55 This candy....token of our Friendship!

Ray was on his bicycle, on the way to his home, after school. He came at the circle, that familiar place, which reminded him the day.

The day when he and Mia went to the gift shop to get a gift for April….

'It has been a year now….' He thought.

'Every time I come here, I remember the day….Those were the days…I wish I could just turn back the times….But I couldn't….I really miss the old us…..' His eyes saddened. He got down from his bicycle.

'And that café…..That day, Mia saw me there with Gyuri...' He looked at the place across the street.

'I've been a jerk…..How did I do those things to her…..I am so stupid…Now, I don't know how to face her…What should I do…I am really so stupid…' He held his forehead by a hand.

"So stupid…." He bit his lips in frustration.

'And now….She doesn't even look at me…..She hates me….And why wouldn't she…anyone would hate a guy who treats them like that…..I….I deserve this….'

Standing by the road, staring in the space he stayed there for some minutes.

"I deserve this…." He said to himself.

"What do you deserve? What are you talking about?"

"Huh?" Ray snapped out from the thoughts when he saw his friend, Jin Kyu standing in front of him.

"Why are you so shocked? It's me, buddy.." He said laughing. "Are you okay? What are you doing here, in the middle of the road?"

"Huh…Um..It's..It's nothing…I was just going home…" Ray answered.

"I know that much. We all go home after school." Jin Kyu said and laughed on his own joke. "Wait. I forgot. You had a girlfriend, right ? Ahh! Now I get it."

"What she has to do with this? What are you talking about?"

"Are you missing her or something?"

Ray came at him furiously, "What?? Are you crazy??? I would never miss her. I just hate—"

" Okay…Okay. Cool down buddy. I was just kidding." Jin Kyu tried calming him down.

"I know everything. Well, everyone in the school knows how she tricked you and her best friend…What's her name…Lee Mia!"

Hearing Mia's name, Ray's eyes saddened. He looked down.

"She also confessed her feelings for you over the broadcast, didn't she?" Jin Kyu said with a smirk.

Ray quickly looked up.

"Wow! She is a brave girl, boy. She has guts, to expose her own best friend, in front of everyone, plus confessing to you too…Awesome!

If someone had confessed to me like that, she would have been my girlfriend by now…" Jin Kyu was saying while imagining how it would have been.

"Did you give any answer to her?" he asked desperately. "Were you thinking about it earlier? Are you gonna say "Yes"?"

Ray didn't say anything. 'That…That is not possible….'

He thought as he remembered the day, when he heard Mia talking with her friends, telling them that the confession she made was a lie. It was just a way to make Gyuri speak and tell her bad doings. She really had nothing to do with him. He had heard everything, that day.

Just that thought, made him really sad, he again started staring in the space.

"Hey?" Jin Kyu waved his hand in front of his face.

"Huh? What?"

"You lost again? What's wrong, man?"

"Nothing…"

"You are acting weird. I asked you something and you just ignored it."

"No..I didn't ignore it…It's just that…."

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me everything. But just keep one thing in mind.."

Ray looked at Jin Kyu thinking what he wants to tell him.

"..That girl is clear about her feelings. She's been confessing you since the year started. You weren't interested in her at that time; you liked her friend instead, so you turned her down every time—"

"It's not what you—" Ray tried to talk but Jin Kyu didn't stop.

"I really don't know, what you saw in that Gyuri..But, that's not the question here. I just wanna say that, the girl, Mia tried so many times, you turned her down but she kept trying. So don't you think, you should fairly think about her this time?"

'She…She tried so many times….' This kept revolving in Ray's mind.

"Hey? Are you getting what I'm saying?" Jin Kyu asked again.

Suddenly Ray clapped as he got the answer.

Jin Kyu got a bit surprised to see him like that.

"You are right! YOU ARE RIGHT, JIN KYU!" Ray said as he kept both of his hands on Jin Kyu's shoulders and shook him.

"Uh..Um…"

"Well, you said a lot of stupid things at first…But you've got one point right!"

"Um…I don't get whether you are praising me or not…"

"Thanks, Jin Kyu!" Ray smiled at him.

"Um…Welcome?"

Ray let him go and quickly sat on his cycle. "I gotta go."

"Huh?"

"See you tomorrow. At school. Thanks again." And Ray paddled away.

'Maybe I helped him to take the decision .Someone's gonna say "YE~S"….' Jin Kyu thought to himself as he also started walking with a teasing smile on his face.

While, Ray who was, 'I just need to try harder. Just like her! She tried again and again and I couldn't back off just after one try. I will also keep trying till I convince her, till everything is good in between us, just like before. It's okay if she doesn't have any feelings for me but I wouldn't let her give up on our friendship!'

Ray stopped his cycle in front of a familiar shop. He got down and read the board. It was a candy shop! The same shop, where both of them met before April's birthday.

~

Mia came into the classroom and greeted 'Good morning' to Hana who was sitting on her seat.

Then after talking with her for some time, she went towards her seat. April and So Hee, who were at April's seat, waved at her. She smiled at them and took out her stuff from her bag. Then she started arranging the books and other stuff in the lower shelf of her table. While doing that, she felt something inside so she took it out. It was a note. With frowned face she opened it.

"I know I did a lot of bad things for the past months. I didn't treat you well. But, I am really sorry. Will you forgive me?"

Mia read it again. 'Who's this?' She turned the paper back and forth to see whether the name was written but she didn't find anything.

She again searched in the lower shelf to find something, she felt a thing and she took it out.

Looking at the candy in her hands, she quickly realized who it was. Her confused face was now completely plain. Emotionless.

~

After lunch break, the bell rang and all the students sat on their seats. The teacher entered the classroom and everyone took out their books. Mia also opened her book and as soon as she opened it, she quickly closed it! Her eyes were surprised. The classmate sitting beside her looked at her. Mia forced a smile at him and looked at the book in her hands. She slowly opened the book again. On the page, there was written something with huge letters,

"I know you are angry. You should be. I was a jerk. I admit it. But please listen to me once. I need to talk with you. Please…" And then there was a sad face drawn.

'What is this? What does he want now?'

With a hint of frustration on her face, she opened her pouch to get out her writing material.

There she found a candy, the same one, again…..!

~

Next day, Mia came to school a bit early. Only two-three students were in the class. Mia walked back towards her seat. As she was going to keep her bag on her chair, she noticed a small pink colored paper bag on her chair with white polka dots.

Knowing who it was, she opened it. There were more candies. And a note.

Sighing to herself, she opened it and read. "These candies are the ones, who made us friends.The token of our friendship!

Don't you remember?"

Reading that, her eyes saddened. 'Are you asking me, whether I remembered or not? It was you, who had forgot…..'

~

At lunch time, Mia went to April's seat to have lunch together. Hana and So Hee were already sitting there. Mia sat down and took out her lunch box. She opened it.

"Eek!!" She screamed. All other girls looked at her surprised.

"Mia?"

"What happened?"

Closing her lunch box she looked at them. Her eyes were widened and her heart was beating fast.

"What happened, Mia?" April asked again.

"Are you okay, girl?" So Hee asked.

"N…Nothing…." Mia tried to calm herself down.

"Then why did you scream?" Hana asked looking at her with concern.

"Huh?"

"Did you see something? A cockroach or something?" April asked.

"Cockroach? Umm…Yeah…Umm I saw a c..cockroach…"

"Really? Where?" So Hee said while she bent down and started searching for it. "I hate cockroaches!!" She said with a disgusted face.

"I…I gotta go guys…" Mia got up from her seat.

"Huh? Where?" April asked.

"You haven't had your lunch yet…" Hana said.

"Umm…I lost my appetite….I have something important to do….

I'll talk to you later….Bye then…"

Hurriedly getting her lunch box, Mia went out from the classroom.

Going at the end of the hallway, she stood at the window.

'KIM RAY!!!How could he? Keeping a note in my lunch box? Is he an idiot?

What if some of the girls would had noticed it?'

Then showing her back towards the people, she kept her lunch box on the window and slowly opened it.

There was one more note with a candy on top of it.

"You thought that I was the one, who forgot about our friendship. Isn't it?

I never did. For all those days... I always kept thinking about you…I mean, you were my first friend…and I just wanted to say…Thank you…"

With those words, Mia felt something warm in her heart. A slight smile appeared on her face.

'....But keeping this in my lunch box??? Is he crazy?' Her expressions changed to the next instant.

'That's it. I just have to talk to him now. I'll…I'll just finish this somehow….Yeah…That's what I would do…'

~