The class president laughed and teased Locke for playing the hero to save the damsel in distress.
And just like that, the awkward moment passed.
I wanted to thank Locke, but he acted as if he didn't know me, engrossed in conversation with the other classmates.
I cornered him when he went to the restroom.
He looked up at me, his gaze cold, as if I were a stranger.
"What do you want?"
I mustered up the courage to say, "I wanted to thank you for helping me with the drink earlier."
He didn't even look at me and turned to leave.
Instinctively, I grabbed his hand.
He seemed a bit impatient, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "Now what?"
My courage faltered under his impatient gaze.
Seeing me open my mouth to speak, Locke immediately pulled his hand away.
In the process, a pack of cigarettes fell from his pocket onto the ground.
That pack of cigarettes at least gave me a topic to break the awkward silence.
"You... you smoke now? I didn't know that."
He picked up the pack, lit a cigarette, and exhaled the smoke.
His face became obscured by the smoke, and even his voice seemed a bit muffled.
"There's a lot you don't know. I also didn't know that you, who sat with me for three years, actually hated me so much."