Owen
The sky was a wondrous palette of reds, purples and oranges now that the sun was about to set. Clouds were thinning and the darkness can be seen from the horizon. A few hours had passed since Athena and I headed outside campus to eat and might I say, there are countless things in this place that terrify me.
Among things such as cracks in the pavement, stairs, dysfunctional elevators and that professor I am beyond scared of, another thing that can send a chill down my spine was Athena.
It may seem rather unlikely to be terrified of her since she is such a unique and kind character yet her shear extrovertedness just bemuses me.
"CHARLIE! Can we like, get drunk and stay up til 6 in the morning?" Athena exclaimed loudly through the small crowd of people inside the showing room where we can watch the movie.
As much as I want to stay hidden and unnoticed, Athena's loud personality just makes my presence around her known. I pulled up the hood of my jacket and folded my arms across my chest as I attempted to stay out the public's eye. The people inside this room may be few but I still couldn't help but feel so conscious of the chair and all since this was a new place that had new people. I didn't know how to handle those things.
"CHARLIE, WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE TINY UMBRELLA THINGS? ARE THOSE TOOTHPICKS?" Athena said again as she tried to get Charlie's attention.
I shook my head and pushed my chair towards the area where chairs were all organized into a semicircle and I parked it right around the corner in the farthest area. If Athena's done trying to get drunk again after Calix's party before, she can find me herself. I am pretty much a prominent character in this room.
Eventually, as more and more people piled into the room, I took out my phone and just started breezing through photos I had in my gallery. Most were photos of either Maxie or Athena; it was something pretty weird for me personally, since before I met her, the only things I had in my camera roll were memes and random photos I saved.
It was not long before someone sat by the chair beside me. It took Athena quite some time to run out of energy and as I looked up from my phone, it wasn't her. It was someone else.
"You also look like you need some friends. No offense." she said smilingly.
It was a girl. She had long, silky, dark, raven hair that fell below her chest and her dark brown eyes were slanted. Her complexion was buttery and her figure was small, just like Athena yet my girlfriend is obviously much more superior than whoever this is since it was pretty common among Asians to have heights within that range.
I shook my head and turned off my phone, shoving it back into my pocket.
"No thanks. I have someone with me, actually." I said.
She nodded along as if she was interested and beamed at me.
"Really? Sorry. I just thought you needed someone to have on standby because of your--" she said, stopping mid-sentence as she hinted my chair.
As much as I want to be left alone to stare at photos of Athena and her dog, I was polite to this stranger. She was alone and I thought she might need company as well.
"No worries. I get looks about my chair a lot. You aren't the first."
The girl smiled and nodded, pulling back a chunk of her dark hair behind an ear that showcased three sparkly earrings.
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm Maya, by the way." she said, extending a hand.
I smiled subtly and reached out for her hand to shake.
"Owen."
Maya smiled hugely as she threw her hair back.
"Nice to meet you, Owen. For a freshman, you aren't that good at being invisible. People keep looking at you." she whispered as she leaned closer to my ear.
I scrunched up my nose and shot her a look of disbelief.
"Why? Isn't the pulled up hoodie enough to signal that I don't want to be here?"
Maya let out a short laugh and shook her head.
"Quite the opposite, honestly. You may feel as if you're invisible since you made the hood a boundary between you and the people around you but from their perspective, you just draw more attention to yourself."
I was silenced for a moment since what she said actually made me think. I looked around the room and saw that there indeed were people giving me weird looks. I didn't like it.
I pulled down my hoodie and finger combed through my hair to make me look a bit more presentable and as I finished, I turned to Maya and put up a thumbs up.
"Is this gonna make the people look away now?" I asked.
Maya gawked at me with her mouth hung open and I was scared she'd say I look even more terrible. She did so for a good few seconds. Eventually, she turned behind to look at the other students inside the room and scoffed.
"I don't know about that but it seems that the guys stopped looking. Lucky for you, majority of the girls are staring." she said giddily.
"I doubt that." I said, taking my phone out of my pocket again as people started to get into their seats before Little Women starts to play.
"Doubt what? Owen, you're a good-looking guy in a sea full of girls. Go for it." she said with urge in her tone.
As much as I was flattered that a random girl I just met called me good-looking, I was more concerned about Athena than any of the other females. I just laughed it off.
"I have a girlfriend, Maya. She wouldn't want me engaging with other girls." I said, shaking my head.
"A girlfriend? Do tell. What school does she go to?"
I smiled a bit and looked at Maya in the eye as I saw Athena coming up to me, looking alarmed as hell as she strode past the crowd. A small smile crept up my face as soon as she was nearby and might I say, she surely sent a chill down my spine.
I diverted my attention back to Maya and sighed.
"She goes here too. In fact, she's right behind you now." I said as I turned behind and saw Athena standing with her arms crossed with one brow arched upward. She looked stern.
Maya frantically turned back and as she saw Athena, her small eyes immediately enlarged. She eventually stood up from the chair beside me and dusted it off, motioning Athena to sit.
"I am terribly sorry for engaging contact with your boyfriend. It won't happen again." Maya said apologetically as she bowed a little.
Athena, obviously weirded out, shot her a ridiculous look and sighed.
"And who are you again?" Athena asked. She was obviously exhibiting dominance over Maya and if I were in the poor girl's place, I would've shat my pants.
"Uh, Maya. Maya Truong. Nice to meet you." Maya said as she shakily extended a hand toward Athena.
Athena eyed her small, petite hand and took a deep breath, swatting her own hand at Maya. The girl eventually looked embarrassed as she slowly put down her hand and clasped them together.
"I'm his girlfriend. Now, what happened over here that made Walmart Chalamet smile and talk to you?"
Maya looked uncomfortable. As much as I want to pipe in, I knew more than enough to know that when Athena is in one of her bitchy moods, it's best not to talk.
"I just thought he needed a friend, that's all. And most of the girls were staring at him. It's not his fault he's a looker." Maya said with a small smile, attempting to humor Athena.
Athena, on the other hand, looked alarmed as her almond-shaped eyes widened.
"So you don't consider yourself one of those girls who think he's handsome?"
Maya shook her head and smiled sweetly.
"I would be lying if I tell you I do not find him kinda cute but honestly, I just thought he needed someone to talk to. Sorry about that."
Athena eventually softened and sighed.
"You don't have to apologize. If you two eloped and got married in the Bahamas, then you can say you're sorry." Athena said with subtle hints of sarcasm yet bitterness was still evident in the way she spoke.
Maya looked frazzled and looked at both Athena and I sadly.
"Okay. Sorry. Again. See you around, Owen." Maya said as she excused herself quickly and made her way to the other side of the semicircle of chairs where she sat.
Athena huffed and pulled the chair beside me before she sat and as she did, she glared at me. That was my thing. I shot her a confused look and narrowed my eyes.
"Why were you talking to that girl?" she demanded.
I shrugged and sighed.
"She seemed friendly enough. She also looked as if she needed a friend. Look at her. She's alone." I said as I pointed toward where Maya sat. She had her head put down as she put in some earphones and busily scrolled on her phone. No other person was sitting by her.
"I was friendly to you when we first met and it took me about three months before you even got to smile at me." Athena said bitterly as she continued looking sour. She kept kicking the chair in front of her and thankfully, the seat was still unoccupied.
"But I'm a little different now, love. I was just trying to make friends." I said, reaching out for her hand to hold.
Eventually, Athena softened and she looked at me with that sweet look she has on her face. A smile was even drawn upon her lips.
"Fine. I guess I was a little harsh on her. She did seem nice." Athena admitted, turning towards where Maya sat.
The seats were almost occupied by everyone and before we knew it, the movie started. Charlie turned off all the lights and the huge cinematic set up front blazed to life.
In the dark, as the opening credits rolled, I looked over where Maya sat and noticed her staring. As we both landed eyes on each other, she smiled and waved subtly. As I put up a hand to wave back, Athena immediately held my hand and squeezed it. Hard.
"Don't wave. Don't look at her. Just, look at Saoirse Ronan on screen. Or me. Just, --not at her." Athena whispered sternly.
I sadly turned to look at Maya and saw her shrug. I muttered a small 'sorry' and she nodded back.
"Don't engage eye contact or conversation with that girl. You'll regret it." Athena spat bitterly.
I looked over at Athena through the dimmed lights and saw that her eyes were fixed on screen. She looked serious as she had her brows scrunched together at the middle. She was obviously still thinking about Maya and it made me feel uncomfortable.
I stopped watching the movie after the first few minutes and instead, stared at Athena.
She was serious at first; obviously dedicated to her beloved real and breathing Timothee Chalamet playing Laurie.
I kept glancing at her in hopes that she would turn to look at me or even make some witty remark about how cool the costumes were for the movie. Maybe even the way how amazing the cinematography was. It would be a blessing to have her not annoyed at me.
Petty as she can be, Athena's different. She's remarkable. Like Jo in Little Women. Well, explicitly, she's a mix of every March sister in the movie. She's as smart as Jo, caring as Meg, talented as Beth, and fun as Amy. She's like Trail Mix. But better.
It would be a terrible loss to lose her over some random girl. And it would all be my fault.
I don't want to fall out with Athena this way. She's far too rare and far too precious to let go of.
I continued staring at Athena throughout the rest of the movie and still, she remained true to the screen. She didn't flinch when I poked her sides gently and didn't look at me when I sighed dramatically the way she does whenever she wants my attention.
Looking down through the horrible lighting given off by the screen, I saw that Athena's hand was resting on my right knee. I was amused. A little befuddled but amused.
If I didn't look down to my lap, I wouldn't know Athena had a hand on my leg. The cons of not having any feeling below my waist.
I managed a small smile as I glanced back at her and I caught a subtle grin escape from her lips.
"I still love you, by the way." she whispered.
"Love you too." I said smilingly.
Athena eventually took my hand and wrapped her small, thin fingers around mine, letting our clasped hands rest on my leg.
"It took you long enough to notice I had a hand on your knee." she admitted through whispers, grinning triumphantly.
I scoffed subtly and shook my head.
"I was watching a movie, mind you. Why would I look down when you're the best movie playing in theaters?" I said in attempt to try my hand at sappy pick-up lines. Those kinds of things aren't my usual forms of romantic shows but at least it's worth a try.
Thankfully, Athena faced me. The reflection of scattered colors from the scene currently playing was painted over the side of her face and I couldn't help but be reminded of the day of the Van Gogh. Her hair had all the wondrous colors a painting exhibited that night and it was magical.
"God, I wish you'd never move on from that sappy poet phase. I'm starting to like it."
Smiling, I turned toward the screen and diverted my gaze back to the movie, still holding onto Athena's hand.
"Good to hear that. I was starting to contemplate whether I should send you handwritten notes again or write you an ode."
Athena shook her head and chuckled. Her warmth vibrated through my body and it was that feeling that made me fall for her deeper.
"You can't be serious. Not everyone's like Jo." she said, looking back toward the screen.
"But you are."
Athena laughed sharply and shrugged.
"If you're gonna compare me to Trail Mix again, I'll just take it as a compliment."
We quieted down and finished watching the movie in a good mood. Little Women wasn't so bad after all.
As Athena loudly bid her goodbyes to her newfound friends and Charlie, I waited patiently for her by the door so we could go back to our room. I took out my phone again and played some Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp since I left my actual Switch at home. I didn't want to be distracted these days since it is college.
"Your girlfriend seems fun. Loud too. Is she always like that?" said a voice I heard before.
It was certainly not Athena and as I looked up to see who it was, it was the girl from earlier. It was Maya.
She was leaning on the doorframe opposite of me with her arms over her chest as she looked at Athena giddily hugging random people and giving them small talk. I managed a small smile as I looked at Athena. She's just so full of life and I loved her for making me realize there are much more things I can do with mine.
"Athena's quite the character. She's always like that." I told Maya.
She smiled back and shrugged, tying back her raven hair with a scrunchie.
"Well, it would be nice to actually make friends with her. Is she like, pissed at me? For talking to you?" she said with a subtle laugh in her tone.
I shook my head and glanced at Athena before I turned back to Maya.
"She was but I think she's okay now. She'll probably be wary of you but I don't think she'll hate you. You're nice."
Maya looked satisfied as she walked up to me and stood by my side. She had her head cocked and sighed as she laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Thanks."
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Athena exclaimed loudly as she walked briskly towards where Maya and I were. I was guessing she saw us being close together and matters became worse especially with Maya's hand on my shoulder.
Maya immediately pulled back her hand and gripped it in her other as she she pulled it toward her chest, taking a step back.
"I'm so sorry but I think you misunderstood-"
"No. I get it. You like Owen. Fine. Do whatever. I'm going for a run." Athena said as she turned around quickly and went for the exit.
"Athena," I said as I held the rims of my chair and started to push away. Before following Athena, I turned to Maya and gave her a tight smile.
"I apologize for her behavior. I would like for us to be friends, by the way but I think I should go follow my girlfriend."
Maya shrugged and smiled.
"No problem. Go."
I nodded and faced forward as I made my way out of the dorm and into the cold, blue night of Princeton.
The sun had already set and the stars were shining bright enough for me to go look for Athena without the help of my phone's flashlight.
Now where could she have went?
I pushed my chair hard as I breathed sharply, going circles around campus. Most of the students were already inside their dorms, probably drinking or going on a movie marathon. No one else was in sight yet it was terribly hard to see one familiar figure running around this place.
I passed by the other dorms and the buildings; Athena still wasn't found.
Eventually, I got tired as I passed the main facade and stopped by the entrance to catch my breath. I bent my head down as I clasped my chest and tried to avoid being tired for the sake of Athena.
"Didn't think you'd follow me out. Where's that Asian girl?" a bitter voice said.
I turned behind and saw Athena in her cold, mystical self, standing behind me with the door open. I gave her a confused look as she stepped forward and sat beside me on the pavement, folding her knees toward her chest, hugging them.
Her hair was blowing in the wind and her expression was unreadable. Sometimes, I just didn't understand her.
"Maya's not here, if that's what you're thinking of." I said sharply, defending Maya.
Athena looked alarmed as she shot her head at me and glared. She was still annoyed, I see.
"Then go back. She probably needs you more than I do."
I was surprised to know that Athena thought that way. I tugged the edge of her blouse and motioned her to sit on my lap. She used to love that. Now, she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow at me.
"I'm not a kid and you're not Santa. I don't want to go near you." she spat.
"But you walked towards me. You already are near me enough and I fear your legs will be sore after sitting like that."
She narrowed her eyes at me as she maintained her cold expression and remained seated on the floor.
"What do you know about legs? You can't feel them."
She really did want to hurt me today. As much as I felt a pain in my chest, I still put in mind that Athena most likely didn't mean that. She doesn't mean that.
"But I know enough about them. Just, -- go sit and let me clear things up, alright?"
Athena rolled her eyes and grunted.
"Fine."
Athena stood up from the floor and dusted off her pants as she unwillingly sat on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. I was surprised she did given that she was angry at me.
"What's with that face? You look weird." she said as soon as she noticed how amused I was at her sudden wrap of arms.
"I didn't think you'd want to go near me."
She sighed and shook her head.
"I don't want to but I also do not plan to fall off your lap any time soon. IÂ just need to slather my arms in alcohol and sanitizer after this."
I shot her a disbelieving look and looked at her straight in her unfeeling eyes.
"Now you're disgusted by me? God, Athena, for having one person go up to me just to ask permission to have you as a friend, you sure can be quite a handful." I said bluntly, looking away.
Athena was silenced for a moment. I didn't turn back yet towards her and I waited for her to say something.
I felt Athena unwrap her arms off my neck and I felt her soft hand touch my face as she pulled it to face her.
"She just wanted to be friends? With me?" she asked in a small voice.
I nodded and smiled gently at her.
"Of course. She wanted to with both of us but she feared she gave off an unpleasant first impression to you." I clarified.
Athena was left with pure shock and uneasiness as she squirmed. She eventually sunk into my chest and hugged me tight.
"Shit. I did misunderstand." she muttered as she gripped a portion of my hoodie and scrunched it up towards her lips. I wrapped an arm around her and patted her back.
"She's nice. She would love to hear from you some other day."
Athena nodded subtly and exhaled.
"Yeah. I guess she would. She did look like she needed some company." she said as she put her head up high again and smiled at me.
"I was guessing she would appreciate that."
Athena smiled wider and quickly grazed the tip of her finger on my nose, booping it.
"I was guessing I needed to apologize to you too. I'm sorry I acted so irrationally. I wasn't thinking straight." she whispered.
I nodded and shrugged it off.
"I understood where you're coming from and I didn't mind it at all. How about we head back to our dorm and watch Timothee Chalamet movies on Netflix? To make you feel better?"
Athena laughed as she flung her head back and stole a quick kiss on my cheek as she faced me, standing up from my lap as she held my hand.
"That sounds absolutely divine. Let's go."