CHAPTER 23: THEY MEET AGAIN
1080 Words
Zane and Tommy were taking their lunch at the school's cafeteria. He ordered pesto and salad, while Tommy preferred a heavy meal, digging in rice and fried chicken.
"Have you seen yourself doing that in the mirror?" Tommy asked. "That shooting thing and how you spot the target?"
Zane shook his head. "No. Do I have to do it?" He thought he probably looked funny while shooting an arrow.
"You were a badass back there," Tommy said. He can't stop talking about the tryout. He stood up. "You were holding the bow like this and then—Baam!" He mimicked Zane's posture and stance. "You're like that legendary greatest hero who steals money from rich people and gives it to the poor."
"I thought I looked funny every time I did archery." He scratched the back of his head. "I never thought to look good while shooting arrows. I just want to hit the target."
"You were like a Greek God there," a female voice said behind him.
He looked back and saw the girl from the first subject. He remembered her name, Bridgette. She was with two girls from the same class. "You looked so dignified and poised."
"T-thank you." Though he gave her a strange look. "Did I just get praise from a girl?" he asked himself.
"See you around, handsome." Bridgette waved at him and left. Her friends followed her.
"Wow, Zane! You are a campus heartthrob now!" Tommy could not contain his happiness. "Should I change my hobby?"
"Are you kidding? That girl was just making fun of me. Let's just eat."
He focused on his food. He did not take the girl seriously.
After finishing their lunch, Zane went back to their college building for his next class. He entered the room and sat in the back row.
He noticed everyone in the classroom was looking at him. He took out his hoodie jacket from his backpack and wore it to cover his face. "What exactly is happening?"
He was clueless as to why his classmates kept glancing at him. He just ignored them and focused on their lesson. He was glad there was no introduction to that subject.
He left the room without a word to anyone and proceeded to his last subject for the day. He kept his silence the whole class and just focused on the subject, ignoring stares from everyone.
The day ended like normal for Zane. He was walking out of the classroom when a girl called from behind. "Zane Cole?"
He looked around and saw the girl he saw earlier, the one with mid-brown hair and blue eyes. His world stopped while staring at those blue eyes.
"Zane?" the girl asked again.
"Y-yes?"
"Don't you remember me?" she asked him again with a puzzled look.
"I-I saw you earlier but you quickly left." He was out of his mind when he responded.
"Oh, you saw me earlier... but do you remember me?" the girl asked again.
Zane shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, I—"
"Almost eight years ago, in the bus, while your stomach was growling... remember?"
Zane's jaw dropped. "A-Aera?!" He could not believe he saw her again. He wants to hug her but he might get a slap if he does that. "Where have you been all along?! You didn't even tell me that day that you were moving out."
"Glad you remembered me!" She laughed. "It was so quick. I didn't know either until I got home. I thought you had forgotten me now that you're famous."
"I'm not famous, and why would I forget you? You were the kindest person I met my whole life."
"Aw, thank you." She giggled. "But you're famous now."
"Famous? Me?" His forehead wrinkled. "How did I become famous? Where?"
Aera took her phone from her pocket. "Here."
She showed him the videos of him; one was from the news when he was still ten years old, during the time they saved Winsor. He was hugging his father who was unconscious at that time. Another video was when he first joined the archery club and showed exemplary shooting skills, hitting scores of nine and ten. The third video was during the final games recently, and the last video was early this morning.
"No freaking way?!" He had no idea that his face was all over social media, with millions of views. "What the hell!"
"You mean you didn't know you're famous on social media?" Aera could not believe it either. "I was looking for you... I mean, the Zane Cole I knew back then, and I thought it would be difficult to do so, but I saw this earlier and I was looking for you the whole day."
"This is probably the reason why everyone has been looking at me."
He fixed his hoodie, making sure it covered his face. "I don't use social media apps, and it's rare for me to watch online videos. I don't even have a good phone to start with." He raised his hand holding a basic phone he usually uses for calling and texting his family, especially his Dad. "This is just everything I need."
"Why are you hiding yourself? Be proud of it!"
"I just don't like too much attention from people." He smiled awkwardly. "You know what happened to me during grade school."
"Right, but things have changed. People appreciate you now. They are even calling you a young hero who shoots arrows to their hearts." She laughed while thinking about the comments of people on Zane. "You changed after eight years. You were just a shy boy bullied by your classmates, but here you are, shooting females' hearts."
"That's a kind of weird analogy."
"That did not come from me." She laughed. "Oh well, are you going home? Where are you staying?"
"Yes, I am." Zane wants to be with her more and catch up with her. "Would you like to come to my apartment? It's just small but at least we can talk better than standing here."
"Right. I also have a lot of things to tell you."
"Let's go then. It is just a few minutes walk from here."
"I also live nearby," she said. "My father got me my apartment. I'm not sure why he chose this school for me but I'm glad he did."
He felt happy. He saw her again, the one who made him feel he was worthy, and his heart skipped a beat.
- Writer
