World After Worlds

Lyndon walked to the hidden base on the back of the academy that he and Tiana only knew. He was in a hurry to leave the cafeteria that he unconsciously sought for this place to escape… something he could not name that was bothering him. Tiana followed him from behind, they were not speaking or having a conversation. Comfortable tranquility was the ambiance that was surrounding them. At least that was what Lyndon would like to think. He turned around and saw what Tiana was doing and she was occupied by her thoughts, mindlessly following him.

He stared at her and felt something different, Yanarym's eyes flashed on his mind. Her eyes were asking for help, she knew that he wouldn't be able to rescue her nevertheless, she still dared to display disappointment on her visage before he could even turn around and face his back on her. Did she think that being pitiful could make him swoon? He did not care about her and never will.

Also, Tiana cannot see him associating with Yanarym or she would have suspicions. All Tiana knew was Yanarym and he would often talk but that was it. Tiana did not know that Lyndon was in a secret affair with Yanarym. Lyndon tried using Yanarym before as leverage to regain Tiana's concern for him.

"What are you thinking?" He asked Tiana to shift his mind elsewhere other than that woman.

"We should have helped Yanarym back there." Tiana said, "She could not handle Ejai's craziness." Lyndon examined Tiana's visage, it was not like he was surprised hearing this kind of statement from her. She liked helping people so much that sometimes it was irritating.

Lyndon bored his eyes and put his hands on his pockets, "Tia, don't be stupid. Stop being so nice." Tiana stepped forward on him, "I mean, she's a bad person but she…she can't handle Ejai and she did not do anything wrong—"

"Tiana." Lyndon lowered his voice, "You can't fight Ejai yourself, how are you going to help Yanarym?" She was startled by his dire but angry query. Lyndon seemed not to like the idea of helping Yanarym so much.

"I should have—" Tiana rumbled her thoughts. Yanarym was endangered, Ejai loathed Yanarym from the moment Kraig became her associate. Like Tiana, Ejai thought that Yanarym was keeping Yanarym all by herself. They became friends with the same thing in mind. By becoming friends in the title, Tiana somehow had a glimpse of Ejai's weird way of dealing with people.

Yanarym is something but Ejai is crazy. Kraig was a natural defender of the weak; if he saw that Yanarym, his current girlfriend, was being persecuted by Ejai, Kraig wouldn't stay idle. And probably that would only make him closer to Yanarym. Tiana cannot attain to see them being much closer than they were now. It was more than heartbreaking.

"Tiana, listen to me. You did well ignoring her. Remember all the things she did to you before? Fate is just giving her a lesson." Lyndon said and wanted to laugh at himself, did he just say fate? Because Yanarym talked about fate so much he was influenced by it as well.

"I don't think that's right, Lyndon." Tiana drew him back to the present, "No one was fated into bad things. And no one deserves to get hurt." Lyndon stared at Tiana. She was by nature nice to everyone, when they first had an encounter, they had a small fight because she thought he was a jerk.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A thin voice screamed from a distance. Lyndon ignored it and glared at the girl in front of him who confessed to him with shallow words. Another came rushing and pushed him away from the other girl. Lyndon grumbled in annoyance, everything was so noisy and irritating. He was fine being home-schooled. Why did his mother have to send him to the academy? "Why did you make Ellen cry?!"

Lyndon scorned her from head to toe, while she 'defended' the girl who could not accept rejection and cried so pitifully. If I were to hurt her, she would be bleeding right now.

"She cried herself," Lyndon said in a disgruntled tone and was about to ignore her when she ran in his direction and grabbed his arm.

"Say sorry to her!"

"Let go." Without much contemplation, Lyndon shoved her away and she ended up on the ground. She winced in pain and he saw her bleed. He looked at her in disgust and took his handkerchief and wiped the lingering feeling he felt from her grasp.

"APOLOGIZE TO ELLEN!" She screamed louder and it began to attract attention. Lyndon clenched his jaw. His mother told him to create friends and not trouble. He thought it was possible but the moment he stepped into this ridiculous place.

Everyone appeared to his eyes as nothing but dumfos students, pestering him like a parasite.

Lyndon looked at the girl who had her eyes covered in tears, she seemed to be hurt from the fall but did not want to show him her weak state. Lyndon's eyebrows crossed in awe. She looked very frail but she wanted to play hero for that girl? Lyndon sneered, "Why should I?"

"W-what?"

"She is the one who pestered me and I did not even hit her. She cried because she is pathetic. So, why should I be sorry?"

"You made her cry!" She stood up.

"I don't like repeating myself," he walked away, she could not follow because he strode fast enough. After that day, maybe it was a week. No one was willing to get near him for being so crude and egotistical. Girls who were fascinated by him were too frightened to get heartbroken and remained admiring him from afar.

"Hey." The girl hero from before started to follow him out of nowhere. She had an apologetic look on her face and she would often behave as if she had something important to say but cannot say it out loud. For Lyndon, she was starting to become interesting.

On the second day of the third week, "Can we become friends?"

For a second, Lyndon was confused if she was talking to him. He even looked at his shoulders if someone was there. But there were only two of them.

"Do you follow me the entire day for those three weeks to ask me a stupid question?"

"Is that a yes or a no?" Lyndon stared at her with grimacing eyes.

"I'm sorry." She uttered and bowed her head. "Ellen told me that you did not do anything to her, that she was the one who annoyed you. I judge the situation wrong and just reprimand you without hearing your side."

"Why do I have to defend myself to you?" Lyndon scoffed, "I don't care about what you think. Fuck off." He turned his back on her again and was ready to go somewhere quiet when she grabbed his wrist. Lyndon angrily shoved her away. "Don't touch me with your filthy fingers!"

"My name is Tiana!" She let him go and stepped back, "I want to be your friend! I will not stop hanging around you until you acknowledge me!"

Tiana accomplished what she aimed to do, she had him acknowledge her. More than a friend. She was righteous and charming while he was dim and ruthless. Sometimes he thought he did not deserve to be with such a good-natured girl but sometimes her beliefs and gallantness were too different from him. It was annoying. Like today, it was so troublesome.

"Why do you think that if you helped Yanarym, Kraig would finally give you a glance?" He said and saw her react violently, so, was he right? It was not speculation because she was engrossed in Kraig. But he felt offended that her righteousness was tainted by her affection for Kraig. That felt wrong.

"That's not it." She denied it as soon as she regained her senses.

Lyndon grinned as his eyes flared in fury, who is she trying to fool? Me or herself? "That is it, Tia. You want his attention and you will do everything even if it is begging to gain his false affection."

"Lyndon—" Tiana felt that the air in this place was not enough to give her comfort to breathe. Being fed by the truth was too painful to accept. Lyndon was too harsh by his statements, each word that he said was like a dull knife piercing her flesh.

"He won't look at you. You're no longer useful for him, you're disregarded. You're good deeds? Helping Yanarym? Is nothing but desperation." Tiana paused, she was offended. She wanted to refuse what was clearly showing with her actions.

"I'm not desperate!" She shook her head, her eyes becoming misty. Lyndon walked closer to her and held out her arms. If had to get hurt from realizing what was the truth he was willing to become her pain.

"You are, Tia." She frantically shook her head and violently broke free from him. Lyndon let her go. "This is not you."