The Beautiful Monster

Alyssa leaned down to touch the front of her tennis shoes. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite reach without bending her knees. That was fine. She would get there eventually.

That was why she had this as one of her goals for the new year. She didn't have many other goals.

She wanted to have more new experiences and deepen her relationships. She just didn't want to overwhelm herself.

She knew that she would fall short at times and mess up, but she just wanted herself to get back on track if that happened. She wanted to be more forgiving to herself too.

There were holes in her life. She had endured pain throughout her life because of her parents and bullies in school. She was still healing and becoming a stronger version of herself.

She just hoped something good came out of exercising because it sure did hurt. She straightened back up and stretched her arms above her head.

She decided not to run in the gym tonight. It felt good outside on campus, so she decided to run on the outdoor trail that winded along the outskirts of campus.

It was around nine at night. She found that running at night helped her sleep better at night.

Plus, she got done with her homework around eight, so the time lined up perfectly. If she wanted to spend the night at Elias' place, he picked her up afterwards.

He said he was busy tonight, so she'd just be going back to the dorm to shower and then go to sleep after her run.

She started with a light jog down the trail, enjoying the quietness on campus. She also liked working out at night because hardly anyone was out and about.

Being here on break really showed her how nice campus was when it wasn't so busy.

She veered along the winding path, feeling a light burn in her calves. She liked the burning feeling up to a point.

When it reached her lungs, she didn't like it at all. She just hoped her body got acclimated to all this movement soon.

Alyssa jogged deeper down the path, entering an area that was full of shadows. The campus' emergency lights didn't reach this area.

She decided to just run through it, even if it did look eerie. She ran into the shadows, looking on each side as she moved. It was quiet on this side of campus too.

Right when she broke through the shadows and entered a lit area, she almost ran into someone.

A surprised gasp rang from her as she stumbled to a stop. She turned to look at who she almost knocked over, and a shocked look crossed her face.

"Elias?" Alyssa breathed out as she stared at him. She almost thought she was making things up in her mind, but he was right there. She didn't expect to see him here.

Elias stared back in shock, like he didn't expect to see her there either.

"Alyssa," he said as he took a subtle step back. "I thought you were at the gym."

"I decided to run on the trail," Alyssa replied as her eyes narrowed slightly.

She saw something on his lower lip that looked weird. She stepped closer to him as she tried to get a better look. "Are you bleeding?"

Elias' eyes widened as he hastily wiped his bottom lip.

"No. I was… eating," he replied. "Sorry."

It looked like blood on his bottom lip. Did he get hurt?

Concern gripped Alyssa, but she was also confused. He said that he was busy tonight. What was he doing out on campus so late at night?

"Are you okay? You're acting… weird," she asked him as she took another step closer to him.

She hadn't seen him act so off before. Sure, he sometimes acted awkward or uneasy, but he seemed completely on edge.

Elias nodded as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm good. Just tired. I was about to head home," he told her.

Alyssa's fingers twined together in front of her as she awkwardly shifted on the spot.

"Did you have something to do on campus tonight?" she asked him. She didn't want to be that person that pried into his business, but something was up.

Why would he randomly be on campus when he was supposed to be busy elsewhere? Was she missing something obvious?

She didn't want to jump to any conclusions and suspect that he was cheating or anything. It looked more like he got hit or something because of the blood on his bottom lip.

However, maybe it was just something he ate, like pizza sauce. She hoped that it was nothing and that she was just making things up in her head.

"There was a meeting for business students. It ran late," Elias explained. He drew in a deep breath through his nose, and his shoulders visibly he relaxed.

That usual smile of his crossed his lips as he took a step toward her. "But I'm glad it did so that I could see you."

Alyssa was relieved that he was acting like normal now, but a part of her was still slightly suspicious. He switched behaviors so quickly, like flipping a switch.

It was too purposeful to be natural, but she didn't say anything. She just wanted to look past it because it was late, and she was tired.

"Me too. So, you're heading home now?" Alyssa asked. She didn't mean to sound so suspicious, but she wanted to double check before she went on her way. What if he just arrived on campus after doing something?

Elias seemed to search her eyes before nodding.

"Are you going to finish your run?" he asked.

Alyssa didn't like this feeling. It was like they were walking on eggshells around each other. Maybe there wasn't even a reason to.

They both startled each other and didn't expect to see each other. She nodded as she glanced down the path.

"I'll just finish the trail and then go to sleep," she replied.

She almost wondered if she should follow him. Then, she internally shook her head at herself. That was crazy of her to think. She just wanted to make sure that he was telling her the truth! She didn't want to be lied to by the person that she trusted the most. That would break her.

"Be careful, okay? No telling what's lurking out there," Elias replied as the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.