His Flower [DISCONTINUED]

34: I Miss Him

A month passed since Antonio and I last spoke.

On week one, he didn't show up at school, which made it easy for us to avoid each other. Regardless, he was all that occupied my thoughts.

On week two, he started coming to school, although he didn't sit with us at lunch, or annoy me in biology, or take me to the spot after school. He went back to his old ways: sitting with his brainless friends at lunch, smoking in between classes, and winding up in detention.

On week three, he started looking at me. He'd see me in the halls and stare. He would set his eyes on me in the cafeteria, but he wouldn't approach me. He'd just stare. I could never tell what exactly he was thinking.

And now we were onto week four.

It was the last day at school before the winter break. I suppose it was really the last chance for Antonio and I to talk, as we likely wouldn't be in contact over the break, given the terms we'd left off of.

After school, I pushed through the double doors with Lily.

"Freedom!" She dramatically inhaled the cold air.

I laughed at her, though my amusement subsided once I saw Antonio leaning against the wall, only a few feet away from us. He met my eyes before I could even register that I'd been staring at him.

One hand was in the pocket of his black jacket, the other loosely held a cigarette to his lips. He stood with his chattering friends, though it didn't quite look like he was listening to what they were saying. Lily was talking to me, though her voice went in one ear and out the other.

The cig in his hand, the dark eye bags, the five o'clock shadow, the pale skin, the tousled hair—Antonio looked as a tired as a thirty year old man did during tax season. Though, he still looked as striking as ever.

We stared at each other for a second, and there was a brief moment where the world stopped. The moment was over in the blink of an eye. He looked away first, resuming as if nothing had even happened. I began to walk down the parking lot with Lily, my heart cracking just a little...

I went back home and crawled into bed. I attempted to take a nap, as the school day had utterly drained me, though my thoughts kept me up. I wondered if Antonio thought about me as much as I thought about him. The odds were not in my favor. The past month was proof of that. He resumed life as if he'd never even met me. Although, maybe he'd been waiting for me to approach him first. What if he thought I wasn't ready to talk to him? After all, I did walk out on him that day.

I sighed and began to make my way over to Jo's room, in desperate need of some girl-talk.

"Jo–oh!" I shrieked and immediately slammed her bedroom door shut.

A mixture of disgust and happiness overtook me. I ran back to my room and jumped onto my bed, before whipping out my phone to text Benny.

Benny Bear

I think Bob and Jo are back together.

You won't believe what I just saw them doing.

His reply was almost instant.

Please do not tell me.

I laughed at the Benny-like reply and glanced up, but as I did so, I shrieked and fell off my bed. A pair of eyes were watching me from my bedroom window. Though, not just any pair of eyes...

After regaining my senses and pinching myself to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I rushed to the opposite side of my room and unlatched the window. With shock evident on my face, I watched as Antonio's tall body crawled into my room.