The week had been eventful. Her Aunt Pearl had visited, which was followed by ants getting into the jar of sugar that Cole had left open. That had alerted Lotus' parents to the infestation that they had glimpsed over which had led to them calling an exterminator. Her parents decided that since it was Saturday and they had a bad infestation (She wondered how none of them had noticed. Especially how she hadn't.) that desperately needed to be controlled, that everyone would stay out of the worker's way. That meant everyone went off to do their respective things while her parents were at work.
Chance was doing what he usually did and the rest of them were at their friends'. Lotus was left to roam the streets like a ghost, having no friend to crash with and refusing to visit her aunt and cousin as they had just begun to unpack and she didn't want to get in their way. Not to mention, she still felt icky about what happened.
Her fingers pinched the fabric of her skirt as she looked anywhere but anyone she passed. She didn't want to accidentally make eye contact with any of them. That would feel weird.
The weather was okay like every other day, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing was off aside from her vibe. She wasn't planning on being outside for half of the day today.
'Maybe I should just spend the day near the Mapo bridge. Though, I might as well just go into the district.'
'I could take a bus, but I forgot my purse again. It's not like I can go back and get it.'
She sighed and settled on looking at the buildings she passed. If only she could fully relax, she could enjoy the air, the sky, the warmth. If only fewer younger people were walking around. It was a school-less day, but you'd think they'd at least be studying or something.
Though, she couldn't blame them. She remembered being excited to have a day off from learning after a full week of school and having to be forced to sit in a classroom for excruciating hours. Now she could get her schoolwork done at any hour of the day— though her parents did give her hours to get it done between, but she had more breathing room— and wasn't forced to sit in one spot around some classmates that were mean.
Lotus found herself almost tripping over her feet as a glimpse of something caught her off guard. Blond hair caught her attention. She found herself being distracted each time she came out and saw a similar shade. You don't see it often and she had made the comparison of it to the boy she had met.
Along with that comparison were taller people and that one boy with glasses. It felt like she was living in paranoia, even more than before. She still felt dread when coming outside, each time hoping not to run into them no matter how interested she now was. The last few days just made her feel like going deeper into her shell, erasing herself from anyone's memories.
But there was also a part of her that wanted something more. Something like Rose's life, Jeongsoo's life even. That bond that they have with people. Being able to go hang out with their friends and support someone whilst being supported. She wanted that. She only had the latter with Haneul, but it was hard with the distance.
She had half the mind to go try to befriend the boy she had only made acquaintance with. They had messaged each other only one other time after the first day they talked. They seemed to get along, though, she was still second-guessing herself.
For one, he was a bad guy like Chance. He fought, she hated violence. He smoked, she could never. She's a good girl who likes feeling safe. She was a fluffy, light, delicate thing. Being around him would spell chaos. She wasn't sure she could stomach that.
But he would be a start. Companionship was weird, and you never know what you could get. Making friends was always a surprise.
She peered at the hand holding a can as he moved. Tattoos. The boy and the tall boy, along with some other one she had never seen before, departed. The one she assumed was Donald Na stayed, finishing the can he held.
It wasn't until she saw those red eyes that she confirmed it was him. She gave a deep inhale before advancing. She hoped she didn't regret her attempt. It was all on her since she couldn't just hold the universe to doing this for her.
'I'm a mess.' She huffed to herself, gripping the side of her skirt.
"Hi!" She called out to him, easily catching his attention.
Donald glanced at her only to click his tongue. "You're shaking," He pointed out in amusement.
She softly gasped and looked down at her hands that were clenching fabric. She could see the trembling, due to her fingers being restrained, her shakes moved her wrists more and therefore her arm as well.
"I didn't notice... Sorry!" She said, clasping her hand behind her back.
"Am I that scary?" He teasingly questioned.
Lotus could be airheaded, but she was in no way stupid. She could tell when people were getting entertained off of her. She witnessed it all before.
But the attention she got from him was different from the attention she got from her. If by any chance, they did become friends, she was sure it wouldn't end up like...that. She could handle being used to an extent. It was faking until making it.
"Um...Yeah, kind of...sorry..." She trailed off.
He chuckled and set the can down on the table stationed outside of the building he got it from.
"Damn, you say sorry too much," He commented, snapping his fingers for her to follow him.
"Oh...sor–Nevermind." She quickly stopped herself before saying it again.
"How am I scary?" He asked her as they been walking side-by-side.
She paused in thought before answering, "You have tattoos, a lot of piercings, there's a glint in your eyes, I came across you beating up three kids on your own, and your level of confidence is intimidating to me. It overall reminds me of someone I don't have the best experience with."
There's no use in lying right now. She wasn't that good at it, especially when she could throw up on herself at any moment from her nerves. Her mind would get in her way of being able to sell a convincing lie.
"I didn't expect that." He hummed out.
"What did you expect?"
"Just someone anxious who spent too much time in their head and got surprised by things they missed because of it. But it turns out it's deeper than that. You got some trauma in you," His sentence ended with a slightly, curt laugh.
She stared at him with wide eyes and upturned brows. She quickly looked away when his eyes met her's.
"I guess..." She rose her hand to pet the ends of her hair that were thrown over her shoulder.
There was nothing else to say, but that conversation ended on an awkward note. He didn't mind it but she was visibly biting the inside of her cheek, making a fuss over everything inside that brain of her's.
"What are you doing out?" He spoke up, "I would've thought you'd stay inside unless it was important, from what I could tell so far."
"My parents kicked us out for the day. We have an exterminator over for an infestation. A big one." She explained.
Her eyes widened and she perked up. "Wait! I think I know when it might have started!"
She just now remember that little micro-movement that Chance did when he forced her away from the house so he could hang out with his friends. He squished an ant on the table. An ant.
Her fingers pinched the bottom of her chin and she pursed her lips. "I should've thought of that more," She sighed.
Donald stared at her with a simper beginning to appear. She got distracted easily, too, it seemed. Which was only confirmed when he had to painfully watch her stumbled forwards to catch herself.
He looked to the back of them to see what had tripped her but saw nothing. This girl tripped over her own two feet.
Lotus tried to continue walking like she didn't just do that. However, she couldn't as she stopped and turned to him with a kicked puppy look.
"You saw that, didn't you?" She questioned.
"I did." He confirmed.
She groaned and continued walking beside him, staring at the ground this time, making sure she didn't catch any dent and make a fool of herself again.
"You do know that's why you always run into trouble," Donald Na commented causing her to jump.
'I should stop being so skittish!' She mentally cried out as she slowly blinked at him.
He tauntingly poked her forehead, "You won't be able to be on the look out for creeps, staring at the ground. You, especially, need to be alert."
"Oh." She murmured.
ns 15.158.61.55da2
