Ever since that day, Emily and Ash would bicker at each other the moment they saw the other. LJ and Orpha would try to stop them, but the only one who could was Hazel. Whenever their bickering got too much to the point where everyone around them couldn’t take it anymore, they would send someone to get Hazel to stop them.

Soon, Emily and Hazel became a part of Ash’s friends group. Even though they would get at each other's throat when given the chance. It was lunch break, and they were all eating their lunch together out in the field sitting on the bench. LJ had a sandwich, Orpha had spaghetti, Ash had a meat pie, Hazel got salad, and Emily was just eating fruits.

They watch the people on the field playing soccer. LJ chews his sandwich with a lazy gaze, “I’m bored…”

“Who isn’t,” said Orpha.

“Should we play a game?” said Ash.

“What kind?” LJ asked.

“The soccer game looks interesting,” Emily pointed out.

They all nod except for Hazel. She just quietly eats her salad without saying a word. They decided to play soccer after they finished their lunch. Hazel told them that she was fine just watching them play. As they headed towards the field to play soccer, someone kicked the ball hard towards them. LJ catches the ball that almost smacked Ash right in the face that could cause his nose to bleed.

LJ glares at the person that kicked the ball, “What the meaning of this?”

The person who kicked the ball was Roe, he was a jock and also a bully in the school. He also has bad blood with Emily. He smirks at them, “Sorry about that, it was a slip of kick.”

LJ tosses the ball in his hand back and forth in the air, “A slip of a kick?”

Roe nods with a grin, “What else?”

“If I didn’t know any better, you were trying to cause harm on purpose,” LJ glares at him.

“Surely not,” said Roe, “Why would I try to harm any of you.”

“Who knows,” said Orpha, “Words have been going around that Emily is part of our group now. Wouldn’t that be enough to cause you to take action, Roe.”

“I’m not so petty to take it out on another person,” Roe wasn’t smiling, but his eyes said otherwise.

LJ jams the ball towards Roe. He slightly dodged to the left as the ball only merely touched his cheek but still left a light cut from the fast throw. Roe touches his cheek and glares at LJ. He shrugs at him, “Sorry, a slip of hand.”

Roe grits down his teeth and turns his sight on Emily, “Seems you found a new group to wag your tail at.”

Emily glares at him, “I sure did. They can provide so much more than you ever could.”

His vein started pumping out from his forehead, “Damn whore…”

Emily’s eyes widen at his words. She was going to swing her fist at him, but someone splash water into his face. It was Hazel. She was smiling with a menacing aura, “Mind your language with that pig breath of yours, Roe.”

Roe snarls at her but turns away with his peps. He wasn’t going to mess with them anymore than he already had. As soon as they were gone, Orpha spits at the ground, “Good riddance. What was his problem…?”

“He wanted to have a try at me,” said Emily, “So I kicked him hard to the point where he almost couldn’t have kids in the future.”

LJ, Orpha, and Ash cover their crotch as though they were the one that went through that pain. However, he got what he deserved for trying to take advantage of Emily. They tried to forget that incident and focus on playing soccer to clean their mind.

School ended without much trouble afterward. LJ and Orpha went home. So did Emily. The only ones left was Hazel and Ash. They stayed behind to finish up their club work. During class, they were both volunteered by their classmates as the class rep. Hazel and Ash didn’t know that they would see each other after school.

Since they’ve met up already, they might as well be in the same room to finish up some paperwork for the next event planning for their class. There were just silences between them. The clock ticks as time passes with them filling out the paperwork. The first one to break the silence was Ash. He had a question regarding a section they had to fill in.

“On this part, you just write this in there or you can also write this instead as well,” said Hazel as she points it out.

Ash nods and writes down what she told him. When he finished that, he asked her another question. She answered. He asked, and she answered again. He asked again, and she answered. Hazel stops moving her pencil, “Do you need something?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m pretty sure you know how to answer those questions as well as fill out the survey,” said Hazel, “You don’t need to keep asking me about those questions.”

Ash leans on his arm, “I’m trying to start a conversation with you.”

“Why?”

“I feel uneasy when things are too quiet,” said Ash.

“How do you sleep then?” Hazel said without looking up.

“I listen to music.”

“Okay…”

There were silences again. Ash taps his pencil on the desk. The sound was starting to annoy Hazel, “What now…?”

“Is it alright if I put on some music?”

“...Sure, why not,” if that makes Ash quiet then Hazel was all in.

Ash pulls out his phone and plays his songs on his playlist. As the music plays, Hazel recognizes a song in there. She stops moving her pencil and listens to the song.

“Is this song by Kodaline?” Hazel suddenly asked out of the blue.

It was unexpected to hear her talk to him first. He nods at her, “Yes. It-”

“All I want…” said Hazel with a sad gaze.

After she named the song, Hazel started to hum along with the song. Even though it was a low humming, her voice sounded very nice to the ear. Ash closes his eyes and listens to her hum the song. When it was over, he opened his eyes and wanted to clap his hand, however he was puzzled by what he saw next. Hazel was suddenly in tears and she didn’t even realize it.

Ash had no idea what came over him, but he leaned over and wiped away her tears. As his hand makes contact with her skin, Hazel flinches back and smacks his hand away. A clear silences stands between them.

“...What are you doing…?’ she asked, baffled.

“You were crying…” He answered just as baffled as she was.

“What…?” Hazel looked like she couldn’t believe what he told her.

She quickly touched her face and felt the liquid trickle down from her eyes. Hazel stares at the tears she wiped with a light small sad smile, “I see… Sorry about that…”

Ash was puzzled by her words and action. It’s not like he was expecting her to feel embarrassed or anything like that, but normally, that is what a person’s reaction would be like. But she was just very calm and dismissed her tears just like that. Ash felt that something was wrong with the way she was dealing with it.

Hazel stands up to turn in the paperwork she had finished, but Ash suddenly grabs her hand. She looks back, surprised. Ash had a feeling that this shouldn’t go on. That what she was feeling when she cried shouldn’t have been experienced that way. Maybe she read his mind, because she didn’t yank her arm back, but look at him understandably. Ash slowly lets go of her arm, “...Sorry.”

Hazel rubs her arm and proceeds to turn in the paperwork. Ash was left alone in the room, speechless. Why did she cry when she heard the music and why did she dismiss it so easily? Were the thoughts that ran in Ash’s mind as he slowly finishes up the remaining paperwork.

To Be Continue