I tried my hardest to forget about what I had seen earlier; a blur of a man.
Infringing the elementary school law of saving a spot in line for lunch, I waited for Dillon to arrive at one of the tables in the cafeteria. I looked around cautiously, searching for the slight chance to catch the blur of a man and expose him for the criminal he really was, the stalker.
The lunch room was somehow quieter, most likely due to the ‘foul’ weather. I would have been happy and content for once if I hadn’t known that there was a guy out there watching me as a bird of prey would eye a delicious mouse or mantis.
Luckily, the cautious thoughts of the depths of my mind were interrupted with a cheery and noticeably confident voice, “Hey Stormy, what’s up?” Dillon called.
I immediately looked up to see the friendly faces of my little posse of two, Dillon and Rochelle.
Rochelle sat across from me, her arms folded. Dillon had sat directly next to me.
We were the few people who skipped school lunch and ate when we got home. Proudly, I don’t eat until dinner, besides breakfast.
“So, Dillon told me that you were distracted during Calculus. He told me it was just a bird; but that’s what he thinks,” Rochelle  explained, “What was distracting you?” Her tone was curious as it was demanding.
I almost glared at Dillon, “Please tell me you saw him.” I muttered in his ear, my anger clear in my tone and eyes.
“I didn’t. Who’s he?” said Dillon.
“That guy!”
“What guy?”
“The one who was staring at—“
I immediately paused, but not out of embarrassment. For a moment I thought I saw him once more, his eyes focusing in on me, but my thoughts were cut off by Rochelle’s voice, surprisingly teasing and singsong, “Oh, so Stormy’s got a raincloud chained to her ankle,” she chuckled, looking around curiously, “Is he here now? Is he cute?”
“Oh, come on. I don’t even know the guy, why would I think he was cute?” I asked, glowering at my companion.
“I’d know that you’d have chosen right if I saw him. Where was he when you saw him?” Rochelle asked, completely ignoring my previous statement.
“I don’t know… it all happened so fast…” I replied, genuinely stumped at what to do.
Dillon laughed, “It’s like a one-night-stand.” He said quietly to Rochelle. I could hear him, and that made my anger worse.
“What’s with you two today?” I growled, getting up. I headed for the girls’ bathroom, sighing with relief when I heard the droning rhythm of the rain beating against the roof of the cafeteria.
The bathroom was unusually silent, as if there was a vent sucking away all possible sound from the window revealing the image of pouring rain. My footsteps were inaudible, and what frightened me the most was that my reflection was darker than the room itself. My eyes looked distressed.
I turned the faucet handle, the water also making no sound as it gushed out. Testing a shortly-made theory, I cupped my hands underneath the ongoing stream of cold water. Splashing my face with a considerably large amount of it, I suddenly let out a breath I was previously holding when a crack of thunder echoed through the bathroom.
Startled, I looked up at the mirror when I felt something brush against my shoulder.
My heart suddenly started to race and seemingly inhuman speeds. Right behind me stood the pale-skinned, dark eyed ‘raincloud’ Rochelle and I were talking about earlier.
Taking erratic inhalations that were now audible, I quickly turned to face the dark-eyed stalker.
As quickly as he had come, he was gone. Astonished, I glanced at every corner of the bathroom before looking back at my now-normal reflection.
“I must be crazy.” I grumbled, and jumped slightly in surprise at the door opening.
“Yeah, you are. You didn’t have to overreact like that. Dillon and I were just joking,” Rochelle explained with genuine worry in her voice, “You know I’d watch out for you. We can’t really say the same about Mr. One-Night-Stand, though.”
I faked a chuckle, “That Dillon is a knuckle-head,” I said, a teasing grin on my lips, “But you’re a nutcase for eavesdropping on me.”
We both shared an actually genuine laugh.
“You know these walls aren’t soundproof.” Rochelle replied while heading to the door.
“Meet you out there.” She called as she walked back out into the cafeteria hustle and bustle.