Unresolved Feelings
1583 Words
The morning sun cast long ribbons of gold across the school courtyard as students shuffled through the gates, each one lost in their own world of gossip, assignments, and half-eaten breakfast sandwiches. The air smelled faintly of fresh-cut grass mixed with the scent of coffee from the teachers’ lounge. Backpacks thudded, lockers slammed, and voices rose in bursts of laughter and groans.
Evan was already there.
Much earlier than he usually arrived.
He stood by the tall metal gate, leaning against one of the cool bars, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. His normally unfocused gaze was sharp today, scanning through every approaching student with an almost restless intensity. Every time someone with long dark hair walked in, his stomach tightened—only to release again when it wasn’t her.
He didn’t know why he felt so anxious. Or maybe he did… and simply didn’t want to admit it.
Minutes crawled by. The bell rang once—warning. Then again—final call.
Still no Bethany.
Students began rushing in, laughing as they ran to make it before the teacher locked the doors. Evan’s jaw clenched. A quiet, sinking disappointment pooled in his chest.
But then—
He saw her.
Bethany stepped through the gate, her stride steady and confident, her hair catching the sunlight as she brushed it behind her ear. Her expression was unreadable, settled somewhere between calm and distant. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
Their eyes met briefly—just a flicker of connection, barely a second long.
Then she looked away and continued walking.
As if she hadn’t seen him at all.
As if he was invisible.
Evan felt something sharp twist inside him. Instinct took over. He pushed off from the gate and hurried forward, weaving between students until he reached her. Without thinking, he gently caught her wrist.
Her skin was cold from the morning breeze.
Evan: “Hey, Bethany… I’m sorry. And I mean it.”
His voice was soft, carrying a mix of calmness and sadness he’d never shown anyone else. The words seemed to hang between them, fragile as morning mist.
Bethany turned her head slowly, her expression tightening. Her eyes were colder than he remembered—guarded, sharp, almost unfamiliar.
She pulled her wrist back with a quick, forceful motion.
Bethany: “Let go of me.”
Her tone was clipped, defensive, layered with irritation… and something else he couldn’t decode. She didn’t wait for him to respond. She simply turned and continued walking, her footsteps echoing down the hallway with a finality that made his chest ache.
Evan stood frozen. It felt like the hallway stretched endlessly, each tile another reminder of the distance forming between them. Students brushed past him, but he barely noticed.
For the first time, he wondered if he had already lost her.
⸻
Break Time – The Cafeteria Scene
By the time break arrived, the cafeteria was buzzing. The smell of fried chicken, pizza slices, and cheap cafeteria fries mixed together in a chaotic swirl, making the whole place loud, messy, and alive.
Evan slipped inside quietly.
He didn’t want to eat—not really. He just wanted to see her.
He hovered near the entrance, partially hidden behind a vending machine. He scanned the room once… twice… and then he saw her.
Bethany sat at a table with Ava, animatedly telling some story. Her hands moved as she spoke, and Ava kept bursting into giggles. But what made Evan pause wasn’t Ava.
It was Cal.
Cal sat right beside Bethany, leaning in slightly, smiling wide—too wide, Evan decided. Bethany laughed at something he said, her eyes lighting up in a way Evan hadn’t seen since before their argument.
A sharp stab of jealousy punched through him.
Evan (whispering to himself): “Seriously? Him?”
Cal wasn’t ugly or anything—but he definitely wasn’t extraordinary. His hair was messy, his smile a little too big, his confidence loud.
Evan rolled his eyes.
Evan: “He’s not even that good-looking. So why… why is she smiling like that?”
He forced himself to look away, then looked back despite himself. His heart tightened with every laugh she shared with Cal. He tried to reason with himself—tried to be cold, detached, unaffected.
Evan (muttering under his breath): “Why do I care who she smiles at? She can laugh with whoever she wants. It’s not like… it’s not like she’s mine.”
But the words felt empty. Like he was lying to himself.
After a few minutes of watching the scene, the jealousy and frustration swelled too much. Evan pushed off the wall abruptly, his chair scraping the floor as he left the cafeteria without even buying lunch.
He needed air.
Or space.
Or maybe just a way to stop feeling everything all at once.
Class – The Empty Seat
When break ended, the hallways filled again with slow-moving clusters of students. Bethany walked with Ava, both whispering something that made Ava laugh harder than usual.
Bethany tried to smile back, but her mind was already racing ahead, scanning through fragments of the morning, replaying the moment Evan grabbed her arm, the way he apologized, the sadness in his voice.
She pushed the thought away.
When she walked into the classroom, the first thing she did—without thinking—was look for Evan.
Her eyes darted automatically to his desk.
Empty.
No bag.
No books.
No headphones.
Just a vacant space that somehow felt louder than any argument they’d had.
Bethany blinked, confused. A strange heaviness washed over her. She turned her head slowly, checking the back rows, the window seats, the corner near the wall.
Nothing.
The teacher began the lesson. Bethany tried to focus, but her eyes kept drifting back to Evan’s empty chair.
Bethany (softly, barely audible): “I don’t care if he comes back or not. Besides… we aren’t friends anymore.”
But even as she whispered the words, her stomach tightened with worry. She tapped her pen against her notebook, her mind spiraling.
Why wasn’t he in class?
Was he avoiding her?
Was he upset?
Did he leave because of her?
She bit her lip hard enough to sting.
And for the rest of the lesson, the empty seat seemed to stare back at her, asking questions she didn’t know how to answer.
⸻
After School
When the final bell rang, students poured out of the building, shouting plans for the weekend and arguing about homework. Bethany walked home alone, the sky slowly shifting into hues of orange and pink, casting soft shadows on the pavement.
Her thoughts, however, were anything but soft.
Every step brought back another memory.
Evan waiting for her in the morning.
Evan’s hand on her wrist.
Evan’s apology.
Evan disappearing from class.
Evan not returning.
Her heart squeezed tighter with each replay.
When she reached her room, she tossed her bag aside and collapsed onto her bed. Her phone lit up with messages—mostly Ava complaining about homework—but Bethany ignored them.
She stared at the phone, debating with herself.
Bethany: “Should I… call him? Or text him? I mean… why should I? We’re not friends anymore.”
She tossed the phone aside—then picked it up again—then tossed it once more.
She groaned and covered her face with a pillow.
Bethany (whispering): “But why do I keep worrying about him?”
Silence filled the room.
She lay on her back staring at the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess. And then suddenly—
The realization hit her.
Hard.
Bethany (sitting up fast): “Omg… do I like him?!”
Her heart began racing, her face warming, her breath catching. She fell back onto the bed, staring upward in shock.
The question echoed in her head over and over.
Do I? Do I really… like him?
Meanwhile – Evan’s Room
Across town, Evan sat cross-legged on the floor of his dim bedroom. His notebook lay open in front of him, but the page remained blank. Whiskers, his fluffy cat, curled around his leg, purring softly.
Evan let out a long, frustrated sigh.
Evan: “So she won’t speak to me, but she’ll sit and laugh with Cal? Really?”
Whiskers meowed, nudging his arm.
Evan: “She ignored my call in front of me at the stadium… wasn’t that enough reason to get mad? And now she doesn’t want to talk to me at all.”
He rubbed his forehead, trying to make sense of everything.
Evan: “I thought she was on a date with that guy… I didn’t know he was her cousin. How was I supposed to know? But why’s she so upset?”
Whiskers pawed at his notebook.
Evan: “Why do I care if she’s on a date, anyway?”
He froze, the room suddenly weightless.
A single realization rose through him like a wave crashing against a cliff.
His breath hitched.
Evan: “Wait… do I… like her?”
His eyes widened.
The thought slid into place like a puzzle piece he didn’t know he was missing. Everything—his jealousy of Cal, his frustration, the guilt, the way he kept waiting for her—finally made sense.
He stared at the wall, stunned.
Whiskers curled into his lap, purring as if confirming the truth.
Evan swallowed hard.
He liked her.
He really, really liked her.
And he didn’t know what to do next.
- Writer
