The quietness of the library tuned out as a flock of middle school students entered, bringing their loud noises inside the building. I lifted my head to examine them as my partner continued writing on his laptop. Noticing my action, he did the same and puffed.

"These middle schoolers piss me off." he threw his head back. "I swear we were never like this."

I chuckle at his statement and try to get back into focus, typing away at my computer.

"She was just a side chick," I hear from a teenager passing by, causing my interest to perk up. I raised my head to see if Ethan had heard the same thing. We lock eyes and I try to push away a smile making its way up my face.

The teenager and his group of friends all sit at the table diagonal from us as they blab away. One of them mentions how a girl at their school was for the streets while the others all agree simultaneously.

"She's dated like seven guys this year only," another one mentions.

At that, Ethan lets out a suppressed laugh that shifts their attention onto us. The loudest student in their group whispers to the others something and they all frown at us.

We made them mad, because we were spying on their conversation.

Ethan, noticing their change of behavior, turned to me and smiled. "I think it's time for us to leave before we piss them off even more."

I quickly nodded my head and we started packing up our stuff. The moment I put in the last of my books in my bag, we made our way to the doors and left the library. The light breeze in the air hinted at the beginning of autumn, making me smile at the thought that Halloween was quickly approaching. We walked side by side, chatting away.

"I heard you're going to participate in the boxing demonstration at the festival," I speak up.

He turns his head around as a smug smile fades in, "Stalking me, are you?" he says with amusement in his green eyes.

Flustered, I realize my mistake and quickly try to take back my words. "I swear I'm not stalking you!"

He must think I'm a weirdo now.

"I'm in the organization team for the festival so it's only natural that I know this..." I try to save myself.

With a gleam in his eyes, he smirked. "If you already know I'm participating, what's the point of asking?" He questioned, trapping me with his words.

Somewhat caught, my eyes dart around the street, thinking of a way to change the direction where the conversation was going.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you." He taps my shoulder, noticing my uneasiness.

Staring off into the ground, I lie, "I know."

Suddenly, my phone starts buzzing in my pocket. I pull it out swiftly and answer the call. "What do you want?" I ask with attitude.

"Woah, calm down there bud," I hear on the other line. "Mom wants you to buy tortillas, she forgot to get them on her shopping spree today."

I huff, annoyed that he called me instead of texting. "Okay, bye." I ended the call before he got to say something else.

Ethan looks at me with a raised eyebrow, amused.

"What?" I ask.

He sends me a lop-sided smile and shakes his head. "Don't worry about it." He chuckles.

Confused, I frown and wonder about all the things he could be thinking about.

What was he laughing about?

What I said? Or my action? Was he laughing at me?

"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" He brings me out of my thoughts.

I look up at him and squint my eyes. "No thank you..." I answer, confused.

He chuckles out loud, showing off his perfectly straight teeth. "Do I make you that uncomfortable?"

Worried that he got the wrong idea, I blurt out whatever was in my head. "No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that! It's just that my brother called me and told me to buy tortillas at the grocery store and it's like at the other side of the street so I don't want to waste your time bringing me there and then home and-"

He then bursts out laughing, clenching his stomach. Speechless, I stare at him cackle non-stop while standing awkwardly in the middle of the sidewalk. As he continued on, I observed the people walking around us giving us funny stares.

This was so embarrassing.

"Sorry," He apologized as he tried to regain his posture. "I just find your awkwardness so cute." He grins at me.

I tilt my head and raise my eyebrow. What did he mean by that? Did he think I'm cute? Does he like me?

No, I hope not. We barely know each other. I was simply overthinking it.

His eyes flickered between mine until he popped out of the strance he was in. "Alright, I'll... see you next time." He waved, turning around and walking away.

I whisper along to 'A Sky Full of Stars' playing on the speakers in the grocery store. So many different brands and types of tortillas were spread in front of me. How was I supposed to know which one my mom wanted? All I knew was that the packaging was red, and yet, there were five types of red packaging below my eyes. A stranger gives me an annoyed look which I assumed was because of my singing, which caused me to stop. Giving up, I grab the best-looking pack and move out of the aisle.

Cashing out at the register, I waited for my change to be handed to me by the cashier who was chatting away with an elderly woman, who seemed very glad to be here at seven in the evening. I wanted my change back but didn't want to disturb their conversation, so I waited there for a few minutes until the employee finally noticed me and apologized.

Heading out of the store, I breathe in the fresh air and step around the corner of the store. I stop abruptly and stare at the scene in front of me.

"It won't be enough, but this was all I had on me right now." A familiar black-haired large man admitted.

Heart pounding, I returned to the other side of the corner. Curiosity getting the best of me, I try to lean in a way that I can get a brief view of the scenario. The other man in front of him looked him up and down, his head covered in a beanie and a big jacket over his chest, wearing baggy pants. Andrew peered down at him and handed him the plastic bag he was holding tightly in his hands.

Gratefully, the other man took it with care and opened it. "I couldn't ask for more than this..."

Andrew's gaze lowered to the homeless man's shoes, which the soles were practically ripping apart. I watched a muscle tick in his jaw and he tightened his fist.

"May god bless you..." He gawked at the components of the bag. "You don't understand how much this will help me." He gazed at him, a toothy smile on his face.

Looking down at his own shoes, my classmate nodded awkwardly, unable to address his words. Suddenly, his eyes widen as if he just thought of something important. "Wait," he told him. "I go to the gym almost every day, I can let you in if you want to take a shower inside the bathrooms." He offers.

The homeless man gleamed at him and thanked him repeatedly. I could see that the man wanted to hug him, but I didn't think that Andrew wanted, or even noticed that.

"Do you have a phone number?" He asked him.

The man nodded and pulled out a flip phone from the pocket of his jacket. While they exchanged numbers, I couldn't stop a warm feeling going around in my stomach. Realising that id been standing there for way too long, I make my way around from the other side so that I can get home without being noticed by them.

This was the second time I was spying on this man. I'm such a creep.

More importantly, this was all so confusing. I couldn't understand Andrew. I always got good marks in my exams, but this was one thing I couldn't comprehend. Figuring things out always came down to logic, yet nothing about any of this was logical.

How could a human be so kind but so unwelcoming?

◆◈◇

"You should come see me fight one day," Ethan exclaimed. "My skills will shock you." He stated.

I faked a smile at him. "Sure, when exams are over." I tried to use it as an excuse.

I really needed to leave. The festival was today and I had things to take care of.

He stared at me until a sudden smug look appeared on his head. "Maybe this will change your mind." He said as he pulled up his sleeve and showed off his bicep.

My face almost wrinkled in disgust until I caught myself and stopped, regaining my usual expression. "I didn't mean that I didn't want to go, I meant that I have a lot of studying to do right now so I didn't want to slack off," I explained.

He pouted his lips and nodded, looking down.

Did I disappoint him? Should I just agree?

"Well if you want to, we-"

All of a sudden, someone pulls at my arm. Turning around to see, I smile, relieved that Layla was here to save the day. "Ariana! We've been waiting since forever." She yelps out. "Why didn't you tell us that you had a class now?"

I turned to face Ethan who was chuckling as he waved me goodbye. I mouthed 'sorry' and turned my attention back to Layla who was lecturing me to always tell her everything.

"Girl, the festival is today! What are you doing chatting around? We don't have time for that right now." She sighed exaggeratedly.

I giggled and held her arm as we walked down the hall, towards our usual meeting room.

Though I tried to stop, my mind kept going back to the same memory of Andrew helping out that man. It was so kind of him. Yet he was so unkind to me. I don't know what I did.

Well, I do.

I bumped into him three times.

I played on his console without asking him.

I spied on him.

I made him read my friends' shit-talking.

I-

"Ariana focus!" Isabella yelled out, making me jump.

I straightened my posture and turned around, facing the girls. Everyone was ready and good to go. We were just revising the last of our routine when I spaced out.

"This whole time you've been out of focus. What's up?" Bella questions me, a frown on her face and her arms crossed.

Am I supposed to tell them what I saw? I didn't want to. Especially not to my cousin. I wouldn't want people talking about my actions to others, good or bad.

I settle on lying to her face, knowing that she will figure me out either way. "Nothing, I just..."

Layla suddenly gasps and walks closer to me. "Is it that boy you were talking to?" She asks. "I saw the way you looked at him." She smirks, wiggling her eyebrows.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

What boy? Was she talking about Ethan?

"Oh, you definitely like him," Laurie states. "Just look at her, She's shocked that we figured her out so easily," I observe her puffed-up expression, her blue eyes examining mine.

I do not like Ethan. Not in a million years.

"Guys, I don't-" I try to deny before getting cut off.

"No way, Ari is crushing on somebody..." Bella stares at me, dazed. "This is amazing! My baby is finally growing up!" She pulls me into a hug.

Oh well, would it hurt to pretend to be in love with someone you don't?

I didn't want to disappoint them.

At that, the door bursts open and someone walks in, killing the vibe in the room. "Girls! Everyone is waiting outside! Hurry up and leave!" The school event-organizer orders us.

Rushing, we all grab our things and I head off to the bathroom to change while the rest of the girls leave with the teacher.

The costume clung to my arms and legs, making my body itch everywhere whenever I moved. The only good about it was that it was going to keep me warm outside. For the last time, I observed myself in the mirror. My top hat was positioned well, my monocle was set on my plastic eye, my suit was clean and zipped up, and I was holding my props in my hand. My stomach dramatically large which made me look funny and the mask on my face made it hard for me to see, as it covered my whole head.

Well, here goes nothing.

I step out of the bathroom and quickly make my way toward the school entry, leaving the building. Once out the doors, the chilly breeze hits me and cools up my suit, making me enjoy being in it. Many faces turned to face and pointed at me. Some of them were laughing, but for once it didn't make me feel off. I knew they were only laughing at my suit.

Playing my part, I wave at everyone. Many obvious high schoolers walked around me and asked for pictures while laughing out loud. Of course, I gladly took them before walking away. I strolled down the pathways of the school campus, different smells hitting my nose. Layla was inside one of the stalls offering churros to passersby. The moment she spotted me, she waved quickly and beamed. I stood by her side for a while, helping her give out the fried goods that I wished I could eat if not for this annoying mask that wrapped all around my head.

Suddenly, a flock of tall guys grab me and pull me toward the basketball stand. "Well if it isn't Mcintosh!" The biggest one yelled out, jumping up and down.

I gave him two thumbs up as a way to answer him.

Laurie who was talking on the stage not too far away from us, pointed out my presence on her microphone. "Haha, and there is our school mascot: Mcintosh!" We heard through the loudspeakers. "Whoever signs up at the Basketball Club's stand gets to take a picture with him." She chuckles, clearly knowing that she will succeed at making me uncomfortable.

I roll my eyes, though knowing that she wasn't going to see it.

Doing as she said, many new students and high schoolers came up to the stand, some signing up and some just taking photos with me without joining the club.

After the millions of pictures that I had to pose for, Laurie called me to go up on the stage. "Come on over here big boy." She chuckled.

Pretending to be mad at her nickname, I placed both my fluffy hands on my hips and tapped my large furry red foot on the ground.

"Oh I'm sorry little man, did I offend you?" She jokes around. "Come on up here, I'll make it up to you."

I walked towards the small platform where she was standing. When I step up, I pretend to break a sweat and wipe my forehead, making a couple of people laugh doing so. When I get on, I do a little jump in my achievement and straighten up, fixing my top hat.

"Alright, Mr.Bear." She starts, speaking clearly into the mic. "How has been the festival so far?"

I pretend to think about my answer, putting one of my three fingers on my chin. Deciding on being basic, I give her two thumbs up.

"Well, isn't that fantastic!" She exclaims, turning towards the small crowd of people around us. "Why don't you give us your best roar?" She smiles in amusement.

Roar? I didn't practice that!

Seeing as everyone was watching me expectantly, I nodded my head slowly.

"Perfect! Now, on the count of three..." She cleared her throat. "One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

I scream out a strident, unbalanced roar as my voice cracks right in the middle. Embarrassed, I hide my big googly eyes with my large palms.

"Sorry guys, it's been a while since he's done that." She chuckles.

Even so, a couple of people started to clap, while a few others laughed.

Life was so easy not caring about what people thought of you. I wish I could live my days feeling this way.

"Thank you, Mcintosh! Have a nice rest of a stroll!"

I remove my top hat from my head and bow down before putting it back up.

Skipping on the path, I waved at people and hugged a few. The sun was setting and it was getting colder. Despite everything, the number of people never diminished. It's been a lovely night and I was glad I didn't turn down this opportunity just because I was scared.

Then, I remembered that Ethan was going to be at the boxing stand.

Taking my time walking towards the club, I noticed a small group amassed near a stage.

Ding ding ding! I heard the bell chime, indicating the start of a new round.

I looked around, trying to spot who I was looking for. Then, I see him in the boxing ring, in position, with a skinny freshman as an opponent. Not even a few seconds later, the boy ended up on the ground while Ethan stood triumphantly at his feet.

"10 wins zero losses!" The referee exclaims as he lifts the winner's arm up in the air.

Ethan stares off into the crowd of people, a glare on his face. "Who's next?!" He hits his chest, asserting dominance. "Panda!" He yells. "Come fight me!"

I'm a fucking bear.

I shake my hands, denying his offer, or rather, his command.

"Pussy." He spits out. "Come be the ref then." He signs for me to come, with his hand.

In defeat, I shrug and walk over to him. This was my fourth time on a stage today. The first time was funny but now it was getting tiresome. I wanted to go home and sleep.

A few fights pass by in under ten minutes, Ethan always In the lead. At some point, people started to get bored and leave.

"Who wants to fight me next!" Ethan screams out, still full of energy.

Even I was tired, and all I did was wave my arms around and exaggerate my expressions with my big furry red hands. How did this man have this much passion?

And to think that my friends thought that I liked him.

Suddenly, the crowd quiets down, making me look up to see what caused the silence. The moment I catch sight of him on the stage, I understand why everyone shut up.

"Andrew?" Ethan smirks up at him, his eyes twinkling at an opponent who wouldn't waste his time like everyone else. "Is this you asking for a rematch?"

Andrew stood in the opposite corner, gloves on his hands, determination in his obsidian eyes. His hair pointed in all directions just as it usually did. His upturned eyes eyed him carefully as he breathed in a heavy breath.

"Are you really going to embarrass yourself again, in front of all these people?" Ethan chuckled, amused, with a hand on his hip.

I looked at the crowd getting bigger as people who seemed familiar came to watch the scene unfold.

WAIT WHY WAS I IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS??

I shrugged.

Whatever,

at least I got front-row tickets.

Plus, the real referee was besides me so it wasn't like I was the one who'd be responsible if anything happened.

"Shut the fuck up before I mess up your pretty face." He spits out in anger.

"Aww, you think I'm pretty?" Ethan blows him fake kisses, dancing around.

People start laughing, which infuriates Andrew even more, causing his jaw to clench tighter.

"All alright then, don't go off crying when you lose." He shrugs, nonchalantly.

They both get into position as they wait for the bell to ring, Ethan jumping on his feet while Andrew stands, focused on the man in front of him. The moment we hear the three chimes of the bell, Ethan dives in first, throwing a few jabs around, testing his defenses. As expected, Andrew avoids them, taking the opportunity to throw in a hook at his side. Caught off guard, Ethan almost gets hit but he avoids the punch professionally. Seeing the opening in front of his eyes, Andrew distracts him with two jabs to focus on, and a final blow of a fist to the head, winning the first round and leaving everybody speechless.

Ding ding ding! We hear the bell yell once again.

Not wasting time, Ethan tries to regain his honor by winning the second round, throwing multiple jabs at him. Andrew, this being a beginner play to him, manages to escape them efficiently while looking out for any sudden attacks. Fired up, Ethan throws him an uppercut that Andrew focuses on evading, unaware that the same hook he threw at Ethan, was coming back to him. Ethan ends up winning the round and everyone cheers him on.

The bell chimes for the last time.

The guys circled each other on the ring while I stood over here watching them alongside the referee. Ethan launched multiple jabs and crosses to test him.

Seeing as he wasn't going to budge, he decided to mess with his head. "I'm going to fuck you up, Andrew." He snarls, a little bit of blood running down his nostril. "Just like how I fucked you up back then."

Andrew freezes, leaving the chance of an attack for Ethan to take. Satisfied with the effect of his words, he runs in and punches him in the stomach. Andrew falls to the ground, clenching the black shirt he was still wearing. He grabbed the rope of the ring closest to him on the stage as a way to regain composure. Showing no mercy, Ethan jumped in and hit him on the side of his head. He threw in another hit, followed by another one. Andrew's nose started to bleed heavily as the crowd cheered Ethan on.

Whistles were heard amongst the flock of people. Girls were cheering and even the two teachers who were here didn't say a word.

Ethan didn't stop there. He continued punching his face, making Andrew's head propel to the side each time. Everyone watched. No one did anything.

The worst part was that the referee who was here for security, only stood around and observed the situation.

He was a terrible, and very confusing person, but he was still a human being.

Without thinking, my feet moved forward towards the two boxers. Before Ethan hit him with another hook, I threw my hand on top of his face, covering his eyes and shoving him to the side with all my might. The only reason I was able to do so was that I caught him off-guard. otherwise, I would never be able to, which made me think of the consequences if I ever ended up with someone like him alone. Now that he was out of the way, I was able to watch the condition Andrew was in. His left eye was swollen and so was his upper lip. His bottom lip was cracked, leaving a line of dried blood along it. His nose was running blood which was going into his mouth. I try my best to put my arms under his arms and around his chest, lifting him up with the help of his legs. Thankfully he was still conscious because I wouldn't be able to lift him up on my own. We made our way off the boxing ring while he walked stumbling around.

"I swear I had him." He muffles out, his breath heavy and weak.

He had his arm around my shoulders, leaning practically all his body weight on me. I assumed he thought I was a man and that I was strong enough to hold him. I breathed heavily all the way to the infirmary room near the bathroom I was in, just a few hours ago.

Once we step in, I make him sit on the bed and look around for the first aid kit. Opening cabinets and drawers, I finally retrieve it and open it up with difficulty, in consequence of my very large fingers. I stare at its contents, spacing out.

What just happened?

The moment I heard shuffling, I lifted up my head to watch what he was doing.

Shirt off and pulling his pants down, he moved his leg around.

"Wait!" I yell out, turning away and covering my bear face with my ginormous palms. "I'm a girl!"

I hear a brief 'Shit' as the noises of him pulling up his pants filled the room. When the noise stopped, I turned my head around and felt relieved that his pants were on and zipped up.

"I didn't mean to, I just wanted to see how badly my hip got bruised," He clears his throat.

Feeling hot and getting tired of the mask I've been wearing almost all day, I decided to take it off along with the suit. The moment I took off the mask, Andrew observed my face as his eyes relaxed, taking the position of his usually tense gaze. As if he saw that I noticed what happened, he squinted his eyes and looked down at his shoes. The tips of his ears reddened, probably out of anger.

I slipped out of the suit and returned to the task at hand. I carefully took out thick paper towels and dunked them lightly under the running water of the sink. I went back over towards him and lifted his chin with my finger. His breath hitched as his eyes flickered between mine. Noticing my distraction, I blink away what happened and use the damp paper in my hand to clean his bottom lip carefully. Once I was done, I threw it in the nearby garbage and attacked the dried blood under his nose, rubbing it off completely. I remembered how some blood had gotten into his mouth so I went to grab two plastic cups filled with water.

"Here," I hand out the first one to him. "Gargle with the water and spit back out into it."

He eyes me skeptically, making my patience run out. I push it towards his chest which makes him take the cup without question. I cross my arms while I watch him do as I said.

Immediately after he was finished, I grab the cup of bloody water from his hand and throw it in the sink. I then hand him the other cup of water I had and tell him to drink it. On the other side of the room, I spot a small fridge where I was sure they kept the ice packs inside. Opening the freezer door, I get a flat one that would make sure to reach at least half his face.

I finally sit next to him on the bed and throw the ice pack in his lap. Startled, he turns his head around to look at me with a confused expression on his face.

"I don't mean to be rude," I start, breaking the tension in the room. "But you're fucking stupid." I tell him.

He turns away and grabs the ice, putting it on the side of his face. "Tell me something I don't know." He says flatly.

His sentence catches me off guard, making me shift awkwardly on the bed.

"You know damn well that nobody likes you." I point out.

He moves his whole body onto the bed and sits cross-legged, leaning towards me. "Whats your point?" He frowns.

I hesitate continuing, unable to figure out how he was going to take the rest of my sentence. "My point is..." I look away from his dark eyes. "No one was going to help you, so you should've known not to fight if you knew you couldn't take it."

I glance up at him, trying to observe his face that sat still.

"And yet..." he looks down. "Here you are helping me." He slowly looks back up at my brown eyes, his own stabbing mine with intensity.

My face reddens at my hypocrisy.

I clear my throat, averting my eyes. "Why did you fight him?" I mumble, not daring to make eye contact with him.

"He needed to be put into his place" he explains with a straight face.

I laugh in confusion. "You fucking lost," I frown at him. "What place did you put him in? First place?"

He frowns, making a scar on his forehead , that I didn't notice before, visible. It looked fresh, not from today but maybe a few days ago. "Even if it's just a couple punches everyday, I will put him in his place at some point."

He kept avoiding the question I wanted him to answer. "You knew you were going to lose." I point out.

"I don't care if I lost or not!" He yells out, spooking me with his temper. "I made him look desperate and that's all that matters." He says as he regained his calmness. "The real question is why did you help me?"

Annoyed, I huff. "First of all, you did not make him look desperate, you made him look like a hero. No one likes you. No one cares about you. They were happy you were getting beaten up." I tell him truthfully. "And second of all, I don't know why I helped you." I stop, not knowing if I should tell him the rest of what was on my mind. "I think I just thought there was more to you then what you show." I finish up, thinking back about the times when I caught him, being a whole different person.

His eyes flicker between mine as he observed every aspect of my face. I wasn't lying when I said that last phrase. He wanted everyone to know him as something he was not. At least, that's what I thought.

He briefly opened his mouth, as to say something, but not a sound came out. Finally he decided on what to reply and breathed in. "That's not going to stop me from fighting him."

This bitch was not listening to me.

"I'm sure your mother wouldn't like to hear that her son is a delinquent." I cross my arms, unaware with the reaction I was going to set on fire.

In a split second, he threw me on my back and climbed on top of me, his eyes raging with anger. "Don't you dare tell my fucking mother." He warned me. "I will make your life miserable."

My heart raced in my chest, giving me the feeling that I might just take off soon. I wouldn't be surprised if I started flying right then and there.

He terrified me.

Seeing the fear on my face, he slowly withdraws and leaves the room, stumbling with a swollen face and a frustrated mind.

Why was it that every time I talked to him, he always ended up leaving?