There are circumstances that within a circle of friends, they have their language or way of speaking that only their group can understand unless it was stated.
Somehow, I understand them because Amber and I have possessing an exclusive world. I was puzzled but I didn't dare to ask questions.
After lunch, our orientation resumed and I'm glad that I was not called to answer. The last part of the orientation was the open forum where students are allowed to ask questions to the teachers about their concerns but I didn't bother to involve myself. Instead of listening, I tugged my phone into my pocket and started reading saved online stories.
Amber shoved his elbow in my arm without looking at me that made my phone almost fell off from my lap. "Put down your phone, they might mention your name again."
I rolled my eyes and put back my phone in my pocket.
Time had passed and the most awaited part was the orientation was done. Everyone is scrambling to go out at the exit of the school auditorium. Both Amber and I didn't bother to cram ourselves to the exit and just waited for there to be very little left.
When we got out, Amber suddenly said goodbye that she has something important to do and she needed to do it. I notice that this often happens when every dismissal time. It's not like before that she will be the one complaining if we don't go home together or insisting to drop me home. I asked her one time but I heard no sensible reaction from her. Maybe she wasn't ready to tell me the reason why yet.
I was just outside the school gate and decided to walk. When I felt that there seemed to be a bulk of a person following me, I suddenly felt nervous and I couldn't turn around because I was scared of what might happen if I have seen his face. I abruptly popped into my mind the story I read. It was a story about a girl who saw the face of a hacker guy when she unintentionally passed by in an alley and that was the reason why the guy follow her around to find time to do his intention.
I felt chills shivered in my nerves. I walked faster but my legs were so small that I couldn't take big steps so that I wouldn't be catch up. It's not yet dark and there's still a sun but maybe, I was too much engrossed in reading crime detective series. That's why I felt those scenes so real.
I didn't expect the person following me acted like a mushroom. It unexpectedly popped up and suddenly touched my shoulder. I suddenly cried out in shock. I acted so pricelessly when I'm not. I didn't expect Asher to be behind me. He was wearing a white jacket with a hoodie.
"Did I made you alarmed?" Asher asked worriedly.
"What do you think?" I said full of a sarcastic tone but he chuckled a little bit. Just like my usual reaction, his chuckles sound like a piece of music to me. For him not to notice, I continued to walk and just what I expected, he joined my pace.
We walked in silently, only the noise coming from the vehicles passes by and the sound from establishments. But I stopped when I saw a spot where the sun setting and its rays passes through into the leaves of the tree creating a beautiful reflection from the ground. I took my phone in my pocket and captured the scenery.
I noticed stepped away a little bit. Asher also took out his phone and like I did, he captured as well the scenery. Without thinking, I took a photo of him secretly but he still managed to notice it.
"Taking photos without any consent and that's not allowed," he complained but a smile was evident on his lips. He came near me but I managed to put my phone in my pocket and he have no choice but to stop. Knowing his attitude, he won't act disrespectfully.
"Don't worry, you look good in your photo. No problem," I console him but I'm telling the truth. He stops complaining when he has no chance to look at his picture.
"In return, I will take a picture of you," he offered with a bright smile. He pointed the camera of his phone at me while feeling guilty for what I did. I shouldn't have done that. What if he will notice that this feeling inside me was not just a simple admiration?
"Smile," he said and followed with his logic that I don't get it. Only I understand, there was a law article saying that you can't take pictures without permission. So that we can be fair, he said he would take a picture of me. All I did was follow what he said. "Say cheese."
I put my right hand in the pocket of my skirt and grip inside awkwardly. I'm a little self-conscious, and I have no idea how to smile in front of the camera, especially since he's my photographer. I'm posing in front of him on the road's shoulder. Imagine! Maybe others found it so nostalgic but for me, it's not.
"Just smile naturally like you usually do," he said. I grimaced and rolled my eyes, while I was shivering and scared on the inside. I can't calm myself inside.
When he sees my reaction, he chuckles again, and I wonder whether he takes a picture of it. I tried to look at it, but he put it in his pocket, exactly like I did with my phone when he wanted to see his photo. Consider how humiliating it would be if I persisted in getting it into his pocket.
I stared at him and turned away to continue walking along the side of the road. But when I realized he had not followed me, I turned around. I saw Asher holding his phone again. He smiled and I don't know if he was taking a picture of me or he was taking a selfie. I frowned back at him.
"Let's put up with a picture together," he asked. I still can't manage to answer when he comes next to me and takes a picture. When he looked at the picture of the two of us, he laughed as he pulled his phone away from me. I didn't try to insist on anything because he was much taller than me. He sighed. "Smile."
Maybe the people riding in the vehicles passing us would think that the two of us haven't experienced taking a photo of ourselves with our new phone and made the side of the road as a photo booth. I felt conscious but looking at Asher, he didn't still mind it. Slowly, I came to know him more beyond his character that I didn't imagine that he was one of it.
"One more." He took another shot and this time I genuinely smile while letting my awkwardness slipped away with a finger heart. While him, he'd smiling from ear to ear with his victory of convincing me to smile and because he was tall, he had to bend down a little so that our faces would face each other.
When he checked the shot not letting me see it, he smiled. "Genuinely beautiful," he mumbled.
"Let me see it," I complained but without any second thoughts, he didn't show it.
"I'll send you the picture," he said but put back his phone in his pocket and fixed his backpack.
He began walking and keep his pace. I noticed the changes in the colours in the sky.
"Andrea, are you in a deep conversation?
I glance at him but his eyes were in the road. "Sometimes."
"I see. What's the topic?"
"Why took ABM strand? I know I asked you this last time but do you have any plans to change it?" he asked and this time I felt light.
"I don't know if time will come. You? Why STEM strand? Given how you uttered a law article seems you want to take a law course," I deeply said.
"Like you, the answer was I don't know. Maybe, I was raised by a family of engineers and architects and I want to take any of those professions. It's just that, I don't know," he said with a deep sighed.
After a minute of silence, we both chuckled at how we realized that we both took the unsure path. The funny moment here was the strand was taking was interchanged. He chose STEM but he wants to take law while I, I chose ABM when I want to take engineering.
"When we realized that an unfavourable situation appears, there's a still a glimpse of hope lingering in our heart," he said.
"Speaking of, why do life so unfair? Do you blame our creator for why we are living in this world so unfair?"
"I'm just a mere creature and I have no right to blame him. Life is like that. We are born to be unique and we perceive things differently. We exist to be different that makes us unique. Life becomes so unfair on how we treated the way of our life and his to deal with it," he retorted. "How about you?"
"No, I'm not. We have no right to blame him because he first loves me. Just what you said, there are uncontrollable circumstances and we are the captain of our soul. We have given free will as an expression of love. So why blame him when we are just a victim of being imperfect?" He chuckles upon hearing my answers and our answers pointing out the same thought but in a different way of expressing it.
But it's not bad to question things why it happens. It is a matter of finding the answers of those many why.
We didn't realize that while we are drowning in our topic, we are near in our respective subdivisions.
Asher offered to take me home or even an alley going to our subdivision but I refused. Not because I don't want to but because I think Auntie Julie might see us each other and began to think about things that are not true. I do not want to cause any wrong assumptions.
In the end, Asher also did nothing but respect what I wanted.
When I arrived at the front of the house my phone rang signalling that I had received notifications. I took it out of my pocket and looked at what it was.
A picture of Asher and I was taken earlier.
Like what he said that it was genuinely beautiful and somehow, I agreed with him. I save the photo in my gallery. I took minutes to stare at our photo. It seems magical but it's not.
Well, I thought nothing happy would happen today. It was just a mere thought of it.
I returned my phone in my pocket and I'm swaying getting inside of our house. My happiness faded. I was witnessing again something that I didn't expect to be.
That Auntie Julie and Dad were arguing because of me.