Chapter 06: Black & White
1664 Words
"Get on the bike, I'll give you a ride," a motorcycle swerved in front of me, and the rider was looking directly at me.
I didn't say anything, choosing to step aside and continue walking to get home quickly.
"It's dark, Adeline. How can you walk alone? I know it's your neighborhood, but it's dangerous," he shouted, but I didn't pay attention, hurrying down my steps.
But how fast can I really go with my weight?
"I'll walk you home," the sound of the motorcycle engine stopped, followed by footsteps running towards me. When I felt him walking beside me, I quickly lowered my head and kept walking.
"I'm sorry."
The apology came out of his mouth, and we're not even close. Why does he need to apologize?
Apologize for what?
"Adeline, I..." He kept walking beside me, as if he wanted to say something. But honestly, I didn't want to listen. I didn't want to get involved with someone who made me feel ashamed. And why is he calling me 'Adeline'? No one ever calls me that. Who does he think he is to call me that?
"Can we sit and talk for a bit? Over there on that bench, just for a few minutes," he stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
"Step back, please." That sentence immediately reminded me of this morning's incident.
"Talk to me first."
"We don't know each other. There's no need to talk, is there? Step back, please. I don't want any trouble with your girlfriend," I stared at the man standing there. I was starting to feel like crying.
"Don't make that face, I..."
Thump!
"Here," while he was about to say something else, I remembered I should return something to him—something I always carried with me in case I saw him. Today, I finally got to return it. I shoved it into his hand and then walked away in another direction.
Snatch!
"Adeline," he grabbed my large arm.
"Please let go. We're not close enough to be touching, and we shouldn't be," I said with a tone that showed my displeasure.
"I didn't want things to turn out like they did this morning. I..."
"Whatever you wanted, it turned out that way. I've become a joke to others. What do you hope to achieve by standing here? Do you want me to suffer more than today? This morning's incident..."
Snatch!
"Don't cry, Adeline. I don't want to see your tears. Don't cry. I'm sorry, truly sorry," he moved in to hug me, catching me off guard.
Honestly, I was taken aback, completely unprepared. And his actions made my heart race.
No, this can't happen.
"I don't know what you're trying to achieve, and I won't care. I won't play your game. Don't bother me again. And ask your friend why they care if I'm fat. Do they think it's cool to belittle others?" I mustered all my strength to push him away, then continued walking down the alley.
"I'm worried. I'll walk you home, quietly if you prefer," he said as he followed behind.
I pretended not to care and kept walking, while he indeed walked quietly as he had promised. I didn't know why he was doing this or what his purpose was, because I wasn't close to him at all.
Five minutes later…
Adeline's House
"Goodnight," he said when he saw me enter the house and close the gate. He said just that and walked back the way we had come.
He was Hunter, an upperclassman I secretly admired. I had no idea how he showed up here. And why did he apologize?
(ADELINE: I'm home now.)
I stopped overthinking about Hunter and did what Caleb told me to do, which was to send a message when I got home. By now, he's probably off somewhere causing trouble.
"Would you like to eat now, Young Miss?" the housekeeper asked as I walked into the house.
"Young Miss," but I'm quite big. They call me that because I'm the youngest child. My family often calls me Little One.
"I've already eaten BBQ pork and rice at the entrance of the street. Excuse me," I told the housekeeper and went up to my room.
My family is quite well-off, but at university, people think I'm poor because I act down-to-earth, as if I have nothing, even though I'm quite large. There, I'm just another overweight person that no one notices. But after tomorrow, things might get quite hectic.
(BLACK: How was your day at school? Was it fun?)
(BLACK: It was a bad day for me.)
(BLACK: Why aren't you responding?)
(BLACK: Are you okay, White?)
(WHITE: I'm here, I'm here!)
(WHITE: Sorry, Black. I had a little issue, so I got home late.)
(WHITE: Hello, are you still there?)
(BLACK: I'm here. Can I ask where you went?)
(WHITE: I ate at the entrance of the street.)
(BLACK: BBQ pork and rice?)
(WHITE: Yes, it was delicious. Are you home or out with friends?)
(BLACK: I'm out, but I'm heading back.)
(WHITE: What happened? Why did you say it was a bad day?)
(BLACK: I had a misunderstanding with a friend.)
(WHITE: Don't worry, you still have me as your friend.)
(WHITE: Are you okay?)
(BLACK: I'm okay. It'll get better.)
(WHITE: Yes, it will get better. I'm going to take a shower now. I'm really sleepy. My brain is exhausted today.)
(BLACK: Okay, goodnight. I'll message you when I get home.)
I put down my phone after replying to a friend, someone whose face I've never seen. But he messaged me on an app with a black profile picture, saying he was lonely, wanted someone to talk to, and was bored with life.
Could I chat with him?
Being someone who often feels sorry for others, and fearing he might truly be lonely or sad, I agreed to chat with him. I let him call me White while he was Black, symbolizing our chosen colors.
We've been chatting for almost a year now, I think. We talk without seeing each other, without face-to-face conversations, just as friends in each other's private corners.
We've never talked about meeting up, nor have we wanted to. We've never asked each other's real names. It was probably lucky that at the time, my username was 'The Smallest,' with a cartoon profile picture.
Once we agreed to chat, I created another account and told him we'd use this one for convenience.
But sometimes I think he might know who I am; otherwise, he wouldn't have messaged me. But it doesn't really matter who he is.
I don't care because we communicate with our hearts. We really just chat, without sending pictures that reveal our identities. At most, I send him pictures of food, while Black sends me photos of nature and cats. He says he likes cats and taking photos.
Oh! We don't talk on the phone either, so we've never heard each other's voices. We both seem comfortable chatting like this, and we're content with it.
No one in my family knows about White and Black. Black knows about almost every food place I visit because I like to take pictures and show him. As long as it's kept in moderation, having online friends isn't that dangerous, I think.
Almost a year has passed, and it feels like there's a strange bond because we chat every day.
About forty-five minutes later...
Ding!
(BLACK: I'm home now, about to sleep. Sweet dreams again.)
Ding!
(CALEB: Yeah, I'm home too.)
(CALEB: Why so late? Usually, it takes less than two minutes by taxi.)
Messages popped up on both phones almost at the same time.
(ADELINE: No taxi. I just walked into the street.)
I chose to reply to Caleb's message first because he's quite blunt. If I don't reply, he'll scold me when we meet, or he might call to scold me, which I find annoying.
(CALEB: Yeah, walking is good. Otherwise, you'll have clogged arteries and die.)
(ADELINE: You jerk, I'm going to sleep now. So annoying.)
I typed in a local dialect and sent it, then immediately muted the phone and placed it on the table. Then I picked up the other device to read and reply.
(WHITE: Sure, I'm about to sleep too. Sweet dreams.)
Then I sent a sleeping sticker to Black. After that, I placed the phone next to the other one on the table.
Sometimes I wonder why I carry two phones when I don't have that many people to talk to. It's like I've got a ton of guys to chat with or something.
"Clogged arteries, huh? That stupid jerk," I mumbled on the bed, recalling what that silly Caleb typed.
Thinking about it makes me angry. Why does he always come up with diseases to blame on me? If I slimmed down and looked different, let's see what he'd say then.
"But losing weight isn't easy, you know. Can you really cut out all those delicious sweets and savory foods, Adeline?"
I let out a big sigh of resignation. It would be great to wake up tomorrow and be slim. But it's not that easy because everything requires effort and belief. Just thinking about going on a diet makes me feel discouraged.
"Maybe I shouldn't worry about losing weight yet. Even thinking about it tires me out. I'm cute as I am, and as long as my face looks good, everything's fine. There are lots of buffet deals now, so I'll think about it again when they're over," I said with a smile and then closed my eyes to sleep.
This is how I comfort myself and make excuses as a chubby person who's too lazy to lose weight.
Believe me, I have a million excuses for not losing weight yet. That's why I still have this figure. But a bear-like figure can still keep someone warm, you know.
I guess I should just go to sleep now.
- Writer
