Chapter9:
It felt like everything in my life had finally aligned, like I was stepping into one of those dreamy TV dramas I used to watch. And now… it was my life. This warm, bubbling joy filled my stomach, and it felt amazing.
At the end of the day, after waving goodbye to Lily, I was about to leave when a teacher called me for my usual after-school volunteer work. I slipped on my earphones and played some music. The evening wind was calm, but kept blowing my hair all over my face. I pushed it back, annoyed.
"Can you please behave?" I muttered to my hair, forgetting I had earphones on. I kept fighting with it, and honestly, it was becoming a whole competition between me and my own head.
I wasn't allowed to tie it because Lily had taken my hair tie earlier, insisting I "needed to get used to my new look" and "should be confident."
Suddenly, one of my earphones popped out. I flinched and turned. Matt was right beside me, smiling with that soft, teasing look.
"You're fighting with your hair pretty loudly," he said.
I almost jumped out of my chair. "Sorry! I thought I was alone. Please tell me you were the only one who heard that."
He chuckled. "I hope so too. It's not something you see every day."
"Come on, don't mock me, I was just playing. I don't usually do that," I said honestly.
"If you say so."
A small gust of wind passed again, and of course, my hair flew right back into my face. Matt just stared, absolutely waiting to see if I'd fight with it again. I refused to move, determined to prove him wrong.
Then, out of nowhere, he brushed the hair away himself. His fingers tucked it gently behind my ear.
"This wind is really annoying," he said quietly. "Sometimes you just need a little help to break through and see the light again. You can shine more, you know?"
He looked straight into my eyes. He was much closer than I expected. His mysterious green eyes kept me locked in place, and in my head, I was screaming:
Are we still talking about… hair?? Because, sir, that did NOT sound like hair.
Then—
"What are you guys doing?"
Jack's voice sliced through the moment.
Matt's hand quickly dropped. His expression flashed with disappointment before he turned.
"Just helping out. I'm heading to tennis practice. See you later, Lea."
I waved goodbye, then saw Jack standing in front of me, not smiling at all. My surprise almost made me forget how happy I was that he was back earlier than expected. I wanted him to see my hair, to tell me what he thought.
"Jack, I—"
He didn't let me finish. He stepped forward and touched my hair, undoing whatever Matt had done and putting it back behind my ear, his own way. All without a word.
"I came because the teachers wanted to give me notes before I return next week," he said. "When you're done, I'll walk you home."
Then he walked out, leaving me there blinking in confusion.
"What… just happened?" I whispered. He looked calm. Too calm.
Maybe he was curious about what Matt touched? Perhaps he was impressed by my hair and couldn't stay in the same room as me?
I giggled at the thought. Impossible.
After finishing my work, I went outside with the notes I'd taken for him, my cute little notebook I'd prepared to help him catch up.
But on the way home, Jack didn't say a word. Usually, he talks first. This time… silence.
I spotted the convenience store with the ice cream we liked, so I suggested we stop. He agreed, still quiet.
We sat in the park eating our popsicles. I dug into my bag and proudly held up the notebook.
"Tah-dah! Look what I got for you!"
He looked at it with the popsicle in his mouth and asked flatly, "What's that?"
"Just look inside!"
He opened it… from the wrong side.
The doodle side.
There was a (very questionable) drawing of him, and graffiti saying:
"Me? Girlfriend? No way!"
"So coooool!"
"I want to see him!"
My jaw dropped. "Wait—no! That's not the page! Give it—"
"You said it's for me, right?" he said, holding it out of reach. "Once I accept it, it's mine. I'm keeping it like this."
His hand was behind my head, my face closer to his. My heart nearly exploded.
He flipped through the real pages and finally understood its purpose.
"Thank you," he said softly. "This is really thoughtful."
He patted my hair gently. My whole body went static.
I whispered, embarrassed, "I just thought… as your girlfriend… I should help however I can. I hope you can use it."
He lifted my chin so I'd look at him.
"I will. I really appreciate it, Lea. Thank you."
It was the first time he smiled at me all day.
I expected one of his spontaneous hugs, but… nothing. He just left after we said goodbye.
And suddenly, I realized I missed them. Those unexpected hugs I used to find embarrassing were now something I looked forward to, the warmth of his strong arms, the safety of his shoulders.
Why was he acting so strange?
Later, after showering, I checked my phone.
A text from Jack: Goodnight.
Goodnight?? It wasn't even late.
I texted Lily immediately. (Yes, we exchanged numbers. And yes, she basically forced me to confirm my relationship with Jack.)
Once I explained everything, she wrote:
"What?? That's not normal for him. Something is off."
"Right? I feel like something happened, but I don't know what," I replied.
She immediately called me.
"I need to hear this from you," she said. "Did anything happen before you two met up?"
I thought hard.
"Oh—well, Matt was in the classroom with me. He was helping with my hair… by putting it behind my ear. Honestly, it was weird. Anyway, nothing important."
"There!" she shouted. "Right there! Why were you alone with Matt?? If Jack saw that, he was definitely jealous."
I stuttered, "Jea-j-jealous?? There is no way."