13

03:49 PM.

"Ahh, no!!!"

The fact Aly raised her tone without warning had me wincing just as we were about to, at long last, step outside the school.

"W-What happened, Aly?"

She ransacked the contents of her backpack, and her forehead scrunched up when she could not seem to find what she was looking for. Soon, she murmured something inaudible as she scratched her head and huffed, even pulling some strands of her hair.

"God, I can't believe it... I must have left my phone somewhere!! Ah, this is so frustrating!!" She groaned rather stridently, but she shrugged off those around her, who were giving her funny looks. "Rena, you can go home first!"

"Oh what?" I sputtered. "But I can accompany you-"

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine, Rena!" She interrupted as she had her hands in front of me, as if she was blocking me from reaching her. Her eyes were practically darting all over the place as she smacked her fist against her palm, "Oh and besides, I suddenly remembered I had something to do before I left. It's gonna take a while, y'know. See ya tomorrow!"

"W-Wait!" Before I could chase after her, she had strode off in the opposite direction. I could only stand and watch as she disappeared back inside. Kinda strange, Aly would always ask me to go with her... and she was even so excited to go home.

Surely that was out of the blue. Hopefully she could locate her phone though.

With a faint breath slipping out of my mouth, I decided to head towards my bike in the parking lot. Compared to this morning, it was heavily deserted, with the exceptions of a handful of bikes and motorcycles.

One more day before the weekends... and I can rest! I smiled while I fumbled on my own lock with my key, and it eventually with a satisfying click. Throwing my burdening bag into the basket and stretching both of my arms, I positioned my bicycle until I was comfortable enough to sit on it.

Wait a minute, didn't Aly have her phone with her? A memory crossed through me as soon as I placed my feet on the pedals. She was holding it when she was in her locker...

That was when I noticed a very unmistakable person a couple of feet away, and... he made me lose my own momentum.

Edward! I gulped when I felt a lump molding inside my throat. What's he doing here? Didn't he usually use the bus?

Not even a single distraction hindered him from drilling deep into my soul, as if he was studying all of my features. With my face growing progressively warmer, I bit the insides of my cheeks and pulled my hat down. Regardless, I still could not snap myself out of it; the way he maintained his attention solely on me and not anybody else... melted me into nothing but a puddle. Why is he looking at me like that? What's he gonna do?

And here I was pushing the idea he was here to look for his friend, but that dissipated into ashes when Edward shuffled his hands into his pockets and approached me. The rambunctious thumps of my heart reverberated against my eardrums as I gripped tightly on my bicycle's handlebars.

"Hey Serena."

"Oh, h-hi Edward! W-what's up?!" My hand shook as I lifted it up to greet him back.

I must have short-circuited, as my stuttering became so... borderline atrocious. Heck, my bike almost fell off with me, but fortunately, I was able to bounce back thanks to my reflex. My thoughts were swirling round and round like a tornado, any incoming plans and analysis I tried to formulate turned into some mushy mess. You're an idiot, Rena. Calm your butt down.

Edward faltered momentarily, before he ultimately requested, "I'm wondering if you could accompany me for a while...? I'm going somewhere by foot."

And at that moment, an unknown force attacked my already messy mind. My body felt hotter than usual; but now, it felt like I was basking near the sun. Hold up... what? He wants me, of all of other people, to be with him?!

Come to think of it, Edward's alone... I scanned around me, but aside from some other students, it was only Edward and me. Where did Seb or even Lynn go?

"It's okay if you got something else to do. I won't force you." And of course, he interpreted my foolish reaction in a different way, all because I couldn't control myself. Gosh, he might be thinking I'm some asylum escapee at this point...

"N-No, I would like to!" I squeaked out, stopping him right in time before he started walking off. "It's just... um... kinda unexpected?" I laughed sheepishly.

It's like one of my wishes came true.

"You sure?" He scuffled on his feet.

"Yep, I r-really don't mind! Come, you can sit behind me!" I pointed. All of this stupid pressure was turning me into some freak who couldn't speak properly. It was like I lost my intellectual thinking.

Edward blinked. "No, you don't have to carry me. I'm too heavy for it-"

"Don't worry!!" I exclaimed, as some imaginary stars spun around me. "I have had my brother and my friends on my bike so many times. It's not a big deal!"

He didn't move; his eye ogled impassively at me, but he eventually stowed his bag in the basket and settled himself down on the back seat. However, under his weight, the wheels creaked quite loudly while the bike wobbled and sank slightly lower than usual. But the same thing happened with Aly and Jordan, so it should be f-

"We'll both fall, Serena," he said.

"Yeah, I think so too..."

***

In the end, I dragged my bike along as I walked down the streets with Edward.

The afternoon breeze whirred through us, making our hairs dance and rejuvenating our fatigued bodies. As neither of us have yet to exchange any conversations, silence was determined in consuming us whole, even with occasional stops at the traffic lights.

In spite of everything, walking next to him, let alone accompanying him outside of school, was another immense accomplishment I could check off my list. If not for my bicycle and Edward, I would have bounced on my toes and grinned so wide I would have sprained my facial muscles.

I should tell Aly about this. I bet she's gonna be happy with him!

Staring at our bags in the basket, I noticed a small blue lightsaber tied to his bag's zipper, which jiggled every time my bike ran into small bumps. It was one of the surviving traits that reminded me he was the same person as the ball of sunshine back then. The one who would never hesitate to spread his enthusiasm to everyone who needed it.

"I got this lightsaber keychain from the Comic Con! It's a limited edition, isn't it cool?!" I smiled at his haunting voice.

"S-So Edward," I decided it was the perfect chance to speak up, especially when waiting to cross the road. "Where are we going exactly?"

"My work," he mumbled quietly, but was still loud enough to be heard. "Some kind of a mechanic workshop."

"Wow, t-that's awesome." But I can totally see him do that.

"How about you? Do you work?" Edward questioned. He asked back again. You found such a perfect topic, Rena!

"I wouldn't say work, but... Dad's r-restaurant used to be short-staffed, so I helped him prepare food when it g-gets really busy," I explained. "That's about it."

"His pastries were delicious," Edward quickly proclaimed. I know you really love bread but please eat his other dishes too...

"W-We all used to go there, huh?" Now that he mentioned it, that was such a train of nostalgia. Upon finding out about my father's business, Edward and the gang frequented the restaurant after school, and Dad would happily cook them food without any fees.

Good times...

He barely reacted this time; he only nodded before he continued with his pace. Once more, our exchanges dissolved into wordlessness while we made our way through the road. The discussion might not go as lengthy as I intended, but the fact he was coming out with even more words than before... had me mentally punching the air in victory.

Looking up, the sun, hidden by the clouds, had buried itself low in the horizon. Its rays caused a concoction of orange and yellow hues to diffuse across the skies. With a flock of birds soaring through as they chirped, the scenery looked as if an artist had lovingly painted it. Gosh, what a wonderful view to end the day.

"Serena, can I ask you something...?"

"Oh, uh yeah...?" His voice had me blinked out of my daydream, as we stopped for another zebra crossing. "Sure, what is it?"

Edward curled his lips as his pale eye vanished underneath his bangs, before he shifted the entirety of his body towards me.

"Why do you still wanna be friends with me?"

When the lights switched green, pedestrians rushed through us to make their way across the intersection, but not for the both of us. All I heard were the rumbles of people on their phones or with their friends, the whistles of speeding cars, and the susurruses of the wind.

My brain decided to turn itself off, perhaps explaining why I wasn't able to budge from my spot. The fact that I also couldn't assemble sentences to form at least a reply, had his question dominating over the hapless me. Why wasn't I able to say anything...?

Also, don't you even know the answer?!

I shut my hanging jaw as I watched the lights have returned red.

Seconds turned into minutes, before Edward ultimately let out a soft sigh. "Sorry, but it's just that I..." he ceased. "Never mind. Don't worry about it," he promptly dismissed, shaking his head.

"Sure..." I whispered.

And so, for the rest of our trip, both of us were completely lost in our own thoughts and neither of us spared each other a glance. I focused on steadying my own bike, while he guided us through. After what felt like hours of silence, he beckoned to the large building with barely signs to give its identity, but its navy blue color made it stand out among the other properties.

"Thanks for the company, Serena." He proceeded to grab his bag from the basket and finally, we were able to meet each other's gaze. "See you tomorrow."

"See you too," I said. He then walked towards the entrance, where a guy from inside quickly greeted him, before I was cut by the automatic doors closing behind them.

As I hopped on my bike and pedaled my way home, that question ricocheted within me. I could even still make out the sudden drop in his tone and the way his poker face... actually longed for an answer. Obviously he was not messing around; why the hell would he be?

No matter what kind of strategies I used to shake it off, it refused to leave.