5 days ago

[Spica]: Hi :)

4 days ago

[Spica]: Hi :) Are you busy?

3 days ago

[Spica]: Sorry that I keep messaging you. Just wanted to check if you’re alright. No worries if you’re busy.

[Spica]: Let me know when you want to play. Or talk. Or something.

Quinn felt like the worst person in the world. He had disappeared from Argent Night because he couldn’t talk with Spica knowing she was Stella. He had thought everything would be fine after they talked at school, but when she messaged him in the evening, panic overtook Quinn and he immediately logged out. He didn’t have the courage to go back after so much time had passed. He had only logged in on his phone during school to gather his daily rewards because he knew Stella wouldn’t be online (and he couldn’t bear to break his daily log-in streak).

Jamie had already lectured Quinn and asked why it was bad to know Spica’s identity. Quinn couldn’t say. He didn’t know why this was so hard. Every time he saw Stella, his heart started to beat faster, and his palms got sweaty. His thoughts jumbled. It wouldn’t have surprised Quinn if no eligible words came out of his mouth if he tried to talk to her. It was unbearable, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Quinn logged out of Argent Night before Stella would come online and see him. He collapsed on his bed with a heavy sigh.

“Winnie, can you tell me what to do?” he asked from his ferret.

Winnie stared at him and peed in the litterbox.

*

“Earth to Stella! Earth to Stella! Are you listening?”

Coach Woodward's annoyed shouts fell on deaf ears. Stella stood in the middle of the tennis court with a racket in hand. She hadn’t hit a single ball the ball machine had shot her way. She had been thinking about GeminiWarrior, once again. Stella ran their conversations in her head, trying to remember if she had said something wrong or if she had hurt him in some way. Gemini didn’t reply to her messages, but his profile page said he logged in daily (yes, she checked). He was avoiding her.

A tennis ball flew across the room and hit Stella in the arm. She yelped in surprise.

“Oh, so the girl is alive. I was starting to think I got a zombie with me today.”

“Sorry. I was thinking about a friend of mine,” Stella said and rubbed her arm. “I haven’t heard of him for a few days.”

“Do you suspect something would’ve happened to him?”

“Not really. It seems like he’s avoiding me.”

“Have you done something that would cause it?”

The coach turned the ball machine back on, and it spat a ball towards Stella.

“I don’t think so, but I can’t know because he doesn’t reply.”

Stella swung her racket, and hit the ball with a smack. The ball flew over the net and hit a wall.

“Maybe he’s busy.”

“Maybe. But he’s definitely read my messages,” Stella said and smacked another ball. “He logs in daily but can’t bother sending me a quick explanation. It’s annoying.”

The coach made an empathetic noise.

“If he doesn’t want to talk to me, that’s fine. But I’d appreciate some kind of info. He could lie about the reason for all I care, but I hate getting ghosted like this.”

Stella hit one ball after another while talking, and it worked well as a way to vent her frustration. She had been happy about making a new friend. At least she had thought they were friends, but apparently the feeling wasn’t mutual since she got ignored without any explanation. She shouldn’t have gotten attached.

By the end of practice, some weight had lifted from Stella’s chest. Talking to someone and hitting things had helped, even when the best advice her coach could offer was to forget GeminiWarrior. If he acted like this, he wasn’t worth thinking about. It would be easier said than done, but the idea was refreshing for Stella’s stressed brain. She didn’t want to hang onto someone who didn’t care about her. Her furrowed brow and tight expression had changed to a smile when she said goodbyes to her coach.

Unfortunately, the newly acquired good mood disappeared soon. Stella arrived at the bus stop on time, but after fifteen minutes of the supposed arrival time of the bus, it was nowhere to be seen. Another five minutes passed. Stella paced restlessly and sighed. She checked her phone for time again. Where was the bus? She would need to wait an hour for the next one or walk, and Stella didn’t want to do either of them. It was getting dark, and she would miss her second bus at this rate. Her parents were on work trips again, and she didn’t want to bother Mathilda who was already finished with work.

She was about to give up on waiting when the bus lights came into view. Stella straightened her back and picked up her bag from the ground. She stepped in the bus and gave a pointed look at the bus driver, who didn’t even apologize for being late. Stella sat down and checked the time. She would miss her second bus. Great.

The bus dropped off Stella on the main street. A few cars drove past, but otherwise it was peaceful for a Friday evening, perhaps because of the chilly weather. Stella sighed. She adjusted the strap of her sports bag, put on her airpods, and started the trek home. She walked to school sometimes, so this wasn’t hard, rather it was annoying and unnecessary. She would’ve been home already if the stupid bus wasn’t late.

Outside the park Stella walked past a person sitting on a bench. She barely noticed the figure in the shadow cast by the large trees. The man watched Stella walk past, pulled up the hood of his jacket and quietly followed after the girl.

An uncomfortable feeling creeped up Stella’s back. She glanced around and saw a person dressed in all black walking a short distance behind her. Stella jerked her head back to the right direction and quickened her steps. Her pulse fastened. She turned off the music. She had to stay calm. Maybe it was just a coincidence they walked in the same direction.

The steps behind her picked up in pace as well. Stella swallowed and walked faster, sprinting to run. Her mind was racing with scenarios from robbery and assault to murder. One hand fumbled in her bag and pockets, looking for the house keys for self defense, but she couldn’t find them. Stella glanced behind her back again and saw her follower running as well. He kept his distance still, like he was taunting, waiting. Stella’s heart hammered, and her lungs hurt when she gasped for air. Panicked tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. What would happen if she couldn’t run away? A street corner approached and Stella turned left. She ran into a person.

Stella screamed and stumbled backwards. It must’ve been a friend of the stalker. She’d be dead for sure.

“Stella?”

Panicked eyes darted at the speaker’s face, the familiar blue eyes and black hair. Relief rushed into Stella's body, and she grabbed Quinn’s arm clinging to it like a lifeline.

“Someone’s following me.”

“What? Where?”

“Around the corner. He followed me all the way from the park.”

In a bout of bravery Quinn moved himself in front of Stella and took steps towards the street corner.

“D...don’t go. He might have a weapon.”

They’d both get killed.

Quinn peeked around the corner and saw a dark figure running away in the distance.

“He ran away,” Quinn said with a reassuring smile.

Stella risked a look, and when she saw the street was empty, her whole body slacked. She turned to Quinn and hugged him, trembling. Quinn’s whole body stiffened and heat creeped up his face.

“Thank you,” Stella sobbed to his chest.

“You’re not hurt, right?”

Stella shook her head.

“I was scared.”

“You’re safe now,” Quinn said and patted Stella’s shoulders awkwardly. His face was burning.

Stella took a shaky breath and released Quinn from the hug. Her eyes were slightly red, and a hint of pink caught her cheeks when she saw Quinn’s blushed face.

“Sorry,” she muttered. She quickly wiped away the few tears on her cheeks on the sleeve of her sports jacket. Hopefully she hadn’t made Quinn uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry about it. Why are you here alone at this hour anyway?”

“I was coming from tennis. My first bus was late, so I missed my second one and had to walk.”

“Your parents couldn’t come pick you up?”

“They’re both out of town.” A beat of silence. “Why are you here?”

“I went to rent a movie. My parents wanted to watch some ‘old classic’ that’s not on streaming services, and I was sent to do the job.”

“Okay. Well, I should probably let you continue.”

Stella wrung her hands and glanced around. She didn’t want to go alone. What if the guy was still somewhere? But she had to be strong.

Stella’s wide and teary eyes made Quinn’s chest tighten.

“I could walk you home. In case the guy’s still somewhere.”

Stella’s expression brightened. She’d love it.

“I don’t want to bother you,” she said instead.

“It’s not a bother. I’d feel better knowing you got home safe.”

“Well, in that case. I’d really appreciate it.”

“Great. Do you mind if I take this movie home first?”

“Not at all.”

Quinn was already helping her so much. Of course she’d be fine with whatever detour they needed to take.