Watchful Eyes
“Yo,”
A hand went around Snow’s shoulders suddenly, making him stumble a few steps before regaining his posture. He glanced sideways and was met with the bright smile beaming at him.
“Good morning,” he said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the other party. He nonchalantly shrugged Jamie’s arm off his shoulder and reset his back pack firmly on his back. “You look terrible by the way.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Jamie made a face that made one not to know if they should laugh or cry.
He walked gingerly beside Snow, twirling his car keys from its key ring while striding forward.
“Despite the dark circles, I’m still hands down top five most attractive on the campus” Jamie said striking poses as he walked.
Snow scoffed at this but didn’t refute, not because it was true, but because he thought he shouldn’t bring down Jamie’s confidence. Not that he even can.
He walked with Jamie, letting him carry most of the conversation. Jamie had a habit, or rather, gift of of filling the air with words, his tone shifting from lazy drawl to animated enthusiasm depending on who he was talking to. Snow listened, nodding occasionally, his gaze drifting toward the side path leading to the art department.
Just beyond the public path, the smooth pavement thinned into wild grass, thick bushes littered surrounding showing just how unkept it was. An abandoned building loomed there, its brick walls were flaked and peeled off like old scabs, windows sealed with weathered plywood. A rusty chain link fence curled around it, a part of its wiring twisted open by time and trespassers.
A gray delivery truck eased to a stop behind the dilapidated building, its tires crunching over the rough sand and grass slowly, and parked behind the already dilapidated building. The metallic groan of the handbrake echoed faintly in the distance.
Jamie’s chattering gradually became muted as Snow slowed down his pace, his eyes still fixed on the vehicle. The delivery truck sat awkwardly at the entrance of the building, its rear door groaning open. Multiple men stepped out of the truck, scurrying as they hefted the wooden crates stamped with a foreign brand sticker out the truck.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a sluggish morning delivery, and yet Snow’s eyes narrowed in thin slits.
“What are you doing? We’ll be late.” Jamie called over his shoulder when he realized that Snow was falling behind.
Snow hesitated, his eyes flicking from Jamie to the truck, and back to Jamie again.
“Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
He said deciding to have a quick look.
Jamie gave him a glance over then turned to face the direction Snow was looking at. After deeming everything normal, he shrugged and waved at Snow before leaving and entering the big buildings ahead.
Snow spun around and walked towards the abandoned area, there was a small public pathway, and alley where he could use as cover if anything ever went wrong. His eyes hardened immediately as if locking on to prey.
The driver, a gaunt looking man with a flat cap sitting still on his head, wasn’t watching the men who were offloading the crates. His gaze kept flicking toward the street, scanning the surrounding area like a hawk.
There was a faint tang of mustiness drifting in the air, mingling with the damp scent of old, worn down brick walls which probably got wet from the morning dew. Snow reached the chain link fence in little to no time. He stepped lightly, intending to slip past quickly, but a shadow quickly loomed over him from the other side of the fence, ultimately stopping him.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” asked the man.
He was a tall and big man wearing a uniform with the same foreign brand tag plastered on the shirt pocket of his overalls. He squinted his eyes at snow, arms crossed and feet wide apart and firm on the ground.
Snow looked him up and down, maintaining eye contact with the brawny man. Seeing that there was no way to get any closer, he gave the man an awkward smile and replied.
“Just walking through.”
“Students shouldn’t be here,” the man said flatly.
Snow tilted his head, studying him. His expression like one that didn’t understand what the man was saying “It’s a public path.”
The man’s hand twitched toward his jacket pocket. It was a small movement, but enough for Snow’s gaze to sharpen.
“Students shouldn’t be here.” He said again, this time, more firmly.
Snow stared at the man for a long time before raising a hand as if admitting defeat. Then he walked away towards the public path way. If anything, he would come back and investigate when there were less eyes.
Snow slipped into the campus library double doors with quiet steps and settled into his usual corner at the very back of the hall.
He could hear the faint hush of pages turning somewhere between the shelves, the mechanical ticking of the big grandfather clock just a few feet away ticked in his ears.
He had texted Jamie that he would meet up with him after school hours before he arrived at the library. And that was after he had decided not to attend any of his classes and just sit in the school library to read.
Snow set his laptop on the desk and opened it, the screen glowing faintly, but still, he barely glanced at it. One hand drummed rhythmically on the keyboards, writing his case review on criminal law, while the other found the smooth fold of silk in his pocket, his fingers brushing it absentmindedly as he slowly got absorbed in his thoughts.
He was restless. For some reason, his body didn’t feel at ease when he thought of the delivery truck by the abandoned building again. Something definitely wasn’t right.
Sighing, Snow closed his laptop with a soft thud and gently placed it in his backpack. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed out the library. Smoothing moving between the shelves, he reminded himself that if worse comes to worse, he could say he was interested in their affairs due to his project work.
“I’ll just have a look around” he murmured to no one in particular.
Yeah, just a quick look. He thought as if trying to gaslight himself.
After all, what’s a little detour for the sake of his “crime law project”?
The Author has Something to Say
Sulien: You almost got caught, baby.
XL: I had it under control.
Sulien: Are you sure you weren’t scared?
XL (eyebrows twitching): I can take them.
Sulien: I hear you. I’ll come save you in the next chapter.
XL: …When the fuck did I say that?