Scarlet sat in the library, writing notes she missed and scanning through the pages of a textbook before jotting down in her note. She has just twenty-five minutes before her next class and she is trying to be up-to-date so she won't miss anything or have a reason to come back to it later.
Three minutes to her next class, she rounded up and closed the books and she released a soft sigh. As she made to start packing, her eyes raised up and just as she was about to lower them, she caught sight of someone looking at her. She paused her hands and stared back at the person and she could swear she saw a smirk on his face.
He stood from where he sat and Scarlet could see him making his way towards where she was, still looking at her and with a subtle smile on his lips. She raised her brows a little when he came to stand in front of her table and she blinked twice at him.
"Hi," he greeted in a polite way.
Scarlet has not seen him before and she wondered what he wants from her. Unsure of how to respond, she slowly brought her right hand up to scratch her neck and she asked, "Do you…know me?" It was because of the way he looked at her and approached her directly.
He smiled and replied, "I have been watching you from across the room for a while now and your face looks familiar. You are Scarlet Winters, right?" he asked.
There was a hint of confusion in Scarlet's eyes and she replied him, "Yes, I am. How do you know?"
She started packing her books inside her bag so as not to get late to class and at the same time, she heard his reply;
"Johan."
She finished zipping her bag when she heard that name and she raised her eyes to look at him.
"Oh, you must not know me yet," he said and went ahead to introduce himself, "I am Adam, Johan's friend. I heard about you from him."
Now she was even more confused. Johan has never mentioned any of his friends to her nor has she seen him with friends except the recent girl she has seen twice now, and she believes he has none. Now someone introducing himself as his friend and saying he heard about her from him makes her look like she must be out of her mind.
"I'm sorry, Adam, but what exactly did you hear about me?" she asked, just so to be sure.
"Uhm… that the two of you dated last year and broke up just early this year," he said and Scarlet raised her brows before dropping it.
That was still new, anyone wouldn't have known except Melanie whom she told. She thought and stood up, hanging her bag over her shoulder and pursing her lips.
"Listen," she said, "It's nice to meet you but I really am late to my next class already. So, bye." She turned around and made to start walking but all of a sudden, a hand was on her shoulder.
"Wait," she heard him say behind her and she turned her body before raising her brows at him. "You have literature now, right?"
"Hm, yes," she replied.
"I'm also headed there," he said and removed his hand.
"Okay," she gave a nod and they exited the library together.
When they got to literature class, her eyes were quick to fall on Johan and she noticed his expression change when she saw the person next to her. Just that slight change in expression answered her questions and she made her way to a seat which was three seats back to the right after his own.
Immediately after she placed her bag down, she saw Melanie crouch down beside her with her palms covering her mouth and her eyes wide.
"Mel?"
"Oh, my heart! Were you with him?" she whispered as her eyes were focused on something at the front.
Scarlet traced where she was looking at and sitting right in front of her is a dark-haired boy. That hair, it looks familiar…very fami—wait a minute, is he…the cello guy?
"Did you talk to him?" Melanie bugged her.
"No," she whispered back.
"But he came in just right after you," she said.
Did he? Scarlet thought and just then, the literature teacher came inside.
"Move over," Melanie said to her and just when she was about to shift to the other chair, she bumped her shoulder with someone and she turned her head to see the guy, Adam, sitting next to her.
"Sorry, already taken," he said to Melanie and offered her a smile before looking at Scarlet.
Scarlet shook her head lightly and moved her head back to look at Melanie where disappointment was already written all over her face. She saw her look around and she found one lucky seat just at the same side where her seat was and she rushed to it, settling down. When the class began, she handed Melanie her notes back and she could see how she seem to have all her focus on the boy in front of her. Even though, she herself could not deny that she didn't steal some glances at him.
While the class was on, Scarlet saw Johan turn his head back a few times and she scoffed silently at it. To think that he told her he wanted to help her get through the breakup together and yet, he still went ahead to inform someone else about it, a friend she doesn't even know he had, it was laughable.
"Did something happen between you and Johan?" she asked Adam who sat beside her.
"No," he replied.
"No?" she repeated. "Then why haven't I seen you with him?"
Adam turned his head to look at her and he said, "Actually, we don't hang out very much like we used to," he shrugged, "It is kind of complicated."
Scarlet nodded. "Did you ask him why?" she asked.
"I didn't. I just kind of figured out he might be busy with other things and I am a kind of person who respects other people's choices," he said.
Scarlet gave him a look and returned her eyes back to the front. Maybe he was busy having me around him then to have time with his own friend. Just maybe.
"So, why did you two break up?" Adam asked.
Scarlet returned her eyes to him and said with a bored expression, "Well, he just decided we couldn't be together which is a decision I also respected."
And she saw him smile, the corner of his eyes wrinkling a bit. For a second, she found herself staring and she blinked immediately before moving her head back to the front.