Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mae ate her lunch alone on the stair case. Everyone ate lunch in the cafeteria. Everyone who had friends. She bit into her sandwich, eyes rather deflated and a face placid of emotion. It was nice and quiet except the low murmur rising from the cafeteria. Nonetheless, Mae found it all a bit peaceful. Today, she’d have to stop by the pet store. Marshmallow, her pet cat, had a birthday tomorrow. Mae thought it’d be nice to get her pet something nice. Maybe one of those feather things.
Eyes stared at nothing in particular. She spaced out in her thoughts, somewhat having a conversation with herself. Her dark eyes was an easy read to show she was thinking.

‘Sorry.’
Mae held the cell phone up and shoved it in Adrian’s face. She held an uncaring look about her with a slight blush as she held her cell phone. Previously, she ended up getting kicked in the head by some girls. Unpleasant as it was, Mae knew that she could not ever stop these stupid girls from harassing her. So, she decided to apologize to Adrian for her mistake. Of course, it took a lot of thinking and mental preparation but Mae finally managed to think of a way of apologizing without speaking to such an irritable guy.
She ended up making a draft on her phone for a text message and ended up finding Adrian all too fast. He would read it and accept it and then she’d be on her way. That was all. Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask her for anything or talk to her. That inhuman womanizer speaking to her was a distasteful idea. The screen lit up and showed her message to him without even opening her mouth.

Mae watched tenderly, listening to his outburst. Her face was unchanging. How he felt, well, Mae didn’t mind listening. Once he was done, she pursed her lips and looked at him, dark eyes scanning his light, perfect face.

“I understand.”

Two words. She lowered her eyes, though it wasn’t because she was submissive, it was to show empathy.

“It isn’t because people hate me. Many people here don’t exactly know me from the past. My mother and I…we moved a lot. People just think what they want and I let them. It’s too much of a hassle to stand up for myself. Though I’m pretty sure I am like any girl here, people avoid me still. Yet, I've heard you've kissed every girl in school besides me. Seems like you're avoiding me too. But I'm fine with that.”

She paused.

“And yet... I don’t hate you. Telling me all this shows to me you’re not as inhuman as I thought. Surely I thought you were some kind of demon preying on these high school girls for pleasure but I see now that you’re different.” She took a step back, making sure not to fall on the lower steps.
“You have no need to talk to me nor me to you. I think we got this settled. I’m not sorry and you can go about your way to change this school into a nice, happy, smiling world for yourself.”
Clearly, her annoyed tone got to him. She began to descend down the stairs.

It was after school by the time Mae reached her locker. A piece of paper slipped to the floor. She didn’t notice until she stepped on it before picking it up. Ah, a letter? Oh, from that person… Her eyes grew cold. She crumpled it up before stuffing it in her bag. (Notice how she didn’t throw it away.) She paused though. It wasn’t like she hated Adrian. No, why would he be concerned for her? She looked back and shook her head. Don’t be silly Mae. She bit her lip before running back to her classroom. She took a piece of paper. No. No. No. However, her pen was already on the paper and she couldn’t help herself but write. Ashamed of herself by slipping it into Adrian’s locker, she went straight to the bakery. How could she lose herself?

‘Ah, don’t do that anymore. You think you’re so clever writing to me. Well don’t. I don’t need help. Especially yours.
But, I will tell you only this and no more. People think what they want to think. Why should I stop them? Getting picked on isn’t a big deal. More importantly, your fans are psychos. No need to worry. It isn’t your problem.
However, you seem like you have a lot of trouble on your hands there. A lot of anger. Why keep it so hard on yourself? Ugh…’ And this is where Mae actually paused, ‘If you need to talk about it, here’s my number.’

Her handwriting was very neat and tidy even though she was in a hurry to write it. Hopefully it’d be her last letter to that guy. “Ah, sorry,” she murmured to her customer. She recognized him from the day before as a regular, again in a business suit. She fixed his order.

Mae had just exited the pet store, a bit mused in having found something for her little Marshmallow. The feathered toy jingled as she held it. A meow from her bag, her ringtone , rang. She sifted through her bag slowly. She hadn’t recognized the number at all. Mae didn't know who it was, having forgotten about her little letter exchange. Only two numbers existed on her phone! Nonetheless, she flipped it open and answered. A guy’s voice.

“If this wasn’t, then whose phone do you think this is?” She muttered plainly. She began walking home, taking the shortest route home. Though the pet store was farther than the bakery, she found it absolutely necessary to get something for her cat ( I mean, if she doesn’t have friends, who’s birthday do you think she’s going to celebrate? ). “Who is this? A pervert?”
Unaware to her, the shadows around her helped cloak the man easily. His eyes were on her, desperately waiting to find his chance.

Mae paused, eyes calculating. She stopped under a street light. She had totally forgotten about the letter. How embarrassing. She blushed lightly, glad Adrian wasn’t there to see her face.
“Oh, no it isn’t. Do you want to talk about your feelings?”
Her tone was sort of teasing, though she understood. She felt that she could reach out to Adrian. After his outburst, she could feel she could correlate with him. She had gone through those feelings ever since she went to school. Hearing Adrian speak about them sort of made Mae feel like she had a connection to him. Her blush darkened. Why would it make her feel better that she might have such a relationship with him. She began to walk again.

It was then she noticed the footsteps behind her. They matched her own, except they were much heavier. She took a calm breath. It was dark already, the only light given off from the street lights. No one was out tonight and it was getting chilly. Mae glanced behind her shoulder slightly, finally catching her follower. She turned her head quickly forward. It was the regular with the suit! Her heartbeat quickened, though her breath remained calm. Her pace hastened, though her follower soon picked up his step to match hers.

“Oh, don’t worry. Just suck it up like a man. Besides, girls like you because of your nice personality. That’s something you should be proud of,” Mae said though she instantly wanted to take back her words.
What was she, Adrian’s personal motivator? Besides, what did he mean by being alone like her? It sort of hit her deep. No one in their right mind wanted to be Mae. She exhaled.
“Besides, I’m alone because I want to. For my own personal issues. Being popular should be a good thing.”
Eventually Mae had to stop herself from talking. Why was she opening herself? Surely Adrian would betray her later. She pursed her lips. Yes, they always did.
It was then that she reminded herself she was being followed. She held her phone tightly, holding the bag from the pet store in her other hand. Her school bag continuously bumped into her side.

Mae eventually found herself in a convenience store. She gave out a breath of relief. The stalker remained outside, watching her through the window. Mae grew nervous and pretended to look at something.
“C..can…Can you meet me at the convenience store on the corner of Apple street and Main street?” She asked. It was sudden, yes, but Mae was scared. The regular, who came to the bakery so often…And here he was, waiting for her. If she left the store, he’d surely try to jump her. The only thing she could do was to ask Adrian.

Mae hung up slowly, stuffing the phone in her bag. She paced herself, just looking at a shelf of things while giving corner glances to the window, where she saw the suited man standing in the shadows. To think he was following her. She turned her back on him and went to the back of the store. What was she thinking? She bitterly cursed herself. It was then Adrian met her. Her eyes, though dark, showed a sort of softness, almost vulnerability. She looked to the window again before back to Adrian's own bright eyes.
“I don’t want to cause a big commotion, Adrian. Besides, even if you get me home, I’m sure he’s going to do this again. See this guy, but don’t look now, has been following me. See… He’s a regular at the bakery.”
She looked away from his face and then to the shelf, as if preoccupied. How embarrassing to ask Adrian for help. However, she was sure he’d help. He was the only one that could, though. Her mother was out partying and the bakery was closed. She had no one. No one except Adrian.

With a pause and a calculated voice, though quiet, she spoke. “Thank you for coming,” she muttered under her breath. She blushed when he said it, sure he had heard it, but was uncomfortable in saying just those two words. After another long pause, she cleared her throat.
“But I have an idea that’d drive him away for good, if you’re willing to, she offered in a low voice.