"Ugh, she won't even look at my face," Billy groaned, sitting slumped over the side of the cafeteria table on his folded arms. He sounded frustrated. It had been two weeks since the incident with Amy, and she hadn't so much as looked his way. "Even when I try to talk to her, she just walks away without even glancing at me," he sighed.
"Maybe someone told her for sure that you're a troublemaker," Evelyn teased, smirking as she twirled her straw in her drink. Only Evelyn, Annie, and Billy sat around the table.
"Let it go, Billy," Annie said practically, her voice mild. "Would you look at someone who embarrassed you in front of an entire university?"
"But still…" Billy sighed, letting his words trail away. "I just want to talk to her," he confessed under his breath, raking his hand through his hair.
A text message popped up on his phone, and Billy glanced at it, then promptly set the phone aside with an irritated mutter.
"What happened?" Annie asked, taking in his grimace.
"Some spam account keeps sending me friend requests on Instegram. It's been five days," Billy explained, taking a sip of his juice. "I keep rejecting it, but they keep sending requests."
"Accept it," Evelyn said with a grin, her tone playful. "Who knows, maybe it's some girl going through all that trouble just to get your attention.
"Come on, I'm loyal to Amy," Billy responded, staring at his phone, deadpan. Annie and Evelyn burst out laughing as she made the boastful declaration about his loyalty.
"here have you guys been hiding?" someone called from behind Billy.
Billy turned to find Austin standing there. He reached over and grabbed Billy's bag off the chair beside him and dug through it until he finally pulled out a pair of headphones.
"Looking for these," Austin said, holding them up.
"That is mine, and I need them!" Billy protested, reaching for the headphones; Austin moved back quickly so that no one could reach them.
"I forgot mine. Just let me borrow them for today," Austin said nonchalantly, holding the headphones above his head as Billy futilely tried to grab them. Evelyn and Annie watched the scene with barely contained laughter, finding their antics totally entertaining.
"Austin! Just give them back," Billy complained, frustration mounting.
"Maybe you should thank me for not telling Mom and Sis about your little professor proposal incident," Austin said with a smirk, his words stopping Billy in his tracks.
Billy let out a defeated sigh, sitting back down with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. "Fine, only for today," he muttered reluctantly.
"That's a good brother," Austin teased, nudging Billy playfully before walking away with the headphones.
That evening, at almost 5 PM, Billy, his sports bag slung over his shoulder, was heading home after his game. The volleyball court was near the university, so as usual, he planned to take the metro train to get back home to his apartment.
On his way, he found a familiar form sitting on a curb—a homelessness he always encountered along this road. The man's face brightened up as Billy approached him. Billy reached into his pocket, pulled out some money, and handed it to him with an ingrained smile.
"Here you go, Frank. Stay safe, okay?" Billy said gently.
"Thanks, Billy. Have a good day again," Frank answered him, his thanks shining in his weathered eyes.
Billy kept going toward the station but stopped dead still when his heart skipped a beat; and right where his heart had jumped, a familiar figure approached: Amy Anderson. He knew her even from behind, her chocolate brown hair tied in a ponytail, glowing in the soft evening light. She looked as captivating as ever.
What is she doing here? he thought, glancing at his phone. It was 5:10 PM—the usual time for university staff to go home.
Amy must have felt a presence behind her because she turned her head slightly and caught Billy's eye. For a split second, she saw him. Billy smiled shyly, waving slightly at her, but the gesture received no response from Amy as she started to quicken her steps. Billy's smile was repressed, and discontent settled on his face.
I just want to apologize, he thought, but he knew better than that. So he opted to leave her alone and wait for the right moment.
Billy trudged over to the station with a heavy heart. He reached the platform, saw Amy already standing there, waiting for the same train.
And when the train arrived, he stepped into it and found a seat. He could not help but notice Amy sitting even a little way off; her eyes went from scanning her phone screen to fingers flying as she texted someone. She was completely concentrated, oblivious of her surroundings.
Billy tried not to stare, but impossible not to. There was something that attracted him to the attention she carried in her presence. Her chocolate brown hair fell in soft waves around the shoulders, catching the fading sunlight coming through the windows of the train. How she many times tucked her loose strand behind her ear was fascinating.
He heard the train slowing at Oakbridge Station. When the automated voice snapped him from his reverie, Billy stood up, his heart pounding as he made his way to exit the train. He saw Amy stand up and move out another door. On impulse he followed her, keeping back out of respect for a distance.
The weird thing was Amy walking on the same path Billy had to take, even making the same turns, but Billy kept leaving a little distance between himself and her while following.
"Why is she taking the same route as me?" Billy wondered, his face covered in confusion.
In the street. Suddenly, Amy halted and turned around. Her emerald green eyes flared up with anger. "Are you stalking me too?" she raged, her voice reverberating in the silent street. Her cheeks got flushed and her hands curled into fists.
"Stalking?" Billy quizzed, puzzled. His eyebrows furrowed in attempt to clear up her accusation.
"I kept looking at you the whole train ride, you creep," she snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Should I report on you?"
Billy felt a wave of panic and regret wash over him. Ah, great. She noticed. He quickly tried to explain himself. "Look, ma'am, I think you're mistaken. My apartment's in the same direction," he said, pointing toward a building in the distance.
"Don't make excuses now," she retorted in a voice that was still sharp with annoyance. Billy could not help but notice that, anger notwithstanding, her emerald eyes sparkled like jewels in the evening light. The golden glow of the setting sun did nothing to diminish her beauty.
"Miss, I swear I'm not a stalker," Billy said, pulling out his keys to show her. The jingling of the keys added weight to his words. "You can come to my apartment and check for yourself."
His intention was to reassure her but the statement seems only to make her angrier. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. "Idiot!" she yelled before turning around and storming off.
As Amy stepped off, Billy was at her heels, crying out, "Miss Anderson!" She stopped and partially turned, looking back over her shoulder.
"Do you always go home at this hour?" he ventured a little shyly to her, his voice having a hint of curiosity mixed with hope.
Amy huffed and stalked away without answering him, crossing the sidewalk in frustration.
Billy sighed in defeat. "I'm definitely going to get suspended," he muttered under his breath, disappointment clear in his voice. "Talk about bad luck," he added as he continued toward his apartment. "I've lived in this area for a year and never bumped into her until today."
That night, in her dimly lit bedroom, Amy lay on her bed, hugging her pillow tightly. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Billy. She buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, "I misunderstood him today." A small smile tugged at her lips as she whispered, "Stupid idiot."