While taking a breather from doing homework in my room, I received a comforting message from Vigil.
The problem is I got hit more than Aiden.
Since I went after the school’s most notorious fighter, assuming Aiden got hit once by me, I probably got hit about ten times by him.
From now on, Aiden’s gang might not leave me alone
Vigil
Why are you worried when Liam Blake is on your side?
Well
This is just a feeling, but Liam seems to step back from everything and observe situations. To put it nicely, he’s clever; to put it badly, he’s cunning? He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but he also doesn’t seem like someone you can easily trust.
Since his story came up in my conversation with Vigil, I checked Liam’s social media feed without much thought. A new post had been uploaded there about an hour ago.
Liam Blake broke up
At the simple but destructive phrase, everyone left comments full of questions.
Nathan ???
***
Hazel You broke up with Leda?
***
Blair I thought you two wouldn’t break up
***
Liam broke up with Leda. Is it real? Curious, I went into Leda’s social media feed. There was also a meaningful post there.
Leda Swaaaaaan Feel so relieved.
Charlotte Are you okay? Should I come over now?
***
Olivia I told that idiot Aiden to never do that again. Please answer my calls.
***
Alice Liam Blake was really not great today. He didn’t stay by your side all day.
***
The couple that had been at the center of attention in school broke up. But that fact doesn’t seem like it will affect me in any way.
I stopped watching other people’s business and finished my homework. However, a DM that arrived from Leda started to paralyze my thought process.
Leda
Thanks for today
I asked you to pass on my thanks to Liam, but I feel like I should say it directly
Have a good night. No need to reply.
<3
The message Leda sent. That heart emoji at the end. It was too much for a novice like me, who has absolutely no immunity to this kind of situation, to handle.
The next day, school was abuzz with news that Liam Blake and Leda Swan had broken up. The two seemed to show off their solid relationship by coming to school together, but soon Leda’s statement revealed that the two had broken up as of yesterday and decided to remain friends starting today.
At lunchtime in the cafeteria, only Vigil and I sat at the same table. When I asked where Sophia went, Vigil glared at Sophia eating burritos with Leda and her friends with the eyes of someone facing a traitor. Sophia was wearing clothes that looked a bit more glamorous than the style she usually wore.
“…Now that she’s gotten close to popular people, she doesn’t even care about guys like us.”
Vigil muttered lowly, glancing at Sophia.
“If Sophia seems to fit better with them, it can’t be helped.”
When I defended Sophia, Vigil glared at me fiercely, then suddenly got up and disappeared somewhere. I remained alone and ate the Jamaican patty left in my lunch box. While doing so, Liam, who had been at the same table as the Rangers, came over here and called out to me.
“Hey, Cheick! Can we go in together later for Spanish and Culture class?”
Spanish and Culture. An AP course offered at school, which Liam also takes.
“Do as you like.”
“Why are you eating lunch alone? Where are Sophia and Vigil?”
“Sophia went to a different team, and Vigil left early.”
“Then want to be on the same team as me?”
I glanced at the Rangers guys whispering at that table over there, then made an excuse that I was about to leave soon so it would be hard to accept the offer.
“Sorry. Anyway, thanks for offering.”
“No problem.”
When we met again in Spanish and Culture class, Liam wasn’t carrying anything except a notebook and writing utensil.
“I think I left my book at home while doing homework. I searched my locker thoroughly too, but it wasn’t there. Sorry, but can we share a book just for today?”
“Go ahead.”
Since I had studied ahead while doing homework yesterday, I roughly remember the textbook content. So I placed the open book almost entirely in front of Liam, and he rested his chin on one palm, looked at me, and smiled brightly.
“You’re really kind.”
“…Am I?”
“But you don’t seem like the type to easily let people get close.”
If not easily letting people get close means being far from acting friendly, I can agree with Liam’s claim to some extent. I nodded indifferently, then faced Liam until class started.
Ash blonde hair that looks murky with a slight mix of gray, and mysterious green irises. Even features that wouldn’t feel out of place if he were sent to star in a romance movie right now.
Liam is really handsome. His personality seems easygoing too. This is why Sophia fell for him, I think anew.
“You seem like you’d have good grades.”
When class ended and we were organizing our things, Liam looked at me and said.
“I have no choice if I want to get a scholarship. You seem like you’d have good grades too.”
To be a quarterback, the commander of the football team, you need to be smart, and taking AP classes means he’s someone with some ambition for college admissions.
“Me? I’m just the hard-working type.”
“Modest.”
“Not at all. Whether it’s sports or studies, I have to work hard because I have to be the best.”
Liam explained it that way, then gathered his notebook and went to take his next class.
***
Liam Blake Getting competitive.
Today, a post with no context appeared on Liam’s social media feed.
Nathan About what?
***
There happened to be someone asking what I was curious about, and Liam even replied.
Liam I thought there was no one cooler than me
***
Nathan But that wasn’t the case?
***
Liam There’s someone so cool it’s infuriating
***
Nathan That’s rough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
***
When I look at Liam’s feed, I automatically check Leda’s feed too. On Leda’s feed was a photo taken with Sophia, and a similar photo was on Sophia’s feed too. Just in case, I went into Vigil’s feed, and all the posts he’d uploaded until now had disappeared, with only storm cloud emojis floating in the profile section.
Are you okay?
I carefully sent a DM to Vigil, and a reply came after a while.
Vigil
Not at all
You know. Sophia and you are the first friends I made.
I want to think about it coolly like you, but I can’t.
Sophia had lunch with Leda without saying a word to us.
That part’s fine, but shouldn’t she have at least asked our understanding?
Plus, the way she’s dressing seems to be changing more and more to be like Leda.
Is it because Liam dated Leda?
Anyway, I don’t like it.
Why?
Vigil
Because I like Sophia just like she likes Liam.
…Oh no.
When I couldn’t figure out how to respond to Vigil’s story, a DM came from someone else.
Liam
:->
It’s Liam. Is starting conversations with that smiley face a habit?
What’s up?
Liam
Remember what we talked about before?
When we first had a conversation
That I congratulated you on winning the competition?
Liam
lol We talked about that too, but there was also a conversation we didn’t finish
That you and Leda were just pretending to date?
Liam
Right, that one
How did you two end up breaking up?
Liam
We agreed to stop the act if either of us developed feelings for someone else
And I ended up liking someone
Whoever it is is lucky. There probably isn’t a girl at school who doesn’t like you
Liam
Hmm.
Anyway, I hope your grounding gets lifted soon
I want to have a more in-depth conversation
But having it over DM doesn’t feel right
You have something to say to me?
Liam
Yeah. Even if you don’t know, it’s a pretty important conversation for me
It seems Liam has a story he really needs to tell me. And it seems he’ll keep waiting like this until he tells that story.
