Author's note: getting interesting, huh? Anyway, here's the third chapter, hope you like it :)
chapter 3: no idea
I arrive home and drop my backpack in its usual spot next to the door. I was thinking about what the note could have said the whole bus ride home. It was still clutched in my sweaty hand, right where Jayden had left it. I take a deep breath and unfold the blue sticky note slowly.
Wanna hang out after school? If so, I'll be at Washington park.
Wow. He made that big a deal out of hanging out after school. I guess he just doesn't know much on how to act socially. Anyway, since we didn't have any homework because it was the first day of school, I decide to go to the park and be social outside of school for once. The park was a couple blocks away from my house, so I just walk there.
Sure enough, Jayden is there as promised, sitting on the first bench I come across. He has his hands on the back of his head and appears to be sleeping. He looks so peaceful; almost like a kitten. I almost wish it could be like this forever as I stand there in silence. But like all such moments, they couldn't.
"You awake?" I ask. He slowly stirs and gets up from the bench, stretching in place for a couple seconds.
"I thought you'd never come." He turns his head toward me and smiles. Dammit, why is that smile so freaking attractive? It's like he does it with no effort.
"So what do you want to do now?" I inquire nervously.
"Take a walk, I guess?"
"Sure."
We casually stroll around the park for a while.
When we get close to a road, I see a dead squirrel in a bloody, massacred mess on the asphalt pavement. It breaks my heart seeing dead animals like that, or anything dead really. Without knowing I take on the sudden, grim expression that I always unconsciously have when I pass by something like that. In my head, I start praying for the dead animal that its poor soul will rest happily in Gaia's arms in the afterlife.
"What's wrong?" Jayden disturbs my thoughts by saying. He looks concerned.
"Nothing!" I try to cover up my previous emotions.
"It's okay, you can tell me anything. Friends are supposed to confide things to each other, aren't they?" He innocently states.
I sigh. Well, he's right after all. Jayden's never had a friend before, so he may think friends are always supposed to be secretive toward each other if I tell him otherwise.
"Fine, I'll tell you." I say. How in the world does he convince me to admit these things so easily? "I was kind of sad when we passed by the dead squirrel."
"But why would you be sad about something that you can't do anything about?" He asks as if I'm talking nonsense. At this point, we both stop and look at each other.
"Because I know that I can't do anything about it!" I pipe up. "Healing magic can only go so far, and there's been no successful way to bring back the dead without catastrophic consequences. I wish I could've been there to save it in time!" My emotions all come out in one strong rant, and I doubt he'll understand how I feel.
"Do you feel that way toward humans too?" He inquires in a calm voice, turning and staring blankly at the gravel path ahead of us.
"Yes. Even more so." I'm now biting back so many forgotten tears and memories I had crammed down to the bottom of my mind over the years.
In one swift motion, Jayden embraces me in a one-armed, awkward hug.
"I may not understand how you feel, but I admire you for your selflessness and compassion towards others. You truly have a hero's heart. Please don't cry." His words seem truly sincere but puzzling at the same time. He lets go, and we continue our route along the beaten path.
Jayden's POV:
It's odd how some people are so readily willing to help others; no matter if it's an animal, person, or even the smallest insect. If more people were like Felicity, there would truly be peace in this world. Sadly, I truly cannot feel what she was feeling. Oh well, it would only lead to pain anyway. Either way, she's so interesting to be around. I've never met someone so kind and accepting of me. Not only that, the numb, cold, and empty feeling that follows me everywhere is gone when I'm with Felicity. Maybe I can feel the emotion I lack through her. It's strange, though. She's the first person in years I had a problem with seeing at the brink of tears.
Author's note: and that concludes this chapter! What things could Felicity have been fighting to not remember, I wonder? I looked on my page and found that I've gotten 6 views already in the first two days this fanfic has been up, so I'm really happy! Thank you guys so much for your support and I'll try to update as frequently as possible so please stick with me. (cyberhugs to whoever's reading this) I've also really come to enjoy writing this story, so I'll have an extra motive to crank out a bunch of new chapters! Until next time, see ya!
