Chapter 4 : When Names Hit Different
1415 Words
I was walking home when Elliana suddenly approached me.
“What’s up, Ava?” she said.
I greeted her right away and asked where she was from.
“Just nearby—only one bus ride away,” she replied.
I nodded at her, and then she brought Knight into the conversation out of nowhere.
“You know, Knight was looking for you earlier,” she said, making me furrow my brows.
“Huh? Why did he say?”
“I don’t know, but if he’s looking for you, it seems like you matter to him.”
“Pfft, that’s so over the top—he probably just has something to ask,” I said, deep in thought.
“Ugh, now I’m jealous,” she joked, making me laugh.
“I’ll leave Knight to you—you can even stab him in the chest for all I care,” I said.
As we walked, we spotted Knight not far ahead.
“Speaking of...,” Elliana said.
Knight looked our way immediately and came over to us.
“I didn’t see you after our break,” he said to me.
I stared at him for a long moment before speaking.
“So what?”
He stopped in his tracks as Elliana and I kept walking.
“Wow, really? You’re so mean to me!” he complained.
“Fine—if you keep this up, I’ll be all nonchalant with you too,” he added.
I just told him he could do whatever he wanted with his life and got on the bus.
“Girl, your attitude toward him is something else,” Elliana said, but I ignored her.
“So sassy,” she mumbled.
“Elli, have you ever had a first love?” I asked, clearly catching her off guard.
“That’s so random—why do you ask?”
“Nothing, just wondering. Never mind, don’t answer if you don’t want to,” I said, leaning against the window.
When we reached the bus stop, we got off right away.
“Can I drop by your place first?” Elliana asked.
“Sure,” I agreed—after all, I live alone, and I’d missed having someone around the house. It’s always so quiet.
We went inside, and I remembered I hadn’t gone grocery shopping yet. I invited Elliana to come with me, and she said yes right away.
“Do you want to change clothes first? Wait, let me get you something to wear,” I offered.
“Pfft, how embarrassing—but okay,” she said with a laugh.
“So you live alone here?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Aren’t you scared being by yourself?”
“Why would I be scared?” I laughed.
“I don’t know—you’re all alone, after all.”
“Want to stay here and keep me company?” I joked, and we both laughed.
After we changed, we headed straight to the nearby grocery store.
“You know, at the grocery near our school, I keep seeing this tall, cute guy,” I told her.
“We? Who else?”
“Secret—you might fall for him all over again,” I teased, then laughed. “It’s Axel.”
“Axel?”
“Yeah—Alexander Axel Willows.”
“Ah! The HUMSS class president,” she said. I was surprised to learn he was their class president.
“How did you know that?”
“How could I not? He’s popular—he transferred to Grade 12 this year from a private school, and they say he’s smart, so they made him president.”
I just nodded.
“Speaking of us—when’s the election for classroom officers?”
“I don’t know yet—maybe next week,” she replied shortly.
“Oh, they have my favorite spread—good thing there’s still some left!” I said excitedly.
“Ah, so you like chocolate?”
“Yeah—anything with chocolate flavor is fine by me.”
We picked out my snacks and noodles, plus some drinks.
“So your parents give you an allowance?” Elliana asked, and I agreed.
“But I’m planning to get a job—I don’t want to rely on them forever.”
“Can you handle that?”
“I’ll manage,” I said simply.
I think I can—since our classes are only from 7 AM to 12 PM, I can work starting around 1 or 2 PM, I thought to myself.
After paying, we went home right away and put away everything we’d bought.
“I’ll put these away—you rest for a bit,” I said, then asked what she wanted to eat. She said anything was fine, so I cooked noodles, got some bread, and took out my favorite chocolate spread. I turned on the TV so we could watch something while we ate.
“You know, when you asked me about my first love earlier... it made me think of him,” Elliana said suddenly.
“Who is he?”
“Do you know who the school vice president was last year?” she asked.
“Ah—him...” I started, but she covered my mouth.
“I don’t want to hear his name,” she said. I just replied, “Okay.”
“I think he’s still vice president this year. He didn’t even try to run against Anastasia for president—what a waste.”
I stopped eating when I heard that name.
“Oh, what’s wrong?” Elliana asked. I just shook my head, thinking to myself that I had no reason to be bothered by it.
As the sun set, Elliana said she had to go home. I walked her to the gate and said my goodbye.
“Take care,” I said. She waved back and left.
I went inside immediately and flopped onto my bed with a heavy sigh.
The ceiling fan spun slowly above me, its hum mixing with the quiet of the house. I closed my eyes for a moment, but my mind wouldn’t settle—Anastasia’s name kept echoing in my head, pulling at memories I’d tried hard to leave behind.
After a few minutes, I forced myself to get up and tidy the kitchen. The empty bowls from our meal sat in the sink; I washed them slowly, letting the warm water run over my hands. As I dried the last plate, my phone buzzed on the counter.
New Message: Knight
“hey… sorry if i came off strong earlier. can we talk tomorrow after class?”
I stared at the screen for a while, then typed back a quick “we’ll see” before shoving my phone into my pocket. I didn’t want to think about Knight—or Anastasia, or first loves, or anything that made my chest feel tight.
I decided to organize my school bag for the next day. As I pulled out my notebook, a folded piece of paper fell out. I picked it up and unfolded it—there was a sketch of a chocolate bar with a note scribbled underneath: “For the chocolate lover—see you tomorrow! 😊”
I smiled despite myself. I’d completely forgotten Axel had drawn this for me when we’d bumped into each other at the school canteen. I tucked the note back into my notebook carefully, then sat down at my desk to finish my math homework.
Half an hour later, my phone buzzed again—this time a message from Elliana:
New Message: Elli
“got home safe! btw… i saw anastasia at the mall earlier. she was with some girl from stem. didn’t talk to her tho lol. sleep well!”
I set my pen down. Of course she was out somewhere, looking perfect as always. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on my equations again, but the numbers just blurred together.
Why does her name still get to me like this? I thought, leaning my head on my hand.
I gave up on homework and changed into my pajamas. Before I turned off the lights, I looked out my window at the dark street below. A few streetlights flickered in the distance, and somewhere nearby, a dog was barking.
Tomorrow’s going to be another long day, I told myself, pulling the blanket up to my chin. Let’s just hope it’s better than today.
- Writer
