TW: Obsessive behaviour, unrequited love323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQTlyV2QEf
Apologies that the story is too long, but ideas seem to flood my head at midnight.
How does it feel when a stranger is obsessed with you, and you never knew it? 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFEB762NcP
It was devastating.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJT49NHro4
It has been four years since I transferred to this school. I managed to make some good friends and forged good relationships with my teachers. My grades aren’t bad, and I make some time for my hobbies. My life was normal, just like any other teenager’s would be. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsyslsUNio
I made memories and enjoyed school life. Until that.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIpbEsIiwS
All my friends warned me recently, “Adam, you see the girl over there? Don’t talk to her. She’s danger.” They repeated the same words for the past week when we walked in the hallway to our class.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxE3lfnTPgm
Not like I ever converse with her, but the reason why I should not was more flabbergasting than their advice itself. Of course, I was called to the principal’s room after that but the miscommunication was soon resolved.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOiyZiIN1C
The thing that astounds me is that a stranger whom I had just come across, maybe two or three times in the hallway, decided to involve me in her brawl. It was creepy that something like that had–Oh, I think I see her.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJTCFvXFUU
The gossip grew louder as she came walking. She looked down at the ground, her hair let down, almost looking like a dark spirit. I gulped down. All I need, after all, is no drama. I would be glad if we got over this awful encounter.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzv5LHvfH0
I looked at the ground as I walked to my class, deliberately ignoring her. I wonder what went on in her mind when she did it.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRYa1CyS6r
—323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1ZvK1yGD6
We weren’t close. He was outgoing; I was introverted. He had friends; I had none. People liked him but were jealous of and despised me. We never shared eye contact for more than a minute, let alone talk. It’s no wonder that girls who see him want him–such was his charm. And unmistakably, I’m also one of them. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFU6c0SnAHG
We sat in the same classroom, just not next to each other. We were in the class study group, just didn’t study together. We both had each other’s numbers in group chats, just never texted. We walked in the same hallway each day, just never talked.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTylegFMnO
We were typically strangers.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiEEFt9DCP
Or not.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZnS8pVAbq
Every time he sneaked out of the class with his friends, he smiled at me. Every time we walked in the hallway, he made eye contact. Every time there was an exam coming up, his friends asked me for help. And… as if by a miracle, I got to work with him for the annual celebration.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPXUEGMquW
The annual celebration was a festival hosted by our school every year to display its students’ proclaimed talents. It was mostly welcomed as being the only time of the year for some leisure. The students forgot about their exams and their parents’ nagging about grades around this time, while the parents had some fun seeing their children do something different.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy7gSoYNJq
Not to mention, this was metaphorically the time for every girl's debutante ball and every guy’s chance to be an escort. You had a chance to let the entire school know about your presence.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriRnyOz2nT
Being the introvert I was, I chose the job of a technician, controlling lights and sounds in the background, while my prince charming, being the extrovert he was, chose to dance. Dance made everyone in the school crazy, and then when he chose it, it was decided that he was the next heartthrob.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaohvgvixf
A week before the celebration, he and his friend came to the studio to decide how to enhance their already dashing performance. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtotN3VkpFs
They danced for the tech team, only the few people who had seen them dance before their actual performance. Suggestions and praises were brought out with roars of applause. We were only five, but the claps were like ten. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadE9a5xzXy
I returned to my desk, while my team leader enquired about their wants and ideas on how the lights could be operated to match their performance.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnvOOM7XdW
He threw in some suggestions but his friend did most of the talking. I bet the leader asked more questions just to get him to speak because who didn’t want to hear his voice?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9R2FS7PBl
“I think we all agree on that,” he finally said, receiving approving nods from his friend and the team leader, “so let’s do it.” He glanced at those behind the team leader for a split second but returned to mine after scrutinising the room.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP32EIbLjg8
I pretended to focus on my computer though I had nothing going on. I’ll show him that I don’t care so much that he wonders why.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYPrJTFXvw
“Aria, control the backlights,” instructed my leader, as she designed the role for every one of us until she had nothing left for her to do. She sat on a chair and, “Blue, then pink and violet. A flash after a cue, then the spotlight on Adam, got it?”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4GWULf8te
My brows frowned, my eyes were about to roll and I had to control my urge to scoff. She can dare call his name when I haven’t? She’s got to have some nerve. Has she forgotten I topped her in Science? How is she ordering me around? It must be the other way around.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtpTGGtac4
“Aria, the lights!” she yelled. Yeah, my slaps aren’t going to be light if you call his name again.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEDEQ6AbO2
“Sorry,” I managed to utter while glaring at her.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2EqMqKpDY
“Let’s do it again,” she said. Thinking you’re resolving the conflict? Great pretence.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXerQJcVV6
The music blared and others were busy not to screw up in front of Adam, after all, everybody would want to look good in front of a guy like him. He sat on the chair, looked down on the ground, and tapped his feet along the music. Oh, how dashing he is!323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPWkPDMU5I
“Aria!” yelled the devil again. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvuYDtsxqt
Hearing the leader’s shrill voice, his eyes snapped back and forth between me and her, unaware of what had happened.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2w3bXntGOD
“Oh, my bad. There’s an issue with the system,” I reasoned.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJry2Bznp1N
“Really? Let me take a look,” she said and hurried forward.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFfhYK1yxn
“No, it’s fine now,” I said, giving her a disgusted face. She stepped back and stated, “Don’t mess up again.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHy2UHBlhP
I gritted my teeth at her warning. She acts as if she has the privilege to order me around. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QljBt4ZyQ
I looked at my prince charming, and oh, his innocent pecan brown eyes! They can calm me down so easily. He probably has no idea how I feel but, the way I’m determined to make him see me truly scares even me.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmdHWVJ8PZ
He will fall for me after this.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TTWR7Iesr
“Red light, now Aria!” said the monster, ordering me once again. But this evening’s going to end with her embarrassment anyway.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EPFzbxGqJ
The background music and the lights were composed and rehearsed for the next two hours. The witch exploited us and our patience effectively. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP0B4qE6Fc
When the lights and their timings to the music were finalized perfectly, the boys rehearsed with the spotlight. His black hair sparkled, and his body moved to the beat flawlessly. The lights could have been done better and improved, but all thanks to the witch, it ended up being mediocre.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpiGRgS8na
Nonetheless, the performance was once again greeted with cheers and applause. “Great performance, man!” said Gregor. It’s no wonder all the boys wanted to be him.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuCNgBSBqK
“Thank you for your hard work,” Adam said, “Please watch our performance at the celebration.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi167ZWBoLd
He sure knew how to light up my mood.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYEcic8kQB
He looked at me and gave one of his most appealing smiles, which I loved. His smile was such a tease just like him.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XfmXXjZIZ
I smiled back, looking at the ground, then at him. He must have picked up the hint.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhb3n6rp3A
“Okay, then we’ll get going,” said his friend, whose name I can’t be bothered to remember. Anyway, Adam is now going to stop him and say– “Yep, see you guys later.” What?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPin3CbkIw
How could he say that? He was supposed to ask me to come with him.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKD6EgmmWi
He gave everybody else–the team leader–a striking smile and turned his back to leave.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WGCXLC8kR
“Wa– “The evening was quite tiring, wasn’t it?” interjected the team leader. I turned to her, “Oh.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPj24KAj8u
Everyone looked at me now. “If it wasn’t for you, the evening would have been easier,” I muttered.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkamKKZLQeY
“What?” she said, “Did you say something, Aria?”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlBhNyQvMz
Someone tell the witch to stop calling me by my name.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMHCM5DhTz
“As if you didn’t hear,” I muttered again.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAxbdgSkuY
“Hey, can you talk a little louder, I don’t hear you. And also look– “Shut up!” I yelled smashing a computer down. The room went silent as I felt them staring at me. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CP6nNX9wr
I looked at the devil’s eyes with contempt and disdain. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9Y2O3VT1j
“Is something the problem? Why are– “You are the problem,” I yelled, looking down.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3lEYH2oro
“What do you– “Shut up, will you?! Why did you send him off? I wanted to talk to him!”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYB1z9uc9j
“You mean Adam? I can call– “Don’t say his name!”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwm8VNafxKB
The room was hushed again. “Aria… by any chance, do you like him?” 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoa8rFRkZ9I
I lifted my head, met her brown orbs, and looked into it to find a reason to hold back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t, “So what if I like him?”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIExLJbf80
I strolled to her, “Will you be jealous? Are you going to try to pull him away from me? Tell me.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gSv2hxoOm
“No, no. It’s nothing like that. I have just never seen you and him together before.”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVK7rCE83Q
And that was the last strike.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9W7pMgq6z
“Hey, do you see her? The black-haired one. She caused a ruckus at the studio before the celebration. Heard she was kicked out of her debutante ball,” they giggled.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8svzEVwJo7
“Oh my, is that her? Ad– I mean you-know-who’s crazy fangirl?”323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNIvp6zBE5
It’s all lies, you know it too, right?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHSQKo0dZY
I saw him come in the hallway. The whispers died down, as he strolled, but they sure couldn’t have slipped off his ears. He must have heard them, but he knows better than anyone why I did it, doesn’t he?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoRrRFrEPk
He must know that I did it because I loved him, and also that the witch deserved it. Anybody who saw her treat me like that would know it. He knows it, so why does he look down when he walks past me?
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