Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

Hello Again, Stranger
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I woke up to the sound of birds chirping out my window. The sun's energizing rays shone straight on my tired, weary face, and I had to squint through my blurry vision to block out the extreme brightness. Without wasting any more time, I fumbled for my glasses on the table next to my bedside and put them on, exhaling a breath when my vision instantly cleared.

I glanced at the clock. Eight o'clock. Great. I was late for first period.

What the heck. Why didn't anyone wake me up?

Still grumbling to myself, I got inside the bathroom and started squeezing out a gel of toothpaste. What excuse was I going to give to the teacher? That my alarm didn't go off, that nobody even bothered to wake me up? Miss Bell would chew my head off for that; that sort of excuse was too cliché, too overused.

I sighed as I brushed my teeth. No other choice but to tell the truth, anyway. I'd have to find a way to persuade her to give me a make-up test; I just had to miss a major Science examination. Oh, I could just picture out a big, fat 'F' on my report card now. Goodbye, straight A's.

After I finished washing and taking a quick shower, I dressed myself in my uniform, hastily buttoning up my vest and then tying my shoelaces together. I grabbed my bag, bolted out the door, and came face to face with the kitchen.

The room was completely clean, indicating that no one was awake yet.

"That means Mum and Dad have overslept and their alarms didn't go off, either," I muttered to myself in realization, hurriedly snatching some bread from the fridge and consequently planting them inside the toaster. What a messy morning this turned out to be for the three of us. I then turned the said appliance on and began to take out the peanut butter container along with juice powder.

In mere minutes I was out the front door with a half-eaten toast in my mouth and my phone in my left hand. I was texting my Mum, knowing that she had a really loud ringtone that almost blasted my ears off when I first heard it. It would wake her up immediately.

When I arrived at my school, it was eight twenty-two. I still had more than half an hour to attend the next period.

My feet led me towards my favourite solace: the music room.

Ever since I sang my Mum a lullaby when she was greatly sick years ago, I began to like hearing melodies and compositions. It had been a fascinating experience to play the guitar and piano for the first time, and it was equally as amazing as when I touched a saxophone. My Dad told me that I was very talented, that he was very proud of me.

No one ever occupied the music room anymore. Nobody in this common school liked playing instruments; they all only know how to hang out at malls, eat out at diners or restaurants, and sleep in the library. Sometimes I wondered why the school still budgeted the room, but I had an inkling that my father was behind it. Dad's job caused him to have a vast salary; we were by no means rich enough to buy numerous mansions, but we could most certainly afford a few. However, we were just a simple family and preferred not to draw attention to ourselves.

I positioned the end of the violin to my chin and began to play a song I heard a few times in the radio. I liked the melody of it; it was sweet and slow, along with an underlying message that spoke volumes even though it did not have lyrics.

I didn't know how much time passed by, but when I finally put the instrument down, I sneaked a peek at my watch and saw that I only had two minutes left before my next class. Hurriedly, I slung my bag around my shoulder and ran out towards my classroom.

Thankfully, the teacher wasn't there when I arrived. My classmates were talking normally among themselves, divided into many circles of groups. I sat myself quietly in my desk and took out my notebook, ready to take down notes about the lecture.

"Miss Bell was looking for you earlier."

I didn't have to turn around to know that it was my best friend Kyle who was speaking. "I figured as much."

"Why were you late?" I could almost feel his usual bright grin directed at my back like it bored a hole straight through.

"My alarm didn't go off."

"Ah, the common excuse."

"In this case, it's 100% true."

"All right, whatever you say."

Turned out that the teacher was absent, so we had a lot of free time on our hands. Two hours' worth. I took that moment to silently observe my classmates.

Kyle was talking with Armee Charming, a dark-haired girl with small, almond-shaped eyes. Kyle was a cool guy, and he wasn't bad-looking, either. He had unruly brown hair which had bangs that swept across the whole of his forehead, hiding most of his eyebrows, much like mine. He also had an interesting combination of tanned skin, blue eyes, and jovial features that made it seem like he was always ready to give a smile. Unlike me. I was sometimes described as a grouch. Excuse me. But Kyle really was a great guy. He was honest, trustworthy, and understanding. I had a quiet and friendly enough personality, but I had a temper. Kyle cancelled me out.

Armee, on the other hand, was someone you could easily describe as pretty. Like a tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty that seemed to draw you in. She was a weird person at times, though, like one time when I was about to enter the music room and she was there, kneeling on the floor and sighing. When I tapped her on the shoulder, she didn't even look the least bit surprised, only giving me a soulless glance and walking away. The two of us never really talked before, but there was one thing I knew about her that no one else knew about. Since the teachers always referred to us by our last names only, we didn't know the others' complete names unless they told. When I came up to the teacher while she was taking attendance and her phone suddenly rang, causing her to become distracted for a bit, I caught sight of her name. She was on the top section of the names since her last name started with a 'C'. I found out that her name was Elizabeth. Elizabeth Charming, like a queen of a famed land or a duchess of high royal standing. It was interesting to say the least. It couldn't be guessed by the name she told, which was Armee.

I never told anyone about it. I didn't know why, but I felt that it was none of my business anyway. I hadn't the faintest clue as to what they were talking about, but I didn't really care much.

Then I spotted Agnes Kentucky, who was busy doing something on her phone. Agnes was attractive, I could admit. Her fiery red hair was a sight to see, and her eyes were a shimmering brown. She aspired to become a doctor someday; she told me that once. When I glanced at her phone one time, I saw that she was researching numerous medical journals and saving them, probably planning to read them at home. It was rare to see a girl striving for a goal so much; girls nowadays only care about their makeup and material possessions, like Ginger, Melissa, Armee, Patti, and my other female classmates. Whenever I passed by the girls' bathroom (since it was next to the boys'), I would always see them fixing their hair and appearances. It disconcerted me somewhat.

"Big brother," a familiar voice called out from the doorway.

I looked up and smiled when I saw Nic Lennon, a freshman whom I was acquainted very well with. Nic was a six footer, almost as tall as I was. We only had a two-centimeter difference in our heights. He was also very handsome, with wavy brown hair, clear brown eyes, and high cheekbones. To me, he was more on the cute side than a real pretty boy. Also, he wasn't too muscular, but he was no skinny slouch, either. He was athletic and had a very affectionate and kind personality. Needless to say, he was hands-down the most popular boy in school. He also had a few fanclubs and they were… a little vicious. Poor guy.

"Oh, Nic. What brings you here?" I asked, standing up from my seat and going towards him, ignoring the squeals coming from my female classmates in the room.

"I missed you, big brother!" Nic said cheerfully, hugging me tightly. I could only smile and pat his back. I could never know why Nic had a liking to me ever since we first met; he was a clingy guy while I was some serious guy who sang serenades and ballads at home. Opposites attract, I guess.

"Nic, it's only been a week. How was your competition?"

"I won the gold medal," he reported to me proudly.

"That's good. Keep it up," I encouraged him, placing my hands on his shoulders and gripping them affectionately.

Sometimes Nic was like the little brother I never had. I would never tell him that, though. That guy would only cling to me even more to the point where people would question our sexual preferences.

Heck, even his fanclub suspected me of being his secret lover. Ugh, I almost puked when I heard that.

No offense to Nic, of course, but I most definitely do not… swing that way. And I believe that neither does he.

When classes finally ended, I stretched out my limbs and began trekking my way home. Kyle had told me that he couldn't come with me today; he had soccer practice.

I got out my keys and unlocked the front door, stepping inside the dim house. Sighing, I turned on the lights and closed the door behind me. It looked like Mum and Dad were still at work. I was alone.

I got up to my room and threw my bag towards my bed. I turned on the lights here as well and dressed myself in my home clothes. An excuse letter to write, economics homework… I'd better start on those right away.

I was already positioned before my computer when I suddenly heard the sound of heavy rain. It was a good thing that I arrived here on time; it looked like a real downpour out there.

Are all the windows locked? I thought to myself. Then, deciding that checking on them would be a quick process, I trudged downstairs and went towards the one which seemed to look like it was slightly open.

It was at that moment that I saw her.

Armee Charming was staring at my house with a dull look on her face. She was just standing there, all wet from the rain, still carrying her school bag and wearing her uniform. The sky outside was dark, but I could still make out her form due to the streetlights.

Swearing slightly, I ran up to my room and hurriedly took out a thick jacket from my closet. Then I ran back downstairs and opened the door.

Opening the umbrella I got from beside the said door, I sprinted towards her as fast as I could, shielding her from the angry storm. Then I hastily draped the jacket over her, keeping her warm.

I glimpsed her face and was disconcerted at what I saw. The illumination of the streetlights allowed me to see her expression, and needless to say, I had never seen this sort of emotionless expression on her face before. Although it did seem a lot similar to the look she gave me back when I found her kneeling in front of the music room, it was apparent to me that her eyes held no shimmer in them. She looked like a jaded eighteen-year-old.

"Come on," I urged her gently, guiding her towards my house. When we were safely inside, I immediately prepared hot chocolate and turned up the heater a little.

"Here. Drink this." I nudged the steaming cup on the coffee table towards her, not taking my eyes off of her form. This kind of behaviour had a reason, and even if the two of us were never really close, I was prepared to hear her out, and possibly help her if I could.

She only stared at the hot chocolate in front of her, still unmoving. From what I could perceive, she was not scared, nor did she look as if she had a purpose in coming here. She just looked… completely empty, as if she was resigned to her fate. Whatever fate it was, it seemed as if it was horrible. Traumatizing.

"Armee," I said softly. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Finally, her eyes drifted from the cup towards my face. "I've already told you that… many, many times."

I blinked slowly. What? She had spoken in a soft, soothing whisper, and there was an underlying melancholic emotion to her tone.

She had already told me about it? When? Or was she possibly talking about someone else?

"I'm… sorry, Armee. I don't think you've told me about it. We don't really talk to each other much," I told her, choosing my words carefully. I didn't really like to beat around the bush when you could just give a clear, straightforward answer.

She was still staring at me. "…I apologize, Night. I was… thinking of someone else."

So I was right. "You can't tell me what it is?" I asked her gently.

"I'm sorry. I can't burden you with this a—…I can't. I will not." She shook her head slowly, looking dazed.

I stared at her for a long moment before sighing heavily. Then what was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just sit here with her, looking at her while she drank her hot chocolate? Was I supposed to do nothing and comfort her when something was obviously eating away at her? Damn it, Armee.

"Then why did you come here?" I asked, eyeing her expression carefully.

If possible, her eyes became even dimmer. "I don't know myself. I was wandering around… and then I suddenly came here. I just kept staring at your home without really thinking…"

My lips stretched into a thin line as I grew thoughtful. "Where do you live? I'll take you home once the rain stops."

I saw it then. Her pupils immediately dilated, and her whole body trembled.

"N—No! I—I mean… I can go home by myself. In fact, I should be leaving right now." Within seconds, she was already bringing her cup towards the sink and washing it. "I—I don't know why I even stayed here this long… I'm sorry. I'll see myself out now."

"It's not a problem for me if you stayed a little longer," I tried to console.

"No!" she yelled, startling me out of my controlled calmness. It then seemed that she realized exactly what she did, because she instantly looked deeply apologetic. "I— I'm sorry… I have to go! Good night."

Before I could even offer her an umbrella, she was out the door in a flash, and when I got to the doorway, she was already out of sight.

What a strange night it was.