Her hands twisted as she mentally struggled to find the right words. How could she just talk to you? How would you ever look her in the eye again after being a thorn in your side for three whole years? Sure, high school was almost six years ago, but Enya simply wouldn't forget how stupid she'd been to you freshman year. She remembered when you dropped a pen on the floor, and instead of handing it to you, she stomped on it, breaking it.

Or when she yelled in your ear while you were taking attendance, maybe also that time when she scribbled mocking sentences on your neat sheets of paper, when she drank your entire water bottle, when she turned your backpack upside down, or when she threw your still-full pencil case down the toilet... wow, now that she thinks about it, well, she was a piece of shit to you! But... you just did nothing, rolled your eyes, and ignored her as gracefully as a swan ignores a pathetic duck. And that made her angrier.

How could you believe yourself so superior to her that you could simply ignore her? Unacceptable. Until one day, she simply annoyed you outside of high school hours, outside of class, almost at night, as you walked home. She pulled your braided hair, and you simply turned her face away with a slap that permanently fixed her thoughts. You didn't say anything, you didn't look at her, you just raised your eyebrows with such disdain that her knees shook. She didn't know if it was from anger or admiration.

But then she knew. Before you were a person, you were the class president. You wouldn't swear at her during class time, you wouldn't talk down to her, you wouldn't react, you would just ignore her desperate attempts to get your attention, and when the last bell rang, your shoe hit the street, you would laugh while joking, stick your tongue out mockingly and just... be like any other person.

Now that she was in college, twenty-five and counting, Enya could see how truly desperate she had been a few years ago, but she couldn't bring herself to get angry, just a little embarrassed. You simply changed the chemistry of her brain, activated some neuron that had been turned off, and made her see a new world; how despite that incident, you stayed during her detention to keep her company under the guise of keeping an eye on her, how you included her in your study group, how... you really care about her.

Her hand scratched the back of her neck as she leaned against the wall outside her university. She'd heard you were studying here, some cool degree you'd excel at, and she just wanted to stop by and say hi... maybe ask you out. “Uh... how the fuck can I say this? It's so damn difficult, I mean... hello? It's me, the stone in your shoe. Again. Uh, I guess.” Enya pulled her hair nervously, she hated being so pathetic for you.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so nervous. Was it at her father's wake? Many distant relatives had come to offer their condolences. Perhaps it was the day after her father's death, the void left in her home when she saw that he would never try to fix his motorcycle again, seeing his photos hanging up, or listening to her mother cry, unable to understand how to support her when she dealt with her own internal turmoil.

Maybe it was too much. You had never disappeared, even during summer vacation every year... you sent her letters, messages, even once mentioned smoke signals. You were her friend, or maybe you felt responsible for her. Whatever it was, Enya accepted it. She liked your attention... how you made her feel.

Even though it hurt a little to see you talking to other people, finding out about your partners, your outings, everything you did that didn't include her, she wanted to be a little more important, more special. More loved.

Enya bit her lip before sighing and looking away, impatiently shifting her foot, her stomach beginning to clench. You... still felt like she was something you owned, right?