I stared at the classroom door nervously. My leg kept bouncing incessantly, just waiting for him to show up. My school bag was under my table, already unzipped, and all I needed to do was take out the bag that had his clothes in it when he comes through that door.

The door suddenly opened and I immediately straightened up but instantly deflated again once I saw who was stepping into the room.

"Good morning, everyone." The teacher greeted, receiving a chorus of uninterested replies from the rest of the class.

I watched the door for a few more minutes as the teacher prepped everything to start the class and even during his lesson, I still kept on glancing at the door as if I could manifest Alex into walking in through that door if I thought about it tenaciously.

But when the teacher had dismissed the class, I started getting worried. I don't think Alex has ever missed any of his classes, not for the past few years.

I know we've lost contact and aren't close friends anymore but I admit I have been watching and paying attention to him in the most non-creepy way possible.

Okay, it wasn't something that I could exactly control. It was a habit that just failed to die over the years. Back when we were close friends, he was always the first face I search for in the sea of people and his eyes were the only ones that were able to speak to me in a deeper level than any other pair with a single glance.

It was simply a habit that didn't die over the years and I didn't bother trying to fight it because deep inside, I guess I was still somewhat curious of what he was doing and how he is.

So I just didn't even try to fight the urge to divert my attention elsewhere when I catch his eyes in the crowd or stop myself when I realize I was still trying to spot him in a public place.

As second period and third period came and went, I was growing more anxious and worried. He might smoke, drink, do all the 'badboy' categorized activities but if there was one thing I knew for sure about the current Alex, it was that he prioritized his education.

Lunch finally came around and I followed Kimmy into the cafeteria, listening her ramble on with her apology after the 5th time that I told her it was okay.

"I don't know what was happening. It was just so chaotic. I panicked and just didn't know what to do and just started running out of the place with the other people around me at the time. I'm so sorry, Case. I should've went and find you and made sure you were okay.." Kimmy was holding my arm and her death grip on it was starting to hurt.

I slowly pried her hands off me to avoid offending her and, hopefully for the last time, turned to her and told her, "Kim, it's fine. I'm fine. It would've just been stupid if you had went and searched for me because then both of us would've been caught. I turned out fine and you did help pick me up from Alex's house so we're good."

Kimmy looked like she was about to object and raise some more points to argue with me on but I quickly looked away and pointed out the long line for the food. "Look, the line's forming already, we better get in line. What do you feel like eating?" I said in one breath, already walking away to join the queue.

Kimmy, thankfully, got distracted and started thinking out loud over what she wanted to eat for lunch. We had to stay in the queue for a while since the people standing before us can't seem to make up their minds on what they wanted to eat. My stomach had begun growling, demanding to be fed by the time that we had our food trays in hand.

We looked around and found an empty table, walking past Lily and her friends to get to it. I started glaring at her and I guess it was sharp enough for her to start feeling it since she turned and watched me take a seat on the bench a few tables behind her.

I maintained eye contact and made sure that she could feel my anger and dislike towards her through the look in my eyes.

Lily flinched slightly before sticking her tongue out at me, making my blood boil even more at the audacity that my supposed sister has.

"Lil' bitch." I mumbled under my breath, watching her turn back to her friends as I stabbed my broccoli and shoved it into my mouth harshly. I started munching on it angrily as I continued to stare daggers into my sister's back.

Kimmy seemed to notice the tension between us and waved a hand over my face to get my attention. My eyes paused its glaring session to see what Kimmy wanted from me.

"Did something happen between you two?"

I muttered other not-so-pretty words lowly, low enough for Kimmy to miss it and lean in to hear me better. "What?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Just cursing my sister out for being the way that she is."

Kimmy raised her eyebrows at me. "So much hate for someone who came out of the same womb as you."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I wouldn't say it's hate. Hate's too strong of a word. She's still my sister after all. She's just a lil' bitch."

"Okay, but what happened exactly?" Kimmy asked again.

I sighed, finally recounting what happened yesterday after she had dropped me off at my house.

"I fucking opened her room and found a boy in her bed with her sleeping beside him. Like do you know what my parents will do to her and me if they had been the one to walk in on her in that situation? We be dead, bro." I ranted angrily, my hands flying around for extra emphasis.

Kimmy listened and watched as my hand movements got even more aggressive as I went on with the story.

"I basically had to chase the guy out of the house with a broomstick. He ran out of the house shirtless and Lily was running behind me, running after us then I just turned around and changed targets, and chased her with the broomstick next."

Kimmy's eyes widened significantly and leaned back, further away from me, as she looked at me with a wariness in her eyes as if I was going to start chasing her with a broomstick next.

"Whoa..." Kimmy fell silent, looking like she was trying to find the right words to say. "Eventful."

I raised my eyebrows at her choice of words but shrugged. I guess it does summarize the whole thing. "Yep," I agreed. "My household in a nutshell."

Kimmy shook her head, giving up trying to understand why my family is this way and started focusing on her food instead, picking up her spoon and fork to start eating her lunch.

I was about to take my first bite when I felt someone's presence beside me and I looked up, mouth still open from getting ready to eat.

But when I saw who was standing beside me, my mouth stayed agape, this time in surprise.

Alex looked down at me and raised his eyebrows. "Are you just going to keep staring?"

I mirrored him and raised my eyebrows, momentarily too stunned to remember why he might be there, talking to me after years of not acknowledging my existence at school.

He handed me a plastic bag and I took them, still confused, until I looked inside and saw the clothes that I had left in his house.

They looked like they weren't ironed or folded, just balled up and placed into the plastic bag. Which allowed relief to flood my system because I could see my undergarments peeking out from between the clothes inside the bag. I was glad that he didn't take the time to go through it and fold them. I think I'd just drop dead from embarrassment if he did.

I was glad that he didn't bother folding it and I did feel relieved to a certain extent but I still flushed red when I realized that there was no possibly way that he didn't see it while putting them in the washer and into the plastic bag.

I quickly tied the bag up and shoved it into my bag, taking out the bag that had his clothes inside instead and passing it over to him.

He wordlessly took them from me and walked away from my table, leaving me flustered.

When he walked through the canteen doors and disappeared from sight, I finally set my elbows on the table and slumped against them, my hands propping my head up, keeping it from falling and hitting my food tray.

"I'm such a dumbshit." I muttered to myself, shutting my eyes and shaking my head to make the horrifying thoughts go away.

How could I not remember to exclude my undergarments from the pile of clothes I dumped in his laundry basket?

I mean I was tired but was I really that tired?

I'm just a dumbshit.

Kimmy stared at me cluelessly. "What was that about?"

I looked up to meet her eyes, opened my mouth to explain before shutting it again after a second thought and just shook my head. "Eat, just eat." I told her, pointing to her food with my fork.

I sighed to myself internally when I realized I didn't even get to ask him why he skipped the first half of school.

'Why do you even wanna know? Why do you even care? Who is he to you? What are you to him?' My conscience whispered to me, reminding me that I wasn't someone that was entitled to know the answers to those questions.

I wasn't anyone to him.

But what is he to me?

Why do I care?

Why do I want to know what's happening in his life?

I guess old habits die hard.