A chill rushed through the opened corridors. The winter sun emerged from behind the fluffy cumulus clouds, warming the cold, shaded school. Hannah stood at the balcony of the old brick building, looking down, watching the boys play their daily games of handball. She just stared, seeing nothing. A figure trotted up to her, and embraced her from behind, his hands around her waist, their faces close. She smiled. Her eyes lit up as she turned to face him, sliding automatically into a cuddle. Realising what I had been doing, I dragged my eyes away, embarrassed.
I avoided them for the rest of recess, afraid to look. For the rest of the day, thoughts circled my mind like a building tornado, constantly wondering what had changed her from the bubbly cheerful girl she once was to the current person who only smile when she was with him. It seemed like Joseph was the only person who could make her smile these days.
Ding, ding ,ding. Students swarmed the narrow corridors in attempt to get to class. I stood aside, patiently waiting for her to exit the hug that extended over the entire break, hoping we could walk to class together. Time passed. I couldn't wait any longer without being late for the lesson so I stormed off in anger as they lingered for a few more precious seconds. The final straw had snapped.
Lunch came and went, yet I didn't speak to her at all. Hannah, the one who always put her friends before anything else had definitely changed, morphed into someone I barely knew. A part of me willed myself to detach from the deteriorating friendship and I followed it in a rush of angry impulse. From then on, I forgot about waiting for her to walk with me and began to talk to her less and when she actually talked to me, I pushed her away with my lack of communication. Occasionally, I would hope for an argument that would eventually break them apart, despite the constant nagging of my conscience telling me that it was wrong. Pushing it to the back of my mind, I continued to keep to myself. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted her to suffer too, to feel the pain I was feeling.
