Arrival (Part 5)

“Um, nothing dude. We talked a bit, but you know, I haven’t talked to her in years.” They hadn’t talked at all, actually. Seemed like they didn’t want to. But then again, he did, at least now. Nothing involving love, no. Not like last time. They were just friends.

He observed Johnny. He’d never been too close to Kat. When they talked, they hadn’t mentioned her, never. Perhaps it was because he didn’t want to, because, he admitted it, he hadn’t liked her very much. Perhaps, because his mind wasn’t capable of thinking about two girls—with different aspects—at the same time.

He suddenly felt the urge to add the little detail. “Actually, I met this girl, back there.” Then, he felt like he didn’t want to share anymore.

“No kidding, dude? Russian chicks?!” Suddenly Johnny was existed. Sure his response would’ve been different, had he not mention chicks—girls. He laughed a bit. “She wasn’t Russian. She was English.” “Awesome, I love their accents! But what’s up with this girl and Kat?” he asked, again.

Well, other than the fact that they didn’t know each other…no, not much. “I told you already, Kat and I are not back together.” Johnny nodded and he was glad because he understood. He really didn’t want to talk about it.

“Hey, cool. No offence, dude, but I’m sort of glad you moved on.” Johnny padded him on the back. He just smiled, and tried to ignore the fact that Johnny was probably saying that he never liked Kat. “I mean, I don’t think she’s hot or anything.” Because Johnny only cared about looks, so unlike him—

But the looks, they had counted too. What he had seen when he entered Chem. last week, it hadn’t been disappointing. Her hair was much shorter and its edges were not as wavy. Her eyes, he was still glad for the demeaning presence they settled, so well-known of her. Yet, he tried to ignore all these, and remember her as a friend. His friend.

“If you care, she stills reads a lot. She’s still smart as hell, and I think she’s gotten smarter. It’s so stressing when she’s the only one passing a class or somethin’, seriously.” Johnny spoke. Good for Kat, he thought. Not like she needed to feel bad for lazy-asses. She…deserved it.

Suddenly Kat deserved anything. Because his friends deserved the best. Seriously.

Then he wanted to stop defending her. It was something that she—the other one wouldn’t have liked. Kat would’ve liked it either, because she was always so independent and—

“So what about her?” Johnny asked and his mind-in war was interrupted. “Well, I don’t know, you tell me.” Last time he checked, he’d been the one who had just arrived.
“About her? Sure dude, as if I knew everything about her.” Johnny rolled his eyes. It took quite a long time for him to realize that Johnny was not talking about Kat at all.

“Oh. Sorry. I’m kind of lost.” Sure, Johnny had to understand. Lost? Lost is love, perhaps? “She’s English, she’s hot, she’s cool.” Somehow, he really didn’t know how to describe her. “Wow, dude, what is she not?” Sarcasm wasn’t really Johnny’s thing. Then again, he tried to be more descriptive. “You’re not really convinced about her.” Johnny narrowed his eyes, like a true pathetic detective.

He was. He loved her more than anything, more than chocolate, and more than Kat—
“What else do you wanna know? Get a love life of your own.” He joked. Not like he had to tell Johnny all about his life in the past years. Curiosity, he thought, shouldn’t be anybody’s thing.

“Okay. Okay, chill. Maybe I should, though.” Johnny wondered out loud. It was good that he didn’t mind that much. “Hey, if you wanna know how your best buddy’s doing, just talk to her.” Johnny made some sort of not-really-what-I-meant intonation in the ‘buddy’ part and that tensed his nerves a bit. Because Kat wasn’t his buddy, but more than that. Or, because she was and he wanted to for to be more.

But then, he realized Johnny was right in the go talk to her part, and he ignored his mind as she entered the hall with her usual group of friends. Somehow, she stood out than the rest of them, and she was filled with books, and stopped by her locker. He focused on her face. She had changed. But she was still the same. Sort of happy, and intellectual.

Not like he wanted to keep staring like a total freak. Not like everyone was doing it too. Not like she needed it or liked it. Not that he could do it. So he wondered what was it that made him leave Johnny behind, and walk up to her.