Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 9: Encounter of the 3rd kind

Seth

    I watch as Joshua and the girl leave together, trying painfully hard to keep my expression neutral. But my resolve crumbles as soon as they're out of sight, and I end up instantaneously slumping forward in my seat, feeling as if a giant hole is opening up inside my chest. I clutch at the front of my shirt where the cavity should be, trying to calm my breathing as it desperately tries to spiral out of control.

    I can practically feel him slipping away already. It hasn't even been an hour since we finally reunited, and he's already moving on faster than he has these past nine years. I just can't wrap my head around it; how can things go south so atrociously quickly? It looks as if she just asked him on a date.

    No, she couldn't have actually done that. She can't do that. She has no right to! He hardly knows her, she's just some random person who, for all he knows, could have malicious intent! How is this safe!? He should be wary of her... not growing close and acting like they're already friends. How can she possibly just be allowed to just do this? With Joshua of all people.

    He's the last person that witch should be moving in on. Out of all the humans, no one can compare to Joshua, no one can even compete. She doesn't deserve him, she isn't good enough for him! He's just so... Perfect and beautiful and just... Amazing. He's too nice. And this girl can't even grasp the concept of any of that.

    And there's another thing, not only could she not appreciate him, but she hasn't known him for as long as I have. They literally just met, and now she thinks she can try taking him away? She doesn't have any sort of connection with him, she's just a random nobody trying to tarnish him! I've known him my entire life; he knows me as well as I know him, we're practically as close as two people can be... Right?

   Granted, we're not on the best of terms right now... but that's of no consequence in the long run. He should be mine, not her's. He's my human. I have more right, no, I have the only right to get close to him like that if I so desire, but she— she doesn't. She needs to back off.

    Wait. A thought pops up through the boiling, angry storm in my head, and shocks me like lighting. Hell, this is worse than what I initially thought. From my knowledge of human social conventions, dates are binding contracts, and as soon as he accepts the status of "her boyfriend" he'll be completely out of my reach socially. Societal norm won't allow me to try to get close to him anymore, because then that'd be "cheating" on his part, and that could ruin his reputation with the other humans. Shit, that'd be horrible for me to do to him, I can't do that.

     Eugh! Why does all of this have to be happening now? Why is this so complicated and bad?

    I can feel the anxiety tightening in my chest, and I struggle to force it down. Okay, calm down, Seth, you still don't really know if that's what happened. For all you know she may not even be into males, and just wants to be his friend, or maybe all she did was ask if she could walk back to school with him. Sure. But the chances of that are... slim. I really can't help but face the facts: he already said doesn't want me, and he could be getting with this girl to assure I'll stay away. It hurts, the thought really hurts.

    But maybe... maybe Joshua's not interested in this girl? With that in mind, the possibility remains that he might have been acting only out of shock and emotion when telling me off, maybe he didn't actually mean... No. No, stop it. He made it clear, and I have to take his word for it, even if I don't like it. He doesn't want me in his life. I should respect his wishes. I should try.

    I bite the inside of my cheek out of frustrated habit as I finally sit up, scowling as I feel the anger still growing deep in my gut. Even if he doesn't want me anymore, there's still a chance that he may eventually change his mind. I've waited this long, I don't mind waiting another nine years for him to come around if I have to.