Patterns.
2358 Words
The next morning felt wrong.
Not loud wrong.
Just… off.
Amy noticed it the moment she opened her eyes.
Maybe it was because she barely slept.
Or maybe it was because the conversation she overheard yesterday refused to leave her mind.
> “Boss wants it clean.”
Those words replayed in her head while she brushed her teeth, packed her bag, and tied her shoelaces.
Planned.
Organized.
Dangerous.
And the worst part?
She still didn’t know if she was overthinking it.
Downstairs, the house was unusually quiet. Mike had already left for work, leaving behind a sticky note on the fridge.
> Breakfast in the microwave.
Don’t scare anybody today.
Amy rolled her eyes despite herself.
Typical.
By the time she arrived at Mayor High, the uneasy feeling still hadn’t disappeared.
Students crowded the hallways loudly, conversations overlapping into one giant mess of noise and hidden intentions.
Amy hated mornings like this.
Too many voices.
Too many lies.
Beside her, Sally kept talking excitedly about a movie she watched the previous night.
“And then the killer turned out to be the dog walker,” she said dramatically. “Like imagine trusting someone named Gregory.”
Amy blinked slowly.
“You weren’t listening again, were you?”
“I heard dog walker.”
Sally sighed. “Your brain leaves this country too often.”
Amy adjusted her bag slightly. “I’m thinking.”
“That’s usually dangerous.”
Before Amy could respond, the classroom door opened.
And immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
Eli walked in beside Tani.
Like always.
Tani was talking animatedly while Tia and Ria followed close behind, laughing too loudly at everything she said.
But Eli barely reacted.
His attention drifted lazily across the classroom before landing briefly on Amy.
Then away again.
Quick.
Subtle.
Intentional.
Amy immediately looked down at her notebook.
Annoying.
Why was she suddenly noticing every little thing he did?
“You looked,” Sally whispered instantly.
“I did not.”
“You literally panicked and looked at your notebook like it insulted you.”
Amy ignored her and sat down.
A few minutes later, Eli took his seat beside Tani.
For some reason, Amy felt relieved.
Which was ridiculous.
Because why would she care where he sat?
Principal Moore entered soon after carrying a stack of papers.
“Group assignments,” the class groaned collectively.
Amy’s stomach sank immediately.
She hated group work.
People lied more when grades were involved.
“Relax,” Sally whispered dramatically. “Maybe we’ll get paired together.”
Amy was about to reply when Principal Moore began reading names.
“Tani Brooks and Ria Collins.”
Tani smiled proudly.
“Tia Bennett and Jason Hale.”
A few more names followed.
“Sally Williams and Marcus Dean.”
Sally’s face dropped instantly.
“What?” she whisper-shouted. “No! Marcus smells like expired yogurt.”
Amy nearly laughed.
Marcus looked offended from across the room.
“Principal Moore,” Sally said dramatically, “I respectfully decline.”
“You respectfully do not have a choice,” he replied without looking up.
The class laughed.
Sally slumped in her chair miserably.
“Well,” she muttered to Amy, “good luck with whoever you get.”
Amy suddenly didn’t feel good about this.
Then—
“Amara Reed and Eli Matthew.”
Silence.
The entire classroom turned toward them instantly.
Amy froze.
Across the room, Sally’s jaw dropped.
Tani looked personally betrayed.
And Eli?
He leaned back slightly in his chair, looking way too calm about this.
Amy slowly raised her hand.
“No.”
The class laughed immediately.
Principal Moore adjusted his glasses. “Excuse me?”
“I mean… can I switch partners?”
“No.”
More laughter.
Wonderful.
Beside her, Sally whispered dramatically, “This is either the beginning of a love story or a crime documentary.”
Amy buried her face in her hands briefly.
The rest of the lesson became impossible for Amy to focus on.
Not with Sally constantly kicking her chair dramatically from behind.
Not with Tani glaring at her like she personally caused global warming.
And definitely not with Eli sitting a few rows away looking completely unaffected by the chaos he unintentionally caused.
Amy hated him a little for that.
The bell finally rang, immediately filling the classroom with noise as students began packing their bags.
Sally spun around in her seat so fast it was honestly concerning.
“So…” she whispered loudly. “How does it feel?”
Amy kept stuffing books into her bag aggressively. “I’m transferring schools.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m being realistic.”
Across the room, Tani grabbed Eli’s arm before he could stand properly.
“You should ask Principal Moore to switch partners,” she said.
Amy pretended not to listen.
Eli slung his bag over one shoulder lazily. “Why?”
“Because,” Tani replied carefully, “you barely even know her.”
Amy heard the real meaning instantly.
She’s weird. Stay away from her.
Eli glanced briefly toward Amy.
Then back at Tani.
“It’s just a project.”
Tani’s jaw tightened slightly.
Amy noticed.
Of course she did.
Sally leaned closer immediately. “Oh, she’s MAD mad.”
Amy elbowed her quietly.
Students slowly began leaving the classroom one by one until Amy finally stood, hoping she could escape before anyone stopped her.
“Amy.”
Too late.
She ignored it.
Quickly throwing her bag over her shoulder, she slipped through the classroom door before Eli could catch up properly.
Behind her, Sally burst into laughter.
“She’s fleeing the scene!”
“I am surviving,” Amy called back without turning around.
The hallway was already crowded with students moving between classes.
Perfect.
Maybe she could disappear into the crowd long enough to avoid—
“Amy.”
Closer this time.
Why was he so persistent?
Amy walked faster.
Unfortunately, her locker was still three rows away.
And even more unfortunately—
Eli matched her pace easily.
“You know running away makes people suspicious, right?” he said casually beside her.
“I’m not running away.”
“You’re speed-walking aggressively.”
Amy reached her locker with relief and immediately started fumbling with the lock.
Wrong number.
Wonderful.
Eli leaned casually against the locker beside hers while she struggled.
“You seem stressed.”
“I’m considering violence.”
“That sounds unhealthy.”
Amy finally got the locker open. “What do you want?”
“We should probably exchange numbers,” Eli said.
Amy blinked.
Why did that sound strangely personal coming from him?
“No.”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“You’re difficult.”
“You’re observant.”
“I try.”
Again, Amy listened carefully.
Nothing.
No distortion.
No hidden layer beneath his words.
Just silence.
It was beginning to drive her insane.
Eli held out his phone toward her. “Unless you plan on communicating through smoke signals.”
Amy stared at the phone for a second before reluctantly typing in her number.
Their fingers brushed briefly as she handed it back.
And somehow, that tiny contact made her chest tighten slightly.
Annoying.
“You seem nervous,” Eli noted calmly.
“I’m not.”
Lie.
Amy heard it instantly from herself.
Unfortunately, judging from his expression—
Eli noticed too.
His smirk deepened slightly.
Before Amy could recover, Tani suddenly appeared beside him.
“You coming?” she asked sweetly, slipping her arm through his.
Amy immediately heard it.
Possessiveness.
Insecurity.
Territorial behavior.
Eli glanced at Tani briefly before looking back at Amy.
“See you later.”
Then he walked away with Tani.
Amy watched them leave longer than necessary.
Sally appeared beside her seconds later carrying two juice boxes.
“Oh, this is getting GOOD.”
Amy grabbed one juice box immediately. “Nothing is happening.”
“You say that,” Sally replied, “but you look like you’re developing stress.”
“I am developing stress.”
Sally laughed before lowering her voice slightly.
“Seriously though… what’s weird about him?”
Amy stiffened.
“What do you mean?”
“You keep looking at him like you’re trying to solve a murder.”
Amy looked away.
Because how was she supposed to explain this?
How could she possibly tell Sally that Eli Matthew was the only person in her entire life who sounded completely silent?
No lies.
No fear.
No hidden truth.
Nothing.
And somehow…
that scared her more than actual liars.
Later that afternoon, Amy stayed behind at the library to avoid the crowded buses for a while.
The quiet usually helped her think.
Today, it didn’t.
She sat near the back shelves pretending to read while her thoughts kept circling the same things repeatedly.
The hallway conversation.
Eli.
The silence beneath his voice.
“Amy?”
She looked up immediately.
Sally stood nearby holding two books against her chest.
“You’re still here?”
“Trying to study.”
“That’s a lie.”
Amy sighed. “Why are you weirdly good at reading me?”
Sally grinned proudly. “Talent.”
Amy shook her head softly.
Then her expression changed slightly.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Amy looked toward the end of the aisle.
Eli.
Of course.
Sally noticed too and immediately smirked like this was entertainment.
Eli stopped near their table casually. “Didn’t expect to find you here.”
Amy closed her book. “It’s a library.”
“Fair point.”
For a second, nobody spoke.
And strangely—
the silence wasn’t awkward.
It was calm.
Then Eli looked directly at Amy.
“You avoid me a lot.”
Amy blinked once. “Do I?”
“Yes.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You do.”
Sally slowly stood up.
“I suddenly remembered I have somewhere else to be.”
Amy looked horrified. “Sally—”
“Goodbye.”
And just like that, she disappeared between the shelves.
Traitor.
Amy slowly looked back at Eli.
He was smiling slightly again.
Not mocking.
Not arrogant.
Just… amused.
And somehow, that was worse.
Amy crossed her arms carefully. “You know, normal people usually leave when someone clearly doesn’t want to talk to them.”
“And yet you’re still talking to me.”
Amy opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Annoying.
Eli pulled out the chair across from her and sat down casually like he belonged there.
“This feels illegal,” Amy muttered.
“What does?”
“You being comfortable everywhere.”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “That sounded personal.”
“It wasn’t.”
Lie.
Amy immediately looked away.
Eli noticed.
Of course he did.
For a moment, silence settled between them again.
But unlike with everyone else, Amy didn’t hate the silence around him.
It felt…
easy.
Which was dangerous.
Eli glanced at the closed book in front of her. “You’ve been on the same page for like ten minutes.”
Amy frowned slightly. “Were you watching me?”
“You’re hard not to notice.”
Her chest tightened annoyingly fast at that sentence.
So she immediately attacked instead.
“You flirt with everybody like this?”
Eli leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her.
“Are you jealous?”
Amy almost choked on air.
“What? No.”
“You answered too fast.”
“You ask weird questions.”
“You avoid honest ones.”
That made her pause.
Because somehow, that sentence felt aimed deeper than the conversation itself.
Amy looked down at the table briefly.
“You think you know people too easily,” she said quietly.
Eli’s expression shifted slightly.
“And you think people are impossible to know.”
Amy looked back at him slowly.
The scary part?
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
Before she could respond, Eli suddenly asked,
“Why does everyone act nervous around you?”
Amy stiffened immediately.
There it was.
Curiosity.
Eventually, everybody asked.
She looked away casually. “People like drama.”
“That’s not the real answer.”
Amy’s jaw tightened slightly.
Eli watched her carefully, but unlike everyone else, he didn’t look afraid.
Just curious.
And somehow…
that felt worse.
“You ask a lot of questions,” she muttered.
“You never answer any.”
“Maybe I don’t like answering.”
“Maybe you don’t trust people enough to.”
Silence.
Amy hated how accurate that sounded.
A group of students passed nearby laughing loudly, briefly breaking the tension between them.
Eli’s fingers tapped lazily against the table once before he spoke again.
“You know what’s interesting?”
Amy already didn’t like that tone.
“What?”
“You listen to people more than you talk to them.”
Amy frowned slightly.
“That’s normal.”
“No,” Eli replied calmly. “Most people listen so they can respond. You listen like you’re searching for something.”
Her stomach tightened.
Too close.
Way too close.
Amy quickly stood up, grabbing her book before he could notice the panic flickering across her face.
“I should go.”
Eli looked up at her calmly. “Running away again?”
“I’m leaving normally this time.”
“That’s progress.”
Amy rolled her eyes and started walking away.
Then—
“Amara.”
She stopped instantly.
Slowly, she turned around.
Eli looked genuinely confused now.
“What?”
Amy’s voice came out quieter than intended. “Why did you call me that?”
“That’s your name, isn’t it?”
No.
Not really.
Not anymore.
Very few people used that name now.
And hearing it from him felt strangely personal.
Amy tightened her grip on her book slightly. “Nobody calls me that.”
Eli studied her expression for a second before nodding once.
“Okay,” he said simply. “Amy, then.”
No teasing.
No jokes.
Just understanding.
And somehow, that affected her more than if he had argued.
Amy looked away first.
Again.
Then quietly left the library before he could notice how fast her heart was beating.
- Writer
