In Another Life
Seth Carver
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After school, I finished packing my things quicker than Seira, who was still searching for something in her bag. Ethan stood by, waiting for us. I noticed Seira frantically looking around, and after a few seconds, she muttered, "My notebook... the one I decorated... It's missing."
"Did you leave it somewhere?" I asked, more out of obligation than concern.
"I... I don't remember," she admitted, clearly frustrated. What an idiot, I thought. Seira was always so disorganized. That notebook of hers was the one she'd spent way too much time on, decorating with doodles of stars, flowers, and quotes from her favorite books, all in colorful pens. She'd even glued little ribbons to the edges and added stickers—typical Seira, pouring effort into things that didn't matter.
"You guys can go on without me. I'll find it," she added, sounding resigned.
"I'm not leaving until you find it," Ethan piped in, arms crossed. I sighed inwardly. He always had to play the nice guy.
Seira rummaged through her things a bit longer before standing up with a huff. "Forget it. I'll look for it tomorrow."
"You sure?" I asked, though I was more than ready to leave.
"Yeah," she nodded, though she didn't seem too convinced. She still looked a little lost. This girl...
Outside the class, Aaliyah was waiting for us. We all decided to head to the bookshop together, with Ethan and Aaliyah quickly falling into one of their usual arguments.
"I'm just saying you should've thought of it before jumping to conclusions," Aaliyah said, voice laced with irritation.
"I wasn't jumping to anything. I just said what I saw," Ethan shot back.
"You never see things the right way, Ethan. That's the problem."
They kept bickering as Seira and I walked quietly behind them, exchanging glances. Seira shrugged, clearly used to their antics.
"I've never walked like this with a group before," she commented softly, almost to herself. "Especially not with guys." I knew she wasn't used to hanging out with the opposite gender. She always kept her distance, probably from her upbringing.
Before I could respond, she spotted a street food stall and practically skipped toward it. "Oh! Look at that! Potato rolls!" she squealed excitedly, bringing Ethan and Aaliyah's argument to an abrupt stop.
Seira quickly ordered too many of them, and Aaliyah shook her head. "Seira, don't waste food again like you did last time," she warned.
"I won't!" Seira insisted, her eyes shining as she held out one of the potato rolls.
Ethan bought a few for himself too, while I stood back, not really interested. Potato rolls? Not my thing. But Seira handed one to me, her expectant face making it hard to refuse.
"No thanks," I said, stepping back, but Ethan quickly forced one into my mouth. "Come on, try it!"
Aaliyah and Seira burst out laughing at my expression, and, reluctantly, I took a bite. It wasn't bad, but still not worth the fuss.
We finally made it to the bookshop, and Aaliyah and Seira immediately started browsing the shelves. Ethan and I hung back, watching them from a distance. The shop was actually pretty nice, filled with old wooden shelves and the scent of fresh pages.
"They're really into this, huh?" Ethan muttered.
"I guess," I shrugged, my eyes following Seira as she bounced from one section to another.
"You know, she never looked this happy in class," Ethan remarked casually.
"What do you mean?" I frowned, confused.
He looked at me like I was missing something obvious. "She's always quiet. You sit next to her today. Haven't you noticed?"
I scoffed. "She laughs in class sometimes."
"That's not the same," Ethan insisted. "You don't pay attention to her, do you?"
I didn't respond, but his words stuck in my mind as I watched Seira and Aaliyah reappear, both with their arms full of books. "Seriously?" Ethan and I said at the same time, staring at the pile they had collected.
"Are you planning to read all of those?" I asked, half-joking.
Seira shot me a death glare. "What, you think I can't read?"
"Didn't say that," I teased, but Aaliyah chimed in with an equally annoyed look, making it clear they weren't in the mood for jokes.
We eventually left the bookshop, and by the time we started walking home, it was late. Aaliyah was the first to go, waving us off as she headed in the opposite direction. Then Ethan left as well, leaving just me and Seira.
She glanced at me, then at the street ahead, clearly about to say goodbye. But something in me wouldn't let her leave just like that. The killer, the one watching her... I couldn't let her walk home alone. Not with that danger looming over her.
"I'll walk you home," I offered, trying to sound casual.
Seira looked at me with narrowed eyes. "No, I'm fine. I always walk home alone."
"I don't care."
She let out an annoyed huff. "I know how to get home, Seth. I've done it a hundred times. Nothing's going to happen."
She didn't know. She had no idea what could happen to her. You don't know what's coming, I thought, feeling a surge of frustration. "I'm walking you home," I said again, more firmly this time.
She glared at me, clearly offended. "My father usually picks me up when he's not busy," she mumbled, as if that would make me leave her alone.
"I don't care," I repeated. She rolled her eyes but started walking again, with me following close behind. She was irritated, sure, but I wasn't about to let her out of my sight.
When we finally reached her house, she turned to me, her expression more exasperated than ever. "Okay, you can go now. If my family sees me with a boy, they're going to get the wrong idea."
"Whatever," I muttered, turning away as she quickly rushed inside. I stood there for a moment, watching the door close behind her. Stay safe, Seira.