Practice Love
The Practice

#Practice 022
Dilemma happens when one holds awareness of what they have done.

And the game went on. With Mia avoiding Mark, and Mark looking for Mia in every corner of the place. Funny though, as it didn't stay only within the school boundaries. He would constantly look out for her in her neighborhood, and she would "conveniently" be at Rian's house whenever he visits, leaving the poor man out in the cold for the entire night like an idiot.

To think that it went on for a week.  

But Mark wasn't one to give up. He'll be shamed off his nickname from Mia if he did. 

"Persistent bastard." He remembered her saying it everytime he tried to get her to do something, but instead of feeling insulted, he found it rather interesting.

First, she ditches me at the bus. He paced. Then, the traffic light.

And then, the bus stop. He remembered how she ran to catch the bus and ditched him out in the cold. How jaw dropping was that, to see the girl whom you call a friend ditching you without looking back. 

It hurts, sort of. But it was hilarious at the same time.  

Today is the last day of school, and also the last day he gets to confront the girl before he goes to the practice camp and on a busy schedule with his friends to the point where he can bearly see even his own parent's faces until after the competition. And he is once again, determined to get an answer out of her.

Though it might have been just as difficult as all those times he had tried to catch her attention. 

"Care to explain why are you doing this?" Mia's annoyed expression played as she watch a mirrored expression played on the red head's face. She was, in fact, on the way to the library or just anywhere out of Mark Tuan's sight when she was caught by the familiar crimson born himself and was dragged all the way to the janitor's storage room. The odd smell of chlorine and other chemicals were just about to cause her to snap when she came in sight with his eyes, and everything she seemed to have built up came crumbling down just as easily as crushing a cookie. 

And every will, every crumb of determination she built to keep their distance seemed to have tumbled down just as easy. 

Now that she had thought about it, the position they're in right now seemed awfully awkward that if the janitor were to barge in at that very moment, they would be called into the principle's office for it.

And to think that they had been playing the game of hide and seek for one whole week, with her hiding from him, and him seeking out for her. It's funny how she managed to pull back her old sarcastic character on him today, when she had been awfully out of character for the whole week avoiding him. Today seemed to be the day she finally cracks and gives up.

Because she simply couldn't just stay away from him without having herself longing for him at the same time.  

"Lee Mia." Mark groaned, leaning in as his eyes pierced deep into hers. He was sick of it, having to find her in every corner of the school grounds while she tries her best to avoid him. He knew, even though she denied it, he just knew that she's been avoiding him. Because there is absolutely no way the girl can coincidentally be busy for the entire week when she was just talking with Rian just hours back. 

Whenever she sees him, she'll just flee off like the wind.

"What, Tuan?" Mia furrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms. She was quite pissed by the fact that he had been yanking her to places everytime he gets his hands on her wrist. First, he yanked her to the abandoned room when she comes out of the toilet. Next, he yanked her into the research room. And now, in the janitor's storage room.

What's next? She rolled her eyes and watched as the red head leans in. His arms were placed on either side of her shoulders, his eyes pierced deep into hers as she took in a deep breath, finding herself holding her breath more than she needed to as her eye shakily glared back.

"First, you ditched me at the bus." He started, not realizing how close their faces were. "Then at the traffic light."

"What's your point?" Mia leaned her head back, trying her best to pull the distance apart when in fact, she knew that she had nowhere to run.

"I can count the amount of times you have been avoiding me for the entire week." Mark muttered softly, his brows frowned and his eyes looked, hurt.  

"It's either you explain yourself now, or I might just start threatening you. And I don't like doing that." His deep voice ran cold in her ears as she hitched her breath, watching him inch closer than usual. His breath, though far, she can feel it hitting against her cold skin. She bit her lips and blinked her eyes. It might have been the smell of thick ammonia that was at fault, she found her knees giving in under his stare. 

Not the usual Tuan, no. She gulped, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Everything seemed unusually... odd. 

"Mia..." His voice, as well as his expression softened. Mark shook his head, realizing that the girl wasn't going to say anything and heaved a sigh, taking a step back as Mia shivered at the sudden lack of warmth by her side.

"I..." She parted her lips, carefully studying his expression before she let out a sigh and looked away. Exactly how is she going to say this? She shook her head and turned away.

She has long decided to act like nothing happened, so why is she acting out of character because of it?

She told herself to keep a distance, but her heart was the one who was drawing back to him.

Everything felt so contradicting, even her thoughts were conflicting, that she didn't know what to do.  

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