Owen
"And she agreed to help you out with Maya?"
Fitz happily nodded with a swift motion of the head as we picked up books in the Main Library. The books unfortunately, were reference books and instead of sucking me into whatever amazing universe they contained, I drowned myself in their complicated theories, citations and concepts. School books are the absolute worst type of book out there.
"Yep. I'm kinda relieved she did. Hey, is Athena free after class? I wanna make a game plan for this thing with Maya and I want to hear what she has to say about the old arcade for a first date." he said nonchalantly as he picked up a book on botany and histology.
"Trust me, she probably has a LOT of opinions on that matter. You were talking about an old arcade?" I asked as my mind involuntarily drifted off to Athena.
Lately, it seemed as if Athena had been giving me some space. A lot of space.
She went out a lot with both Fitz and Maya leaving me alone in our room to study.
I don't blame her though. I wanted to excel in school so badly and I wanted to prove to that donkey of a professor that I don't need any sort of help whatsoever when it comes to school work.
Athena is smart enough to pass any class she takes without even studying as hard as I am. She was a prodigy, goddamnit. She's better at me at everything and I have to work extra hard to catch up to her.
"Yeah! It has like, this vintage feel to it and I heard it still has the first Pacman." Fitz said excitedly as he kept raising his brows.
I shot him a careful eye and scoffed.
"Fitz, are you sure you want to take Maya to a place with the first Pacman?" I asked with a slight curl of the lip.
Fitz looked a tad confused until he shrugged it off.
"I don't see why not. Maya loved history class in high school. Pacman first edition was history." he emphasized.
"Let's see what Athena has to say about that."
After Fitz and I got the books we needed, we headed over to the librarian to check them out. As I stared off into the stack of books I got for my classes, I couldn't help but feel anxious all of the sudden.
THAT stack of books. I was going to read those. I'm going to READ through them and analyze every small tidbit it had. I immediately felt tired just staring at them my mind went all hazy and cloudy.
"Dude, you okay?" I heard Fitz ask.
I turned my head up at him and he was looking down at me with those round, brown eyes of his with his glasses all lopsided again.
"Yeah, of course. I think I just zoned out for a quick second, nothing to worry about."
"Whatever. I'll update you about the meeting with Athena later. Make sure Maya knows nothing of this, alright?"
"Fine, fine. We're both late for class waiting for our books to be punched. Let's go." I said with a swift turn of my chair as I swivelled out of the library with Fitz as he shoved the books inside his large backpack.
"Kay. See you at the dorms?" He said as soon as he zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
"See you then." I answered.
Fitz and I parted ways and it was not long before I went to class with Dr. Anderson yet again and my day couldn't get any less frustrating.
I had three thick and heavy books borrowed from the library and I had them stacked on my lap. I didn't have any space inside my bag anymore and if ever I did shove them inside, I was terrified of the possiblity of a ripped bag. I don't have Mum around to fix it for me if ever that happens and the chances of Athena fixing it are quite slim.
I entered class 10 minutes late and might I say it was better than last time when I arrived thirty minutes past the designated period.
"Ah, if it isn't the stubborn, little Newsies kid. You're late. Again." Dr. Anderson said with his ever so booming voice.
He was all up in front of the board and I felt my eyes narrow as I went up to my place and had Luke help me up again on the stool.
I was starting to feel sorry for poor Luke with the ironic Harvard shirts. He obviously didn't want to keep carrying my sorry arse up some random lab chair and I didn't want to be carried by a burly guy.
"Now as I was saying, the foundation of the chemical reactions involved in this exothermic process,---"
I wasn't in the mood to listen.
I was slumped over the high table as I continuously twirled a pencil in my hands and the notebook I had in front of me was still blank.
My mind was racing with all kinds of ways on how to improve my test scores, fix my study schedule, do good in this class whilst maintaining my relationship with the people around me especially Athena.
She has done so much and I have done almost nothing for her well-being.
"Hey, do you have a spare pen? Mine ran out of ink." Maya exclaimed as she speed walked over to my table and sat beside me on the other vacant stool just around.
Her jet black hair was always in a high ponytail and today, it swooshed around as she sat beside my and looked at me expectantly with a soft smile on her face.
I was thrown out of my daze as I scrambled for my bag and searched for a decent pen for her to borrow. After searching the depths of what I think could possibly be the deepest trench in the world, I handed her a good Pilot pen of mine and continued twirling the pencil in my hand.
Maya took the pen happily as she scribbled notes on her notepad. She was listening to the lecture and seemed so focused until I keep noticing how she steals quick glances in my direction.
I turned to her with a raised brow and stopped twirling my pencil.
"What? He hasn't humiliated me enough yet, hasn't he?" I asked, referring to Dr. Anderson who kept blabbering about biological processes and the reactions involved.
Maya softened her expression and sighed.
"Don't sweat it. I'm just weirded out by you not taking down any notes. He might call you for recitation later on, you know."she said as she continued writing down whatever Dr. Anderson said.
"Expect the unexpected, perhaps? I'm not in the mood to write notes, Maya. I need to read these reference books I got because I don't understand a single thing he's saying. God, what a prick he is." I said motioning the books I had just borrowed from the library all stacked up beside me.
Maya peered over the book titles I got and nodded.
"He's a dick. Look at that smug look whenever he talks." she said as she rolled her eyes.
I managed a slight curl of the mouth as soon as I knew Maya was on the same page as I am regarding our opinions on our professor.
"I wish he would shut the fuck up so I could sleep, Jesus Christ." I said.
"Who would shut the fuck up again, Mr. Watson? Me or the Son of Man?" Dr. Anderson piped in as soon as I told Maya my previous statement. To be honest, I didn't think he would be able to hear it since I was seated right at the farthest table and he was up in front.
"No one, sir." I answered as I slumped deep into the lab stool.
Dr. Anderson smirked and nodded.
"First warning, kid. Ms. Truong, you came from a respectable family. Teach Gimpy over here how to speak with respect. Maybe it's one of the things he lacks aside from being unable to stand on two feet at eighteen. You're eighteen right, son?"
"Yes professor." I answered through gritted teeth. God, I hate that man.
"Well then, before you speak such profane words about an esteemed professor, use your brain. Or is it not working as well as you'd want your legs to be?"
I didn't answer back. This man was insensitive and vain and I didn't want his attributes to make me drop this course. I need units from his class to pass my major. I need it in order to graduate. I need it to get into med school.
"That took a good five minutes of class time, didn't it, kid? Well, back to the lecture,--"
My mind was blank as a board now. I stopped spinning my pencil in between my fingers and I just slumped down for the rest of the class.
As soon as the bell rang, I was helped back into my chair by Luke and I left class without a word. I was not feeling my best now that aside from a truckload of other school requirements, I had to deal with him.
I never thought I would feel more insecure about myself and yet here I am; as insecure as a middle schooler who just started puberty.
"Owen, wait up." I heard a silvery female voice said as footsteps quickly followed me behind.
"Maya, I'm not in the mood for people watching today. Ask Athena to do it with you." I said monotonously as I continued pushing my chair towards the area where residence halls were. I wanted to sleep off this sinking feeling and rest for awhile.
"I'm not in the mood for people watching too. Talk to me." she said, gripping onto the back of my chair to stop me.
I turned around with a quick swivel of a wheel and looked up at her. Her eyes were worried and she still had her Chemistry notebook in her arms alongside the pen she borrowed from me.
"I'm not in the mood for talking, either. Sorry." I answered.
Maya shook her head sadly and her shoulders slumped down as well. She had her thin brows scrunched up into a worried state and I didn't want her to pity me. I never needed anyone's pity.
"Is it Dr. Anderson? I could go back and talk him into stop bringing you up in class like that. It was very rude and unprofessional of him to act like that."she said.
I shook my head and looked down on my lap where the books I borrowed were placed neatly.
"There's no need to talk to him, Maya. He'd just think I wanted some sort of special treatment and I most certainly never wanted that." I said with a quick eye roll as I turned my chair around and pushed slowly to match Maya's pace as she walked beside me with her arms folded against her chest.
"If that's what you want then fine. I don't even know if Dr. Anderson would let me talk to him after class hours anyway. Okay, is there anything I could do to like, make you feel a little better?" she asked in a small childish voice. I couldn't help but tug my mouth slightly until it eventually formed into an actual smile.
Maya and I eventually came by the string of residence halls and we made our way into our dorm building. She had a positive glow around her the same way Athena always has and it really made me feel a little less untrustworthy of Maya.
"You could let me borrow today's notes. I wasn't able to write them down today." I finally said as soon as we entered the dorm and werw finally in the main common room.
With a huge smile, she handed me her notebook she had been carrying in her arms all this time and as well as the pen she borrowed earlier.
"Sure. Just give them back as soon as you're done. I don't want to flunk his class." she said.
I grabbed her green and orange floral composition notebook and as well as my pen and placed it above the stack of books up on my lap.
"Thank you." I said, looking up at her as I swiped off a few stray strands of hair away from my eyes. I couldn't see people that well through its excessive curtaining whenever it falls flat on my face yet I never had the chance to actually trim it down. Mum usually cuts my hair for me, by the way. I hate to admit it but I was missing my mother a ton nowadays.
"So I guess I'll see you later? Dinner in the dining hall with Athena and Fitz?" she asked as she walked towards the staircase going up to her floor and I was headed toward the hallway to my room.
"Sure. See you." I said with a tone of finality as I watched Maya give me a subtle wave and kept an eye on her as she made her way up the steps until she was gone from my sight.
I slowly held the rims of my chair and felt how cold they were to the touch. I was guessing they were even more cold without my gloves on but I couldn't care less. The cold awoke me enough to sort out my priorities and this time, it was her. It had always been her.
I had neglected her for so long and I missed how close and lowkey intimate we were during high school. I missed Athena.
Fuck Dr. Anderson and his ridiculous rules. I have been so exhausted from keeping up with my studies, I had ignored my own desires to do whatever I want.
I want to read my books on a rainy day by the droplet-laden windows snuggled up with Athena sleeping on my shoulder. I want to feel her dirty blonde hair tickle my earlobes as she twists and turns in her sleep as I trace my fingers onto the words on the paper I was currently reading.
How I missed everything.
I pushed my chair towards my room and unlocked the door. Unsurprisingly, Athena was in our room doing some drawing yet again on her sketchpad propped up on my bed with Eragon, the stuffed dragon my Mum gave me after the accident.
As soon as I got in and closed the door, Athena shot her head up and grinned widely at me. I couldn't help but grin as well once her huge golden brown eyes locked with my own.
"About time you came around. How's class?" she asked as she closed her sketchpad and laid on my bed hugging Eragon.
"Classes were okay with the special exception of Dr. Anderson's. How about you? Everything going well?" I asked as I put down the books I borrowed from the library onto my desk and pushed my chair beside my bed.
"Duh. Why wouldn't it be?" Athena answered with one brow raised.
"I don't know. There are factors that could affect your performance and all." I said as I took off my gloves and transferred onto my bed. With a surprised look and an amused smirk, Athena moved a little so both of us could fit into the tiny bed supplied by the school itself.
"Like what?" she purred as she wrapped her arms around me and placed her head on my chest. My insides felt warm all over again and I felt myself wrap an arm around her small frame as well.
"As far as I know, Fitz wanted to ask you about Maya. I think he wants you to be his wingman. Or wingwoman, I don't know if it's a real term or not, honestly." I said.
Athena slowly turned her head towards me until both our faces were a few inches away from each other. Her eyes were wide with fascination and her lips had on this new lip gloss she said she was trying these days. Her eyelashes danced with every gust of wind blowing into our room through the open window right around my bed.
"I told him to get lost. Seriously, he would take cottagecore Maya to a gamer's arcade? He's got to be kidding me." she said with a laugh. I smiled as well and shook my head.
"I knew you'd say that. Poor Fitz though." I said, remembering how frazzled he was over this thing with Maya.
"He's gonna do fine. I told him to do whatever he thinks is right for both him and Maya. Take her someplace with plants." she said with a shrug as she let her tiny hands reach for my hair and she started spinning a finger into them.
"He might as well take her to the fake plant section of IKEA."
"He wouldn't dare." Athena said seriously before she let out a laugh and hugged me tighter.
"God, I missed these talks. Wait, are you busy today? We could hit the library and study like we did before or go to the common room. They have tables there." Athena said as she looked straight into my eyes with such eagerness I could only see in a small child.
I let out a sigh and shook my head.
"I think I'll skip the requirements and tasks this time. We could spend some time together. It's been quite some time since we last hung out."
"We're getting a little Peter Parker in here, aren't we? Nerdy hot and weirdly rebellious? I'm so in. What do you have in mind?" she asked expectantly.
"How about you do the planning for the rest of the day and I won't be against a single thing you say." I suggested.
Amused, Athena chuckled and grinned widely at me.
"I like the sound of that. So like, no Fitz or Maya?"
I nodded. The two could bond over some things to smoothen out whatever relationship they had during high school. Fitz could use some practice talking to other people too.
"They could figure something out. I told Maya the four of us could have dinner together later and I think Fitz could use the time to talk to her. His conversation skills are as terrible as mine."Â I said.
"It's weird when you acknowledge how bad you two are at talking to other people. They're just people." Athena said with a shrug.
"But they're judgy people."
"Fine. How about we get out of campus and go for a walk around nearby places we find interesting? More like window shopping without the malls." she piped in enthusiastically. Athena looked so hyped and I couldn't say no to a face such as hers. She's adorable.
"That sounds amazing. I love how spontaneous you are." I admitted.
Athena smiled as she leaned in for a quick peck on my cheek before she stood up from my bed and held my hand.
"And I love the guy who loves my spontaneity. Come on Parker, let's leave this place and ditch our friends. We've got a lot of area to cover."
"Whatever you say, love."
-----
Hey! How's everyone doing this Spooktober? To be honest, 2020 has done a lot of damage to us and it's pretty much like a long slumber from around March up to now.
School's getting pretty hectic these days and I apologize for the shitty content. I admit they were not that great and were also not hitting the right feels I wanted to portray. I promise I'll make up for this in the upcoming chapters. Something's sure to happen y'all:)
Stay safe! Love u!
Lovelots,
Beað