Stringed

Chapter 22: One More Try

“Oh? So you came back?” he looked at me as he grinned and sat beside me on the soft grass.

“Yes, I hell it beats me why,” I replied. Luke smiled at me and kept quiet.

I came back to school, just a day before classes were about to finish. I didn’t know why but something inside me told me that I was running away by going here.

Maybe I was. But why?

“Are you afraid of the truth?” Luke suddenly asked me.

His question took me by surprise, maybe I was.

I remembered that when I was a child I was afraid to know that if my parents even loved me or not so I never asked and I stayed out of their way. Until now, I never had my answer.

“…Because he isn’t,” Luke added.

I turned to face him, “Who?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Eric…”

I kept silent.

“Just ask him,” he elbowed me lightly.

“That’s not my problem,” it isn’t. Really.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s me… I’m being bothered why he makes me so curious about him. Why can’t I push him away easily? I..” I trailed off.

“Well didn’t he tell you you’re his string?” Luke grinned.

“You believe that crap too?” I asked him a bit disappointed.

He looked like a happy little pup, “Well why not? Nothing’s wrong in believing in a little magic.”

But I stopped believing in it.

I blinked.

“Hmm, something wrong pres?” he looked at me concern flooding his eyes.

“I… don’t know,” I numbly answered.

“Really? C’mon tell me anything, I won’t tell a soul,” he squeezed my hand.

What’s this? I was trying to remember something, but I couldn’t seem to get it. It’s very unlikely of me.

“Don’t put all the blame on you,” Luke said.

‘Don’t put all the blame on you…’ a breeze passed by and I heard the same phrase again.

“I.. I really don’t know… I think I might have forgotten something very important,” I said weakly and shook my head.

Luke hummed as if recalling something as well, “If you say so, but you can tell me anything okay?”

“Why are you being so nice to someone like me?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

He looked surprised, “Because we’re friends.”

“Who told you that?” I asked him sternly.

“No one, but I knew we were because you started talking to me,” he ruffled my hair like I was his little pet, “Kate Sherlin the ice cold princess who never talked to anyone unless it was necessary.”

“So you assumed we are friends because I started talking to you?”

He scratched the back of his head, “Well yeah, so did everyone and because…” he looked at me with happy eyes.

“Because?” I urged him to continue.

“Because of Eric Sanders, he has gotten to your soft spot and started opening you to others as well.” He answered.