After eating, I said goodbye to Tyler. We each went home.
It was already dark. The streets bustled with life. Today was Friday. Students passed by everywhere. But across the street, I saw Vanessa in a restaurant with a forest theme. She wore the restaurant's black uniform, carrying a tray of food through the crowd.
I found it baffling. Someone with a cleanliness obsession like her was working a part-time serving job.
After watching for a while, I was about to leave when I saw four or five people aggressively heading toward the restaurant entrance. Vanessa stepped out from inside. She was surrounded by that group, pushed forward into a small alley.
I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed 911, watching the figures disappear into the alley. Then I followed.
The alley was very deep. The darkness ahead was like a giant monster, ready to swallow anyone whole at any moment. I'd seen Vanessa at the taekwondo dojo before, wearing a red-black belt, looking incredibly cool. It probably wasn't a bookworm like me's turn to rescue the beauty. I didn't move any closer, just heard the sounds of fighting echoing from somewhere.
A moment later, the police arrived. They rushed into the alley. Five minutes later, they led people out. Vanessa's face had injuries. Those thugs were all wounded, too. From the way they walked, they'd been beaten pretty badly.
The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger. Vanessa lowered her eyes. A girl's silhouette in the night, still standing straight through it all. Only the darkness hidden deep in her eyes couldn't be concealed.
Those people were taken away. Vanessa was asked a few questions, then returned to the restaurant. I didn't stay, turned and left.
When I got home, I went online to search for a place called Seabrook. It didn't exist anywhere in the world. No such place. Tyler's home seemingly didn't belong to my world.
The night sky outside the window was scattered with a few stars, shimmering with light. I stared blankly at the stars.
The next morning when I entered the classroom, I discovered a pen refill on my desk. The same brand, still in its plastic wrapper. I knew it was Vanessa returning it. Actually, I'd intended to give her that pen refill. But since she returned it, so be it. That was fine. The more distant we were, the easier to maintain boundaries and courtesy.
Tyler was gone, but those who were nice to Vanessa still didn't understand her. As her deskmate, I could also feel the frustration building up in her, so much it made me uncomfortable, too. I was someone who quietly watched the drama unfold, but couldn't avoid being entangled in the trouble. People asking me to help dig for information were like cotton, soft and persistent. But I gently refused them all. I just found it a bit annoying.
Next period, we had to draw lots to recite an ancient text passage. I read it over and over, and could only memorize it halfway decently. I seized the time to review it again. If I couldn't recite it, I'd have to write it out as punishment. I glanced enviously at my genius deskmate.
Just as I turned my head, in the middle of the classroom, a male student suddenly fell toward her. She shoved him away. The guy fell toward the opposite direction. Just as Vanessa made that move, her whole body suddenly tilted backward.
I turned my head and immediately felt a sharp pain in my nose. Hit by the back of her head, Vanessa turned to look at me, her face showing embarrassment. Then I heard gasps from everyone around, saw her pupils suddenly contract.
A sticky liquid flowed over my lips, the metallic smell of blood spreading in my mouth. I had a nosebleed. I pulled tissues from my bag to stop it. The pain was so bad I shot to my feet, didn't even look at who the culprit was, turned and walked straight to the nurse's office.
In the nurse's office, I'd stopped the bleeding. A shadow blocked the doorway. Vanessa stood there, blocking all the light behind her. She stepped in and paid for my medicine. I didn't politely refuse, just silently watched her movements.
Then she said, "I'm sorry."
Vanessa stood in front of me. I was sitting, so I tilted my head up slightly. She lowered her head. Her face, usually so cold, now held a trace of guilt, adding a touch of humanity.
"Mm." I nodded slightly, accepting her apology.
On the way back to class, we walked one in front of the other. I didn't like the feeling of someone following behind watching me, so I quickened my pace.
Passing by the basketball court, Vanessa suddenly lunged forward and pulled me. A ball nearly flew right at me. A male student ran over to grab the ball and apologized to me.
The unfamiliar feeling and the pull at my wrist made me look down at Vanessa's hand gripping my wrist. I frowned slightly. She immediately let go, pressed her lips together and said, "Be careful."
"Thanks," I said, then continued to class.
Passing by the stairwell corner, I wasn't surprised to see her heading toward the bathroom. Truly someone with a cleanliness obsession, probably scrubbing her hands vigorously right now.
Water in the bathroom flowed through her palms. The girl in the mirror, head bowed, watched the water flow through her fingers, her gaze somewhat dazed.
Returning to class, I sat for a long while before Vanessa came back. My nose still ached. Luckily, the recitation part had passed. I felt somewhat relieved. I endured until the dismissal bell rang, then grabbed my bag and left immediately.
At the entrance to my neighborhood, like always, under the lush banyan tree sat a large orange cat with a round head, big bell-like eyes staring straight at me. No idea where this cat came from. Plump and round, its fur sleek and shiny, it looked like a house cat. I'd been seeing it a lot lately. Not sure if it was my imagination, but I always felt every time we met it stared at me intently. Like now, eyes glued to me.
I never liked cats, and had no intention of going over to tease it either.
That night, after my shower, I pushed open my bedroom door and the scene at the window made my heart pound. A cat's head poked through the window bars. Behind it, pitch black night. Our eyes met, just like a horror movie.
The cat jumped into my room. I steadied myself and walked toward it. It was the large cat from under the banyan tree at the entrance. I was a bit worried, not knowing how to chase it away.
"Hello, Nathan Shaw."