I shut my laptop, grabbed my bag, and stumbled off the bench, almost eating shit before catching myself. “Leave me alone,” I panted, clutching my things to my chest. “Just leave me alone.”
He stood from the table and shook his head. “No.”
And it was so simple, as if he were stating something so obvious that I was stupid to have ever requested it at all.
I walked backwards a few more steps before spinning around and jogging back down the path, scrambling for my phone as I did. Who was this guy? What was he trying to prove?
I pulled my headphones back on and called Steven, trying to shove my laptop in my bag as best I could while I willed my sandals to not trip me and pushed myself to run faster.
Steven answered after the fifth ring, his breathing labored. “What?” he snapped angrily.
Don’t look back. Everyone always looks back in the movies, and they always fall. “Someone is following me,” I told him in a rush. “A guy from The Club the other day.”
“Okay, and?”
My eyes widened. “And? Some guy isfollowing me, Steven.From The Club you getbeatin.”
He grunted, and the sound of shuffling met my ears before the slam of a door rang through. “Nobody is following you,” he snarled under his breath. “You’re acting crazy, Olivia. All of that time you spend reading those books of yours. It’s gotten in your head. Come back to reality and don’t call me again unless it’s a real emergency.”
Click.
I slowed, my eyes widening as I lifted my phone just to confirm that he had in fact hung up.
“What the fuck?” I breathed out as my eyes lifted to find that I was now in the more public area of the park. I slowed to a walk and glanced back down the trail, people running by, a couple playing frisbee not far from me, kids playing at the playground, and absolutely no masked man following me.
I stopped and stared at the trail, waiting, my heart pounding.
Nobody came. Not one person followed me out of those trees.
I turned back to the park, my mind racing. Had I…had I really imagined that? I saw some creepy guy at a club and now I was seeing him everywhere?
Was Steven right?
I shoved my phone away and shook my head. No,no. I saw him. I was sure of it. He had been there.
I was sure of it.
I glanced back towards the trail again, and again found nothing. The tightness in my chest grew. He was right, wasn’t he? He was always right.
Nobody was following me, that was ridiculous. Why would anyone want to follow me anyway? I was nobody to this world, at least as Olivia Rose I was nobody.
Maybe Steven was right about my books too.
Too many hours writing stories about the same scenario…
I was just tired, I rationalized. After a good night’s sleep Iwouldn’t see him again, I was sure of it.
Determined, I lifted my chin and started home. I’d gotten enough done today; my exhausted brain needed a break. Maybe an actual romcom to palette cleanse these irrational delusions.
4
Everett
March 26th, 2022
Iwatched her from behind the cover of the trees. How many times would she look back before she gave up?
She chewed on her bottom lip, staring back towards the trail, towards me, one last time before turning and heading back through the park.
