Clingy friend (4 February)

~Maybe he was busy~

"Eve, let me ask you." The class just ended and Evelyne was walking to the cafeteria followed by a girl. Inside her heart, she was irritated by that girl, because she always clung to her. She was Maria, a girl in the same major and the same year who took the exact same classes as Evelyne.

Eve didn't answer her, she just let Maria linger on her arm without saying anything. If she could, she wanted to push Maria away, because she was so annoying. Yet, of course, there were eyes who watched them, so she couldn't. She didn't want big news spread saying that she harmed someone.

It wasn't Maria's first time to be ignored like this. She had been sticking herself to Evelyne since the first day they met. Yet until now, she never talked to her if it wasn't something necessary. No one knew when Evelyne would be warmer toward her even for a little change.

"Eve, so, I want to ask you this. Are you dating Bryan, the architect student?" Since Evelyne didn't look like she was going to answer, she asked, while hugging her hand tighter.

Calmly, Evelyne took a short glance at Maria. "Bryan? What do I even do with him to make you have that thought?"

Maria smiled, Evelyne finally responded. "Well, I see you talk with him often. So I thought you're dating him."

'Ah, so she talked about me meeting him often to discuss the competition. What a childish thought.'

Evelyne didn't answer her any further and kept walking and eventually, she lost her. She knew, if she gave what she wanted, she'd ask for more. Even just to respond to such a simple question, when it was a person like Maria, uncontrollable things would occur. It could be gossip or a big misunderstanding about her.

The menu she had for lunch was chicken pasta with juice. After she paid for her meal, she walked to the seat near the glass wall and put the plate and glass on the table. Before she ate, she checked her phone, whether Victor sent her a chat or not. Unfortunately, there was none. 'Maybe he was busy with his work. I hope everything worked well for him.'

With a sigh, Evelyne put her phone back and ate. One thing she loved about the campus was, in their cafeteria, they served the best food they could. So obviously, there was no need to worry about anything as long as you didn't eat something that caused you an allergy.

Another problem came. Evelyne only ate a few mouthfuls of her meal and Maria came. "Hey, how can you be that fast? I just bought my meal." She put her plate on the table and pouted.

"Not sure. I just buy something and eat it." She answered and continued to eat her pasta. 'Of course. She loves to waste time talking nonsense with others before doing anything important.'

There were several ways for Evelyne to deal with others, depending on who they were. The easiest yet the hardest at the same time was with Victor. It was easy because she didn't hide anything from him. She could show her true self without any image she should save. She was free to act like a child, to cry, be angry, anything. There was nothing to hide from him.

At the same time, it was also hard to deal with Victor. He was a strict person who was overprotective when it came to Evelyne. He worried a lot about her health, he would nag her all day if she didn't eat or sleep much. Well, Evelyne admitted it was part of her mistake in the past to make him like that. But he did not even allow her to eat much chocolate and ice cream, and the most important… her coffee. If she wanted something that was forbidden, it was either she eat it silently or make a cute face that Victor could never resist. He would report her to her parents if she didn't do it that way and the end of the world would come if her parents were angry.

When it came to her close friends like Elanor, Jovan, and Raimon, Evelyne didn't show much about her. They were her best friends, whom she could share her story, and spent her time with, but she didn't act much like when she was only with Victor. She just felt a bit uncomfortable to do so.

Last, with other friends. She was known as a cold person who rarely talked. No one really dared to approach her, but at the same time, they wanted to. For various reasons like seeking help or fortune for their exam, being known by the teachers, or simply just like her, they tried to build a relation with her. Yet, Evelyne tended to push them away.

For example, Maria. There were several things she didn't like about her. For example, Maria loved to gossip. Evelyne didn't want any bad rumour about her spread, so she didn't answer all her questions. She was marked as a cold person after all, so it wasn't something new if there was someone who was ignored. At the same time, thanks to gossips Maria talked about, Evelyne learned about the newest news on campus.

The other friends, who only tried to get advantages from being close with her. She would check them first. If they were a good friend who could give her some benefits, she would welcome them. She let them get closer and worked together with her to the point she deem necessary. If they didn't give her anything but trouble, she would avoid them as much as she could.

The reason was simple. She had her own life and never let the other interfere with it. She never wanted to be used by just anyone. Because she had experienced it once. A friend that just came when they needed and gone when they didn't need her anymore, let alone help her when she needed.