[Monday, November 7 ]
"Hey Sasha, I'm on my way to school. If you won't mind, I can just stop by in your house to pick you up with my car and I'll drop you home after class." Keith offered in an energetic tune in our phone call.
I glanced at my room's wall clock that flashes 6:44 am, and my class starts at 9 am today. It's pretty early and that makes me think why he needs to ask this early.
"I have my own car but sure, lead the way. What time will you arrive here? Can you even remember where my house is?" When was the last time that he visited here? I believe that's more than five years ago, when I threw a party where my dad became unhappy seeing high school kids getting wasted. Obviously, I'm their stubborn kid and they all see me as someone who can't understand any rule.
"How can I forget your place? I first got wasted there," he chuckled at the memory. "I'll arrive there at around 7:15 am. I asked this early because I was wondering if we can drink coffee or eat breakfast somewhere before going to school. You said I'll take the lead so …"
He definitely knows that I don't need to be treated and I'm the one who should be treating him because I'm the rich girl here, right? Okay, that sounded bad, but then anyway, I appreciate it.
Although I find it weird that he's being too nice. I hate nice people. It reminds me of Vaughn. Vaughn was too nice and kind, plus caring. I fell in love with that person because of that personality. Because for once, someone showed me that they sincerely care.
I hope that Keith isn't doing this to make me expect something and break my heart after. After
everything that happened the past few months, there's no room for me to love again. Maybe he's being friendly because I'll give him a school tour? Perhaps this is his way of thanking me in advance.
"Okay, noted. I'll see you later."
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Keith's red car stopped outside our villa and he slides the window open of the passenger seat to get my attention and say that I should hop in. I grinned and opened the door of the passenger's seat, closed it as soon as I seat comfortably and greeted 'good morning.' Keith just nodded without returning the greeting and focused his eyes on the road, his eyes were as cold as ice, and his facial expression was blank. What's with him? He was all cheerful and friendly when we were talking on the phone, but he's different in person. What on earth is happening? Something feels off.
Silence surrounded the two of us for a couple of minutes, neither of us bothered to start a conversation. The silence was deafening and I can't help but break the ice even if I'm not the kind of person who initiates.
"So, where are we going to drink coffee?" I asked, mentally slapping myself for starting an awkward conversation.
"Oh, I forgot the name of the coffee shop but they sell great coffee there and the ambiance is great. I like it when the surrounding is quiet or it's only the classical music that's played in the background. It helps me think about things."
"You're a deep thinker, aren't you? No wonder why you chose Criminal Justice for college." Each comment that comes out from my mouth feels embarrassing. Isn't it obvious that I'm trying to create a conversation that isn't going anywhere? What are his interests anyway? If he wants to be a detective, maybe he likes hearing crime news and solves things himself? Or something similar? Logical stuff? What? I don't know how to deal with these kinds of people.
He's totally different when he's talking on the phone. How I wish I can always talk to the phone version of Keith. Things are so much better that way.
We arrived at the coffee shop and sat down after telling them our orders. Black for him and mocha for me. Keith chose the couch where we can sit and we sat on the opposite sides of the table, facing each other. Keith took a broadsheet and began reading the news, covering his face with it. Now the newspaper covered up Keith Castelltort. Gee, that's so respectful of him. He makes me feel like he doesn't care about my existence at all.
"You're supposed to be a sophomore now like me, right? But you're entering Silverleaf as a freshman. What happened?"
Keith put his newspaper down, revealing his classic blank face. "Oh, I was in the Netherlands for almost a month and in Australia for nearly a month too, since my parents are separated now. They still supply my financial needs, gave me even the things that I don't need but they're not here so it's pointless. My dad said that when my sister turns 18, he'll give her a car and she's 15 now, with him there in Australia. My younger brother who's 7 is with my mother. I was kinda out of my sense of self because I was too affected with their separation, I wasn't far from being depressed. Both of them wants me, but I said I'll stay here and think about it first. When I managed to accept that things won't be the same as before for now, I made my decision to study."
I had no idea that his situation was this bad. It makes me think that I keep on hating my parents who are with me without thinking that there are some people who had their parents separated. If he's separated like this, how long is he planning to live alone? If I'll put myself in his shoes, I don't think I'll last. I might get depressed and consider suicide if that happened to me. But just like what everyone knows, everyone has their own issues in life. Life isn't a bed of roses.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea. Are you … are you okay now?" Keith shrugged, took a sip of his coffee and folded the newspaper, putting it on the table.
"I can't say yes if I'll be completely honest. I'm sorry if my mood isn't pleasing this morning. A phone call ruined my morning so …" Keith's face falls as if some kind of strong energy pulled his face down. I drank the last of my coffee and placed the cup on the table. "Phone call? From who? You know, I don't really like phone calls either."
"There are usually just three people who give me a phone call. But when it comes to my parents, it's always bad news. I began hating their calls since," he cleared his throat and regained his composure back as if stopping himself from being emotional or something. "So, shall we?" he asked as he stood up without any more word and turned his back away from me.
"Keith," I called, which stopped him from walking. "What do you mean when you said, 'for now?'" Keith turned his back to face me, wearing the expression that I couldn't explain.
"I'm not giving it up. There has to be a way to have the two of them back together. I don't know how or when, but I'll certainly make a way. You may not know me at all, but I'm the kind of person who doesn't accept defeat. Unless everything is in a case closed situation, I'll do whatever it takes to reconnect everything until it's whole again."
Now it makes sense. He said he'll be studying criminal justice, and as a detective – the job that he's aiming to have – you connect all the pieces of evidence until the case is closed. How I wish I can help him by means of comforting, but I can't even imagine being too attached to Keith. I have no reasons why, but that's how it feels. However, I can use some company since everyone in school are disgusted with me now, thanks to Summer.
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When Keith and I arrived at the school, we walked inside together and I gave him a school tour before my class starts. Keith remained silent the whole time as if biting his tongue. I can't stop wondering what kind of call he received this morning that ruined his mood this bad. I can't stop wondering how loud his mind can possibly be when he's not talking. I want to know what he's thinking about. The story behind his silence makes me die of curiosity.
"Lastly, the library is –" long before I point where the library is located, he finally spoke, cutting me off. His eyes were lifeless, and he looks like someone who's so done with life.
"Sasha," he said, looking down at me. I looked up to him to listen. "I hope I'm not sounding like a creep and I can be wrong with this but I just noticed something about the way how you look at me since earlier…" I gulped, and I felt my heart beating a little faster. "Were you that curious about how come my tone changed from our call earlier to the Keith you're talking to in person?"
How did he know? Were my actions that obvious? As far as I know, people hardly understand me.
But Keith – he can read me? Is that what he's saying?
"Should I take your silence as a yes?" he asked while crossing his arms.
"You … You got it right. I'm sorry, I was expecting you to be cheerful or something like that because that's how we talked so …" I sighed for a moment before adding something to my statement. "I'm not blaming you. You explained almost everything. I suppose that phone call is something personal."
"You're right, it's something personal. I'm sorry if I acted cold. I'm trying to act like a normal person, you know? But I feel some kind of heaviness inside me, so I can't manage to be the person I want to be. I can manage, I just need a little more time. I'm still a sad person, but there are some people that I value who makes me happy and are always there when I'm down. I'll always value such people." He broke an eye contact and smiled as if remembering something or someone. His smile isn't a grin, but I see that even if it's a small smile, the sincerity is there. I'm glad that at least, he managed to smile for it helps a lot, especially in the most pressing situations like what he's going through.
Meanwhile, his phone began ringing and he pulled it out of his pocket to see who's calling. He just watched his phone ring until it stopped ringing.
"Why didn't you answer the call? Was it from your parents?"
Keith held his nape with his right hand and kept his phone back into his pocket. "Have you heard of Mina Furukawa?"
I raised an eyebrow and narrowed my eyes, confused on what he's saying. I haven't heard such name, especially because the surname sounds foreign.
For a couple of seconds, the memory where mom covered the screen of her phone when someone called was, I believe, Mina. However, it's not like they're the same. Mina is, I think, a common name.
"No, I haven't. Why? Was that the one who called you?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't say anything else. That woman is crazy. Anyway, I have to do some in-depth research about this woman, background check or whatsoever. It's hard to explain. You'll understand soon, but I have to figure things out about her. I don't even know how she got my number and that's strange enough." Keith glanced at his watch for a second. "Oh, my class is starting in five minutes. I have to go. We'll talk later and I'll drop you home."
Keith left me alone in the hallway. I couldn't get off my mind about what he just said. He's investigating about someone? Background check? Those sounds creepy enough. He's sounding like a detective already or something similar. Why would he waste his time knowing a crazy woman deeper? He could've just blocked her phone number, right?
Keith Castelltort, you're even harder to understand than I thought.