The Wind of My Life

1:20 PM

*balls being hit

- (Belchior holding a baseball bat) Hahahaha~~ You'll never get over me, you mortals!

- (Elijah taking a deep breath) Come on, Bel! Give us a discount and let us get one, at least!

- (Belchior) No way! You must learn to try harder if you want to be the best!

- (Elijah screaming) I don't care! I just wanted a friendly match, not a one-sided massacre!

- (Mary slightly furious) Get up, Elijah! Let's get this over with!

- (Elijah) Mary?

- (Mary) Let's defeat this damn king and take his place!

- (Elijah) Mary… Okay, let's go!

*looking with disapproval

After we hitched a ride in Belchior's van, we ended up coming to an arcade slightly away from the university that Mary ended up discovering when she took a walk around town. It's a very busy place even for the time, full of children, teenagers and adults like us, and it's a well-structured place, with arcade machines or similar things on the first floor, a great place for e-sports training on the second floor, a large cafeteria on the third floor, and the roof where we are now has a large physical sports area, such as a futsal court, a mini basketball court, and a baseball practice facility. Once we arrived, Mary ended up pulling Elijah and Belchior into Belchior's 3 win streak massacre at this baseball spot, while Nathaly and I are sitting at a table near some windows that show a good view of the city, taking in a little water because of the strange heat it's doing here.

- If I had known Mary would have brought us here, I would have taken a lighter shirt.

- (Nathaly sipping a glass of water) Well, you know what a discount is going to be nice if you buy a set of clothes, right?

- (looking at Nathaly) Really, Nathaly? Now do you say that???

- I'm not serious. There would be no discount, even if you tried to convince me.

- I feel that money is corrupting you little by little. I feel it down my spine.

- Don't talk like I'm obligated or like I've given myself over to the business world. The competition is complicated and I need to impose myself in a way.

- Not giving a discount?

- Resistance is relative, Raphaella.

- You huh…

As much as it may not seem, Nathaly is the most serious among us. Of course she's not serious all the time and these ironies and mockery she makes is just her way of having a little fun when she needs to stop focusing for a moment on the university and her shop. She's almost an inspiration to me in this regard, but I forget that even though she's a mature and responsible woman, she tends to have one of those young people's illusions, even more so when...

*seeing Nathaly looking and smiling at Belchior

- If you want to go there and cheer for Bel, no problem, okay?

- (Nathaly trying to hide her shame) W-What? No! D-Where did you get that one?

- (grinning) I don't know~~ Maybe the fact that you're looking at him almost all the time, don't you think?

- (Nathaly looking surreptitiously at Melchyor) I'm not looking at him all the time!

- No?

I just started to make an expression of doubt and Nathaly seemed to be slightly annoyed by my look. And after a few seconds, she just sighed...

- Fine. Let's say I'm looking at him. Why does this interest you?

- Honestly, I don't care... It's just that since we left your store, you two looked... how can I put it... Looking like two kids who got up to something and don't want anyone to know, but can't hide it all over your face?

- Why am I thinking you went through this?

- What I mean is that if your intention is to hide something that may have been going on between you, you and he should disguise yourself more.

When I said that, it seemed to me like Nathaly got a little lighter. Thanks to my body studies for the acting I do, I had noticed that Nathaly was tense and stiff since I started looking at that girly way of hers. If that's the case, I think eventually she'll say it. And it would be a lie if I wasn't interested in my friends' love lives, especially when they know about me, the rich girl who wants to pretend to be someone normal.

- (Nathaly looking at her juice) Can I ask your opinion?

- (smiling slightly) Feel free to ask~~

Even though it was only 5 minutes of Nathaly saying what I already knew what it was, it felt like it lasted 30 minutes. As I suspected, Nathaly and Belchior ended up getting together this past weekend and I was happy to hear that, because even with the jokes about the fact that Nathaly is a woman who doesn't seem to have any romantic relationship with someone for an eternity and Belchior being a stud because he's from the college football club, they're a far distance from that. And knowing that they both had something kind of makes me happy for the happiness they both needed after a messy year they both had.

Her concern was whether it would be valid for her and him to have something, even if it was just one night. In my opinion...

- Come on… Why did you mess up so much?

- Wait. What?

- Like, it was already in his face that he wanted you, so I think if you don't want to have another love illusion like you had with that manager, it would be a good bet on something closer to you.

- Why does it look like you're making fun of me?

- (Pointing to Belchior) I swear I'm not kidding. I would say I would be putting you in reality, but seriously… Wouldn't a dream like that in his life be better?

- (Nathaly slightly embarrassed) Eh… Minus Raphaella. A-So, it is far from being a dream...

- I know. But it's a reality you like, so why not have that reality with you?

After I said that, I smiled. I wasn't acting, let alone pushing. And I didn't even need that to notice a smile sprouting on Nathaly's face. It's even ironic for me to say such a thing after… having a disagreement with David.

- (Nathaly smiling) Got it… Thanks, Ella~~

- You will also start calling me that, right?

- Well, I never said why it bothered you, but I never saw you complain about it to us.

- Well, I can't be rude when you're saying something as a joke or an approximation, you know?.

- Ah understood…

- But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop it, okay? I don't know… I still haven't gotten used to it.

- Ah yes. Well, if you want, I'll just call you by your name. I don't want to make you uncomfortable with something simple.

- Quiet~~

Nathaly and I stayed talking for a few more minutes, with her saying how the night was with Belchior and I wanting to know more details. So this is how Mary is when she has her gossip with me? If it's like that, I'd rather avoid it, but it feels so good~~

After these minutes, we ended up seeing Belchior, Elijah and Mary coming together to our table, with the dynamic duo looking defeated and Belchior showing a full victorious smile.

- (Elijah pointing to Bechior) Seriously… I'll never play with you again!

- (Belchior laughing) Huh? It was you who insisted on it. I knew I was going to lose and still I was.

- (Elijah) Don't you understand that intent is what counts?

- (Mary looking tired) Give it up, Elijah. We've already lost.

- (Elijah) Are you giving up, Mary?

- (Mary) I give up on the 3rd straight loss.

As they got closer, I ended up taking Elijah and Mary's chairs to my side, while I pushed Belchior's chair with my foot to Nathaly's side. When she noticed, Nathaly tried to push the chair back, but as they were already close, she disguised and left the chair beside her, showing an expression of shame and anger at me. And then everyone ended up sitting in her seats, with Belchior looking at Nathaly with a smile and she trying to keep her neutral expression to no avail.

- So… Are you tired yet?

- (Mary) Not yet. Pass the juice over there.

- (passing a juice on the table to Mary) You should contain your spirits more.

- (Mary) Oh Ho! We should enjoy life more until the last possible second.

- (Nathaly) Yesterday, that's not what you were saying.

- (Mary) But yesterday was a day like any other. We have a f…

- (Belchior) Are you going to start with your motivational speeches to make us follow you in your endeavors?

- (Mary) No need to say as if I was just a goldfish wanting to satiate my dreams and desires at your expense.

- (Me and Elijah) But you already do it!

As much as it's true or not, it's Mary's motivational speeches that make us do her stuff. Most of the time, it's for our good, even if we don't realize it at first, and sometimes, it's to screw with us and make fun of us. I have the impression that she chose this place precisely because it is one of the few places where we can be more relaxed, without bothering to maintain an image of studious university students, which is strange because I don't think anyone would care to see a group of friends laughing and talking nonsense around... Wait...

- Oh no…

- (Elijah) What is it, Raphaella?

- I forgot I had to send my work to the art history teacher.

- (Nathaly) Really?

- Yes. I did an assignment with the girls and I said I would send the assignment to the teacher's email.

- (Mary) Well, on the second floor, you can use the computers of the guys who practice e-sports.

- Would they let me use it?

- (Mary) Today there are not many people, only when there is a championship or a meeting of friends on weekends. Of course you'll have to pay to fix a few hours, but it should be cheap.

- Well, mind if I do this now? I promise I will be quick.

- (Elijah) Calm down. We wait, don't we?

After saying that, everyone there agreed. And to speed up, I just said that I would be back and I walked fast to go there...

*sighing heavily

I was already forgetting that I was going to make the map for later for Jack and Ellyn when we went to the cafeteriaI said we were going to. I didn't want to cut this good mood with my friends, but the less stuff I have on my mind, the better. I don't know why I'm looking forward to it, as the chances of it being nothing are high. But just in case, I think it's best to be on the safe side.

I arrive on the second floor and see a room with dark windows with a sign over a dark glass door that says "Eagle's House." If I'm not mistaken, Mary told me she has a very good e-sports team that comes here to train and the owner of this arcade was smart to use it as advertising.

I walk in and see a large room with lots of computers and few people using it. The climate is quite cold due to the air conditioning throughout the room. I turn to the right and talk to a guy who seems to be taking care of this place and after doing all the procedure to use one of the computers and pay, I end up going to use one that is right against the wall.

A few minutes pass and I end up making the map pretty quickly. Since I know many accesses to Madison's main streets, I realize that this cafeteria isn't even that far from a street that connects directly to the university, so I can go there and not get lost. I end up downloading this map of mine and saving it to my cell phone, so I print it out when I get home.

I turned off my computer login, thanked the guy and left the room. And the moment I take the first step and look up the stairs leading to the floors, I'm stagnant looking at the person I wanted to have a serious conversation with.

- Hi Raphaella.

- Hi David.

…

After a few minutes, David and I ended up sitting by a window on the 2nd floor, looking out instead of facing each other directly. If someone from the outside looked at us now, they would notice the discomfort that is being generated between us. For me, it's more because we found it right here, which makes me believe he knew I was coming here or was it too much of a coincidence that it happened, but he's quiet is something that's making me curious.

*sighing

- So… How did you know where I was?

- A friend of mine told me you were here.

- It was Elijah, wasn't it?

- No, a friend of mine works in the arcade downstairs and saw you and Mary and your group walk in here.

- I see...

*silence

- So… Why did you come here?

Even though I really want to talk to him, I can't bring myself to say something unless he's willing to listen to everything. Or is it my pride talking louder than usual now, waiting to see him apologize to me or beg us to get back to normal conversation.

- I know you don't want to know what happened and I didn't get a chance to explain myself to you while you were angry. And honestly, I didn't even know if I would get a chance to talk to you without Mary or Nathaly interfering, saying you shouldn't listen to me.

- Hmm… You wouldn't stand a chance even if I was up there with them.

- I know, that's why I wish I could talk to you away from them. Be something just between the two of us to make it clear.

His thick voice always makes me pay attention to the words he chooses. And I wouldn't even have to strain to notice that his voice isn't changing, which makes me understand he's serious about wanting to talk to me.

- (sighing) Okay… Go ahead.

*silence

- Well, about me not spending the day with you was because Fred had been organizing a frat party for about 2 weeks but he hadn't told me when it would be so I was surprised and worried when he told me it would be that night. morning. And I didn't want to make you apprehensive or worry about the chance of something happening to make you feel bad, so I hadn't said anything.

I just sighed deeply enough for him to notice the noise and continue…

- And when the party happened, I decided to drink a little, but little by little, I was already drunk and didn't even know if I was helping or enjoying the party. And that's when… That happened to Anne. I wasn't aware when I was doing that, so when they told me what I had done, I wanted to find you right away and tell you what had happened before you knew it from someone else, but you already knew from the photos.

When he said that, I was quite annoyed, but it hit a kind of relief when he said it. I could tell he was being sincere and showing no sign of weakness. Even so, it's hard to just listen and try to think that just because it happened 1 week ago I should just forget about it and go on with life as if nothing significant had happened.

- Only that?

- Yes, I wanted to explain what happened, but you got really angry and didn't let me say anything that day,

- Rightly so, don't you think?

- Yeah… And as much as you don't want to say it, I know you're angry, hurt and want to hurt me badly for what I've done.

- Glad you know me well enough to realize this...

By saying this, I was restraining myself from showing my sadness at that moment. All this time, I was holding back and acting differently from my normal self so I wouldn't have to remember what happened. And even so, I felt like I should forget about everything and try to get back to being happy the way I was before, but doing it now wouldn't be right for me and I would keep that in my head for much longer...

"When the time comes to confront him, you'd better understand that it's up to you to decide what becomes of you. So no need to pretend you're going to get over it so simply. Just be honest with your heart…"

*silence

- Look, if you don't want to believe me, that's fine. I guess it was unnecessary for me to come here and mess up your afternoon with your friends, but I couldn't stand to see you walking around university, pretending it was okay with everyone else when I know what's on your mind. And to be honest, I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the guilt I was feeling for doing this to you, so I'm being so convenient that you're going to hate me a little more for it...

- (looking at David) Have you stopped giving your sorry love speech?

- (David chuckling slightly nervously) At least you've noticed that I'm sorry...

*silence

- So your getting drunk was the reason you hooked up with Anne?

-bIt was… I would never have anything with the girls who hang out there with the fraternity people. Besides, I told you that…

- No. Don't remind me of that if I'm not going to lose my logic.

-nT-Okay…

After a few seconds, thinking about what I was going to say, I started to look more serious at David.

- I will try to be as direct as possible and hope you understand.

- Fine.

- I like you from the bottom of my heart. And your having done that made me extremely hurt. So know that I'm not just going to let things get back to normal all of a sudden. Of course your clarification made me sure you wouldn't do something like that if you weren't aware of yourself, but even so, it doesn't change the fact that you made me sad. So, I just ask you to… Don't rush things for now.

When I said this, he was looking at me in surprise.

- I know you're not like them and that relieves me a little. But seriously, you flinched.

- I know that…

- So if you ever want to approach me again, just prove to me with your actions going forward that you still have your respect for me.

- So, it means that…

- (smiling slightly) I would hate to look at you walking around univeristy with your head down~~

- (David trying to get closer) Raphaella, I…

- (Pusing David away with his hands) H-Hey! I told you not to rush.

- Oh sorry. Is that…

- Look, I'm not going to stop you from talking and meeting somentimes and then at university, but for now, let's start things restart between us, okay? Besides, Mary said she'll give you a flying kick if she sees you around me for now, so I think you'd better be careful.

- Okay, Raphaella. Thank you for listening to me.

I just gave David an innocent smile. If I had been in the middle of my frenzy of anger, I wouldn't have forgiven him at all. And even though I said it might sound like forgiveness, it's not my way of forgetting what happened. I just want to give it a chance to believe that David really is still the same guy I knew when we were teenagers. A respectful guy, who cared about people's feelings, including mine. Yeah, it wasn't kidding when Jack and Ellyn said I was a hurricane of bad luck when it came to romantic relationships…

…

After a few seconds, David ended up walking away. As he needed to study for some exams in the administration course he is taking at the university, he immediately made a point of meeting me here and clarifying things so as not to get too thoughtful about many things at the same time. Before he left, he thanked me one more time and I ended up seeing him leave the arcade building.

*silence

Did I do it right?

After a few minutes of sitting and thinking about it, I ended up getting up and going upstairs to meet the people there on the roof. When I appeared on the stairs, I could see Mary and Elijah talking something, while I noticed Belchior looking in a very romantic way at Nathaly who was slightly red, and in my view, he ended up giving a fright and pointing to me. Looks like I saved her from Melchyor's onslaught and I'll regret stopping it.

We stayed a few more minutes there on the roof, talking about some college stuff, took some time and went to the arcades on the 1st floor and I learned to use those toy guns that hit the evil characters in the video game there, with the Elijah's help. Well, I can't say it was a pleasant afternoon for many reasons… For my friends being close to me when I need to and for having taken, even if not long, a step towards understanding my love issues. It's something so dumb for me that I keep pretending I'm a normal college student, but I don't know… It's these dumb problems that I would have wanted if I wasn't rich… Yeah, I'm complaining with a full stomach…

After a while, I realized it was 3:10 pm. Since I didn't want to look suspicious, I ended up telling Mary that I was tired and that I was going home so I could go to Kennedy's later to meet her and have a drink to relax my head. When I told her this, she warned everyone and everyone understood. Elijah even considered coming with me, but I think it would be better if he didn't ruin this tour with his friends, as much as his intentions were different, in my opinion. With that, I ended up ordering an Uber and ended up going home.

As it was a little far from home, it took about 10 minutes until I reached the street in front of my house. And getting out of the car, I felt a great relief to be close to home. But after I took a step, I noticed something strange. I felt a weight on my back, as if it were a strange tiredness, but it wasn't like the tired feeling that Jack's contract seal would bring. Maybe it's just normal fatigue, but just in case, I ended up going home.

I just hope that nothing unusual happens going forward…