Chapter 262: Shielding
Zoe, as usual, was all teary-eyed. She wasn't there to own up to her mistakes, more like she was there to spill her heart out to the guy she loved.
But Daniel, after all the crap he's been through, must've seen it all by now. He'd given up on Zoe ages ago, which was why he was so chill.
Who would've thought that the once icy Zoe would end up so messed up for loving the wrong dude?
I had zilch to say to them. So, after a quick sorry, I turned around and walked off, ignoring their stares.
Lately, I've been doing pretty good, almost forgetting Daniel and Zoe even existed.
It sucked running into the two people I disliked the most during my break. I couldn't help but kick myself for coming here to people-watch. Wouldn't it have been better to find a spot to nap? Losing interest in wandering around, I decided to head back to Crystal House to keep painting.
Around three, Brad told me he had stuff to handle and wouldn't be back tonight. He told me to head home early and stay safe.
Yancy called after finishing his schoolwork. He said Mia mentioned something she wanted to eat in the morning, so he needed to hit the supermarket and asked if I wanted to go back with him.
I checked my phone; it was almost six. Heading back sounded good.
Plus, Mia was home alone, still recovering. I didn't know how to take care of her, and I'd been at Crystal House every day to meet deadlines, leaving her with too little company. I should go back and hang out with her.
I planned to paint until eight, but running into Daniel at noon threw me off. He seemed like his old, indifferent self. But given all the crap he'd pulled, I couldn't help but feel on edge whenever I saw him.
As I walked, I thought about practicing some self-defense with Mia once she got better, just in case we needed to bail if things got sketchy.
Little did I know, that random thought would later save my butt.
There's nothing more annoying than having your worst fears come true.
I was just trying to get home, but I ran into Daniel again in the campus crowd.
Seriously, the campus was huge, yet I still bumped into Daniel twice in one day.
Could there be anything rarer than this coincidence?
Daniel had apologized to me before, and I said I'd forgive him. But that didn't mean I wanted him back in my life.
Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting or accepting. It just means letting go of grudges and wishing each other well.
Daniel stood silently across from me, just two steps away, but it felt like a massive gap between us.
He looked at me with something in his eyes I couldn't figure out, making his thoughts even more of a mystery.
After all that went down, Daniel's thoughts were like a locked vault.
When he saw me, he raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Got a minute?"
Was this an interrogation or what?
I mean, running into his ex who betrayed him, with me there to witness his lowest point, anyone would feel awkward.
Might as well own up to it. After all, I did catch them red-handed.
"Sorry, what happened at noon was a misunderstanding. I didn't know I'd run into you there. If I had, I wouldn't have gone. I promise, I'll steer clear of any place you two might be in the future. Besides that, I don't think there's any need for a private chat."
Honestly, I was kinda pissed, or more like disappointed in him.
After his last apology, I really did forgive him and decided to treat him like any other person.
Helen always taught me that everyone makes mistakes, and as long as they're not unforgivable, they can be forgiven. That day, I chose to forgive him.
But what I couldn't wrap my head around was him getting back with Zoe. I didn't know why they were together, who set it up, or what they were planning.
My promised forgiveness now had a hint of disgust.
I thought my harsh words would make him, with his pride, turn and leave without another word.
But nope. Instead, he acted like he didn't hear me or see my annoyed face. He asked in a flat tone, "Where's Brad?"
I was floored.
He waited for me just to know where Brad was?
Brad was his brother. Couldn't he just call him directly? Why go through me?
Fine, if he wanted to know, I'd tell him. "Brad went to the neighboring city for work. He should be back tomorrow."
He stared at me for a good half-minute, then sneered, "Let's hope so."
Those words seemed to hide a thousand unspoken things.
After that, he shoved his hands back in his pockets, shrugged, and walked past me, leaving.
I watched, baffled, as he strolled away, whistling some tuneless tune. His cocky attitude made me want to kick him a few times.
But considering my non-existent combat skills, I decided to let it go. If I really wanted to kick him, I'd wait until I learned some self-defense.
This only made me more determined to learn self-defense.
Over the years, my relationship with Daniel had gone from distant to tense. For two or three years, we were almost out of touch, not even as close as regular classmates. Even so, I didn't think he'd be schemingly waiting for me on campus just to ask where Brad went.
Finding Brad would be the easiest thing for him; he didn't need to ask me at all.
If he hadn't pulled so much crap before, I might've thought he was trying to tell me something indirectly related to Brad's whereabouts.
Could he be hinting that Brad wasn't actually in the neighboring city for work but had other plans?
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I brushed it off.
Brad wouldn't lie to me. Besides my parents, he loved me the most in the world. How could Brad lie to me?
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