Chapter 5

"It doesn't matter to me." I speak up, turning around to face him after Ingrid basically ditches me.

" Ah and she speaks." His lips twitch into a grin. "It's good to have you back, thought I'd lost you there for a second."He says, taking a step towards me.

"Don't you dare come any closer, stay away." I warn with my hand up, stepping back and making him stop.

He sighs. "How long will you keep running?"

Until you leave me the heck alone.

"You just couldn't stay away could you?" I say.

"And how could I?" He steps closer." After that night...." He trails off.

My eyes search his own for any kind of knowledge, and with the emotion flickering in them, I know it's true.

He was there.

How was he there?

" Were you there that night?" I softly ask, feeling desperate to know.

" Sweet" I heard the voice call me.

A look of confusion takes over his face. " What night - What are you talking about?"

Oh gosh, I was wrong, he doesn't know. He doesn't know and that's good. He doesn't have to know anything about that night.

" Hazel ?" He tries take another step towards me.

" Just leave me alone okay." I warn, walking past him.

"When will you stop running?"

I stop in my tracks just as Danny blocks my path." And when will you stop bothering my girlfriend?"

Oh no.

Danny pulls me close and I don't resist, glancing between the two guys. Danny stands tall and intimidating, eyes narrowed as they stare at Roman. Roman on the other hand looks calm and collected, face blank and unreadable with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Who's the kid Hazel Grace?" Roman says, his eyes now focused on me.

I shoot him a look, but his expression doesn't change.

" Kid? - yeah...very funny." Danny laughs a single humourless laugh." Where did you learn that from,  in Juvie?"

Why does everyone seem to know this apart from me?

We've now earned ourselves an audience, even after the bell rings, indicating the end of break, a few don't move.

" Danny- ."

"Oh wait, no, maybe your psychotic family did?.....Better yet your- ."

" Danny let's go!" I pull him away from there, just when I notice a change in Roman's demeanor.

Something far dark and brooding passing his eyes, though many may miss it because of his blank face.

Roman and I's relationship might be complicated, but I won't let Danny or anyone pass judgement on his family. You don't get to choose your family and background, so I won't be cruel to be part of that. Roman might be a lot of infuriating things but he doesn't deserve this.

" What the hell Danny?! " I whisper yell, the minute we are out of view.

" What?" He says.

"How could you do that back there?"

"What does it matter to you?" I don't know how many times I've heard this question and honestly, I'm fed up with hearing it.

"What you did was wrong and you, better then anyone else knows that." I say, giving him a look to remind him of his own family.

"I was simply sorting out a bother for my girlfriend. Besides, I was telling the truth and everyone knows it. They're just too scared to say it in his face."

I shake my head at him." I can't believe you." I say in disbelief, walking away from him.

I can't believe Danny sometimes, he can be someone I don't recognize when he acts this way, he had no business getting involved.

He might as well have signed himself up for his first enemy of the year, for I know how touchy the topic of family is for Roman. He doesn't take kindly to anyone messing with his family or people he cares about.

And I know this very well.

                             *****

I wait patiently after school, right by the fountain, waiting for any sign of Roman.

It had been eating at me for the rest of the day, I just wanted to talk to him, even though I promised myself that I wouldn't dare to. I don't know, but maybe I wanted to see how he was doing and that he wasn't still affected deeply, by what Danny had said.

I know from when we were young, on what he went through with his family, especially his mother. What he went through became the root cause of his problem with love. Though years may have passed , having not seen each other but today, I could still see it flicker in his eyes. The same emotions from when he was just a small boy.

We might not be in speaking terms but just this once, I want to know that he's alright. I know I might be sounding selfish, wanting him to say something to me whilst I dare not respond to him, I just can't help but want to see for myself if he is.

There must be something seriously wrong with me, but even so, I won't stop.

Student after student leave the premises and that's when I see them, his friends but not him. He's yet to make an appearance.

Just like before, it's the two guys and the one girl, who is surely hot by the way, the whole crew is.

I wonder if she could be his girlfriend. No, I can't simply assume.

But he neither denied nor confirmed, he just asked what it mattered to me.

Roman's business is his, so I should stay out of it.  Speaking of him, where could he be?

I look around, feeling a bit impatient now, I've been waiting here for over 10 minutes and he's yet to make an appearance.

I wonder what could be keeping him for so long?

"Looking for someone?" I jump at the sound of a voice close to my ear.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." I say, giving Sam a look.

"You never answered my question." He says, totally ignoring me.

"No, I'm not looking for anyone, now what are you doing here - Can't you go bother someone else?" I wave him off.

" And miss out on watching the drama between you and Roman unfold, nah." He shakes his head, stretching out his legs in front of him.

I roll my eyes at that, looking ahead in expectation of finally spotting him.

" I thought you weren't in speaking terms."

" We aren't." I say, trying to discreetly look around.

"Then what do you call this?"

" What?" I finally look at him.

I sigh when he gestures to what I'm doing, clearly telling me that I'm busted, but I won't admit anything to him.

He might as well go and tell Roman. I mean the two spoke so casually with each other today, as if they had always been talking.

"You know with one look at him, it's enough to bring him over here." He says.

" I don't want him here, I just want to see if he's okay."

" I'm pretty sure we can all see him all the way from here, and question. Why wouldn't he be okay?"

"Uh, lets just say things might not have ended well between him and Danny." He frowns in confusion, forcing me to continue." First encounter today, let's just say, not so nice things were said."

" Let me guess, Danny?"

"Hey, what makes you think- "

"Sorry cuz, but your dear boyfriend can get quite vocal when he feels like it."

"Maybe this time he witnessed someone bother me." I try defend Danny.

"You mean Roman trying to talk to his childhood bestfriend?"

"Ex friend." I correct.

He holds up his hands in surrender." I don't know why you can't just listen to what he has to say."

" I don't want to listen to what he has to say, he doesn't deserve that much from me."

" What happened back then -"

" What happened in years passed was that I waited. I waited in hope for him, even when his back was clearly shown to me, I waited for him."

" Just like you're doing now?" My eyes widen a fraction at the realization, that he's right.

Sam's right, I'm doing what I'd always done years back.

" You're right!" I jump to my feet, gathering my things." I'm going back to the same pattern." I mumble.

" No, that's not what I meant."

" I've wasted enough time as it is, sitting here." I turn to face him.

"He's here." I freeze in place." He's just arrived." He tells me, but I don't dare look away from him.

Sam turns to me." Minutes have passed, it's better to finish what you started."

I bite at my bottom lip, contemplating if I should really go to him." There might never be a perfect time to catch him alone, it's better to get it over with, right?"

"Right." I trail off, blinking twice when I realize he's gesturing for me to get a move on.

I take a breath before turning around to face ahead, preparing to catch him alone just as Sam has seen him.

I retract my first step when there he is, standing leaned by a bad ass bike, with that girl I've seen them hang out with.  I notice her lean close to him, leaving no space between them. He confirms everything for me when he casually hangs his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

So it's true, he does have a girlfriend.

Looking at them now, they do look like the perfect match.

He's busy, I won't bother him now.

" Hey, what are you still doing here? - Come on, go talk to him."

"It doesn't matter anymore. " I say, holding my stuff.

Sam too glances at the couple, before looking back at me. His face now has an unreadable expression.

" Haz-"

I don't even listen but go on my way, without another glance.