SWEET SPOT

Hot Sauce 14

Nyla

I walked through the school gates, my footsteps heavy on the pavement. The afternoon sun felt too bright, too warm against my skin. People passed me, laughing and chatting in groups, but I kept my head down, eyes fixed on the ground. Every step took me further from the building, but it didn’t take me away from the thoughts swirling in my head.

He lied to me.

The necklace. Ezekiel had told me he lost it. But I had seen it around Aida’s neck today. Clear as day. The same delicate chain, the same pendant. He had given it to her.

Maybe my brother had been wrong. Maybe Aida wasn’t just a girl with a crush on Ezekiel. Maybe they were something more. Maybe he had chosen her. The thought made my chest ache in a way I couldn’t describe. I felt stupid. Foolish. Like I had built something beautiful in my head only for it to crumble the moment I touched it.

I wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep until all of this stopped hurting. Sleep until I could forget the way he had kissed me, the way he had looked at me, the way he had made me feel like I mattered.

The bus stop came into view. No bus yet. A few people were already waiting, scrolling on their phones or staring into the distance. I sat down on the wooden bench, the hard surface cold against my legs. I kept my head down, my eyes fixed on the ground, trying to disappear into myself.

But the thoughts wouldn’t stop.

Little by little, everything came rushing back. I really couldn’t hold it anymore. Besides, it was too much for an emotional person like me. Tears pricked at my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they came anyway, sliding down my cheeks.

I sniffed, wiping them quickly with the back of my hand. But more came. My shoulders started to shake. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to stop the sobs, but it was too late. A quiet sob escaped me, then another. I curled in on myself, crying softly on the bench in front of strangers.

“Here you go.”

A soft voice broke through the haze.

I looked up through blurry eyes. A hand was stretching a clean white napkin towards me.

It was Ezekiel.

He stood there, looking at me with concern etched across his face. His eyes were gentle and worried. My heart twisted painfully at the sight of him.

I looked away quickly. “I don’t want to talk to anybody right now.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk to anybody,” he said softly. “But wipe your tears, okay?”

“I don’t want to,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “Just leave me alone.”

He didn’t move. He kept holding the napkin out, patient and quiet. That only made it worse. The kindness in his gesture felt like salt in the wound.

“I said, leave me alone!” I yelled, my voice breaking louder than I intended.

People at the bus stop turned to look at us. I felt their eyes on me, but I didn’t care. Ezekiel’s face shifted — surprise, shock, and maybe even hurt. He had never seen me like this. The shy, quiet girl who barely spoke above a whisper was yelling at him in public.

I stood up quickly, wiping my face roughly with my sleeve, and walked a few steps away from the bench. My chest felt tight, my eyes burned, and I just wanted to disappear.

Ezekiel followed me to where I was, the napkin still in his hand, watching me with an expression I couldn’t read.

I turned my back to him, hugging my arms around myself, waiting for the bus and wishing the ground would open up and take me away from all of this.

But then, Ezekiel caught up to me, falling into step beside me. I looked away, staring straight ahead, my jaw tight.

“What do you want, Ezekiel?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

He didn’t answer right away. He walked with me for a few steps, the silence between us thick and uncomfortable. Then he spoke, his voice soft but direct.

“Did I do anything wrong?” he asked. “Because it’s obvious you’re angry at me.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. “No. Not at all. It’s just that I want you to leave me alone. Let me be. I just want to be alone, please.”

He didn’t move. His eyes stayed on me, steady and serious. “Well, I’m not leaving you alone.”

I looked at him, confused. “What do you mean by that?”

“That’s because you actually left your hot sauce carton at my place,” he said. “When are you going to come and collect it?”

I blinked, caught off guard. “I don’t even want that anymore. You can just take it.”

He shook his head. “Well, no. I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’ll be waiting for you to come and take it.”

My brows arched. “Wait, you’re saying that I’ll be the one to come and take the carton from your place?”

“Yeah,” he replied, nodding.

He paused for a second, then added softly, “And also, if I did anything wrong to you, I’m really sorry.”

I bit my bottom lip, watching him. He looked sincere. Tired, but sincere. For a moment, I almost wanted to say something — to ask him why he had lied about the necklace, why he had given it to Aida. But the words stuck in my throat.

He gave me one last look, then turned and started walking away.

I stood there, staring at his back as he left. My heart was beating fast. Part of me wanted to call after him. Part of me wanted to run and confront him. But I stayed rooted to the spot, watching him go until he turned the corner.

“Ezekiel!” I called out suddenly, my voice louder than I expected.

He didn’t turn. He had headphones in. Of course.

“s**t,” I sighed.

I started running after him, still calling his name, waving my hand in case he miraculously heard me or someone helped get his attention. The bus came and stopped at the stop, but I didn’t care. I kept running.

When I thought I was almost catching up, he suddenly got into a waiting taxi. The car drove off before I could reach him.

I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, breathing hard, disappointment crashing over me like a wave.

“Damn it,” I whispered, catching my breath.

I walked back to the bench at the bus stop, legs heavy. I sat down, staring at the ground, trying to make sense of everything.

A few minutes later, I took out my phone, still feeling lost. Then, suddenly, Ezekiel appeared in front of me.

I looked up, surprised. “How…?”

“Phew! I thought you had left,” he said, breathing a little fast, like he had run back.

My eyes widened slightly. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what was happening anymore.