4pm

FRESHMAN FRESH

With pouting lips and zippering up her pants, Amy can't help but be disappointed while looking at herself in the mirror. No matter how she hides it, her baby fats seem to manage a way on how to show itself everywhere. Her weight problem is just icing on the cake. Beauty is a major issue as she has none. Small eyes, button nose and with crooked teeth, she belongs to the majority of teenagers that are plain looking and unattractive. Boys never really notice nor give her second glances but this doesn't bother Amy. She never even made an effort to look nicely in front of them. Her teenage days are mostly spent alone in her own world and invincible to others.

Although Amy may not be physically appealing, she radiates innocence and cuteness distinct only to her. She never outgrew her childlike manner that makes her look young and fresh. Her simplicity and naïve nature is her charm factor.

Descending from the stairs, her sister Janice who is seated at the breakfast table kept staring at her in disbelief. Disappointed with her looks, she commented:

"Is it Halloween? Is the school having a Halloween party today?"

Amy responded: "huh?" "No"

Janice commented again: "then what's with the hairstyle. You look like an anime character for a Halloween party!"

She further added: "Where is your space ship?"

Amy's hair was tied in 2 pigtails then rolled up in a bun. She was wearing the hairstyle of Princess Leia in the 1980's movie star wars.

Amy responded: "ahh, this (touching her hair). Cute huh!"

Janice: "You are not in middle school anymore; your looks should go along as you mature."

"How can people at the university take you seriously if you keep on looking like a 10 year old?"

"You need at least to make a good impression in order to be noticed, fix your hair and let it flow down!"

Amy responded in between gulps of food she is eating: "Sis, I managed to survive middle school as an invincible person. I intend to do the same in my university years".

"I don't think I need to make an impression to anyone".

"Besides, letting my hair loose is like losing my thinking cap and will lower my thinking ability". "Now we don't want that to happen, right?"

With a sigh, Janice look to both their mother and father who is also seated at the breakfast table as if asking to side with her. She replied:

"Girls are similar to cake you know."

"A cake is never a cake without icing on top".

"A girl is not complete without a beautiful hair as her crowning glory".

Their mom gave an approval to her sister's remark and mentioned: "Amy, your sister is right. You should always look your best at all times."

"Your Prince Charming is just around the corner." "You will need to win his heart but before he takes your heart, you will need to have his attention and be attracted to you".

Amy replied looking at her mother: "Mom, this is the electronic age". "Prince Charming appears only in mangas". "He died centuries ago."

"The real Prince Charming is seated at this table." (Pointing to her dad seated with them).

Their father who is seated at the end of the table reading the morning paper and sipping his coffee heard their conversation and just gave a smile of approval to her.

Amy's family relationship is closely knit that she did not bother making friends outside. She considers her sister to be her best friend and the sole keeper of her secrets. Janice who is 3 years older than Amy is considered to be the beauty of the family who took after their mother's beauty while Amy got her looks from her dad's side. With Janice's stylish clothing and s-line figure, she is popular with the boys while Amy is the opposite. People who know them cannot believe that they are siblings. Janice is considered to be a swan while Amy is the ugly duckling.

AMAZEMENT, JEALOUSY AND INTRIGUE

Arriving at the university, Amy stopped and looked up at the front gate. For the next 4 years of her life, this will be her new home. Excitement and anxiety filled her thoughts. Excited - as a new chapter of her life is about to open. Anxiety - as she successfully maintained her personal space private. She hopes to keep it that way in her university life, peaceful, alone and invincible.

For most teenagers, Amy is exceptionally different. She finds contentment in being alone. Although she knew most of her classmates back in middle school, she did not bother to make friends with them. Her preference is way too different making her unable to connect with them. It is definitely not about boys or the social networking sites or her popularity. She is not even into the latest trend in pop culture. Her lifestyle maybe dull and laidback but there is one thing that she enjoys the most and that is nature photography. A favorite particular subject of her is "the sky". It fascinates her so much to capture its different moods depending on the time of the day. On her last birthday, her father gave her a digital camera as a gift that she considers to be the most valuable gadget and friend in her life. It is always with her wherever she goes.

With a sigh, she suddenly had the urge to pullout her digicam and start documenting her first day at the university. Lost in her thoughts and busy taking photos, in some distance, a little commotion is unfolding.

Edmond (tall, good looking, cool and school heartthrob); together with his guy friends are also entering the university grounds. Behind them, bunch of girls are following trying to get his attention.

The bell rang and classes are about to begin. Inside the classroom, students are settling down on to their seats as the professor came in. Amy found a seat at the far left row almost at the end while Edmond sat at the middle end row. The professor gave a welcoming speech and his expectations to his students then proceeded to start his lecture. Deep in his enthusiasm to teach, the professor was distracted as the class' attention was shifted from him to the presence of a person at the door.

Tall with an angelic face Kevin was late for his class. He was standing at the door checking for a vacant chair. He stood long enough to make a commotion that distracted the professor's concentration. Amy's attention was also caught. She glanced by the door for a moment and then had to make a second one. She cannot believe what she saw. There was an angel standing by the door.

Her eyes grew bigger at the first sight of Kevin who seemed to appear like an angel with wings. All of a sudden, the atmosphere seemed to change like in heaven. Cherubs playing musical instruments appeared from where Kevin was. One of the cherubs came out with a bow and arrow of love and aimed at her. She slowly raised her hand and grabbed the front of her shirt trying to feel her heart. It seems to beat faster than normal. This is the first time she's feeling this and why she is feeling this....she wonders.

She stood up and looking sheepishly. Eyes locked at Kevin while he looked back with an angelic smile...then reality came back. She ended up just merely looking at the guy mouth-opened and eyes wide. She is still holding her shirt feeling her beating heart.

As the entire class got a little excited over Kevin's arrival, the professor got annoyed over the distraction and decided to help Kevin find a chair. He said (with annoyance):

"It is nice of you to show up to my class Mr....hmmm.....good looking. Why don't you sit over there (pointing at the empty chair, same row as Amy's to the rightmost) so I can continue with my lecture."

Kevin apologized and followed the professor's command.

While Amy was lost in daydreams of Kevin, Edmond (seated at the middle end row) who was also distracted didn't pay much attention on him. What captured his interest was his accidental witnessing of Amy's attraction reaction and immediately understood the entire situation with amusement.

After seeing her reaction, his emotions became mixed with amazement, jealousy and intrigue. Amazement - although he is sought after by lots of girls, he does not really pay attention on how girls feel upon seeing a crush.... up until now. Jealousy - knowing that he is also a school heartthrob, he did not get the same attraction reaction from her as the other guy and intrigue – there seems to be something in her that makes him curious enough to know her better. His curiosity sparked an interest as the thought comes to his mind – earlier, he was not excited to go to the university as he was expecting the same scenario as his middle school days...girls chasing him and him trying to run away from them, but after witnessing Amy's reaction, he started to have something to look forward to.

STAIRWAY TO HELL

Every university has a history of dark, scary places. In the case of Mac Allistun University, this would be the stairway leading to the walkway towards the main gate. The stairway is the main passage way that will lead you through the main building where most classes are held. Since it is the most accessible place for students, it serves as a rendezvous spot for most of them. They normally populate this place to hang around and gather with friends during free time and after school. Aside for being the most populated location, this is also the place where gossips are spread and students who pass here alone gets to be rated in terms of appeal and sexiness. Often times, the stairway serves as a runway for fashionistas and for those who want to show off. Amy often hears about this place from her sister who goes to the same university. For Amy, this is the darkest, scariest place. More like the stairway to hell.

Nearing the top of the steps, Amy hesitated for a moment contemplating whether to pass through the stairway or take the longer route via the back of the school. Glancing at her watch, it is nearing 4PM. She needs to get to some place before that time. Thinking of a way to get less attention, she was lucky to chance upon a group of pretty looking girls that will also be descending the stairs. Taking the golden opportunity, she sneaked behind their backs and descents with them down the stairs. Midway through the descent, the girls suddenly stop and gathered by the corner leaving Amy halfway alone and center of everyone's attention. She suddenly froze for a while thinking of whether to go back up or continue downwards. She is now in the middle of the path; if she goes back it'll be just too obvious and humiliating. At the point of no return, she swallowed a moment; lower her head and was about to dash through the stairs when in a flash; Kevin came running down the stairs. She froze for a moment but her senses came back quickly. While all people's attention was stolen by Kevin, she made the opportunity to descend.

Luck is really on her side today. She made it through the end without causing attention. With a sigh of relief; she smiled to herself as a compliment. Unknowingly, towards the end of the stairway, Edmond together with bunch of his friends are hanging out and chatting. No one really paid much attention to her except for Edmond. He had been watching her with interest even before she descends the stairs. He knew all along what she had been trying to do. Following her with his glance, he gave a small laugh to himself while thinking. His continued witnessing of her unconventional moments grew deeper fascination that is starting to stir up interest to get to know her better.

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Sitting by her study table while gazing at the sky through the window, Amy was lost in her thoughts of Kevin. She reminisce how he appeared in the door earlier looking like an angel. It was never easy for her to get attracted to someone but somehow, there is something about Kevin that she also wondered why she felt this way for him. Smiling to herself and feeling excited, she look forward to seeing him again tomorrow. She prepares her things and remembered the most important item in her life, her digicam. She schemed up a plan to steal some shots of Kevin as remembrance of her new found crush.

Upon lying on her bed, Amy noticed that her sister is not home yet and started to get a little worried. She wondered where she can be at this time of night. She is also excited to tell her about Kevin. She tried to ring her sister's cell phone but then hesitated and guessed that she might be nearing home. Amy decided to just wait for her to arrive. Amy's thoughts went back to Kevin. Although she knew that this is a one-sided attraction, it lifted her spirits and made her look forward to her university life at Mac Allistun.

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Excited to see Kevin again, Amy's spirits are high today. She took slightly her sister's advice and fixed her hair a little better. Still tied up however, not looking like a cartoon character. Their class today will be held at the laboratory.

STEALING GLANCES

Amy seated at the end of the leftmost lab table while Kevin is at the rightmost end. In between them is the middle lab table sat Edmond. While everyone seems to be intently listening to the professor, Amy's thoughts were diverted to Kevin. Thoughts of him got her excited so she planned a little scheme to steal a few glances. Pretending to be taking some notes, she slightly angled her head to the right to catch a glimpse of him. He seemed to be concentrated on the teacher's lecture. For Amy, every time she sees him it's like seeing an angel. Contented on first steal of glance she made, she tilted her head back and gave a sheepish grin while her heart beats faster than normal. She now prepares for her second glancing attempt.

Edmond seated in between them realized what she was trying to do and got himself into a playful mood. As Amy is about to steal more glances, Edmond pushed his chair lightly backwards without changing his focus on the professor in front pretending nothing has changed. He is now blocking her view of Kevin. As Amy angled her head again to glimpse at Kevin, she cannot see him anymore but only Edmond's profile who is intently listening to the teacher. She tilted her head back and made an annoyed face cursing a little bit at the situation. She slightly moved her chair forward and made the next attempt.

Edmond realized that she had moved slightly forward to make another attempt so he made the same move to block her view again. Next attempt was done and so as the next but all unsuccessful. Suddenly, Amy realized what was going on. As she moved her chair slightly, the corner of her eye was at Edmond's direction and stayed until he moved. She caught him and immediately looked at him with an angry gaze. Her eyebrows started to crunch as she stared at him. Edmond felt her angry stare even he is not facing her directly. Stunned and scared by her gaze, all his blood seemed to have run out and his face became white as a paper. He feared to be getting a nagging later. He swallowed his saliva and continued to pretend to be listening to the lecture.

The bell rang and the class ended. Edmond was avoiding Amy's gaze. He is conditioning himself for a confrontation from Amy but to his surprise, Amy just stood up walked away without saying a word. He watched her as she leaves the room. A small laugh came to his lips. The angry eyes earlier reminded him of his first lady love, his mom. She normally gives him the same scary eyes over his mischievousness plus the fact that he enjoyed the tension earlier. This is actually the first time he feared a girl. A sense of pride overflowed him as he successfully managed to annoy her and enjoyed every moment.

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Standing in front of her locker, Amy's emotions are mixed with annoyance and shame. Annoyed because her stealing glances were unsuccessful and shame because someone witnessed her flirting moments. Brushing aside her thoughts, she grabbed her digital camera from her locker. Thinking of a new mission, she smiled and dashed away to execute the plan. Not far from where she was, Edmond was also placing his things inside his locker. He saw her smile and the digital camera on her hand and planned to follow her on her next adventure.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

She saw Kevin sitting by the hallway alone listening to his ipod and reading while waiting for the next class. She immediately positioned herself by the column and where less people are around. Unmindful that Edmond was on her tail, she sets up the digicam and aims to get a few stolen shots of Kevin. Edmond; after immediately realizing what she is about to do, dashed to where Kevin was and started to make conversations with him. Edmond knows where Amy was positioned so he positioned himself to block her view of him. Amy made the first shot, disappointed at the result, Kevin was not even in the frame but she got a good shot of Edmond's back instead. She prepared for the next shoot, again failed and again and again. She kept shooting but all she got was different angled shots of Edmond's back. All her shots did not come out as what she was hoping for and she knew that "that bad boy" Edmond was behind it. With a sigh of determination, she repositioned herself and again clicked away. Same results came out as Edmond keeps on deliberately blocking the view making her unable to get a good shot of Kevin. There was one photo however that she was able to capture a profile of Kevin. She considers this good enough but the only thing is this photo included a good frontal shot of Edmond instead.

Contented with one good shot, she went to her locker to collect her things and headed home. She cannot wait to show the shot of Kevin to her sister and tell her all about him. Edmond seeing her leave felt contentment as well as he succeeded again in making her mission impossible.

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Amy noticed that the car of her sister's boyfriend was parked in front of their house. This would only mean that her sister was already home. Excited to tell her about Kevin, she hurriedly went inside and was shocked to see everyone gathered at the living room and seemed to be having a serious conversation. They asked her to join in. Her sister held her hands and excitedly said that her boyfriend Ronnie had asked her hand for marriage and they have set the engagement date to be next month. Amy was shocked at what she heard. Aside from the fact that her sister is still too young to be engaged (she is still finishing college), she does not approve the guy. She always believed that with her sister's good looks and standards, she deserves a better looking, rich man. Ronnie was the opposite of that. On top of this, she fears that she will be losing her best friend when she marries.

She saw the happiness and excitement in her sister's eyes that she did not dare to show how she truly feels about the situation. But instead, she hugged her sister back and gave them her blessings. She looked at her mom and dad and excused herself to go to her room. Inside, she slumped into her study table chair. Mixed emotions crossed her mind but sadness is the predominant. She will be losing her best friend and she is not prepared for this to happen soon.

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Her sadness made her forget about Kevin. She went to school in a trance. She is not in her regular self today and Edmond noticed this as well. While sitting at the stairway, she remained staring at one object in deep thoughts. Unaware of her surroundings, she did not even notice that Edmond was at the bottom stairs staring directly at her. Confused by her trance, he walked a bit back and forth trying to capture her attention but without being too obvious with other students that are passing by. Puzzled by her no reaction, she is not in her usual spunkiness today. He somewhat felt the sadness of her face and starts to wonder what's keeping her thoughts preoccupied.

A friend came to Edmond and asked what was he was trying to do and looked at what seemed to have captured his attention. Edmond feared that his friends might discover his new found interest and mock him; he then said to his friend "nothing, let's go!"

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At the end of the school day, Amy prepares to leave. She glanced at her watch. It is nearing 4PM. Her mind is too preoccupied with her sister's decision. She needed to clear her head and learn to accept the situation. Walking along the road, she is unmindful of her surroundings. Trees are beautifully lined up on both sides of the road under the summer sky welcoming her as she pass by but she did not notice it. Too preoccupied, she is not aware that Edmond is tailing her at the other side of the road.

She walked while in deep thoughts then stopped for a moment to sigh, then walked again. Edmond did the same movement to be unnoticed. Her stomach started to mumble. She forgot about lunch and her lunch pack is still untouched. Passing by a convenient store, she went in and sat at the corner table facing the glass wall. She unpacked her lunch and started to eat. She went by the food counter to get some free seasonings and some tissues and returned to the table to start eating. Edmond went in also but Amy did not notice him. He bought noodles and sat at the other end of the table facing also the glass wall opposite Amy. They are now seated end to end of the bench.

Amy noticed the sky from the glass wall and started to put her finger together in a square as if framing the view like a picture. Edmond got curious about what she was doing and tried to look at what she was seeing. Unable to figure out what she was looking at, he spoke to her:

"What is it? There's nothing there."

Amy heard the voice and looked at the direction where it came from. Shocked at seeing him there she said:

"You!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Why are you here."

Edmond replied: "Eating as well (pointing at his noodles).

"This I bought from this store".

"So I have the right to eat here."

"You, you did not buy here and yet you are using their space and their seasonings."

"You even used their tissues!" (Pointing at the used tissues)

Amy looked at her food and realized that he was right. She suddenly felt shame. Biting her lips and cleared up her lunch pack, she did not finish her food and started to leave. Edmond happy to annoyed her again, just laugh at himself and did not follow her anymore.

A HEART TO HEART TALK

Upon entering her room, her sister was sitting at the bed waiting for her. Janice felt Amy's sadness over her decision and decided to have a heart to heart talk with her. She asked Amy to sit beside her.

Janice thought it will be best not to get straight to the point at this time. She asked Amy:

"How's the university life?"

Amy replied without enthusiasm: "ok I guess nothing shocking so far".

Janice: "any boy you like?"

Amy hesitated but with a smile said: "well...."

Janice became enthusiastic and said: "oh my gosh!"

"This is the first time I have seen you smiled like that".

"Tell me about him."

"You need to get him notice you."

Amy just smile at her.

Janice touching her sister's hair: "I told you to fix your hair properly. A beautiful hair can enhance a girl's look by 50 percent then you only need to worry about the other 50 percent.

Again, Amy just gave her a smile. Janice understood Amy's sadness and said:

"I know that my decision was a shock to the whole family". "Maybe I was too selfish not to consider your feelings but happiness does not come often into ones life. If I didn't take it selfishly, I may not able to experience it."

"You may not approve Ronnie now but try to get to know him and you will understand what I mean."

Amy now teary eyed said:

"I just feel that you are still young, talented and beautiful to be tied up early. You will still find someone better that you deserve."

"And that.......and that it's too early for me to lose you."

Janice hearing these words from Amy started to cry herself.

"You will never lose me. I will always be with you even after marriage."

"I will be with you when you have your first boyfriend, your first kiss, your first love."

"My marriage will never be a reason for us to change our closeness."

"I will be forever your best fried."

Hearing these comforting words from her sister made Amy's heart at ease. Maybe she is the one being selfish and not her sister. Her own self centeredness made her not realize that her sister have found happiness with Ronnie, a kind of happiness that she needs to discover herself someday.

FROM HEART FELT TO HEART BROKEN

After last night's conversation, Amy felt better. She is determined now to get to know Ronnie better and learn to accept him in their family. Like a typhoon that passed by, her mood instantly changed from gloomy to sunshine.

Inside the classroom, she is busy with her notes when Kevin approached her. He asked:

"Hi classmate (unaware of her name), were you able to complete the lecture notes yesterday?"

"Can I borrow it?"

Amy looked up to Kevin. With mouth slightly opened from shock and seemed to have seen an angel again (shocked not only because Kevin is near, but he is actually talking to her), fluttered her eyes and trying to focus after his question. She responded:

"Sssure, here". She handed him her notes. Kevin started to browse it and noticed that she has some drawings on the side that contains her name. Kevin said:

"You're Amy right?"

He extended his hand to her and introduced himself "Hi, my name is Kevin".

Edmond witnessed the entire scenario with jealousy and agitation. Before Amy can extend her hand to accept Kevin's introduction, Edmond immediately dashed to Kevin and grabbed his extended hand instead. He said:

"Kevin, join our study class later".

"All the guys will be there and students from the upper class will lend their notes".

Kevin after hearing Edmond's suggestion paused for a moment then turned to Amy and said:

"Amy, thanks for the notes but I'll just join the study class later."

Kevin returned to his chair. Edmond followed while Amy just kept silent. She felt confused over the speed of incidents and disappointed over her almost conversation with Kevin cut short abruptly. All thanks to Edmond.

The professor came in and the class started. Amy turned her head and looked at Edmond. She was angry at him for stealing the moment but it also crossed her mind that she has no right to be mad. Her expression changed from anger to sadness. She turned her head to face the professor while her chin rested on her palm. Edmond pretending to be listening intently to the teacher saw her reaction from the corner of his eye. He was successful again in annoying her and this time, may have broken her heart. With a guilty conscience, he somewhat felt bad at what he did.

STALKING MOMENTS

After the class Amy decided to head to her favorite place. It is nearing 4PM. She gathered her things from her locker including her digital camera. Almost running, she headed out of school. Edmond saw her running and decided to follow.

Walking along the road where the trees are beautifully lined up, she appreciated the beauty of nature this time and try to feel the warmth of the summer sky. She spread her hand wide eagled and tried to make a walking turn. Halfway through the turn, she was shocked of what she saw. Edmond was on the other side of the road walking and pretending not to see her. Confused of what was happening she started to speculate that the instances of him constantly appearing in front of her is not just coincidental but becoming intentional. What could be his motive and why does it have to her.

Hoping to outrun him, she slowed her pace and let Edmond walked a few meters further ahead than her. Noticing her moved, he decided to grant her wishes and made a right turn by the end of the road going opposite her direction. Seeing that he is not following her anymore, she glanced at her watch and ran. She might miss the train to her favorite spot. Reaching the station, she was happy to know that the train had not passed yet. Sitting by the waiting bench, she pulled out her digital camera and started to take shots of the sky. Feeling uncomfortable in the neck by just looking up, she lay down by the bench and clicked away. A face suddenly appeared covering half the frame of the camera as she was taking shots of the sky. She was startled by what she saw and fell off the bench. Sitting at the floor, she was shock to see Edmond standing by the bench watching her. He extended his hand to help her stand up and said:

"Did I startle you?" "I'm sorry".

Amy cannot believe her luck. Annoyed, she asked him: "are you a stalker?"

"Are you following me?"

"Why?"

Edmond smiled and replied: "stalker?"

Amy: "yes stalker!"

Edmond (still smiling): "I'm just curios."

Amy (brows frowning): "curious?" "About what"?

Edmond: "about what a girl like you seems to be doing all alone".

Amy: "huh?"

Edmond (getting near her face as he speaks): "It's kind of......interesting".

Amy reacted by bending backwards her face and did not ask further. Somehow, she was satisfied by his answers.

She just said: "There is nothing interesting in me, believe it!"

Edmond just smiled at her comment.

The train came and dropped off some passengers. As the train about to depart, Amy grabbed her things and jump aboard the last cart of the train. Edmond, unaware of her maneuver was outsmarted by Amy. The train starts to move and Amy waved at Edmond while smiling. Edmond cannot believe that he was suddenly outsmarted. He looked at Amy and without thinking; he rushed through the slow moving train. She realized what he was trying to do and suddenly became scared. She whispered at the train to go faster. As Edmond came near, he tossed his bag to Amy and jumped on board. Amy shocked of what just happened. Edmond clutching his chest as his heart was beating fast from excitement. Laughing aloud, he looked at Amy who was more shocked at just what he did.

WHY...WHY...WHY's.....

Amy slowly slumped seated at the last cart of the train. She cannot believe the events that had been unfolding. There had been lots of "why's" that are running through her mind right now. Why is this happening, why is he stalking her, why is he interested in her, why her, why is it him and not Kevin.

Edmond seemed to have read her mind, slumped seated beside her as well. With crunched eyebrows, Amy gave him a smirking look; however, she did not say a word and just kept quiet. Edmond seeing her face just smiled and started to admire the beautiful scenery. He wondered in his mind where this train is actually going and where she wishes to go.

The train made its stop and Amy hurried down. Edmond followed. Amy is walking at a path towards the vegetable plantation. She got to know this place through her father. The plantation owner is their family friend. Her family used to spend weekends here as their weekend getaway, but as her sister becomes busy with her remaining years in the university and her father got tied up with his construction business, visiting this place become less and less. Lucky for Amy, this is just a train ride away from her university. She can easily come whenever she pleases just as long as she does not miss the 4PM train towards this place.

For Amy, this place is her oasis. This is the place where she takes lots of good photos of nature and the sky. Tall trees framing the view of sky when you lay down and aim the camera upwards as well as the staircase like vegetable plantation giving an excellent view of the area beyond.

She greeted a farmer who was harvesting a few vegetables along the way. She knows him as one of the workers of the owner. She said:

"Hi Mr. Park."

The man greeted back: "O hello Amy!"

Amy said: "I'm going to take pictures ok!" (Raising up her digicam)

The man said: "ok!"

Amy continued to walk. The farmer kept watching her and noticed that behind her, a handsome boy was following. The man said:

"Your friend?"

Amy had no choice but to answer: "yes!" "sort of" (the last word in a quiet tone).

Edmond just smiled and wave at the man.

The man was somehow amused. Of all the times Amy comes to this place, this is the first time he saw her with a boy and is actually a very good looking one.

They continued to walk upwards. When Amy reached her spot, she sat down the ground and readies her camera. Edmond sat with her also. Amy still kept silent so as Edmond then all of a sudden, things just came rushing through Amy's mind. Maybe, this good looking boy beside her is not really what others think who he is. She begins to imagine him having a dark side. Beneath the exterior looks, he is actually a sex maniac and worse a serial killer and she would be the next victim. She visualized how he grabs her and pinned her to the ground and starts kissing her. Then, he pulled up a blade from his pocket and starts to slit her throat. Reality came back to her and she looked at him instantly with scared eyes. She remembered that there was a witness, Mr. Park who they met a while ago. Edmond was also shocked at her scared eyes and got confused on what going on her mind. Amy immediately stood up and began to run to where she saw Mr. Park earlier. Edmond did not move and was just staring at what she was trying to do. Amy suddenly stopped running and noticed that Edmond was not tailing her. She looked back at him and saw his confused reaction. Noting that he is not after her, she walked back towards him and sat beside him.

She looked at him and almost shouting said: "why??!!!"

"why are you doing this?"

"why do you keep following me around?"

"are you trying to make fun of me?"

"am I so amusing to you?"

"why?? why?? why???"

"tell me!"

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She looked at him and said: "no way!"

She added: "are you attracted to me??"

"Do you have a crush on me?"

Edmond's eyes flutter a moment digesting her comments then burst out laughing while looking at her from time to time.

Amy found his laugh insulting. Her eyebrows started to crunch as she looked at him; however, she realizes that her thought was impossible. There is no way for a boy like him would like somebody like her.

Edmond stopped laughing and got a little bit serious and said:

"It's not that."

"It's just....."(trying to find words).

Then said: "Ok, I will give you 3 good reasons why."

"First (raising his finger signifying first), "I'm bored!"

Amy looked at him in disbelief and said: "And I am your anti-boredom antidote?!!"

Edmond smiled and said: "Yes, you can say that."

He continued to say: "I am bored at girls who kept following me around trying to grab my attention. Once they got my attention, there is nothing really interesting in them to keep me for more than 5 minutes. All they care about is maintaining their popularity. I am so not into that."

"You seemed to be the type of not to care so much about these things." (Saying that while looking at Amy from head to toe).

Sensing of what he thinks, she gave him an angry sigh.

Edmond laugh and continued with his reasons: "Second (raising 2 fingers now), I'm curious."

"I have been following you for quite sometime now and I noticed that you never made friends with anyone."

"You seemed to be a loner type and I wonder how you spend your time alone."

"Frankly, it is quite amusing (he said while looking around).

Amy was shocked about what he said. This could only mean that he had been following her all the time. He really is a stalker.

"Lastly, I saw your reaction the first time you saw Kevin."

"It was kind of amusing seeing you at that moment."

"I never realized how girls feel upon seeing a crush because I never really paid attention.....but after witnessing that moment....."(He laugh a little).

"I also felt envious of Kevin."

"We are both good looking but how come I didn't get the same reaction from you!"

"You probably didn't even notice me!"

"So I got into a playful mood." He finishes his reasons while lying at the ground, arms behind his head and looking up to the sky. He smiled as he was contented with his answers.

Amy looked at him directly with wondering eyes. She was shocked to hear his reasons but she is not the type that would nag others just to get a satisfied answer so she did not dare to make a remark. She realized that his straightforward reasons were actually true. He may have been bored as a teenage heartthrob and curios about her lonesome life.

Although Amy is not the type to make friends, she does not close her doors to people who reach out and make the effort. She also admired the boldness of Edmond but somehow, she cannot help the feeling that she was just the subject of his playful mood.

She brushed aside her thoughts and said to herself that his silliness will end and tomorrow will return to her normal life. What she did not realize is that she was in for a surprise.

-------------------------------------

The next school day, Edmond is standing at the hallway waiting for Amy to arrive. Amy was late and came running. She met Edmond along the hallway. He scolded her for being late and grabs her hand and they ran going to the lecture room. People saw them running hand to hand and were shocked at the site of them together. The girls' mouth was opened in disbelief especially Diane who had been chasing Edmond since day 1. They reached the lecture room and sat at their designated seats.

Classes ended, Edmond was putting things in his locker when his friends approach him. They were asking him to tag along to get a few drinks. Diane heard them and said that she and her girl friends would like to come along too. The boys got excited except for Edmond who kept looking at his watch and seem to have been waiting for someone. He saw Amy going to her locker. Without saying anything to his friends, he headed towards her. His friends and Diane were shocked that he ignored them and worst, he went to Amy instead.

As Edmond approached Amy, he said: "Come on! We will miss the train!" (Glancing at his watch)

Amy shocked by him being there and what he told her.

Without saying anything, he closed her locker, grab her hand and drag her going outside. The entire population was witnessing what was happening and was shocked at the scene. They cannot believe that the most popular boy at the university is holding the hands of a nobody like Amy.

At the second floor of the building, Kevin was witnessing the entire scenario as well.

4PM

Reaching the place, Edmond pulled out his digicam. Amy slumped at ground and kept quiet the entire time. A lot of things are rushing through her mind but she never said a word. Edmond sensing her emotion sat beside her and started to say:

"There are "why's" in this world that does not always need reasons."

"It is justified with the "just because"."

Amy looked at him, confused on what he just said. Edmond further explained:

"Just because you're fun to be with!"

"Now no more "why's and let's just enjoy the view, ok!"

Amy cannot believe these words came from him. Initially, she judged him as a shallow person but after hearing these words, she found him profound. What's more, he finds her fun to be with even if she's not much of a talker and having a different world unlike the others.

They started to take photos capturing the different formation of the clouds and the fruits that had been hanging in the trees. In between shots, they compared the outcome.

Sitting at the ground to rest, Amy asked him a question out of the blue: "What is your favorite time of the day?"

Edmond paused for a while to digest her question. He never really paid much attention to time let alone select a favorite. He answered:

"Hmmm.... Maybe, sunset, around 5:30pm"

Amy replied: "a most common answer."

Edmond: "Do you ask this question to everyone?"

Amy: "Yes, I do."

"And most of them answered the same."

Edmond asked her in turn: "What is your favorite time of the day?"

Amy answered: "4pm."

Edmond was taken away by her reply. Normally, people will answer dawn or sunset but she was specific with 4pm that makes him wonder why.

Edmond asked: "What's so special about 4pm?"

Amy sighed and answered: "The sky is at its best at 4pm, don't you know that?"

She continued: "This is the perfect time to view it. The sun is not too bright to obscure your vision. The ray is as perfect as it passes to the trees and the clouds are at its right formation at this time."

"The view is just picture perfect at 4pm."

Edmond smiled back at her answer. Most teenagers their age will pay attention to the opposite sex or their popularity or their looks. No one will really pay much attention to their surroundings much more the sky but Amy is different. She may be an introvert person but she is never shallow and that makes her an extra ordinary girl.

A FOOD STORY

Time passed by and after so much fun, they missed the train ride back from the plantation. Amy suggested that the only alternative way is to take the bus however they had to walk to the bus station. Edmond's stomach started to make rumbling sounds. Amy heard it and remembered that they have not taken any food and missed lunch. Edmond looked around to check for a convenient store nearby but there's none. Amy remembered that there is a market place nearby where the vegetables from the plantation are delivered. Her father used to take them there to enjoy street foods. Recalling the location, she asked Edmond to follow her.

Looking around it was not the place that Edmond had in mind to eat. Amy stopped in front of a food cart and ordered. She immediately ate as soon as the lady handed her order. Edmond just stared at her. She noticed him starring and offered her food. Edmond hesitated for hygienic reasons but his stomach did not lie. It made a rumbling sound again. Amy heard it and just starred at him. Edmond grabbed the food from Amy's hand and started eating. He chewed with difficulty at first but as he continues to chew, he noted that the food tasted very good and he liked it. He finished all Amy's food. Amy's eyebrows crunched in annoyance and said to him:

"For a well mannered, pretty boy like you, I didn't imagine you will enjoy eating chicken intestines".

After hearing her words, Edmond's eyes grew bigger in disbelief and turned to face her; then to the lady who is selling the food; then to the food that he just ate. Suddenly, his face became pale. His head started to spin lightly and he felt like vomiting. Amy and the lady burst out laughing. The lady handed him a bottled water while Amy tapped his back while saying:

"Oowws! You're such a baby"! "Wasn't it very tasty?" "I shouldn't have said what it was."

Edmond kept silent during the bus ride. Amy looked at him from time to time but he did not pay attention to her. A feeling of guilt crept over Amy. She may have gone overboard this time as he is not used to having this kind of food. As a manner of apology, Amy started to tell a story:

"When we were little, my sister and I were so skinny."

Edmond looked at her in disbelief. Amy responded with his expression in annoyance:

"Now I got your attention". She continued with her story:

"Yes, I was skinny and sickly. I was asthmatic when I was a child".

"My father was bothered by our health so he keeps on finding ways to improve it".

"A Shaman advised him of two things". One is a drink mixture that will increase our appetite and improve our immune system".

"The other one is an instant remedy for my asthma however, it was so gross".

"Do you know what kind of a mixture it was?" (Her face closing unto Edmond's as she say the words giving a scary effect).

Remembering what she just fed him a while ago, he was sure it was something disgusting. Edmond swallowed his saliva. Amy continued with her story:

"It was beer with raw egg". Edmond's eyes grew bigger. Amy continued:

"The look was so disgusting and so as the taste". "We can't even make a sip so my father turned off all the lights when we're about to drink and told us to drink it bottoms up so the taste will not linger longer".

"He made us drink it every week until there were results". "I started to gain and gain weight." "Now my problem is losing it".

Edmond smiled. Amy gave him a face and continued with her story:

"It did not had any effect on my sister as her weight remains the same, then later I noticed that the plant inside our house has been growing nicely and healthy".

"I found out that as soon as my father switch off the lights, my sister was pouring her drink into the plant instead of drinking it".

"No wonder why she always positioned herself beside the plant".

Edmond burst out laughing. Amy laughed as well. She was relieved that the ice had been broken and Edmond forgot about earlier.

The bus ride takes much longer route. They reached the city a bit late. Edmond who was taught by his parents to be a gentleman all the time, offered to drop Amy at her house. Amy hesitated but still, he insisted. While walking, Amy said to him:

"Are you still mad about earlier?" "It may be nasty but it was really tasty, right!"

She further added: "Do you know that in poor countries, every part of the chicken is not wasted".

"From head to foot including the in betweens and they have longer life span".

"Now that you have eaten chicken intestines, that means that you will live longer and you will have longer time to stalk me, "stalker san" (Japanese word for calling someone a stalker).

Edmond smiled and said: "stalker san", "that's a nice name".

They reached Amy's house. Janice was waiting by her room window. Upon seeing them near the gate, she hurried to go down. Her mother was also anxiously waiting by the front door. Both Amy's mother and Janice gathered by the front gate and got excited when they saw Edmond. In Amy's 19 years of existence, this is the first time she brought anyone and the best news is; it's a good looking boy.

Amy's father stayed inside the house. He did not appear excited but rather calm and cool. He was already tipped off by the plantation owner that she was seen at the plantation together with a good looking boy. As per Mr. Park, they seemed to be having a date. Of course he did not believe until Amy will tell to him directly.

By the gate, Amy said to Edmond: "This is my house, so go now."

"Ba-bye!"

Edmond looked at the house. It is not stylish but it is also not bad. A "homey" feeling can be felt.

The day was very exciting for Edmond that he doesn't really want it to end. He said to Amy: "You said that there's another one!"

Amy looked at him confuse of what he was talking about. Edmond clarified: "In your food story earlier, you said there is another way the Shaman told your father." "What is it?"

Amy came near his face with a threatening look and said: "I'll tell you when your stomach is strong enough to take it." "Now go!" "Good night!"

Edmond is about to turn away when the gate opened and Amy's mother with Janice came out.

Amy's mother asked her with a smile: "Your friend?"

Amy answered reluctantly: "Ahh, yes."

"His name is Edmond."

Her mother ran up to Edmond and gripped his hand and shakes it vigorously. She then introduced Janice.

Edmond greeted them shyly.

They invited him to come up the house and have a bite before heading home. Remembering Amy's food story earlier, Edmond hesitated and said that it is also late for him and his family might be worried. He further explains that they had been to the plantation and missed the train back. Amy's mother accepted with enthusiasm his explanations and thanked him in return. Amy's family were actually thankful not only because he escorted Amy back home safely but he is the first person that Amy brought home as a friend.

-------------------------------------

As Amy lay down to bed, she contemplated on the series of events that had been unfolding. She started to doubt whether this is still reality or just a dream. She had never guessed that her university life would have turned out to be this way. She was satisfied with a dull, lonesome, invincible life but as the recent events had been happening, a colorful life is not bad as well and she is starting to like it.

Edmond also lay awake on his bed. He cannot get rid the smile off his face. The food story, 4PM, stalker san and the other remedy the Shaman told Amy's father kept on coming back to his mind. Every moment with Amy was fun filled and he really enjoyed being with her. A thought came to his mind, stalking her was actually a good thing and he was glad that he did it.

-------------------------------------

At the breakfast table, everyone was silent. No one dared to ask Amy about last night although they kept looking at each other as if hinting the first to break the ice. Sensing their moves, Amy was the first to break the silence:

"He is just my stalker. He will get tired of me later."

Janice changed the subject to make things not too obvious: "This weekend let's go to my hairdresser and have our hair done, ok."

Janice added: "And ahhh...let's go shopping too!"

Their mother agreed: "Yes! Let's do women's bonding this weekend!" (with an excited expression and clasping both hands).

Amy felt excited also and immediately agreed.

The sound of the word "bonding" seems to have a positive effect on her. This is also a good time to clear her thoughts about the recent happenings plus the fact that she will be with her family. What Amy didn't realize is that Janice and her mom was actually planning a scheme. It didn't crossed Amy's mind that this so called "weekend bonding" was actually the first attempt to change her personal style and looks.

ANGEL & DEVIL

Amy speculated that Edmond might be following her again. Entering the university with caution, she kept on turning back to check if he is tailing her. He seemed to be out of sight. Although Amy thought it was strange it also crossed her mind that he might probably come to his senses after the incident yesterday and got tired of stalking her, she brushed away the thought of Edmond and continued to walk.

Heads down as she walk along the hallway, she lifted her head slowly as she sensed a presence not so distant ahead. She became nervous as her vision of the person cleared up. A few meters away, Kevin stood looking at her with a smile. He looked cool with his stylish outfit, jeans and sneakers. The look of his stance seemed to appear as if he was waiting for her. The atmosphere changed once again to heaven like. It almost felt that Kevin was reaching out his hand to welcome her.

As the distance between her and Kevin gets closer, her day dreaming moment was suddenly cut short when a presence in front of her appeared and blocked Kevin. Edmond's face is now coming closer and closer onto her face looking the jealous devil type. He had guessed what she was day dreaming about. His ego was hurt once again and suddenly, a thought came to his mind. His mood instantly changed from jealousy to playfulness. With a big smile he turned to Kevin's direction, put his arms around Amy's shoulder and drag her near. They walked towards Kevin.

Amy caught by the speed of what was happening, unable to resist and like in a trance, followed Edmond's lead. In front of Kevin, Edmond greeted him without removing his arms around Amy's shoulders. The two guys started a casual conversation about the study group. Amy still in a trance; remained immobile and kept starring at Kevin. Kevin glances at her from time to time as if digesting what was going on. She looked as if needing help and was asking him to rescue her.

Edmond getting uneasy at the scenario, said his goodbyes to Kevin and drag Amy along. The entire school population witnessed again the scenario and the crowd is not easy with the gossips.

FROM NOBODY TO MS. VIP

At the end of the class, Amy's classmates approached her one by one and seem to be reaching out to make friends with her. All of them asked for her cell number and hangs with her wherever she goes. Amy is not happy with the situation. She has always enjoyed her personal space and popularity is the least things on her mind. She hid inside the ladies toilet for a while and as soon as the coast was clear, she sneaked out. Covering her face with her hand, she accidentally bumped into someone. Slowly looking up, she was shock to see it was Kevin. Kevin realized her current situation and why she's hiding from everyone. He asked her to follow him to avoid the crowd.

They managed to get out of the university unnoticed and ended up in a playground and sat at the swings. They were laughing at the success of their escape when Amy's cell phone rang. The number is unknown. She picked up the call and learned that it was one of their classmates who asked for her number earlier. The caller was trying to know her whereabouts and if she was with Edmond. Not happy about the question, she lied that she was home and Edmond is not with her and immediately pressed the end call. Another call came in with the same question. Calls started to pour in even when she is still on the other line. All of them were just trying to know where Edmond was.

Furious about what was happening; Amy angrily removed the battery of her cell phone and shouted:

"I will kill you Edmond!"

She suddenly remembered that she is not alone and Kevin was with her. She turned to look at him smiling and said:

"Sorry, it's just that...."

Kevin understood her. He knew all along that this will happen. He gave her a smile and swayed his swing. Amy did the same. They both swing vigorously up and down. Out of the blue, Amy asked a question as she continues to swing:

"Do you know the most fun part of swinging?"

"It is when you swing so hard back and forth and lean your back like this (leaning as she swings showing Kevin) and get a full view of the sky.

The sky looked perfect at that moment. The clouds looked very white and fluffy as the ray of sun passes through it. For Amy, it looked like a huge teddy bear that she wanted to grab and burry her face.

Her grabbing motion amuses Kevin a lot. He started to laugh at her childish act. He also leaned back and reached up to the clouds. He appreciated her interest with the sky and suddenly understood why Edmond's interest was captured by her.

-------------------------------------

Today was a happy day for Amy. Although her moments together with Kevin were short, she was thankful that it ever happened.

Climbing up to bed, she suddenly remembered her cell phone and the battery were removed. She placed them back and turned it on. It immediately rang. It was her voice mail announcing that she has 18 messages. Shocked by what she heard, she cannot believe that 18 people bothered to leave messages for her. She rarely gets a call everyday and most of it from her family. Curious about the messages, she played the 1st message. It was her classmate trying to find her. She played the 2nd, again same but seems to be looking for Edmond instead, same goes for the 3rd and 4th. She got annoyed by the messages but as she played the 5th message, her expression changed from anger to surprise. The 5th message was from Edmond. With an angry voice, he was looking for her and scolding her that they had missed the 4PM train.

She cannot believe at what she heard and with an agitated expression, she turned off her cell phone, drag the sheets towards her head and went to sleep. She thought for a moment:

"It's a good thing its weekend."

"No stalkers for a while."

WEEKEND BONDING

Weekend came and so as the much awaited bonding moments. Their first stop was the hairdresser. With careful supervision of Janice, Amy had her hair done however she requested that the length remains as she plans to tie it up again later. She just wanted to please Janice and her mom at the moment. Aside from Amy, her mom and Janice had a hair make over as well. The two look good sporting a new hairstyle while Amy remains the same.

After the hairdresser, they started their shopping spree. Janice and their mom got so engrossed with the latest style of season clothes while Amy is starting to get bored and tired from walking around. She sat at the bench near and ice cream station. A four year old child was sitting beside her eating an ice cream. The ice cream started to melt at the child's hand and Amy seeing this, felt the need to help not to soil the child's clothes. Thinking of a way not to scare the child, she teases him by slowly moving her mouth to the ice cream as if trying to lick it. She was actually trying to teach him on what he needs to do but the child only kept watch at what she was doing. As the melted ice cream is about to spill, she then decided to lick it directly. The child willingly gave the ice cream to her instead.

As Amy continue to lick the melted ice cream, the mother of the child saw what she was doing and came to stand beside her. She got the impression that Amy was stealing the ice cream from her child. When Amy looked up, an angry expression was seen on the child's mother's face. Amy sensing her wrong impression immediately explained:

"It's not what it looks like, really."

"His ice cream was melting...and...it's not that I wanted to eat ice cream right now....."

The mother gave her an intense look. Somehow there is something wrong with her explanation. The mother then grabbed the child's hand and left. Feeling shame and sorry to what she did, she slumped her head down and looked for Janice and her mom.

Inside one of the shopping stores, Edmond stood watch and laughing at the entire scenario. His family was also in the area doing their shopping. His younger sister approached him and asked what was funny. He did not dare tell her what he was watching and pulled her away.

On their way home, Edmond cannot brush away the smile on his face. The memory of what happened earlier keeps popping on his mind. Most girls their age act so childish but Amy is different. Her innocence is very child like not childish and this makes her so charming plus the fact that she is sporting a new hairstyle.

THE LOVE BUS

The lab class today will be held outside as they need to gather samples of volcanic debris. They need to be grouped in 2's and write an analysis.

Kevin was the first to get on board the school bus. As he saw Amy come in, he called her and asked to sit beside him. Edmond boarded the bus late and saw that Amy was already seated beside Kevin. Seeing this as not a good sign, he went to the professor and whispered on his ear. The professor stood up and made an announcement inside the bus:

"To avoid confusion in selecting your lab partner, you will be paired alphabetically according to your last names."

Amy and Edmond shared the same last names "Kim" while Kevin is Oh. For obvious reasons, Amy and Edmond ended up as lab partners.

Edmond smiled but still not yet satisfied. He whispered some more to the professor. The professor added:

"The lab partners should sit beside each other during the ride so they can start discussing their analysis."

Amy's fist started to clench. She is so angry at Edmond now and said: "Stalker san!!!"

Edmond came to their chair and waited for Kevin to give up his seat. Kevin just smiled in disbelief. He was outsmarted by Edmond but what puzzles him the most was how long does he plans to keep his mischievous acts on Amy.

Having no choice, Kevin stood up. Edmond got seated beside Amy. Amy looked with fierce eyes at him but he didn't pay attention. He asked her instead:

"What happened to the nice looking hairstyle over the weekend?"

Amy was surprised by his question. She wondered how he got to know her new hairstyle since she hid it today by tying it in a bun.

Edmond further added: "I feel like eating an ice cream today."

"I wonder if someone will try to steal it away from me."

Amy turned her head instantly and looked at him with shocked eyes. She can now confirm that Edmond was stalking her over the weekend. She turned to where Kevin was and in a low voice said: "help."

Edmond just laughed and put on his earphones.

During the bus ride, Amy ignored Edmond the whole time and just kept starring outside the window. Edmond started to get sleepy. His head slowly fell as his sleep deepens. Finally, it landed on Amy's shoulder. She pushed it but again it slowly fell. Seeing no use to resist, she let him lean on her shoulder. She looked at him to check if he is really sleeping or just toying with her. He seemed to be really in deep sleep as his mouth is partly opened. She smiled at how he looked asleep but as she observes him more, she realized how extremely good looking he was. With smooth skin, pointed nose and kissable lips, she thought to herself how foolish she was for not noticing these and that she was so lucky to have a stalker like him.

She noticed his earphones and got curious about his type of music. Slowly reaching to one of the earphones while trying to protect his head from falling off her shoulder, her face brushed Edmond's nose and woke him. He did not move and just continued to stare at her. Amy saw that he had opened his eyes and realized how too close their faces were to each other. Shamefully, Amy pushed him away and immediately looked outside the window. Edmond laughed a little. He knew all along that she was just trying to reach for his earpiece. He took one and gave to her freely.

Amy took it and they both listened to the music. From the looks of Edmond, Amy guessed that he is into heavy metal or rock as most guy teenagers are but to her surprise, it was an old song sang by Elvis Presley "Can't help falling in love with you." Edmond guessed what she was thinking and decided it's his turn to tell a story.

STORY BEHIND THE SONG

"My dad told me that he fell in love with my mom at first sight however he does not have the confidence to confess".

"Every time there was an opportunity, his knees would start to wobble and his speech becomes slurry in front of my mom".

"He was about to give up, then the right opportunity came."

"A family event of my mom needed to hire a folk band for entertainment."

"Lucky for my dad, his father (my grandfather) owns a well known folk band in their town and my dad is the guitarist and singer".

"The female oldies at the party went crazy with my dad's singing and so as my mom."

"The happy atmosphere gave my dad encouragement and strength to go for it.

"In an Elvis Presley song "can't help falling in love with you", he sang in full passion and emotion and only looking at my mom. Slowly he walked towards her singing the last sentence of the song. Everyone in the crowd rooted for him. My mom's parents cannot do anything but agree with the crowd.

"From then on, it was the town folks that created little circumstances for my dad & mom that ended up as destiny. My dad got an official permission to date my mom and the best part is everybody in town was in full support."

"Their love story is like a drama series everyone is following and excited about the ending. I guess it was a happily ever after."

"This song is special to my family because of the story behind it. It seems to say that even up to now, my dad still keeps on falling in love with my mom."

Amy kept starring at Edmond as he speaks. Hearing these words from him, she began to visualize how their family is. He is lucky to have sweet parents sharing their beautiful love story but actually, it's his parents who are luckier to have him as their son who values the beauty of their love story even from a mere song.

After hearing the story from Edmond, Amy's mood made a 360 degrees turn from annoyance to delighted. She was never attracted to Edmond before but as she continues to discover his gentle side, she begun to see him differently.

A PICTURE PERFECT PHOTO

Amy was in front of her computer downloading the pictures she took during this afternoon's field trip. She will be making her own analysis and compare it with Edmond's tomorrow. As she scans through the downloaded photos, the past shoots that she did were included and she's looking at it for the first time in a bigger screen. Most of the photos were the shots she took with Edmond at the vegetable plantation. Scrolling one by one, she was amazed as how beautiful the photos looked at a bigger screen. She said to herself that she is getting better and better in photography.

As she continues to scroll further, one photo captured her attention with keen interest and excitement. Clicking the mouse to blew it up, she was surprised at what she saw. She immediately remembered the funny incident behind the photo. Flashback of the scene came to her mind. She recalled how she fell off the bench while lying down to get a good shot of the sky when Edmond appeared in the frame. This is that shot. Although this photo was taken as a result of her surprise reaction over Edmond's sudden appearance, the end result was just perfect - the angle, the cloud formation, the clear blue sky and most importantly, the cutest smile on a mischievous handsome boy looking at her in amusement over her surprised reaction.

She lingered looking at the photo for a while and thought to herself, a picture perfect photo – beautiful sky and the cutest smile!

THE NEXT LEVEL

Standing in front of her locker, Amy kept starring at the invitation letter. Edmond's name was written boldly at the envelope. It is an invitation for Edmond to attend Janice's engagement party. Her sister repeatedly mentioned to hand it to Edmond and make sure he comes.

As she continuously stare at his name, memories of them together flashes through her mind. Before the silliness started, there was nothing between them except for being classmates. Now, as they spend more time together, what was supposed to be just an unconventional friendship had ignited a different level of affection on the part of Amy. She had hopes that he will say yes to the invitation but he may have other plans on the weekends. She should not expect so much from his silly acts.

As she was deep in thoughts, Edmond was standing behind her observing what she was doing. He was puzzled at the envelope containing his name and what seems to be the reason why Amy kept on looking at it. He stood long enough unnoticed so he decided to surprise her of his presence. He slowly bends his face near her ear as if resting his chin on her shoulder. As he did that, he spoke without looking at her:

"Is that for me?"

"What is it?"

Amy was surprised of his nearness. Not knowing what to do, she shoved the envelope to Edmond and moved a bit to make some distance. She told him:

"Aaah, yes."

Edmond opened the envelope and read the invitation. Amy said shyly:

"So..will you come?"

"My sister is expecting you."

Edmond replied: "This Saturday.....hmmm...sure! I'll come!"

"But you will be my date, ok!"

Amy was very happy of what she heard. He agreed to come but she must not let him know of her happiness so she disguised her answer as frustration:

"Don't you do anything on weekends?"

Edmond replied: "Not this weekend."

"Besides, I want to be with you." He said to her with a teasing smile.

Amy turned and walked away and as she did that, a big smile came to her face then she remembered and turned back again to Edmond and said:

"It's a formal occasion ok!" Then walked away again smiling.

THE PRINCE AND THE STALKER

It was the engagement night and everyone was excited. The event was held in an open area elegantly designed for the occasion. Bouquet of flowers and its scent surround the area while live orchestra music played beautiful melodies at the background. There were lots of stars tonight that visibly envelope the dark night sky. The air was cool and a romantic feeling can be felt everywhere.

Amy scanned the place as she enters. With mouth half opened and blinking her eyes, she was blown away at the scenic beauty. On this special occasion for the most special person in her life, there can be no other way to describe the moment but .....magical!

Amy together with her parents was stationed at the entrance of the garden reception welcoming the guests. Although she welcomes everyone with enthusiasm, her mind was filled with excitement to welcome only one person. Anxiety runs over her body as she waits for Edmond's arrival.

Looking up at the night sky, the darkness was filled with crystal like sparkles of the stars. It made Amy drifted into day dream. Starring at it long enough, the stars seemed to have formed into a smiling face. Thoughts of Edmond flocked her mind once again.

Lost in dreamland, she was awoken to reality by her mom's vigorous shaking of her arm. Edmond had arrived. Like the pages of the scene stolen from a fairy tale, Edmond appeared like prince charming entering the palace....elegant, graceful and debonair. He looked extraordinarily handsome in a suit. His hair was polished to perfection. Even his choice of shoes was very suited for his looks tonight. He was extremely dashing from head to toe.

As the distance between them gets shorter and shorter, Amy felt that everything was moving in slow motion. One thing she immediately noticed was the smile on Edmond's face slowly getting bigger and brighter....the sweetest smile of a prince charming. Hot blood rushed all over her body. She cannot even hear anything except for the strong beating of her heart. Thinking that it may explode, she grasped the front of her shirt trying to calm her heart. She opened her mouth a bit as her breathing became shallow. She wanted to run away at that very moment to calm herself and regain her composure. She does not want anyone to notice her current state of emotion especially Edmond.

Edmond greeted her excited parents first. They complemented him with his handsome looks. Amy's mom felt like a 16 years old once again and didn't let go of Edmond's hand. Her dad felt a need to control her mom's flirting momentum, pulled her mom away and said that more guest are coming. Edmond then turned to Amy. Without any word, Amy immediately ran away. Edmond got puzzled of her action.

Amy reached the bar counter. She was having shortness of breath because of the adrenaline rush. Fanning herself with her hand, she asked the bartender for water. As she was gulping the water, she heard Edmond's voice from behind:

"Are you ok?"

Amy choked the water as she heard his voice. Without turning to face him, her eyes opened wide and all her blood rushed to her face. She taught of running away again but reconsidered that option. Having no choice, she turned and faced Edmond. Edmond seeing her flushed face paused for a moment then suddenly burst out laughing. She got confused over his amusement. The excitement she had earlier became irritation over his insulting laugh.

Edmond sensing her anger, felt the need to ease the tension. He stopped laughing and teasingly said: "I look good tonight, don't I?"

He further added: "More handsome than Kevin?" (saying the words with a smile).

Amy gave him a smirk and said: "Maybe."

Edmond looked at her outfit and said: "Why are you wearing that?"

Amy looked at her dress too. All the clothes she fitted for tonight's event did not satisfy her taste. It's either too girly, too bulky, too revealing or too out of this world. Unable to decide, she just went for a "safer" look. She wore a national traditional clothes same with her mom.

Amy unable to uncover the true reason just said in annoyance: "It's traditional!"

Edmond had a hunch on her real reason but did not press any further. He has no intention of annoying Amy on the special occasion of their family by mocking her outfit. He grab her hand instead and told her: "Come on, I want to greet your sister Janice and meet your soon to be brother-in-law."

As expected, her sister was as excited as her mom to see Edmond. Janice introduced Ronnie to Edmond and Edmond congratulated them both. Janice starred at Edmond and Amy long enough and got teary eyed. Her emotions are overflowing tonight not only for her special occasion but moreso for her sister's bloosoming love life. Amy noticed her sister's reaction and had guessed what was running through her mind. She pulled Janice aside to confront her a little but as soon as they are clear of earshot; Janice hugged her so tight and poured her tears out. Amy trying to calm Janice said:

"There is no need to cry, I told you before he is just my stalker."

"And he is not the boy that I have been telling you about, It's Kevin."

Janice now confused replied: "What?"

Amy continued: "Edmond is nothing more than a bored teenager and I am just the subject of his mischievous acts."

"There is no way for a good looking boy like that will ever like somebody like me."

Upon hearing Amy's words, Janice's excitement was replaced with sadness. Somehow, she understood Amy's feelings. In an effort to lift her self esteem, she asked Amy: "Do you know why I fell in love with Ronnie?"

"Because he is my slippers."

Amy confused, said: "slippers?"

Janice nods her head to agree and told her a story.

THE PARABLE OF THE SHOE COLLECTOR

"There was once a beautiful girl who was so passionate about collecting shoes. She has all the brands you could ever imagine: LV, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Blanik and even the styles and trends of shoes and all heights of heels. It looked good on her and she loves showing them off but as she reach home, the first thing she would do is remove her expensive, flashy shoes and put on her good old rustic slippers."

"You know why?"

"Because they are comfort footwear."

"Your slippers will always be standing by the door waiting for you to come home and it's the first thing that you look for upon reaching home."

"People may prefer fancy things sometimes but no matter how flashy it is, in the end, we still choose what is comfortable. Same goes for our preference in life. The happiest are not only those who have the best but also those who are comfortable with what they have. It is enough to make them satisfied."

As her sister finished her story, she hugged Amy again then left her alone to ponder the story.

The word "comfortable" lingered in Amy's mind. Edmond is comfortable with her and that's all that matters. She looked up in the sky and gave her biggest smile. Earlier, she was running away from Edmond because of low self esteem. Now, she is returning back to the party full of self confidence. She also remembered what Edmond told her before – "just because you're fun to be with". With that thought, that's all that matters.

She went back to the party and the first thing she looked for was Edmond. Edmond worried, said to her: "Is everything ok?"

Amy replied with enthusiasm: "Everything is fine. What a beautiful night. Let's enjoy the party!"

The ceremony proceeded perfectly. Both dad and mom gave their advices to the couple and raised their glasses to make a toast.

The night was getting late and Edmond needs to go home. He said his thank you's and goodbye's to Amy's family and Amy walked him until he reached his car. As they walk, Amy can't hold her excitement being alone with Edmond. With a big smile that just couldn't hide, she kept looking at him from time to time. Edmond was also happy because of tonight. Seeing Amy's big smile on her face made him smile back. They didn't talk at all just kept smiling then all of a sudden, a loud boom was heard. The sky was illuminated by beautiful fireworks. Explosion came one after the other. A flower like light in different colors can be seen from the sky. It was such a romantic moment. Edmond kept watch at the fireworks while Amy slowly shifted her stare from the sky to Edmond's face. She then closed her eyes for a moment saving the memories. When she opened her eyes, Edmond was looking straight at her. Their stare locked for a moment. Amy heart started to thump faster and harder. Suddenly, Edmond slowly lowered his face to Amy. Amy unable to react correctly; just instantly closed her eyes and waited for the next thing to happen. She waited long enough and nothing is happening. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Edmond has been staring at her with a small laugh on his face. He then pinched one of her cheeks and then went to his car. He shouted to Amy:

"Bye and thanks for the evening!" then drove away.

Amy was dumbfounded by what just happened but was not disappointed by what didn't happened. She did not move from where she was standing and was just pondering on her foolish behavior tonight. She gave a small laugh and then went back to the party.

--------------------------------------

A CONFUSING STATE

It was almost dawn and Amy lay awake on her bed. Tossing and turning, she kept on thinking that she must have done something good in her past life to deserve this. She was contented with a lonesome life and was not expecting anything special to happen but as things happened the way they are right now, she couldn't be anymore than thankful.

A smile was plastered on her face as her thoughts floated back to Edmond. She cannot continue to imagine that this extremely handsome looking boy who came today looking like prince charming was actually her stalker whom she hated before but now, it's a different story. The little things that she accidentally discovers every time they are together and the attention that he gives her keeps on building up into affection that has developed into an attraction.

Dawn breaks in and she still lay awake. The smile is still there but the actual funny thing is that Kevin did not cross her mind the entire night. It was all about Edmond.

------------------------------------690Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6neAlEXdrL
690Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIohUdKvZR

As quickly as how the pages of the book was turn, so as her attraction from Kevin to Edmond.

The smile that was plastered on Amy's face from last night stayed on as she entered the school grounds. Her head keeps on turning around searching for Edmond then finally, she found him leaning on her locker waiting for her. The paces of Amy's walk became faster. The excitement of seeing him again is obviously shown on her face that she did not even notice Kevin who was also at the locker area putting his things. He was watching them both from a distance and saw a different Amy from just days before. Looking at her, he instantly realized that the annoyance was not there anymore and was replaced by something different. Falling in love was written all over Amy's face.

BIRTHDAY SPECIAL

The engagement day of Amy's sister is also the day of Edmond's birthday. He yearly celebrates it with a big party among his friends and family but as he turns 20, he wanted a change and celebrate it quietly with Amy.

Seated at the guest chair as Amy's father served him coffee, Edmond was anxious to meet him. He got the address and details of Amy's father's construction business through Mr. Park of the vegetable plantation. He wanted to meet him personally to ask permission to take Amy out to celebrate his 20th birthday. Seeing him personally and noticing the efforts he made to find his office, Amy's father was very happy with Edmond's gesture. It is not common for teenagers like him to be a gentleman. Amy might not be physically attractive to boys but she has a good heart that makes her stands out from the rest.

Amy's father said: "So...you wanted to ask permission to take Amy out this Saturday".

Edmond replied: "If you allow sir. It was actually my birthday last Saturday however, it was the engagement of your daughter so I decided to celebrate it a week after".

"What do you have in mind?" Amy's dad asked.

Edmond answered: "My mom bought me tickets to a theater production and I was thinking of taking Amy to see it and probably dinner after".

Amy's father starred at Edmond while thinking. Unlike Amy's mother and sister, he was not fond of Edmond but after meeting him today with his most sincere intentions, he realized that he is a kind hearted boy with morals and respect for others. Without second thoughts, he immediately said "ok".

Edmond was happy and relieved from his answer. He stood up and shook Amy's dad's hand vigorously while saying:

"Thanks and don't worry about a thing. I will take care of her".

Amy's dad replied: "You better".

As Edmond was about to leave, he turned to Amy's dad and mentioned: "Please don't tell Amy yet. I wanted to surprise her".

Amy's dad looked confused but shook his head to agree. He smiled to himself as Edmond walked away.

-----------------------------------------

THE BIRTHDAY DATE

It's a Saturday and Amy would sleep until noon without any disturbances however today is a different Saturday. Still half asleep, she is not sure whether she's still in a dream mode or there is really somebody standing by her bed watching her sleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was surprised at the nearness of her mom's face to her. She got confused as her mother does not normally come to her room to wake her up. Not even on school days. Puzzled by why her mom is there, Amy rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and said:

"Mom? What's going on?"

Her mother clasped her hands and smiled with excitement: "Oh Amy! Do you know who is here at our house right now?"

Amy, confused over her mom's question, started to think of who could be their visitor today. She noted that today is a Saturday and tried to remember if they are expecting any guests. She can't think of anyone. Giving up on the guessing game, she looked at her mom and said: "who?"

Amy's mom's face lighted up and started removing the sheets off Amy. Her mom said: "Go check outside, go".

Still half asleep, she sat up and like anybody who just woke up, she suddenly had the urge to go to the bathroom and pee. While passing by the corridor on her way to the bathroom, she did not directly glanced as who was the visitor but she can feel that whoever it was, it was watching her as she walks.

Coming out of the bathroom and still sleepy, she made a stretch and gave a big yawn. As her vision starts to focus, she noticed the person in front and gave her a shock. Mouth opened and eyes wide, she remembered that she is in her pajamas and is not wearing a bra. Immediately crossing her arms to her chest, she looked at Edmond and asked "what are you doing here?!" "who let you in?".

Her father came to rescue the situation. "I let him in."

Amy looked at his father in disbelief and said: "Why?"

Her father answered with a smile: "Why not?"

Her mother came to join them to explain the situation: "It's alright honey" (trying to calm Amy). "He has good reasons for coming here today."

Amy looked at her and said: "Huh??"

It's Edmond's turn to talk: "Go get ready Amy. I am taking you somewhere."

Amy looked at him in confusion. Her arms still crossed on her chest. Then she looked at her dad then to her mom who both just noded and said: "Go!"

The situation caught Amy off guard however, having Edmond at the house right now is not a bad thing considering that she is staring to see him in different light. She rushed back upstairs and got ready. Mom and Dad kept Edmond company until she came down.

"I will have Amy back by 9pm sir." Edmond told Amy's dad.

"Oh that's too early." Amy's mom said teasingly.

Amy look shocked from her mom's comment.

"9pm is fine." Amy's dad said.

They left the house and got into the city bus. Edmond said to Amy: "Today is my treat." "I will take you to a nice place and you don't have to worry about anything. Just stay with me."

Although puzzled about what so special about today, Amy liked the words "stay with me" and can't hide her smile.

Seeing her smile, Edmond continued to say: "Last Saturday was actually my birthday but it was the engagement party of your sister." "So I decided to move my celebration today instead."

Amy looked at him in disbelief. She cannot believe what she just heard from Edmond. Not only had he moved his birthday plans to accommodate her sister's invitation, he had chosen her to be his "date" on his special occasion. Confusion started to run to her head. What started to be just an anti-boredom antidote might have turned into something serious. Something she is happy and ready to embrace.

Edmond further added: "My mom got us tickets to a play but it will be later this afternoon. So we will have enough time to roam around the city first and grab something to eat before the show."

Amy just kept smiling and staring at him. A sudden feeling of "floating on air" run through her body. She never ever would have imagined that a plain jane like her will ever get the attention of a popular boy like Edmond. She only wished for an invincible life at the university but what she got was something better. Cinderella only wished to attend the ball in a nice dress but ended up with the handsome prince instead. Fate has a funny way of twisting itself. What was once unconventional could turn out to be something special.

Arriving at the city, Amy checked her pocket and noted that she doesn't have enough to buy him a gift. All she had was loose change. If she had known what's going on today, she would have asked money from her dad. He probably would have no hesitations to give her money anyway considering the turnout of events lately.

Her eyes roam around as they walk along the shops hoping she could spot something cheap...actually, very very cheap. Frustrated, they have entered and exited a lot shops but no luck. Outside the mall, there were some people gathering and watching a folk band performing in exchange for some loose change. It caught Edmond's attention. He tagged Amy along to go watch. Edmond was enjoying the band and Amy noticed it. Gripping the change in her hand, she thought of a perfect gift. Unnoticed by Edmond, Amy slipped away from his side and went around the band behind the drummer. She whispered in the drummer's ear and they started talking while the drummer kept playing. At the end of the song, the drummer called the singer and they talked for a while. The singer went back to the microphone and before singing, she made a little speech:

"Someone in the crowd right now is celebrating his special day today and this next song is a special gift to you by your special friend."

Hope you like it."

As the band started the intro, Edmond heard a familiar tune and when the singer sang the first few lyrics, his face lighted up. It was the love song of his parents and his favorite song. He looked straight at the singer who sang it very well. He looked at his side to check on Amy but she was not there. Suddenly he felt a big thud on his back and two arms wrapped around his waist. He heard Amy's voice saying:

"I didn't know that it was your birthday last Saturday and I didn't have enough money to buy you a nice present so I just asked the band to....."

Before Amy can finish her last sentence, Edmond turned around and hugged her tight. Amy was surprised and choked a bit but slowly raised her hands to hug him back. Edmond whispered on her ears:

"Thank you." "It was the best birthday present."

The crowd noticed them hugging and realized that the song was intended for them. They started clapping. Both Amy and Edmond heard the clapping crowd and got ashamed. They got off the hug and shamefully thank the crowd. Amy looked back at the band and in a whispering tone said "thank you." The band acknowledged her thanks.

The evening went according to Edmond's plan. They dined in a fancy restaurant, watched the play and just did fun stuff together. Mindful of the time committed to Amy's parents, they called it a night and head for home.

The day was full of excitement and fun however, exhaustion caught up with Amy. As soon as the bus started moving, it instantly lulled her to sleep. Edmond was quiet beside her and smiling as he looked at the photos taken earlier. They took a lot of selfies together and it came out pretty well. He was about to show Amy some photos when he noticed her in deep sleep. The side of her face was leaning heavily on the glass window. Her mouth was open and worse, there was a low tone of snoring. She looked very awkward, unlady like in her position. The naughty side of Edmond caught up with him and started taking her photos in that awkward state. He took a few shots and suddenly stopped and starred at Amy closely. Despite her unflattering state, she looked peaceful and angel like. She may not be physically appealing but somehow there is a calming effect when you observe her closely and it works like a charm on her favor.

Memories of the event flashed back at Edmond as he starred at Amy. The affection she showed him made today his most memorable birthday. He had dated girls in the past but none really lingered longer on his mind like today. Most of them are shallow and self centered, nothing really much to look forward to except for pretty faces. With Amy is different. It seems that every time they are together there is always something exciting that will happen.

Edmond leaned back on his chair and starred at the ceiling. His emotions are confusing him at the moment. He pondered, he is not physically attracted to her, however he looks forward to being with her all the time. He smile at himself and shook his head thinking what started to be just an intrigue over her lonesomeness turned out to be fun and excitement...and now, becoming a different level. He is becoming too comfortable with her....too comfortable.

Looking at her with that awkward position, he pulled her head to rest on his shoulder. He leaned his head to her and closed his eyes until they reached home.

As promised, he had Amy back by 9pm. Amy invited him to go inside but Edmond needs to head back home.

-----------------------------

As expected, Edmond and Amy became inseparable at school, during classes, after classes, even on breaks. People noticed and started to speculate...."are they a couple or just close friends". Diane was swearing. Whatever it is, she didn't liked the way it turned out to be. Girls in school do not want to accept and the boys cannot believe the events that are happening. No one would have guessed that the most popular guy in school will be romantically interested with the likes of Amy but to Edmond and Amy, everyone's opinion did not matter as long as they enjoyed each other's company.

The concept of teenage popularity is new to Amy. She had always embraced the life in shadows and now, becoming overwhelmed by the attention she is getting from everyone. Although she welcomes the feeling, fear is still at the back of her mind. Everything came in all of a sudden and at the least expected. It could also be gone in the same way. For now, all that matters is Edmond and the kind of friendship and closeness they share.

DEJA VU

Months passed and they have stayed comfortable with each other. The air of mystery has been dismissed. The walls of curiosity had been broken and all questions had been answered.

For Edmond, the challenge had been conquered but for Amy, the challenge to keep the interest has just started.

New semester begins. Amy and Edmond are still classmates and seated beside each other in the classroom. The professor started his lecture but was distracted by the class murmuring and all attention was shifted to a beautiful presence by the door.

Staring at the door number then at the paper she is holding, Valerie is not sure if this is her correct class. Looking tall, lean and very pretty by the door, the entire class was distracted by her presence, mostly the boys. The professor came near her and in a very polite and helpful manner asked "can I help you?". Val showed the professor the paper and asked if this is the correct class. The professor looked at the paper and with enthusiasm escorted Val inside and ordered the boy at the front to move at the vacant seat at the back so Val can have his seat. Scratching his head, the boy obeyed.

As soon as they settled, the lecture continued. Flashes of the same old scene came to Edmond. He glanced at Amy and remembered how her face light up as soon as Kevin stand by the door. Amy noticed that Edmond was starring so she glanced at him as well with a puzzled look. She shook her head as if asking what is the matter but Edmond just smiled back. Edmond shifted his stare to Val. He can only see the back of her head and noticed her long flowing hair. Val shifted on her chair that gave Edmond a profile angle of her face. He noticed how beautiful she looks. Her skin was soft and glowing and her nose was cute and pointed. The bell rang and Edmond suddenly woke up from daydreaming. He pulled Amy and made an escape to their hideaway.

Like most stereotypes, Val became an instant celebrity in the university. Her popularity equaled to Edmond and Kevin and everyone would like to be in the "seenzone" with her. The instant celebrity status has drawn Edmond's attention that got him suddenly interested.

ONE RAINY DAY

It was a rainy afternoon. Edmond walked Amy straight home and head for home too. The rain poured out as he ran to the bus stop. While shaking off the rainwater from his shirt and hair, something caught his attention to the record store beside the bus stop, it was Val. She was checking out some cds and was listening to the sample music at the player. She seemed to be alone and Edmond sees this chance to stalk her a bit.

Val walked by the window and checked if the rain already stopped. It did so she went out and head for the bus stop. Edmond sneakily followed. The bus was packed. Val positioned herself by the pole and Edmond (hiding his face) went towards the back. As the bus goes, people started to get off one stop at a time. The crowd became less and less but Val stayed standing where she was. Edmond got a seat at the end of the bus. A man was standing behind Val and remained there even when the bus became less crowded. The driver suddenly hit the brakes making the man crashed forward to Val squeezing her. The man seemed to like the situation and murmured soft apologies to Val with a smirking smile. He remained close behind Val and she felt uncomfortable with it. Edmond kept on checking Val and he noticed the man behind her.

Val looks innocent and sweet and most girls like her will be mistaken to be weak and will not be able to handle uncomfortable situations like where she is in at the moment.

Edmond was about to rescue her but before he can stand from his chair, Val took the matters in her own hands. She made a step back landing her heel on the man's toe putting her weight on it crushing his toe.

The man screamed, pushed her to get off his feet, stumbled and fell backwards clutching his toe. Val swung around pretending the situation was an accident bent down to help the man but as she did her bag heavy with books slid down her shoulder hitting the man on the face. The man got mad as he figured out that it was no accident and was deliberately done. He stood up and was about to strike Val when a hand halted him. It was Edmond. He gave the man a look and the man understood immediately that his scheme failed and run out of the bus as soon as it stopped.

Edmond looked at Val and said

"are you ok?"

Val starred at him. Edmond starred back. Another love story begins.

--------------------------------

With pouting lips and zippering up her pants, Amy can't help but be disappointed while looking at herself in the mirror. Little voices were running through her head saying she is not good enough for Edmond. She was almost tempted to take the advice of her sister about changing her hairstyle but she brushed off the thoughts and said to herself

"well Edmond liked me this way anyway!"

"If it doesn't bother him, why should I care what everyone thinks!"

then grabbed her bag and walked outside the room.

The school year is coming to a close and students are getting crazy about study reviews and exams. That only means less adventure and togetherness between Edmond and Amy. Although their closeness remained the same, Amy's parents required them some time apart so they can focus first on passing their exams.

Finally, the end of the school year has arrived and vacation time has started. Everyone is talking about their plans for the summer, places to visit and things to do. The air of happiness can be felt everywhere but for Amy, it was mixed emotions. She had developed deeper feelings for Edmond and summer vacation can only mean either more time together or totally apart from each other.

Edmond excitedly came from Amy's back while she is walking and said

"so what's the plan for summer?"

Amy got excited after hearing his voice, halted her walk, looked at him smiling and said happily

"hmmm... more train trips going to the farm, more pictures of the sky and what else...."

She gathered her thoughts and like a flash of thunder, she remembered that every summer holiday, their family never missed a chance to visit her grandparents living outside the city. The thought of them being apart made her feel sad. She will miss him dearly now that she is starting to grow feeling for him.

Brushing aside the thought, they continued to walk and she turned the question to Edmond.

"what about you?"

"what are your plans for the summer?"

Edmond tilted his head as if thinking and replied...

"Hmmm.... No plans yet but I'm sure something will come up."

His replied got Amy thinking. "What could be his plans".

---------------------------

SUMMER IS BLUE

The van's engine is already running. Amy and her dad are still stacking their stuff in the compartment. Her mom and sister are still in the house. Ronnie came with a heavy bag placing it in the compartment. Their Dad commented...

"good god! Why don't we just bring the whole house with us".

I'm sure grandma will be pleased."

Janice and her mom came out. Mom replied to Dad...

"I heard that."

"I just want to make sure that we did not forget anything."

While everyone was busy putting stuff in the van, Amy was at the gate texting. She was hoping to see Edmond before they leave.

Text to Edmond: are you still coming, we're about to leave....

Edmond text reply: almost there....

Edmond just wanted to send off Amy and didn't want to miss the chance to see her and her family before they leave. It will be awhile before they see each other again.

From a distance, Amy saw Edmond's car coming and got excited. He parked and run to her. Looking at her eyes, he said...

"Are you going to be away long?"

He sounded sad. Amy felt his sadness and thought a joke would light up the moment. She grab Edmond's cheeks on both hands and pinch them a bit and asked....

"Awww, you're gonna miss me?"

He hang onto Amy hand and slowly remove it from his face. With sadness as he hold her hand he said to her...

"How can I not? I will have to do our thing alone".

While they are saying their goodbyes by the gate, Amy's family were gathered behind the car watching them with enthusiasm like in the movies, then Janice's phone rang. It was grandma asking if they left the house already. Everybody came back to their senses and hurriedly hoped in the car. Janice called on Amy...

"Hate to break up the scene but we gotta go."

"Don't worry Edmond we will be back in no time. Someday we will take you with us to meet grandpa and grandma."

As the car drove off, Amy was watching Edmond from the window until his image disappeared from her sight. She felt the sadness. Janice tried to console her by getting excited and thinking of activities that they will be doing at grandpa's place. Amy tried to cheer up.

--------------------------------------

START OF SOMETHING NEW

Edmond's phone rang, unknown number on the screen. Edmond did not mind it first as he was driving. Then it rang again. Still unknown number. He put his earpiece on and answered the call.

"Hello, is this Edmond" said the other line.

It was a voice of a female that Edmond does not recognize.

"Yes. Who is this?" he replied.

"Hi Edmond. This is Val. I'm the girl you helped with in the bus, do you remember?" asked Val.

Edmond had a sudden urge to pull up the car at the side road so he can talk to her properly. Excitedly, he replied:

"Why yes, of course. How are you. Are you ok? Did that guy bothered you again?

Val answered: "I'm alright. A little shaken about what happened but now I'm fine".

"That's good to hear". Edmond responded.

"I got your number from Michael". (common friend of Edmond and Val)

There was a short silence then Val asked shyly:

"Hey, are you free anytime soon?"

"I wanted to invite you for a coffee to personally thank you".

"I know you're busy and all"..... and before Val could finish her sentence, Edmond interrupted: "Yes! Yes!"...."I mean, I would love to.

Val said: "I am actually on my way to the coffee shop by the mall. Do you have time now? Can I meet you there?"

Edmond replied: "Sure! I'll see you there."

Excitedly, he hung up and drove to towards the mall.

-----------------------------------------

Val was seated at the table when Edmond walked in. She waved her hand to get his attention and Edmond noticed her immediately. His heart was beating fast as he goes near her. Her aura was beautiful and ladylike. He was mesmerized by her beauty.

As soon as he was seated, Val broke the ice by saying:

"Order anything you want, my treat".

Edmond smiled and said: "okay".

As soon as the order came, they started chatting. First it was about the incident in the bus then about other stuff. They both have so many things in common and both were popular and treated like celebrities during their middle school years.

Val appears to be fragile but actually, she is strong and bold. She speaks out her mind and Edmond finds it appealing. They got to know each other pretty much on the first date. Edmond said to himself, "this will not be the last".

He brought her home and like a good date that ended well, they planned for the next time.

On his way home, Edmond was smiling to himself and feeling like a schoolboy having a crush, he cannot help to remember the sweet times with Val. He got excited on the thought of seeing her again. As he reached home, he texted Val to let her know that he got home, thank her for the company today and can't wait to see her again.

ns 15.158.61.11da2

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