CHAPTER ONE
“Ms. Ashwood!” a shrill voice called, making me jumped in shock. I lifted my head in a daze as I tried to find the source of the noise. And there- in front of me was an angry Godzilla. I quickly patted my polo and skirt in place before I conjured my most innocent face as my classmates snickered at me. “Next time you want to sleep, Ms. Ashwood, I suggest you leave my class!”
I nodded at her like the good student I was. “I promise, Mrs. Campbell, I won’t fall asleep again!”
She squint her eyes at me beneath her thick glasses. She looked unconvinced with my good girl act. But, she sashayed to the front of the class once again to resume the lesson I had interrupted. And once I was sure she was not coming back, I let out a relieved sigh.
Not a second later, I felt someone pinched my left arm and my hand quickly flew to rub the sore spot as my head snapped to the culprit. There, on the chair beside me was my best friend, Chris- looking at me with his most innocent face. Others would be misled but I knew him better than to believe it.
“Why hadn’t you wake me up?!” I whispered angrily.
He smiled at me and his green eyes twinkled with mischief. “Well, I was about too but Godzilla beat me to it,”
He stared pointedly at the back of our forty-year-old, terror teacher. Mrs. Campbell was very well known for her very strict personality. People said it’s because of her old age but personally- forty was not that old. She was terror because she value education so much that she wouldn’t accept dilly-dallying from her students. But that doesn’t change the fact that she scares us so much that the name Godzilla kind-of stuck.
When the bell rang, every student stood up from their chairs even before Mrs. Campbell could finish her reminder about our upcoming exams. The scratching of chair feet on the tiled floor drowned out her voice.
Chris held my arm and started pulling me out of the room. I rolled my eyes at him but hadn’t removed his hold. After all, he was going to treat me at our usual café. He just hadn’t known it yet. And I was not planning to choose the low-priced ones.
I grinned at him. Revenge can be a bitch; especially if it came from me. So, I let him drag me through the student-filled hallways towards the exit. But- as fast as he tries to walk- I was taking my sweet time walking in the moon.
“Are we in a hurry?” I asked innocently and his eyes snapped to me. I fluttered my eyelids a few times and gave him a sickeningly, sweet smile.
He ran a hand through his golden-brown hair in irritation. “You know we are!” he muttered angrily. “She comes to the café at four,”
I felt a pain stab me in my heart at his words despite my playful manner tackling the subject. My smile wavered but I quickly put it back it place as I willed myself not to tear up from the pain. Of course, it would be about her. Why else would we be in a hurry?
He ruthlessly shattered any hopes of mine.
As always.
So, with the pride I had left, I mustered another smile. I started swaying like a kid. I even cocked my head slightly to the left like a puppy to add to the effects. “But- I don’t have money on me right now,”
“I took your wallet from your counter this morning, Sherry,” he informed me.
I widened my eyes to show him I was shock. Then, I made the effort of opening my bag and rummaging inside it before I looked at him again. “But- it’s not here, Chris. Are you sure?”
He groaned when I finally realized what I was on about. He shook his head at me but conceded. He promised to treat me if I walk double time towards the café. Even though I wanted to take my sweet time walking so that he wouldn’t have the chance to have a glimpse of his crush; the sweet desserts of the café was enough of a temptation.
So, I shook his hand to seal the deal and I was out of the school even before he realized that I had run. I laughed at his dumbfounded face when he emerged out of the crowd. Then, I took his hand before I pulled him to run once more but this time- towards the café down the road to see his freaking crush.
I know I’m such a hopeless case. But- I had to admit, our hands felt good together. Was it wrong of me to take advantage of the situation? Or was it wrong of me to pretend that these things were not hurting me? Whatever may be the answer, I was not in the right mind to choose.
Nevertheless, I loved seeing the smiles on his face despite that I’m not the reason. Can you blame a girl like me for falling in love with a man like him? Chris was every bit the perfect man I could ask for. His hair a golden-brown that shines in the morning. His twinkling, green eyes looked like the stars. His sweet, addicting laugh that never cease to make me smile. And his jokes that are so lame yet they never cease to make me laugh.
Oh, I just love everything about him.
But- I guessed, he doesn’t feel the same.
My eyes watered up as I let go of his hand. He hadn’t even looked back as he continued his way towards the café. It’s no use pretending after all. I looked up in the azure sky to stop my tears from falling as I followed after my best friend.
But- I bumped into someone and I almost fell to the ground if it wasn’t for the arms that prevented that unattractive sight to happen. I quickly righted myself and I felt the hands that helped me let go so quickly. I looked behind me and saw the back of a leaving man. He had a short, unruly brownish-blonde hair and I could tell he was fit due to how his leather jacket hugged his body.
“Sorry!” I shouted after him. The man looked back over his shoulder and his eyes were shocked. Was he not expecting me to apologize for bumping into him? I was not that rude of a person. “And thanks! For preventing me from falling,”
He continued to just stare at me. His icy blue eyes still wide with shock. What the hell was wrong with his man? And despite the distance between us, I could say he was quite handsome.
“Sherry! Who are you talking too?” Chris’ voice asked and I looked back to see him walking back towards me.
I pointed behind me. “I was just apologizing to the man I bumped into,” I explained.
He furrowed his brows at me. “What man?”
“That man. . . “My voice trailed off when I looked behind me and saw no one. There was no one behind me. Confusion racked at my brain. There was no way he could have vanished in just a few seconds. There was no alleyways to hide into.
“Sherry?” Chris called once more.
I shook my head. “Nevermind! Come on,”
As we walked towards the café, my mind was still filled of the man. There was something about him that just calls to my curiosity. My mom told me that being curious all the time would bring me trouble but I just couldn’t help but be curious. It was my nature.
But that man- that man had jumped over the bars of my curiosity level. There was this look in his eyes that told me he wasn’t expecting me to talk to him; like he couldn’t believe that I had actually spoken to him.
The sound of the bell brought me back to reality. I blinked a couple of times and saw Chris holding the door open for me. I smiled at him and entered the café before I quickly fell in line. There were only two people in front of me so it wasn’t that long of a wait.
When it was my turn, I looked back to Chris to ask for his order and saw him busy looking around for his crush. With a devilish smile on my face, I turned to the pretty cashier behind the counter. “I’ll have a tower choco mocha frappe and a slice of that yummy blueberry cake,”
The cashier clicked my order and told me the amount. I happily pointed to Chris and told her he would be the one to pay. Then, I went to the side to wait for him to finish his order. When he heard the amount, he gawked at the cashier and asked her what I got.
“That frappe has a slice of cake and you still ordered a blueberry?” he asked me as he took some bills from his wallet.
I gave him a strong pat in the back. “Well, you see buddy, I have expensive taste. Besides, it’s payback for not waking me up,”
He rolled his eyes at me before he reluctantly handed the cashier his money. Then, after taking all of our order, he led the way to our usual table. We were a regular at the place that most people knew it was our spot. It was by the corner but facing the window wall that made up the front of the café. We always sit there so that Chris would see his crush before she enters the café.
The man was head over heels for the girl. Just like I was for him.
Chris was telling me about his latest poem as we ate. Despite the fact that he doesn’t look like a nerd, the man was very much one. He writes poem on his past time and his hobbies are reading. It was also one of the reasons why I liked him. He wasn’t stereotypical. He hadn’t let people decide for him. He does what he wants. Others be damned.
Myself included.
“No matter how many miles you run,696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxZClsnVTt
Love will catch up like you hadn’t left.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQjWrw7BWj
And when it holds you, you know you’re done.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvEYK5L3CR
Like a fool, you welcome it with open arms.”
“You know, that poem made me realize something,” I started as soon as he finished reciting his newest work. He looked at me, expecting some praise or compliment. “I know why you’re crush hasn’t talk to you. You’re corny,” I finished with a laugh.
He punched me playfully and I faked a gasp at his actions before I rubbed the spot he hit. Though, his fist had barely touched me. A laugh escaped our lips and we laughed like no one was around. Though, suddenly, he sobered up. And I realized that the café had grown quite silent.
The buzzing of the people speaking all at once was gone. The laughs that usually travelled around were nowhere. The rhythmic sound of the utensils being used was absent. I looked around to see the reason and I definitely saw it.
If the gawking of people aren’t enough of evidence that she was indeed the reason, I don’t know what is. Everyone was staring at her. At Chris’ crush and apparently- everyone’s crush. Even female were openly admiring her. I admit she was beautiful. She was tall; perfect for a runway model. Her wavy, gold blonde hair bounced behind her. Her skin-tight, red dress hugged and showed her curves perfectly like it was made just for her. Though, the red dress hid little to imagination as her cleavage looked like they wanted to fall out of it.
But- I couldn’t deny that she was definitely, without a doubt, a gorgeous woman.
She looked up and winked at some teenage boys in front of Chris and I’s table. But- then, she met my eyes. And an ominous smile made its way to her beautiful, red lips as her delicately, white skin turned blueish-violet, and her hot, blue eyes suddenly shone red.
Caught unguarded and shock, I jumped back involuntarily. The glass in my hand fell to the floor; making a loud, crashing sound that disturbed the eerie silence that cloaked the café at her entrance. My eyes quickly darted to the floor to see broken shards of the glass and I felt all eyes on me so I looked up with fear in my eyes.
But- the new comer was as normal-looking as any of us inside the café.
Yet- I don’t think I’m still sane.
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