Shit!
Runa jumped back, and the cigarette fell from her lips. The boy raised the hand that had been covering his forehead and used it to support his body while he got up from the sofa. He blinked, stared blankly at the dull wall in front of him, then slowly brushed the ashes off his cheeks.
He then looked at the tips of his index and middle fingers, which were now light gray. "That's hurt," he said. His voice was heavy and hoarse.
Runa, who was surprised to hear the boy's voice, could only gulp and held her breath.
Who's he?
"Wh—Who are you?! This is a forbidden area," said Runa later, having mustered up the courage.
The boy now turned to Runa. A pair of amber eyes stared at her for a moment, then down to the lit cigarette butt near her feet. Runa, who realized this, stuck out her foot and stepped on the cigarette butt, then dragged it under her flat shoes.
"Forbidden?" he parroted. There was an annoying glint in his eyes as he said, "Is it forbidden because this is your secret place to do forbidden things?"
"It's not—"
Runa stopped talking when she found the boy lowering his legs from the sofa and starting to put on his shoes. Runa didn't want to talk at length while he didn't look at her, so she waited until he finished putting on his shoes.
After that, the boy stood up and walked towards Runa. He kept walking and Runa had to step back so that he wouldn't hit her. Runa frowned as her waist hit the table behind her. The boy stopped less than a meter away, and Runa just realized that he was much taller than her. Runa had to lift her head to see his face.
"Not just anyone can enter here," said Runa. She tried to stay calm and put emphasis on her words. She took a glance at the boy's clothes before looking back at him. "If you are a Sunbrillo student, I ask you to leave now. I will not report you to the staff for getting into this place. But if you are an outsider, I'm sorry, but I have to report you."
The boy seemed unfazed by Runa's threat. As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes at her. "I can do the same to you."
Runa tugged at the corner of her lips, forming a mocking, triumphant smile. "You don't know who I am, don't you?"
"No," he replied, curtly.
"No one will believe you, even if you say it."
Runa folded her arms in front of her chest and she put her weight on one leg. This is her winning pose. Or she thought so. Because the boy again rubbed his fingers on his cheeks, where the ash marks and slightly blistered skin stained his face, then he rubbed his dirty fingers on Runa's cheeks.
Runa widened her eyes and gritted her teeth as she pushed the boy's hand away from her face. But he caught her wrist.
"What if," paused, "I came up with a better solution for both of us?" Runa didn't want to hear it, but he kept on talking. "I'll keep this place a secret for you, but," he now smeared ashes on her other cheek, "this place will be a hideout for me, too."
"I reject it."
"Well, you don't have a choice." The boy took a step back, then put both hands in his jeans pockets. As if he was observing a work of art, his eyes lingered on Runa's face and let out a satisfied breath from his lips.
"See you."
Just as Runa thought he was going to leave, he turned and leaned towards her. What will he do?!
Runa crossed her arms in front of her face and closed her eyes. She prepared to receive an attack and was imagining the worst-case scenario, but after a while, nothing happened. Runa dared to open her eyes, peeking from behind her arm. The boy was no longer near her. He was standing in front of the door, shaking the pack of cigarettes and lighters that were stuck between his fingers.
"I'll take this," he said with a brief smile.
And he just left.
Runa squatted as soon as the boy's figure was out of sight. Her legs felt weak, and she panted as if she hadn't been breathing at all.
Damn. Now, she can only hope there's nothing happen worse than this.
When she headed to the cafeteria, the seats were already fully occupied by students from various majors. There were several cafeterias in Sunbrillo, but the one that Runa went to now was the largest. After waiting in line to buy food, her eyes searched the crowd and found Mandy and some of her other friends. They sat on chairs by the window. Mandy raised her hand and waved at Runa. Runa smiles and walks there.
"I spared a place for you," said Mandy, as soon as Runa placed the stainless steel tray on the table and sat down beside Mandy.
"Yeah. Thanks." Runa smiled again, but her smile now didn't involve many moving muscles.
"What happened to your face??" asked Mandy in surprise. She reached out and rubbed Runa's cheek.
Oh, shit. Runa forgot to wipe the cigarette ash from her face. She grabbed a tissue in front of her and rubbed it on both cheeks. "My face must have been covered in dust! I just… came from the storeroom," Runa smiled broadly after giving Mandy a false statement.
She couldn't possibly tell anyone what had happened. Including about her regular visits to the abandoned building.
Mandy looked at Runa for a moment, as if considering whether to believe her words. Then she just blinked once and said nothing about it. "Anyway, we're just talking about you. It's your twentieth birthday soon, right? Did your father prepare a party this year too?"
Runa took a sip of her apple cider before replying, "I think so. I haven't spoken to him about it."
"We can't wait!" said Mandy, while grinning from ear to ear. And her statement received no less rousing response from others. Then, without orders, they started talking about what dresses they would wear and which makeup artist they would go to.
Runa's mind was still restless, so she didn't pay attention to her friends' conversation. She fiddled with the fork in her hand, twirling it between her spaghetti, as Mandy nudged her in the arm.
"Look! He's here!" Mandy cried in a small, shrill voice. She nudged Runa again and Runa looked up to look at her, but Mandy's eyes were not on her, but towards the cafeteria entrance.
Runa followed Mandy's gaze, and she saw some students walked in. They are known as the Sunbrillo gang of delinquent. Runa rolled her eyes, not understanding why Mandy was so excited at the appearance of a bunch of troublemakers, and was about to go back into her thoughts when Mandy said, "He's the one! Arden Whitlock! The one that shifted all your rankings this month!"
Now, that information made Runa looked at the gang again. The fork fell from her hand, clattered to the floor, and spilled a splash of spaghetti sauce onto the toe of her shoe.
He is the boy that she met earlier.
As if he could feel the look in Runa's eyes, Arden turned his head and looked directly at her. Then suddenly, he peeled away from the gang and walked straight towards her.