All Chapters of Done Waiting for People Who Won't Come: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"I was too busy yesterday, Xavier," my childhood friend, Isabelle Nelmes, said. "Connor's shoes didn't fit him. I was delayed when I took him to change them."She sat on the living room couch and offered a peeled apple to my brother, Connor Sayles. She then grabbed a tissue and languidly wiped her hands. Her voice was calm when she spoke.I stood at the door and took in the harmonious air in the living room around the four of them.Dad was reading the newspaper, while Mom was peeling oranges for Connor. My sister, Hannah Sayles, was checking Borealin's weather on Connor's behalf. Meanwhile, Isabelle, who had promised to pick me up for dinner the day before, was gazing affectionately at Connor."It's fine," I said as I took off my shoes and walked over to the coffee table.Hannah frowned as she placed her phone down. "What's with the attitude, Xavier? Isabelle's explaining the situation to you out of the goodness of her heart. You're a grown man. Why are you showing us attitude?"

It was very quiet in the rented apartment at night.I cooked a plate of pasta, sat at the dining table, and ate slowly. Just then, my phone lit up. Mom had sent me a message."Hannah has a short temper, Xavier. Don't take her words to heart. Connor kept mentioning that you weren't there with us today. He feels quite upset. Come back home tomorrow. Let's have dinner together. We shouldn't let the outsiders make fun of us."I stared at the screen as I slowly picked out the chopped onions in my pasta.Outsiders. I was the true outsider in my family."I'll pass," I replied. "I have something to do at school tomorrow."Mom didn't reply after that.…The next day, I went to the train station and bought a ticket to Warreno. Warreno University's registration day was three days earlier than Borealin University's.I didn't tell anyone about what I planned to do. I bought a sandwich from a street-side stall after buying my ticket. I had just taken a bite when I received a call from Isabe

The sandy winds of Warreno gave me a hard time during the first week of the semester. I ended up fainting in the square during orientation due to hypoglycemia.I found myself lying on the bed in the infirmary when I regained consciousness. A woman in a white shirt stood next to the bed, holding a glass of warm water."Have some water," she said.Her voice was gentle, and her grip was firm when she offered the glass to me."Thank you," I said, taking the glass from her."I'm Elise Amery, a junior. I'm also this semester's assistant advisor," she said as she sat on the chair next to the bed.Elise glanced at my name tag before asking, "Xavier Sayle?""That's right.""I've heard of you," she said, smiling. "You could have remained on the main campus with your results. Why did you put in a request to transfer to Warreno?"I cradled the warm glass between my hands as I looked down at the surface of the water. "Because it's quiet here."Elise didn't question me further. Instead, sh

Isabelle stood rooted to the spot. "Stopped having anything to do with each other?" she spat out before chuckling.She couldn't quite hide the panic in her laughter. "Xavier, do you really believe that you can anger me just by finding a random woman to put on an act? We've known each other for over a decade. I know you better than anyone else."She pointed at Elise and said firmly, "You don't like her at all. You're just using her to force me to concede to you."As I took in Isabelle's self-righteous expression, I couldn't help but feel how pathetic I was before. I must have been blind to trail after such an extremely arrogant woman like her for over a decade."You think too highly of yourself, Isabelle," I said, looking at her calmly. "Do you really think that I'm just putting on an act? Fine. I'll just have to make myself clear. "I've never been more certain than I am now that I like Warreno, my major, and my current life. As for you and the rest of the Sayles, I started preten

The backstage hallway was very quiet. The only sound came from the low hum of the air conditioner.Isabelle's hand was suspended in midair. She was deathly pale."Selfish?" she mumbled the word over and over again, her eyes shining with pain. "I just want to make amends, Xavier. I want to transfer the ownership of my apartment to you. I also contacted the best advisor in Borealin for you—""I don't need any of it," I said, looking at her coldly. "You only want to make amends to soothe your own guilt. Do you really believe that I'll fall to your feet in gratitude like in the past just because you give me some materialistic things and special privileges? You're wrong, Isabelle."I stared into Isabelle's eyes. My voice was completely calm when I continued, "What I wanted in the past was for you to tilt the umbrella slightly over me on rainy days. I wanted you to take my side when others were criticizing me. But you gave those privileges to Connor instead."I've learned to hold my own