, I was intrepid. I would never do this even in my dreams. And when Helena died, I know… I had nothing to lose.

I was just a transferee here. I wasn’t able to memorize this place and I didn’t have any plans to, especially when I was used to getting picked up and dropped off by Ricardo. And because I focused on turning and crossing every corner just to avoid him, I guessed I got lost.

Damn it! I hate you, Rivera. I really do! I stomped off my feet like a child in tantrums when I realized, I couldn’t make my way back to the school.

After turning left on the last corner, I got trapped in a dimmed alley even though it was still daytime. For that, I stopped. In front of me were three ugly men who, based on their looks, might be drug addicts.

“Hi! Are you lost, Miss Beautiful? Come on, I can show you the way. All you have to do is to stay beside me. I’m Jonathan, but you can call me Athan for sure,” the fat one introduced himself.

I narrowed my eyes while stepping backwards. Did he mean, for short? Oh my God! Rest in peace, English.

“And so? No one is asking for your name, idiot!” I shouted back.

“Stop your illusion, bro. She’s mine! She’s my girlfriend and she’s just paying me a visit, you know? So how’s strolling around, sweetheart?” The man in the middle intervened after he threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. He had red and swollen eyes, making me cringed.

“I would love to become an old maid for the rest of my life, instead of becoming your girlfriend even just for a minute. You crazy son of a bitch!” I screamed whilst stepping backwards.

“What did you just say? Do you want us to go to the beach, honey? Sure! Fuck the two of you and get lost! Don’t make my angel get mad at us. Can’t you see? She’s my guardian angel who came from heaven above. If her wings came back, she would leave me again and fly away from here. Look at her eyes—green! They were so magical, I am melting with her stares!” The super-thin guy said before grabbing my right arm.

“Ouch! What are you doing? Let me go, you damn loser!” I kept on pulling my arm away from that cobra-faced freak. It was disgusting that I could smell his stench on my skin.

Yuck! It looks like they had never taken their baths for one-month long!

“Wow, bro! I was amazed. Your guardian angel here was so fearless. What I liked the most are those playing hard to get and I guessed, she’s the right one for me! Come to me, baby. I’ll make you happy!” The fat guy said while looking at me from head to toe.

With all my strength and with the faith to get out of here, I was successful enough to get rid of the chaotic guy who was holding me. Using my left hand, I pushed him in the chest and pulled my right arm. I continued flinching backwards… until something made contact with my back. I leaned my body on something behind me and my heart began to jump.

“Helena, are you okay?” he worriedly asked. I wasn’t able to answer him immediately when he gently grabbed me and pulled me to his back.

“Did you think, I’m okay? This is all your fault!” I shouted at him.

“Just stay here. I got your back,” he calmly said even though I yelled at him.

I didn’t know why. The way he said those words? It was just full of assurance. It made me think that he could actually fight those three freaks for me without any doubt.

“Sure thing, let me see what you can do!” I challenged him way far from my thoughts.

After that, he faced them and started to deal with those addicts. “Wait, guys! Do we have a problem here? If my girlfriend accidentally trespassed your territory, I would be the one to ask for an apology. We’ll go ahead, okay?” Rivera smiled at them.

I frowned. What girlfriend are you talking about? Duh! Do you want to die for you to realize some sense? I will kill you first before they could do that to you! I wanted to say.

We were ready to leave when the middle guy interrupted us, “What! Girlfriend? Are you out of your mind? She’s mine! Right, baby?” He immediately went near us and was about to hold me when Rivera mindlessly hit his jaw with his closed fist. After that, Rivera did a spinning kick to the man’s stomach and that caused the latter to go straight to the floor.

Woah, impressive!

The guy was easily knocked out. “No one touches my girl, dude. And I wasn’t the crazy one here, it’s you!” he said while conditioning himself on separate attacks of the two remaining freaks. He even motioned them to come to him.

I was just silently watching Rivera while he was fighting them. What was missing here was just a bowl of cheesy popcorn and I would be all set! I must admit, he was good at hand-to-hand combats and he definitely knew how to use martial arts. But an unknown fear suddenly throbbed me when the fat guy was able to punch him. Rivera only smirked.

I almost cheered for him when he gave the fat guy two consecutive uppercuts before he smashed its awful face with his knee. Then, he effortlessly carried and threw the body of the thin guy who said that I was his guardian angel, to the previous one. In the end, those three idiots were unconsciously lying on the ground.

Rivera held my hand again and we ran away together—away from that alley. This time, I didn’t avoid him. I didn’t pull my hand from his grip and just followed him wherever he would want us to go. I never experienced in my entire life that someone fought for me, not even my own father.

We were already back in school and while we were waiting for our breathing to get steady, I tried to persuade him. “Let’s go to the clinic so we can treat your wounds,” I told him. He had a cut on the left side of his lips. He also had a not-so-black eye and bruise on his right cheek.

“Don’t mind me, I’m okay. But why do you have to run away and avoid me, Helena? You know me, we’re classmates and I would not hurt you. Look at what happened, you almost got hurt from that alley! What if I didn’t follow you?” He threw me a series of questions.

Wow, and since when have you ever been concerned about me?

I didn’t know why but I secretly smiled. I felt differently knowing that someone unrelated to my family could care about me and chose to fight for me… risking his life in the process.

But I still chose to be peevish. “Do I have a choice? You’re so creepy! So tell me, why do you keep on following me?”

“Because you left this in the library. I’m just going to give it back to you but what did you do? You immediately distanced yourself away from me and ran as if you’re in a marathon!”

My eyes went wide open as if they would come out of my sockets when he handed me back my handkerchief—the one sewn with Athena. I dithered, for I was thinking twice if I would get the handkerchief… but I still took it in the end.

“And this face? Creepy? Are you blind?” He boastfully winked at me after placing his thumb and forefinger below his chin doing a handsome sign.

I did not know why but in the middle of my nervousness, I was still able to laugh. “Duh, your face is just so thick! You know what? You don’t seem to be coming from a breakup earlier! Let me remind you that you looked more of a betrayed husband moments ago!”

He became silent before he spoke, “I’m fine now. I already released my fuming anger with those three punching bags! Remember what I did to them? I didn’t even sweat!”

That was when I noticed that he was still holding my hand, so I pulled it away. “It is so unusual to meet someone who is running for the valedictorian title and yet, war freak!” I said while smirking at him. No wonder, I was already teasing him. “But where did you learn those self-defense tricks? Movies?”

“I learned from my sister’s best friend. Anyway, I am not a war freak! That was my first time to be engaged in a fight if you must know. They are being rude to my girlfriend so I had no other choice. I should protect her and make sure that she will be safe from harm!” He giggled at me foolishly. He even emphasized the word ‘girlfriend,’ as if he wanted to convey something to me.

I punched him hard on his shoulder. “I am not your girlfriend, punk!” I was not sure but I guessed, my cheeks went red at what he said.

“Ouch! It hurts, huh! In case you forgot… I fought for you, Helena. You didn’t even say ‘thank you’ and now, you’re even adding to my body pains?” he reasoned out while pouting his lips.

I stared at him. Wait! Why is it that he looks cute now?

“Hey, Rivera! In the first place, I didn’t ask for your help, and may I remind you this—I wouldn’t be able to get there if it wasn’t all because of you! Hmpft,” I snarled at him while crossing my arms in front of my shoulder.

“It wasn’t my fault that you didn’t know this place well and yet, you kept on running around every corner as if you were raised here! Tsk. Also, what I meant by girlfriend is not the one with a romantic relationship, okay? It’s girl friend—just a friend, a female friend. Stop being malicious! You’re not even a girlfriend material!” he mocked me.

That was when my annoyance got triggered again. I guessed, he would always have the nerve to provoke me.

“Even though it was only a friend, I still don’t accept it. We’re not even friends and we will never be. And one more thing, Rivera… just stay away from me. Don’t follow me ever again, okay? You’re smart, aren’t you? Maybe, you will understand this… I don’t want to be friends with whoever here and most especially, to you!” I left him and marched straight outside the school’s gate.

Wow, me? The ever-gorgeous Athena Cari? Not even a girlfriend material for him, huh? I hate you even more, Rivera!

Actually, I didn’t know where to head next. Perhaps, I would just call Ricardo to pick me up.

I was busy searching for my cellular phone inside my bag when I realized that I was already crossing the street—not even on a pedestrian lane—and a fast car was only a few meters away, ready to bump me. I knew it was too late for me to avoid that car so I just closed my eyes and waited for the next thing to happen.

Oh, God! Am I going to be with Helena now?

Everything happened so fast and I thought it was all too late. But before the car had finally hit me, I got surprised when someone suddenly seized my hand and immediately pulled my body closer to him. He made me twirl to face his chest and from the impact, we both got out of balance. My bag dropped off as I stumbled and we both fell on the ground causing me to be on top of his body.

When I lifted my face, I knew that something happened between the two of us and I couldn’t be wrong…

Oh my God! Did we really kiss?