‘She’s sorry…?’

  There were an infinite number of things Ash could’ve said, and a plethora of different things I predicted, yet “I’m sorry” was not any of them.

  Frankly, I was taken aback by it.

  “Oh, I guess I should expin…” Ash muttered.

  She hesitated for a few moments and then spoke again.

  “What I meant was that I’m sorry for being rude the first time we met. I didn’t really know you as a person and insulted you based on where you went to school,” Ash crified with a soft tone.

  I listened to her words and thought them over seriously.

  ‘That’s pretty surprising, I just thought she’d keep being crappy forever. I guess I underestimated her character. Still, I’m curious…’

  I made a calm expression and spoke.

  “Hey, why did you even get so mad about my school in the first pce?”

  In response to my question, Ash seemed uncomfortable.

  Her face looked slightly embarrassed, and she squirmed.

  “Um, well, I’ve kinda grown to hate those prestigious schools…”

  I raised my eyebrow in surprise.

  Ash must’ve seen my confusion so she continued to expin.

  “Basically, when I was applying to different high schools, I wanted to go to one of the high end ones like yours. But I’ve never been really good with grades so I ended up…getting rejected from every single one…”

  My expression became more solemn as I listened to Ash’s words.

  “That made seeing people who go to those schools really unsettled me. For a while, I tried to deal with it by demonizing you guys in my head. Based on snobby rich kids from shows and Soriel’s vague descriptions of her cssmates, I made you guys out to seem much worse in my head.”

  Ash sighed meekly.

  “So honestly, I was just…jealous. I’m sorry.”

  Hearing those words made me feel odd, almost uncomfortable.

  They also brought an extreme sense of guilt into my heart.

  ‘So she was jealous of my school? That’s why? I…can’t even bme her. If I was in her situation, I’d be just as jealous. I’m no better than her…’

  Unconsciously, I clenched my teeth.

  ‘Yet, I still got angry. I didn’t know the full story, so instinctively shed out. I’m such a moron. A hypocrite. Just like her, I get jealous. Whenever I see anyone with talent or purpose. The only difference is I just restrained myself from letting my thoughts slip out like she did…’

  I felt my body rex, and a sense of sorrow washed over me.

  ‘I really am…a terrible person.’

  I wanted to sit there, in self deprecation for a few moments longer, but the silence slowly became uncomfortable.

  “It’s fine, really,” I said, looking out at the ongoing traffic.

  I hesitated before speaking again.

  “To be honest, I’m jealous of you too,” I responded.

  I saw Ash’s face contort into one of surprise as I spoke.

  “Me? Why?” Ash replied quickly.

  I kept my gaze on the street in front of me. I felt that it would’ve been too embarrassing to admit my jealousy to Ash’s face.

  “I mean your piano talent. It’s extraordinary,” I answered.

  “Yeah, but compared to someone like Soriel it’s not all that,” she refuted.

  I shook my head.

  “Your talent isn’t any inferior to Soriel’s. When I listened to you py, it was a unique experience like no other. Even if you don’t invoke the same feelings, it doesn't make you any less of a talented individual,” I refuted honestly.

  Ash seemed slightly flustered from my praise, almost like she was unaccustomed to it.

  Then, I thought about something.

  ‘Shouldn't Ash be jealous of Soriel too since she goes to the same school as me? But it doesn't seem like it. So maybe…the reason why she isn’t jealous is because she holds Soriel in such a high regard. Meaning that her care for Soriel outweighs her jealousy…’

  I liked that thought.

  After all, that meant Soriel had a really good friend.

  Still, I wasn’t able to stay happy about it for very long.

  It only made me realize my own weakness.

  “Unlike you, I don’t have any talent like that. No clear purpose or sense of uniqueness. Besides being a bit better academically than most, I have nothing…” I expined.

  Ash seemed to be a bit surprised, not sure what to say.

  I couldn’t bme her, what I was saying was probably just a burden she didn’t deserve to bear.

  But despite knowing this, I turned to her face and spoke.

  “That’s why…I’m truly jealous of you,” I decred.

  Ash stared at me with wide eyes, still chewing a bite from her sandwich.

  I let out a small, solemn smile, and stuck a nacho in my mouth.

  For a few moments, we stayed in silence as both of us ate our food.

  But Ash spoke after a little while.

  “Um, I’m not good with stuff like this so I don’t really know what to say. And I don’t really know how to help,” Ash said with slight awkwardness.

  “Same, I didn't know how to respond to your words either. Why do you think I rambled on about myself?” I responded honestly.

  Ash let out a dry chuckle.

  “I guess we’re pretty alike in that way,” Ash mentioned in a self-deprecating fashion.

  I smiled.

  “Guess so,” I replied.

  ‘I really didn’t expect this to happen. Ash is actually…a pretty fun person to be around.’

  Then, I ate another chip, enjoying the sensation of cheesiness meeting my tastebuds.

  **

  Bzzz!

  Bzzz!

  I made a call with my cellphone as I walked.

  Ash and I had already parted ways. I offered to walk her home but she refused.

  That’s why I was walking home by myself as I called a very important person.

  “Hello? How may I help you?” The voice on the other end responded, seemingly delighted.

  “Soriel. Why’d you lie to me?” I said in a stern tone.

  Although my hangout with Ash went better than expected, I was still deceived earlier.

  I wasn’t going to just let that slide.

  “I’m sorry. You two are my closest friends so I just wanted you guys to get along…” Soriel expined apologetically.

  I sighed.

  “It’s fine, just don’t lie to me like that again please,” I replied.

  “Okay I won’t. Did the hangout at least go well?” Soriel asked in a bit of a defeated tone.

  “Yeah, it did,” I said casually.

  “Really? That’s great to hear! You’ll have to tell me all about it at school,” Soriel chirped in happiness.

  Hearing that voice, I felt my lips tug into a smile.

  A genuine one.