Chapter 2: My First Outing with Emma

We were sitting in a small restaurant, face to face. Emma was talking a lot, her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, a distinctive beauty mark beneath her right eye occasionally catching my attention.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked, looking directly into my eyes.

"Caël told me it’s frustrating to talk to you because you hardly speak to anyone except your close friends," she added with a mischievous smile.

"Really?" I responded simply, without having a real answer.

"Oh my God... I’m going to kill Tania and Caël. I can't believe they introduced me to someone like you!" she said, shaking her head, clearly annoyed, before laughing nervously.

"I only came because Caël asked me to. If you want, I can leave," I offered.

"No, wait. Let me at least finish my coffee," she replied, looking away.

I generally didn't get along with girls like her. In my opinion, they talked way too much. Once she finished her coffee, we left the restaurant.

"Well, see you around," she said with a vague smile.

I sighed inwardly. Why did Caël drag me into this?

But just when I thought it was over, Emma abruptly turned back to me.

"Want to go to karaoke?"

"Huh?" I replied, surprised.

"Since you paid for the coffee, I suppose I can hang out with you a bit more," she said, shrugging.

"Wait, I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't."

"What?"

"Think of it as your chance to make up for being boring earlier. Come on!" she said with a teasing smile.

We walked towards the karaoke place. She continued to talk incessantly.

"I just broke up with my ex," she suddenly said. "I need to sing sad songs to let off some steam."

I didn't understand why she wanted to do this with me. She surely had other friends for that. Yet, time flew by. And as we walked back, she continued to confide.

"I'm tired of making so much effort in relationships that never work," she admitted. "No matter what I give, it always ends badly. Now, I just want something simple. A calm, comfortable relationship."

"Alright..." I murmured, somewhat indifferent.

We walked for a while longer, with her still talking. Upon reaching a crossroads, she turned to me, her blonde hair shining slightly in the afternoon sun.

"Thanks for listening to me today. Get home safe."

"Yeah... see you," I replied simply.

All she had done was talk about her ex for half the time. I wondered how a girl our age could have so much romantic experience already. She genuinely bored me. I didn't think a girl like her could talk that much. And what was Caël's goal in all of this? I decided I'd ask him. But strangely, he didn't reply to my messages. So I decided to see him the next day at school.

As usual, I went to school. But the day started with worry: my friends were nowhere to be found. They hadn't shown up for class, nor had they sent me any messages. It was strange. I decided to wait until the end of the day to talk to Tania or visit their homes.

After the school bell rang, I decided to get some fresh air at the stadium right next to the school. Some fresh air would probably do me good, and I was right: the atmosphere was pleasant despite the strong sun. Sitting on the bleachers, I watched students playing soccer, apparently arguing over a missing goal. I was absorbed in their quarrel when suddenly a hand appeared in front of my face.

"Hey!"

It was Emma.

"Seriously, no hello? Don’t think your cute looks let you get away with everything," she said seriously but with a slight smile.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You know, you and your adorable baby face. Anyway, are you coming or not?" she insisted.

"Coming where?" I replied simply.

"I sent you a message last night to—"

She was interrupted by a shout from the field.

"Hey Jimmy, toss us the ball!" someone yelled.

Looking around, I noticed there was indeed a ball near us. Emma turned to them.

"Get your own ball, Son. You're seriously annoying," she snapped, visibly irritated.

"Oh hey, didn’t see you there, shorty," the guy replied mockingly.

"Go to hell," Emma shot back.

They burst out laughing.

"Ignore them, they're just idiots," she sighed. "Anyway, I'm starving to death right now."

"Alright, let's go," I replied without really understanding why she still wanted to spend time with me.

We walked along the cobbled streets when a question came to mind. I finally decided to ask it.

"What's Son's problem? Why does he call you 'shorty'? What's his deal?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"You know how those losers are," she calmly explained. "They love bothering girls like me, then always end up asking us out afterward."

"You seem used to it. You're the experienced one after all," I said with a slight smile. "Anyway, thanks for standing up for me even though I could handle it myself."

"Just buy me lunch instead," she retorted, abruptly changing the subject. "I'm starving."

Everything always seemed to revolve around her. I guessed the life of popular girls wasn't necessarily that easy either.

Arriving at the restaurant, Emma stared intensely at the hot spaghetti and meatball dish placed before her.

"Oh my God! Look at that. I'm dying to dig in," she exclaimed excitedly.

"You really love food, don't you?" I asked, amused.

"Who doesn't love food? Don’t tell me you're some weird vegan?" she retorted.

"No, not at all," I simply replied.

"If you want to get along with me, know that the way to my heart is through food," she added, blushing slightly.

I didn't reply, but her comment made me smile inwardly.

Leaving the restaurant, I found myself watching her closely, perhaps trying to figure her out. Why was she with me anyway? Her serious expression bothered me.

"What’s up?" I finally asked.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you already in love with me or something?" she teased, grinning.

"Don't be ridiculous," I replied, looking away.

"What's that attitude? You're lucky you're cute, otherwise, I wouldn't even talk to you," she joked again.

Me neither, I thought, still puzzled by why she insisted on hanging out with me.

Everything always seemed to revolve around her. I guessed the life of popular girls wasn’t necessarily that easy either.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Emma stared intensely at the steaming plate of spaghetti and meatballs placed in front of her.

"Damn! Look at this. I can’t wait," she exclaimed excitedly.

"You really love food, huh?" I said, amused.

"Who doesn’t love food? Don’t tell me you’re one of those weird vegans?" she shot back.

"No, not at all," I replied simply.

"If you want to get along with me, just know that the way to my heart is through food," she added, blushing slightly.

I didn’t say anything, but her comment made me smile inwardly.

As we left the restaurant, I found myself watching her closely, maybe trying to figure her out. Why was she hanging out with me in the first place? Her serious expression bothered me.

"What’s wrong?" I finally asked.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you already in love with me or something?" she teased, grinning.

"Don’t be ridiculous," I replied, looking away.

"What’s with the attitude? You’re lucky you’re cute, otherwise, I wouldn’t even be talking to you," she joked again with a smile.

Me neither, I thought to myself, still not understanding why she kept hanging around me.

"So, what do you want to do now? The least you can do is hang out with me a bit longer," she insisted confidently.

"You’re really starting to get on my nerves with that attitude," I said, sighing.

"Oh really?" she replied, still smiling.

We parted ways in the school hallway. Honestly, she was seriously starting to wear me out. Maybe I should just avoid her for a while. I hadn’t seen Caël or the others since this morning either, which was a bit strange. I decided to head to class for now and hope the day would settle down a little.